Nancy

Nancy in Williamsburg, one of her
favorite places!

Everybody loves Nancy.  What's not to love?  The first time I met Nancy was at our mutual friend Amy's house.  Nancy and I were in the kitchen, and she said, "Suzanne, have you seen Amy's card on her refrigerator?  It's really funny."  The card showed several men tipping their hats.  The inside cover read, "It only took one trip outside for Sarah to decide the the boob job was totally worth it."   I knew instantly we'd be good friends! 

This was the front of the card from Amy's
fridge.  I love Nancy's sense of humor!

Nancy loves people.  She can make you happy just by being around her.  She has a smile on her face when she is folding laundry, changing a diaper, playing poker, in labor, or telling a funny story about herself.  She always sends thank you notes. She enjoys playing games, but she is a gracious winner and loser.  I always know I will have fun if Nancy is involved.  Nancy treats her friends like family and her family like friends.  



Dan and Nancy have always welcomed
their friends into their home.

She is very hospitable.  She and her husband, Dan, lived in Virginia while their family lived in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. While they were here, they were so faithful to invite friends over for Thanksgiving, Easter, and summer picnics, especially those who did not live close to family.  They often hosted game nights, dinners, and movie nights at their home.  When my friends, Ken and Jackie, came to visit from Indiana, they invited all our friends over to their house to meet them.  (Click here to read about Ken and Jackie.) They know how to have a good time.  I enjoyed welcoming in the new year at their annual New Year's Eve parties!   Her husband, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and fun-loving sister-in-law, Sandy, even spent an evening trying to teach me poker.  I had fun, but I lost everything.  They definitely play to win!

Poker night with the Hillmans!

Nancy is incredibly smart.  Oh my goodness, is she smart!  As we speak she is finishing her dissertation and will defend it this spring and then graduate with a PhD!  But she doesn't put on airs, and she can relate to anyone.  Amy (mentioned before as a part of my blique--click here to read about Amy.) and I went to hear her at a Virginia Forum at Christopher Newport University, and I was amazed at how she made the topic come alive.  Two people went before her and basically read their paper aloud.  (Yawn!)  Nancy talked to the audience and engaged us.  I was so proud of her! 





Book Club circa August 2010: Suzanne, Mandy,
Christine, Lindsey, Amy, and Nancy

She took a class I taught called Five Aspects: Theology of Femininity.  She was a star pupil and always did her homework.  She added so much to discussions and listened to what others had to say.  She loves to learn and is able to share her knowledge in a helpful way.  She inspires others to do the same. 

Nancy is an avid reader.  She is a valued member of  my book club and has been a member from the very beginning. You can count on her to contribute interesting commentary, both serious and comical.  She provides constant encouragement for whoever is leading.  She is such a dedicated member that she continued to join our group via Skype after she and Dan moved to Pennsylvania two years ago.  She and I have similar taste in books.  If Nancy likes it, I know I will too.



Flick Club at the Bounds

She was also in Flick Club when she lived in Virginia, and she coined the tag line of all tag lines: "Flick Club is youth group for adults!"  That clever phrase ended up in the program guide for summer interest groups describing Flick Club.  She loves the movies Field of Dreams and Dances with Wolves.  I can't help but think of her whenever I watch one of those movies. 



She is 1/3 of the Triple Threat consisting of Nancy, me, and Amy (aptly named by our friend, Dave).  I love, love, love being with these two ladies whether it's on a road trip to a vineyard for the weekend with only one bathroom and 20+ people, going for a chilly early morning swim, picking peaches and blueberries on a farm in Williamsburg, watching North and South with a very young Patrick Swayze, commentating on all the cheesy scenes in Top Gun, or sending emails that rhyme. 





Triple Threat Forever!

Nancy is a friend I am honored to have.  I truly believe God gave her to me as an unasked answer to prayer.  I had been attending Peninsula Community Chapel for almost two years and had just started attending the C2 group.  One Sunday morning I woke up in a foul mood.  I have no idea why or what brought it on, but I remember fussing at God as I was getting dressed and telling Him I was done talking to Him because he obviously wasn't listening to me.  I got to church early and selected a seat in the section I normally sat.  Suddenly Nancy and Amy arrived and sat down on either side of me.  I felt loved and at once my heart melted.  I silently thanked God for reminding me He had already given me what I needed when I didn't even realize I needed it.



Although we are separated by a few states, I consider Nancy one of my closest friends.  She is a beautiful example of hospitality, congeniality, sincerity, and loyalty.




Picking blueberries and peaches
in Williamsburg: Amy, Christine,
Suzanne, and Nancy

I got to hold Nancy's baby, Rebekah, when
she was just a few days old!