MAY 3
FOOTBALL | This is the first week of @NCCSEagles Spring Football and our Eli is out there working hard. He enjoys the game and loves discussing the intricacies of the pass versus the run. He has a lot of thoughts about plays on both offense and defense and loves the idea of playing under the lights one day. It’s a blast to see our kids do new things.
The reason our Eli is out there is because of this huddle. In this season of middle school and high school, he needs a band of brothers who will point him to Jesus, pick him up when he stumbles, and cheer him on when he shows growth. Grateful for a group of godly men who are pouring into these boys with an eternal perspective. Let’s Go Eagles! 🏈 #7000days
MAY 4
MIDDLE SCHOOL CHORUS | Emma has learned SO MUCH in Middle School Chorus @nccseagles from our dear friend @amykwallace. My favorite part of what Amy has taught her in chorus and through worship team is just to “sing the song that the Lord has placed in your heart.” Because of Amy’s influence, our girl sings ALL THE TIME. Around the house, in the shower, in the car, while playing volleyball, and everywhere else. Her singing lets me know that all is well in her heart. Thank you Amy for the way you love Jesus and point your students…and colleagues…to do the same! We really enjoyed our last Middle School Spring Concert for Emma and her friends. We will start back over next year because Eli has signed up for chorus also 🙌🏽🙌🏽 #7000days #GoEagles #WeAreNCCS #NCCSFamily
MAY 5
8TH GRADE DANCE | A special night with sweet friends. So grateful for the way that @NCCSEagles provides a place for lifelong friendships to be developed. The kids looked beautiful and handsome for their long awaited 8th grade dance. Dinner with friends, throwing the football around the pool, pictures, lots of laughter, and dancing the night away. Special moments…God is good! Grateful for our precious girl and her sweet friends! #7000days
MAY 6
9 YEARS AGO | We woke up early Tuesday morning and were all super excited about going to pick up Eli. Tuesday, May 6, 2014 was Eli’s official GOTCHA DAY! When we arrived at the Hilawe Children’s home, you could definitely tell that it was a big day. There was a film crew and a photographer taking pictures of us exiting the van and they continued videoing and shooting photos the entire time we were there. The farewell ceremony at the children’s home was truly a treasure. The people at Hilawe were so happy for Eli and they pulled out all the stops for the celebration. One of the social workers was so thoughtful to video the whole thing with our camera so we will be able to show Eli what a special ceremony this was.
They started by having a time of prayer over all of us. The director of the children’s home prayed in Amaric and then Clint prayed in English. They put some fingerpaint on Eli’s right hand to make a handprint so that people at the children’s home could remember him and pray for him. After that, they presented us a huge loaf of bread for us to cut together. It was similar to cutting a wedding cake and everyone was served a piece. The next item was a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony complete with popcorn. They also served us cokes and brought little chocolates…which totally thrilled Emma! Emma was wonderful throughout the ceremony as she realized this was a very special time for her brother. She kept herself busy giving Eli kisses and making sure he was having a good time.
After the Embassy that afternoon we headed back to the hotel and got ready for naps. Emma insisted on climbing in the crib to sleep by Eli so he wouldn’t be scared. We got some precious pictures of the two of them snuggling together. We pray that they will always be very close and that Emma will always look out for her baby brother. Once naps were over, we played on the playground at the hotel and then ate dinner at the gazebo restaurant by the pool. Eli ate a ton of rice and some chicken. He is a great eater and did a great job at dinner! Emma could hardly eat anything she was so excited to finally have her brother!
Read more: https://meganstrange.com/?p=8273
MAY 6
STRANGE SATURDAY | We started the day before dawn with our sweet friends putting on the 3rd Annual Bub’s Run at @NCCSEagles in honor of Kelson Loveland and his precious family. Huge turnout, loads of fun, and our sweet girl took first in the 1 mile run! Celebratory breakfast at @youracworthcfas to celebrate Eli’s Gotcha day followed by a quick YouTube review of the coronation. Back to school to cheer on the NCCS Baseball team in two big wins at home in the State Playoffs. Late lunch at Pablano’s and then Oliver, Jr. @eastside.christian to cheer on some sweet friends. What a day!! Wrapping it up with popcorn and watching Hoosiers with my favorite son. Exhausted..but so grateful. These are the days my friends…these are the days! #7000days
MAY 8
POWDER PUFF FOOTBALL | What a great night put on by our @NCCSEagles Upper School Student Government. A great time was had by all and no one left in an ambulance…I call that a win all around!
Congratulations to the Class of 2023 for completing the Three-Peat and taking home the Championship again this year! I’d just like to point out that the faculty put up three touchdowns on the seniors and only lost in overtime. Also, it would have clearly been a Four-peat for these seniors without that pesky pandemic that squashed spring of their freshman year.
Congratulations to everyone who played and coached! Thanks to our awesome referees Coach Bitner, Coach King, Coach Rupp, and Coach Poole. Thanks to Dom, Colby, and Ben for holding down the announcing and DJing…they kept us all laughing. And thank you Coach Strange and Coach Smith for your valuable insight and inspiration guiding our very talented faculty team 😂😂
What a beautiful night to play outside! Thanks to all the fans who came out. These are the days! #GoEagles #WeAreNCCS #NCCSFamily #PowerOfMoments
MAY 11
DODGEBALL | Super fun afternoon with our @NCCSEagles Middle School at their annual dodgeball tournament. Emma and her friends had a team called Thunderstruck. They avenged their loss last year and won the girls division. The Prime boys repeated their championship. It was loads of fun with a HUGE turnout. These are the days! #GoEagles #WeAreNCCS #NCCSFamily #7000days
MAY 11
ACWORTH | So good to get in a sunset walk tonight in our beautiful town. We love Acworth!
MAY 13
VOLLEYBALL IN THE SMOKIES | It’s the busiest time of the school year…and the best time to make sure I choose what’s most important. Emma and I stole my Mom away for the weekend and we made it a girls trip to the mountains for Mother’s Day and Emma’s volleyball tournament. So much fun to cheer on Emma and her teammates. Some of her teammates are also her @NCCSEagles teammates and we ran into lots of other Eagles as well! I wish we had gotten pictures with all of them 🙂
It’s a great day in the Smokies! #7000days @575volleyballlakepoint
MAY 14
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY | I post this first picture a lot…but it’s one of my favorites. I think it says a lot about what mothering is. It’s helping your child see that God has given them what it takes to accomplish the things that He has set in front of them to do.
Every day is a great day to celebrate my Mom Renee Abel. As a single Mom she raised three kids who are all raising their own families now. Seeing her go from Mom, to trusted friend, to Mimi has been a beautiful journey. We have all grown. We have laughed together and cried together. We’ve had the privilege of traveling the world together.
For the last several months, we’ve been so blessed to have Mom as the newest resident of Acworth, guest services team member @nsckennesaw, big fan of @nccseagles, and super fun Mimi. So grateful to have her in our everyday lives!
Happy Mother’s Day Mom…well done!
Proverbs 31:31: “Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”
MAY 17
SOARING CEREMONY | It was a special day yesterday @NCCSEagles as we celebrated the Soaring Ceremony for the Class of 2027. It’s a great opportunity to recognize God’s faithfulness in the past that propels us to hope in God’s faithfulness in the future. It’s not graduation, it’s just a milestone along the journey. I love the symbolism of the 8th graders “Soaring” into Upper School…they are ready and excited about this next season.
Each year as I pin the 8th graders I am overwhelmed at the thought of how the Lord desires to capture and captivate the heart of all of our kids. It was extra special yesterday to pin my first Strange 8th grader. I don’t take lightly the incredible privilege of serving at the school where our kids are growing up. To God be the glory! #GoEagles #WeAreNCCS #NCCSFamily #7000days
MAY 17
SUNSETS | Today was the last day of regular school for our precious seniors @NCCSEagles. To say that I love these kids is a drastic understatement. The Lord has done remarkable things in and through the NCCS Class of 2023. I’m so excited to watch our Eagles soar!
For the next few days we will celebrate and proclaim God’s faithfulness through the years at Baccalaureate, Awards, Graduation, and tons of great parties. Tonight…I sit on our porch that is under construction…and reminisce on the process for these precious seniors and rejoice in the fact that God has plans for all of us. As another school year heads towards the sunset, let’s rejoice at what God has done! #GoEagles #WeAreNCCS #NCCSFamily
MAY 18
FLY EAGLES FLY | Today was Baccalaureate and Upper School Awards @NCCSEagles. There were also some senior shenanigans on the lawn, a great cookout, and a stakeout to pelt a beloved English teacher with a water balloon. All in celebration of our dearly loved NCCS Class of 2023. I always love the class picture, but each year I try to remember to turn around and take a picture of the parents…taking pictures of their kids. The Lord is kind and gracious. These are special days.
3 John 1:4
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
MAY 20
GRADUATION | Today is another special day! We launched the NCCS Class of 2023 into God’s best for their lives. As our seniors walked across the stage today, it was such a joy to reflect on the way the Lord has grown each of those guys and girls. He has blessed them with talents and gifts to be used for His glory and the good of others. We have prayed for them, laughed with them, cried with them and their behalf, engaged in so many shenanigans, served together around the world, and just enjoyed life together. It’s such a gift to know that they are ready for this next step. Senior prank for me this year? They each took a selfie with me. So..what a gift, I now have an album of all of their precious faces to use as prayer cards!
MAY 22
STATE CHAMPS | How sweet it is! I’m so happy for our @NCCSEagles Baseball Team for bringing home the state championship tonight. These guys have worked hard building the program over the last several years. Extra special to have @baseball_keane and @rmoore1288 coaching these guys since the last state championship was their senior year…and my first year at NCCS. So glad to see these men building another generation of men! Time for a new banner! Well done fellas, what a fun way to wrap up the school year. Let’s Go Eagles! #GoEagles #WeAreNCCS #NCCSFamily
MAY 23
BYE BYE BRACES | One more milestone in the midst of finishing up middle school. Our sweet girl got her braces off yesterday. What a fun moment!
Thank you Dr. Singleton, Dr. Cronan, and the whole team @orthozonebraces. We are #RavingFans
MAY 23
LOWER SCHOOL | Today was a great celebration of the end of Lower School for our big guy. I’m so thankful for all that Mrs. Titus and Mr. McDonald have poured into Eli over the years of Lower School and to Mrs. Bare for a wonderful year in Fourth Grade. The Lord is gracious and kind. We are so thankful for all that God has done in the life of our Eli in his days @NCCSEagles. Middle School, here he comes! #GoEagles #WeAreNCCS #NCCSFamily #7000days
MAY 27
SUMMERTIME | Grateful for a Saturday with nowhere to be except with family at the lake. Thank you Lord for the gift of rest! #7000days
MAY 28
SUMMER | The Strange Summer of 2023 is officially underway. So grateful to my sister and her husband for hosting us all weekend. The food was spectacular, the boat rides adventurous, the naps plentiful, and lots of laughter sprinkled in from five adults and five kids having lots of fun together. The Strange bus is pointed back towards Georgia early in the morning. Grateful for precious time together! #7000days
MAY 31
GRATEFUL | At noon today, our amazing teachers @NCCSEagles begin their VERY well deserved summer vacation. I just can’t say enough about the incredible team that the Lord has assembled at NCCS. I learn so much from these folks everyday. I’m so grateful for the way they love Jesus, love their families, and love their students. What a powerful calling it is to invest in hearts and minds through the power of the gospel and the vehicle of Christian Education. Rest well and be refreshed. God is using you for His glory! #HappySummer #GoEagles #WeAreNCCS #NCCSFamily #LoveYouGuys
