Walking for Epilepsy Awareness

I wanted to share a few pictures from the Epilepsy Awareness Walk that took place for Zandra's beautiful granddaughter. Her Mom is fearless in her battle to make sure she receives the best treatment and care possible.  She also works diligently to give her a happy and normal life. It looks like they had a nice group show up for the actual walk. For those of us who couldn't be there to walk, a lot of us did purchase one of the tee shirts to contribute what we could toward the event. I purchased a gray one for Kurt. It looks like Bailey had a pink one. This is a picture of her walking along with everyone else.  Of course they had a nice walking stroller for her if she got tired.  It brings me much joy to see what wonderful parents, grandparents, Aunt's, and cousins she has around her and supporting her.  

Forty Six Years

It is hard to believe I attended my first Memorial forty six years ago. As I mentioned before, I missed the actual Memorial a few years ago when I broke my arm as I was entering the building. I had forgotten until someone mentioned it tonight that I also missed last year's Memorial - I listened in - but it isn't the same as being there when the emblems are passed. Matt was the chairman this year and did an excellent job. I am so proud of Matt and Eric who was also made an Elder not too long ago. I have watched them grow up from children to become fine young men.  I know their parents are as happy and proud as I am. We had 266 attend the Memorial this year.  It was so good to see some old friends I haven't seen in quite awhile.  Raymond gave the talk and he did a wonderful job.  By the time the emblems were passed, you felt like you were actually in that upper room with Jesus and his beloved 11 apostles.  Everyone looked so pretty - especially these two special young ladies. All the young ones are growing up so fast. Makes me feel old .... or should I say - "older".

Pretty and sweet.....

I can't think of anything sweeter than a baby girl (unless it is a baby boy). Vera picked me up and took me to Dafina's so I could see her, her new home and her beautiful, new baby girl (almost 3 months old now). I had already begged her to send some pictures earlier to get an idea of how she looks and fell in love with that sweet little face right away. I got a few pictures of the outside from the Realtor's web site but it doesn't show the huge wooden fence from the backyard to a huge side yard. It is going to be nice when the kids can play safely inside the fenced in yard if it ever gets warm enough. I took a few of the baby's room before we woke her up to visit. Thankfully it was almost time for her to be fed anyway. I got to hold her for quite awhile before she ate and she didn't fuss one time. The house really is gorgeous. The rooms are all large and everything flows the way it should. Who could complain about having 3.5 bathrooms? Oh - I know the answer to that - the one who has to clean them all. I laughed and told Dafina how tiny my house is as I shared with her how much I hate cleaning house.  I then told her I hate it so much, we have someone we pay to do it for us every other week and it is worth every penny and more. She laughed but I'm telling you, I would get a part-time job to pay someone to clean if that house was mine. The neighborhood is behind an older, established neighborhood and seems to be very quiet. It was nice of Vera to get me out of the house today. The sun was shining and even though it is freezing and the forecast is for it to be very cold for the next week, it was still great being with friends. We are watching the last of the UNC - Villanova game. Carolina is 2 points ahead so it looks like a close game. Sadly State lost but Duke made it through their first game. Hopefully, UNC will also. Dwight said he wants UNC to win tonight because he will enjoy watching Duke beat them for the championship. I'll never forget the year Duke won the championship game in the last two seconds in overtime against Kentucky in 1992. I remember exactly where I was (Spinnakers)watching that shot like it was yesterday.  Okay - UNC just won the game so that is two NC teams in the battle for the championship. I know - many people think I'm not a good fan but if Duke can't win, I would be happy for UNC or NC State to win.  I don't think that makes me a bad fan.  I definitely want Duke to win but if they can't, I still want a NC school to win.  I think that makes me a "nice" fan. :)

Nineteen seventeen

Today is the day in the year above one of the most wonderful women in the world came into existence. A woman who loved to laugh, loved to make other people laugh and did it well. A woman who could take a bit of this and a bit of that and cook the best tasting food ever eaten. A woman who loved her mate from the first time they dated in high school and loved him until the day he died and after. A woman who gave birth to six girls and raised five of them to womanhood (second daughter died at three months of age).
A woman who loved her entire extended family and made sure she went "down home" often to keep up with all of them. I know I have written about her on this blog many times but I never tire of talking about her to anyone who will listen. The interesting thing iswe all feel that way about her and even her grandchildren talk about her often. Whose every son-in-law adored her and would do anything for her. After Daddy died, she would call my Dwight to help her with things around the house.  He worked for himself and would make himself available for anything she needed. She fell on some ice one day and she called him for help.  He almost killed himself getting to her and took her right to the Emergency Room.  He called me and I dropped everything at work and called my sisters on the way to the hospital.  Pretty soon they put all of us in a separate room - we were pretty fierce when it came to our Mama.  We knew that on the fourth Sunday in June, we were supposed to go "down home" with her for our "family reunion". I don't believe she ever missed a family reunion and she loved it when we could all be there. Of course, Barbara wasn't able to be there often so it was very special for her when they were able to come down during that time. These two were taken at one of the reunions held in Kittrell. Don't you just love those glasses she has on? They were the style at that time.  Pretty soon we were going to Aunt Eunice's house for the reunion in Wake Forest. She used to go to her old country church she had joined as a girl every so often and all our cousins talked about how pretty she always was.  We thought so too. Her beauty came from the inside out.  She was a good person and everyone was drawn to her. She totally enjoyed her job at Liggett and Myers and made many friends there. Her little recipe book is full of recipes she got from people she worked with.  They have her friend's names beside the recipes. I've been meaning to scan her handwritten recipes for a long time and am going to try very hard to do that this year. They are pretty faded so I'm not sure how they will turn out. You may see some of these pictures further back on my blog but that's okay. It does tell me I need to work on scanning more of the older pictures I have of her. We still haven't found Mama's pictures anywhere. I'm not sure where they are but I am very sad they are gone. It is hard to believe she would have turned ninety-six today if she had lived. One thing I do know - she would still be smiling and everyone who knows her would be smiling with her and loving her deeply. I miss you Mama - every day.

"Spring" ahead....

Wow - time really does fly after you reach your 60's. I thought they sped up when I hit my 50's but these past 6 years have literally flown by. Here we are in another Spring and it actually feels like it. I keep forgetting to share this picture of GG with her two beautiful daughters, Pam and Deborah, that was taken last month. GG doesn't look 83 years old does she? She is surrounded by many new friends and is very active these days. It keeps a smile on our faces every time we think or talk about it how happy she is. Deborah came by this week and I rode with her down to GG's house. We wanted to see it now that someone is living in it. The only thing we noticed different was a small child's bicycle under the carport. It just doesn't feel right anymore. We are happy a young family is living there and know they are going to enjoy it. We didn't see "Socks" anywhere. Socks is a cat that is owned by one of GG's old neighbors but she fed him and he was in and out of her house as if it was his. I know he must miss GG - I know I do. I snatched this picture of Marie and her little boy off Facebook. Doesn't she look great? I still miss her but am happy that they are doing so well where they are. She has plenty of pioneers to work with and a very large territory. I would love to hear about some of her studies. Hopefully we will find some time sooner than later to get caught up. I had a big disappointment yesterday. Rick had called and told me he was bringing Cathy to see me because she was having a fit to see for herself how I am doing. He said he was going to ask Judy and Steve to come by too and that Cathy might want to spend the night with me. I told Alice and Sidney to plan on stopping by too. He said they would be here around 3:30pm so Dwight decided to cook a grill of BBQ chicken for everyone. I called Judy to see what time they were coming and to let them know Dwight was cooking chicken and she said they were on their way over to Marlan's for the Duke game! She didn't know anything about Cathy coming so I called Rick and he was UBER-embarrased! He had just gotten back in town very late from a two day trip to Kansas the night before and had forgotten all about it. He hurriedly called the sister who was supposed to bring Cathy to meet him to see where she was. It turns out she had tried to contact him to let him know she wasn't coming. To make a long story shorter - Cathy wasn't coming. SO - Dwight got Steve and Boyd to come over and get some of the chicken, mashed potatoes and cole slaw and he is going to take care of the rest it. I enjoyed the WT study for today and hated that I couldn't make it. to the meeting.  I woke up for awhile during the night last night and add to that losing an hour and I definitely overslept. So I was so glad to be able to hook up to the meeting.  The next thing I remember is waking up during the last song and the prayer.  Dwight was laughing out loud at me. He said I was leaning way back in the chair with my Bible and WT open and that when I wasn't snoring very loudly I was talking in my sleep. I told him I was talking because I was dreaming about being at the meeting and commenting and talking to the friends - it was so real. I guess listening in my sleep made it real. I thought I would close with one of my favorite sights this time of the year. Dwight's Mom had several Forsythia bushes in her yard and would bring tons of the branches inside and put them in large containers. I loved them and still do but they will not grow in my yard. Most things will not grow in this yard.

A nice visit with a very special "girl"...

I guess I shouldn't call Linda a "girl" anymore since she is a wife and mother to three but the truth is, she will always be one of "my girls". I met Linda many years ago when Douglas still lived at home. A young man (Seth) who was studying started coming to our Book Study. In time, he brought his fiancee with him. I was asked if I wanted to study with her and of course, I said absolutely. In the meantime, Seth moved to his Aunt's in the mountains so that she could study and learn for herself what she really wanted to do. Once she decided to become a publisher, she went up to his Aunt's house with his Step-Mom and they eloped while she was there. When they came back, I had them over and we had a nice gift for them from all of us along with a little cake and some flowers. This picture was made in January of 1998.  Douglas and Jessie had just gotten married the September before this.  Their oldest daughter is only three months older than my granddaughter. When she was studying, she used to come here for her study and at times we had it in my room on my bed. Before the study was over, we would both be laying down holding the books up so we could read them. Dwight has always considered her as one of his also and thinks the world of her. I totally enjoyed my visit with her today as always. We talked about tons of stuff including her and Seth's new home and her Mom. Dwight and I are hoping we will be able to get out there to see the inside of it one day when it is sunny outside. We talked about how much we both love our congregation and how happy we are to see how much it has grown. Seth is giving the talk at the North congregation Sunday and I so wish I could go. After hearing me cough all day she is convinced I have a rotten cold so I don't know if I will be going to any congregation Sunday. I do not want to contaminate anyone else. I have always loved how much she and Seth love each other and are each other's champion. They truly appreciate and treasure each other and their beautiful children. Dwight got home not long after she left and he wanted to know if she was okay - isn't that sweet? She is as pretty if not prettier than she was in this picture right after they got married. Probably because she is as beautiful inside as she is outside and kindness personified. I also wanted to share this picture with you guys. If you look to the right on my blog, you will see a blog I follow called Geninne's Art Blog. She is without a doubt, one of the best artists I have come across. I don't think there is anything she can't do. Since I LOVE Poppies so much, I had to share this calender front she painted for the month of March. You can go on her blog and download the calender to your desktop if you like it. I have almost all of them since she started doing them.  Oh - and if you are wondering, yes, that is my Kelly on the sofa with Linda and Seth.  And - Dwight talked to her today and she is enjoying Vegas. :)

Seventy-three years ago today.....

Another one of those "I can't believe" it posts. I can't believe it has been seventy-three years today since this beautiful person was brought into this world at Rex Hospital in Raleigh, NC. I know I have written some of this about her before so if you don't want to read it again, just skip over it. That means she was around six or seven years old when this school picture was made. She was Mama and Daddy's third little girl and the first one born in a hospital - Rex Hospital, Raleigh, NC. Mama told me right up until she was born, she was planning to name her Carmen if she was a girl but one of Mama's nurses loved the name Alice so Mama named her Alice Rose. My oldest sister, Barbara Ann had very blonde hair and extremely fair skin. Alice was just the opposite with dark brown hair and very dark skin like Mama's. Alice is almost seven years older than me and has always acted quite motherly toward me from the very first. Mother had to go to work after my baby sister was born so Alice's "natural mothering nature" kicked into over-drive then. She is what my Mother's generation called a "worry-wart" and that is putting it mildly. She "hates" having to make decisions about anything and used to question and re-question everything before finally making one. She would not only drive herself crazy - she would drive those around her nuts too. lol I used to get upset with her and tell Mama she was driving me crazy and Mama would always say - "but ain't she sweet." I always had to laugh and admit she is sweet for the most part. lol She has always been very well-groomed, has good taste in clothes and all of the kids have known since they were born to - as she would say - "don't touch my hair". Her hair has gotten even thinner as she has gotten older so once it is fixed, she doesn't want anyone to get near it. At times I have thought that my blase' attitude has been the result of my being determined to not be so up-tight and/or worried about what other people think like she was coupled with the fact that I was born in the first year of the Baby Boomer Generation. Because of my parents and older sisters, I also had the influence of the 50's, 60's and 70's. Alice and her dear hubby, Sidney, have always taken a personal interest in me - even when I was a young girl. Of course, I was also the perfect age to be a built in baby sitter. As a result, I have always felt very close to her children as my children have felt to her and Sidney. She learned the truth first and I tell her I learned it later "in spite of her". We laugh about it because I definitely understand how hard it was for her to not talk to me about it once I started studying but that is another reason for our very close relationship - we are sister/sisters. We both treasure that. I can't express how much I love Alice and Sidney - I get cards, notes, poems, visits and phone calls from them both all the time. They not only make sure I know they love me, they also make me laugh. I not only love them both very much but I also treasure so many memories of my time with them through the years. Love you Big Al and Big Sid........2lbs