The Gadsons

**I have written and re-written this blog in the hope I would find a way to tell the story without rambling, to no avail. Sorry!**

Jasen and I have been blessed by visits with Greg and Kim Gadson. Well, one visit with Greg and Kim, one with Greg. They came as a couple to Hilton Head about a month ago to speak to a chaplain's conference. They were able to fly in and out of Charleston, which meant we got to see them. We were so blessed to spend one very long evening with them (we didn't get home until almost 1 a.m. I still shake my head on that one!) and enjoyed every minute. I cannot tell you how much we adore them. Have you ever had someone in your life that you didn't get to see very often so when you do, you just want to soak in every moment, every word, every laugh? Well, that's the way we feel about the Gadsons.

Something just dawned on me: some of you might not know the story of our relationship with the Gadsons. When we moved to Ft. Riley, Greg was Jasen's commander. Those soldiers and officers, under Greg's leadership, built 2/32FA from the ground up. At one point, there were only 3 guys in the unit. That's unusual in the Army. Normally, you come into a well-defined, well-established unit. You rarely get to begin something new. I think that created a special bond with the Gadsons and the other people the unit started with.

Also, you hope for a strong bond between battalion commander and "his" battery commanders. Jasen's bond with Greg was fast and strong. Jasen has always looked to his Army mentors as much more than just commanders or bosses.

After our time with the Gadsons in 2/32FA, Jasen moved into another part of a bigger unit, of which 2/32FA was one of the subordinate units. (I am trying to be general here so you all can get the picture; I know Army stuff can be really confusing!) Then the whole big unit deployed.

A little more than two months into the 15 month deployment, Greg was involved in an IED incident and lost both of his legs. It was a shocking, life-changing event for him, Kim and their kids. And it affected all of us who knew and loved the Gadsons. I still cry when I think about those first few days. Such darkness, for them, for my hubby, for the soldiers of 2/32FA. It's hell when your commander, friend, loved one is injured like this. (If you want more of the backstory, go to the archived 2007 blogs, and look at May 17th. How I wish I knew how to do that whole go "here" and you would just arrive there!)

Flash forward almost three years, the Gadsons are living in D.C. and doing really well. Greg has worked with a lot of cutting edges prostheses, had what we hope is the best care/rehab, etc. He also got his master's at Georgetown and is working as a senior fellow for the Institute for World Politics. He will promote from lieutenant colonel to colonel sometime this year. He goes all around the world, speaking to soldiers, athletes, companies, you name it, about teamwork, resiliency, etc.

Kim and the kids are doing well, too. Kim works for a company out of Boston doing who knows what. She's been vague about it, but told me she doesn't work very hard. Their kids, Gabby and Jaelen, are doing well, too. Gabby will be graduating this summer and going to college and Jaelen just got his permit? license? I can't remember which!


Greg's speech-making is what brought him to Chuck-town. Jasen got The Citadel to invite Greg to speak at their Leadership Symposium. When he arrived, Davis and I met the two guys for lunch. That afternoon, Grace and I attended his speech on campus. I can't tell you how moving it was to see him talk about how his "team" in Iraq saved his life. I also thought he imparted some great ideas on leadership; I only hope some of those cocky twenty-somethings paid attention.


One thing Greg said that really stuck with me is that you can't lead anyone if they think you don't care about them. Of course, the Army has rules against fraternization, but he explained that you can care about your soldiers and show them that without breaking any rules. That's not just talk from Greg; he lived that as a battalion commander. And he (and Kim) are still living that.

Later that night, we went to dinner with Greg. He asked me if I was crying during his speech. I had to say that I did, but it wasn't the whole boo-hoo I wanted it to be. When I look at Greg and think about all he's been through, how much this life has thrown at him and his family, I am amazed at the strength they have. I remember those dark days after his accident, when we were afraid he would lose his legs. And now look at him...standing on some amazing prostheses, talking to people all over the world about staying strong, about how to build a team, about how to be a leader people want to follow.

And Kim goes to speak when she can. She's still mentoring me, reminding me of what role I should play in helping Jasen and the Army. And still complimenting that chicken pot pie I made for them right after the accident. And doing it all with humor, grace, and strength.

Okay, I gotta go have one of those cleansing cry sessions now. I pray that all of you can/will/do have someone like the Gadsons in your life. People who inspire you to be all you can be, who look adversity in the eye and don't blink. People who live out faith first, then family, then everything else. People who make you want to follow just because you know that, no matter what happens, good or bad, they will be there with you, leading every step of the way. Greg and Kim are still leading us. Thank you God for the gift of their friendship!

Now for that cry....

Special Events

We've had some special events lately. Well, maybe "lately" is a stretch of the word, but they've been recent.

First off, was Grace's last Upward basketball game and celebration. For those of you who don't know about Upward, they are Christian sports leagues for kids. I usually refer to leagues like Upward as "namby-pamby;" you know, they don't keep score, we are supposed to cheer for everyone, etc. Yes, that annoys me. But as a parent and Christian, I find a lot of value in that, especially when kids are starting out in sports. We won't do Upward forever, but we will while the kids are beginning to learn the games they want to play.

Here is our girl running through the human tunnel at her last game. Sometimes, it's cool when your camera takes a fuzzy picture!

The best part of Upward? They pray before every game and teach kids the principles of salvation. Gotta love that!Watching Grace's Upward games proved difficult for this former player. I tried not to yell and if I did yell, it was pretty benign stuff like "Shoot the ball!" and "Dribble!" There were some games I could not sit down. These are not good signs for the future, especially if my kids play basketball. Amazingly, I don't have these troubles during soccer. Something about playing the sport your kid is playing makes it harder to sit still!

Grace had a lot of fun playing ball this year. The girl is quite aggressive; I have no idea where that came from! I think she had a good time and we were really proud of her dedication and team-building skills. Here are the Racers enjoying their last game treat: sprinkle donuts! See Davis back there enjoying a donut, too? There are perks to having an older sister! This was the morning after his severe bronchitis diagnosis. Poor guy!This Upward league (each Upward league has a church that sponsors the league) had a big final celebration at the Gaillard Auditorium in downtown Charleston. Each team had their name announced and got to run across the stage. Then they had a juggler/uni-cyclist perform for the kids. Jasen took Grace and they had a great time.

That's our girl in front of the coach in the blue shirt.

That same week was Grace's PTA program. It was all about being a Drayton Hall Bobcat. I think I mentioned before that Grace had a couple of props to handle. When we asked her why she had them, she said because she was sitting in the middle and her teacher knew she could "handle it." That's our Grace.
Here is Grace doing her best Bobcat growl!
Singing and signing about love!

Of course, Davis is great at just going along with all of the activities that come with having a big sister. We had the option of petitioning the Upward soccer league to let Davis play. He's a little younger than the cut off, but I was told they would make an exception for him if we wanted. When I mentioned that to Jasen, Jasen wanted to wait. He remembered what I have tried to remember: there is plenty of time for those activities and pretty soon, we'll wish we had some family downtime back!

Here is our boy enjoying his post-game donut!
This is Davis' usual position: sitting in his sister's pink chair, watching either TV or the big "kids" playing video games, with or without the dog.
I have to stop myself from taking a picture of our boy every time I find him like this. He's so darn cute!
Davis has a new favorite snack: a "foo-thie" a.k.a. a smoothie. Do not ask me how he can get it ALL OVER his mouth because I do not know! It takes talent, for sure!
I took this one morning when we were waiting to go into Davis' school. He loves to unbuckle and stand between the front two seats. I love these times with my little Handsome!

The Verbal Beatdown

There I was, in TJ Maxx, trying to find a pastel-colored polo shirt for Davis' spring school picture. I was at the end of the boy's rack, looking at the 4s. There was about 6 inches, then a cart, and a woman looking at the 6s. We were moving toward each other, but I thought there was plenty of room. And, I'll be honest, I thought the closer we got to each other, she would move her basket either on the other side of her or where it was pointing away from the rack we were looking at. Boy, was I wrong!

As we got closer to each other, she kept shoving the shirts in my direction. Should have been my first clue that she had issues. Also, she kept inching her cart right at me, to the point that I was leaning over her cart to continue looking. Again, being the person I am, I thought she would adjust the basket. No such luck. In fact, she ended up HITTING me with it. Now, it wasn't like she shoved me, but it was a little tap, either. I looked at her in disbelief and huffed, only slightly, which was less than I wanted to do.

That's when it started. It was awful. After she hit me with her cart and I looked at her,she started with "Oh no you don't! I was here FIRST!! You didn't even say excuse me!" At this point, she was merely yelling at me. Later it went to full-blown screaming. Anyway, after she said that to me, I replied with "There's plenty of room here for both of us. You could move your cart out of the way." Mistake. That's when she really took off, repeating what she had already said along with some comments about how rude I was and needed to step off. As she was screaming a few things happened. #1 She was still shoving her cart at me, forcing me almost into the clothes that were about 3 feet behind where I was to start with; #2 People were coming out of the woodwork to GAWK at us and enjoy some entertainment; #3 Her own son, who I think was about 2, started screaming and crying, begging his mom to stop. I did tell her I didn't think she was setting a good example to him, which I know wasn't the right thing to do. That made her scream louder AND drop the F-bomb. I am so glad my kids weren't with me.

Now, for those of you who know me, you are probably surprised to learn that I stood there for what seemed like an eternity, while this lunatic berated me at the top of her lungs. I felt limp and incapable of moving. So much for big, tough Sara! As I watched people coming out of the woodwork, not to help, but to watch, it made me a little scared. As my eyes darted from person to person, there was one woman, God bless her, who made eye contact with me and said "Come on." She just kept saying it and motioning to me until I finally got my legs moving and went to her. As we walked away, Whacko Lady dropped a few more F-bombs and continued to scream.

This woman walked with me to the register and I stood there, dumbfounded, shaking. She wanted to tell management, as the woman was still screaming at me from the boy's department. I asked her not to because I didn't want that lady coming after me physically! Obviously, we weren't dealing with a rational person! The nice lady agreed not to say something, but she just kept saying "That isn't right." It made me feel better.

The really funny part? Jasen was meeting me in the parking lot so I could get Grace from him. I called him from the car, crying hysterically. When my handsome prince showed up, he said "Where is she?" I told him she was still in the store and he headed that way. I told him not to be ridiculous. #1 He was in uniform and #2 This was the kind of woman who would call the cops on HIM for verbal assault/harassment if he dared to say anything to her. So we stood in the parking lot until I was calm. I think I shook for 30 minutes afterward.

Wish I could tell you what I learned from the event. In the end there are two things: Satan's attacks can be covert AND overt! And my mom is right: when a crazy person decides it's your day, there isn't much you can do about it!

They Did It!

As always, you need the back story on this one!

Almost a year ago, a guy named Adam Rich, who has a show called Man Vs. Food on either the Food Network or Travel Channel, was in Charleston to complete the spicy sushi roll challenge at Bushido. There are ten levels of hand sushi rolls you must eat, each hotter than the one before. Just before watching the show, we learned that quite a few of our neighbors had completed the challenge or were in the middle of doing it. Of course, Jasen decided he MUST do it, too.

With our move coming closer, Jasen decided he needed to start and finish the challenge NOW. Trip #1 to Bushido, Jasen ate levels 1-5. He said they weren't that bad, but that 5 definitely had a kick to it. Next trip to Bushido, he did levels 6 and 7, which he didn't particularly enjoy, but he got them accomplished. Trip #3 to Bushido, Jasen took Grace with him, got her some fries, while he ate levels 8 and 9, which were not nice to him. I don't know that I ever asked him how they tasted. I just know that he had chills all night long and a stomach that made noises and movements that probably shouldn't be remembered. It was not good.

So all he had left was #10. Of course, we wanted it to be an EVENT, so we planned on the whole family going, along with a couple of our neighbors and friends. One of our friends in the neighborhood, Johnny, completed levels 1-9 pretty quickly, but had been stalling on #10. Now, I don't really know that he was stalling, but all the other men in the neighborhood accused poor Johnny of that. It was decided by all the men in the neighborhood that, when Jasen went to do #10, Johnny needed to do it, too.

Saturday night, the time had come to kick some Bushido booty! We gathered up our kids, Johnny and Brandy got their precious Addelyn ready, and we met them and our neighbors Hunter and Eric at Bushido. We all had sake (love the green apple sake!) and sushi, except for our kids, who had the BEST pb'n'j EVER (Grace's words, of course!), and the guys ordered #10 to be brought out right before we were leaving.

When we were all done with our real meal and the guys had plenty of water available, the eating began. Hunter played "The Eye of the Tiger" on his IPhone. People who were leaving stopped to watch them do it. And Johnny and Jasen? They ate their #10 hand roll in two bites. Now, a hand roll isn't your little half-dollar sized sushi bite. It's a big ole seaweed roll with lots of fish hanging out. Jasen and Johnny had already decided that they needed to get the fat end in their mouths without the fish actually touching their lips because it would burn too bad. I couldn't believe they accomplished that, but they did.

Johnny was done first. Jasen was actually chewing so it took him a little longer. Let me assure you, there were not enough napkins!

After they were done, they downed water and we got Jasen some milk. Johnny is lactose-intolerant so he couldn't have any; poor guy! Brandy even offered to go get him some soy milk at the Food Lion nearby.In the end, they weren't in too bad shape. We didn't have to run out of the restaurant toward Evening Shade Drive. Jasen's tummy wasn't great the next day, but he said it wasn't as bad as after 8 and 9. Thank goodness! Here they are, all done. Never to have to eat one of those things again!

Sadly, the night we were there, they were out of their Bushido headbands so Jasen was bummed he didn't get his. Thankfully, it came in the mail today. I knew you'd want to see it! Say "Bushido!"

Is it Really March?

I can't believe it is March already. I knew January and February would fly by, but I had no idea how quick. We've been busy, as usual, but it's hard to tell you what we've been doing.

One thing that's been going on is that Davis has been sick. Prior to last Friday, he had a cough for a week or so. Being the fabulous mother I am, I figured it was related to the stuffy nose he had and that once the cold went away, the cough would go away. Last Friday, while Grace and I were out running some errands, Jasen called and said Davis was in excruciating ear pain. The girls cut our time short and came home. Davis was indeed in a bad way. We got a referral to take him to an urgent care place, assuming he had developed an ear infection.

Imagine my surprise, when the doctor was listening to Davis' lungs, then informed me that he thought Davis had pneumonia. I was floored! Our four year old had to have a CBC and a chest x-ray. Four is too young for a chest x-ray! The good news was that Davis did not have pneumonia, just severe bronchitis and a slight ear infection. Poor baby. I felt awful for letting the cough go on so long.

Sadly, Davis' cough is still hanging on and now Grace is hacking, too. UGH!! My nose is also running which makes me think it must be time for an illness to run through all of us!

Grace had her PTA performance this week. The meeting portion was excruciating, of course. Jasen looked over at me and said they shouldn't schedule the performances with the meeting. Then I asked Jasen if he would ever go to a meeting if his child wasn't performing. He got the point.

Grace did an awesome job. She was sitting front and center and even had a couple of props she had to handle. When I asked her how she was picked to do those two jobs, she said it was because she was sitting in the middle and Mrs. Bullock (her teacher) knows she's pretty responsible. Spoken like the 7 going on 13 girl that Grace is!

We have some exciting events coming up and you'll be hearing more about them later:

• Next weekend, my oldest friend from the 'ville, Emily, is coming in to see Charleston. Actually, she said she wanted to eat her way through Charleston. No wonder we've been friends for so long!
• Two weekends after that is the Cooper River Bridge Run. It's a 10K run from Mt. Pleasant, across the Cooper River on the Ravenel Bridge, a gorgeous suspension bridge, into the heart of the Charleston peninsula. Jasen is already signed up and I will be soon. We hope to have a special guest to come watch the kids for us. More on that to follow.
• I got tickets for Grace's first concert. She and I will be going to see Casting Crowns in April. She is so excited and has been rocking out to them on her CD player. Is there anything better than your child already understanding some pretty profound Christian lyrics?
• Also in April, Jasen and I will be going to see Dave Ramsey live here in Charleston. By that time, we will be debt-free and Jasen is hoping they ask for volunteers to scream that they are.