Nana

Judith Finley Stone, 78, of Chattanooga, passed away Monday, Dec. 2, 2013, after a brief illness. She was a founder, deacon, past treasurer and finance chair of Rivermont Presbyterian Church. Judy was born in Chattanooga on May 31, 1936. She was president of the GPS class of 1954 and attended Vanderbilt University before graduating from the University of Tennessee in 1980 with a BS in accounting. She was employed as a CPA with Joseph Decosimo & Co., working as a tax manager and specializing in the taxation of estates and trusts. She was also employed by Spears, Moore, Rebman & Co. She retired in 1995. Judy was a caring and passionate member of her community and supported many philanthropic causes. She had an especially passionate interest in education. She was elected as a trustee of the University of Chattanooga Foundation in 1995, where she served as treasurer beginning in 2007. She sat on the executive committee, and chaired the nominating committee beginning in 2009 and continued to serve until her death. Additionally, Judy served on the finance committee and endowment committee of Girls Preparatory School. She served in various capacities on numerous other boards, including: Richmont Graduate University, King College, the Faith and Hope Fund for the Presbytery of East Tennessee, Bachman Academy, University of Tennessee Alliance of Women Philanthropists, the Kidney Foundation, Scenic Land School, Tennessee River Gorge Trust, the UTC College of Business Advisory Board. Additionally, she was a member of several Bible studies, book clubs, and the Women of Rivermont club. She was preceded in death by her father, the late W. Max Finley. She is survived by her mother, Margaret Ferrell Finley; her sister, Cynthia Finley Anderson, of Winston-Salem, N.C.; children, William M. Stone III, of Knoxville, Catherine Dianne Stone, of Nashville, Robert Finley Stone, of Chattanooga; and daughters-in-law, Lacie Newton Stone, Cynthia Dair Stone, of Chattanooga; and granddaughters, Sarah Elisabeth Stone and Rebecca Stone Dryden. She is remembered for her red hair, her quick, impish wit, and above all, her kindness and generosity to others. She loved traveling, photography, cooking shows, and spending time with her family and many friends. The family will receive friends at Rivermont Presbyterian Church from 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5, followed by a funeral service, beginning at 6 p.m. in the sanctuary, with a private graveside service at 10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 6, at Forest Hills Cemetery. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Kidney Foundation, the Siskin Children's Institute, or the Bachman Academy. Share your memories at www.wannfuneralhome.com. Arrangements are by Wann Funeral Home & Cremation Center, located at the foot of historic Lookout Mountain, St. Elmo. 821-7551.

Blog revival

After a very long hiatus, this blog is being brought back to life.

I am seeking new ways to unpack some of the chaos that goes on in my mind, and this seems like it may be a healthy outlet for me. I am not writing with hopes of gaining a large following or impressing anyone with any sort of artistic abilities (due to the fact that I have none). I am writing as self-guided therapy.

I welcome anyone who wants to read my posts, comment with questions, or altogether ignore this blog.

We bought a house.

Well, we did it. We took the plunge into homeownership. It's a bit overwhelming, but more than that, it's exciting. We love our house, and have been busy making it our home.

We're not totally done decorating & settling in, but here's what we've got so far: 

Photojournal of the past few months

The last few months have flown by. I've learned & grown a lot. Here are some of the things that have happened....

I met my farmers and joined a wonderful community...

Nathan finished his last full-time semester of his graduate degree....

A dear friend had the most beautiful baby...

We planted a big garden...

I spent time with dear friends...

My dad bonded with my dog...

I biked to work for the first time....

I worked out in the community with an amazing group of people out to end chronic homelessness in Nashville...

I swam at the pool with the best people...

We actually ate a lot of things we grew....

I'm learning new things....

I followed my heart & joined the Homeless Outreach team at my agency....

Nathan started a bug collection & kept jars of bug corpses in the freezer next to things that would otherwise be appealing...

Oh, no big deal, we bought a house...

And we're packing things up to move...

Through all the changes, good & bad, we have each other, which is the best part of all...

Oh, hi.

Seems I forgot about my blog for a while. Perhaps it was a needed break.

I've been thinking lately on the growth I've experienced over the past year & a half of marriage (what?!). This time last year, I was in a good but kind of rough place. I was happy, but also dealing with some anxiety issues that, as I can see pretty clearly now but perhaps didn't at the time, were pretty crippling. I feel a lot healthier now. I feel more confident & happy with myself as a human than I ever have. I feel capable of accepting my flaws and trying to grow, without wanting to crawl in a hole anytime I hear criticism or feel insecure. It's extremely liberating, and I am really happy to have reached this place in my life. I owe so much to Nathan, to my loving & encouraging friends, to my family, to my boss(es) & colleagues & clients, to my pets, to the Tennessee mountains, to myself.

Things are changing, but in very unexpected ways. My parents are divorced, my sister doesn't talk to me. Life as I know it is officially different. What will happen when Nathan & I have kids? Do I tell my sister even though she asked me never to contact her? Will my parents be able to be in the same room to see my family? Will my child(ren) have relationships with both of their maternal grandparents? I don't know what it looks like, and that scares me, but I know that we will figure it out whenever that time comes.

I don't know where we'll be two years from now. I'm still definitely considering graduate school, but I don't know where or when. I hope to continue in my field, where I feel extremely fulfilled and challenged every day. It's exciting to think about living somewhere new, but is it feasible or financially responsible?

I have been paying more attention to my physical and personal needs lately, and in order to meet them I've been exercising a lot (Jazzercise & Yoga) & knitting as much as possible. My body feels healthy & strong, and I've challenged myself with really fun new knitting patterns. Both are extremely enjoyable & fulfilling for me.

There are certainly struggles at times, emotionally, financially, & otherwise, but I feel like I am in a much better place & pretty capable of handling what comes my way. I am feeling overwhelmingly blessed & fulfilled by my life right now, and so incredibly happy to be sharing it with so many wonderful people (and pets).