Family Reunion
February 16, 2008 | Reunion 2008 | Comments [2]
NOTE: HERE IS A LINK TO THE PERMANENT REUNION 2008 PAGE
YOU MUST GO THERE TO POST COMMENTS, ETC. COMMENTS HAVE BEEN DISABLED ON THIS POST SO THAT WE WON’T HAVE TO GO LOOK IN TWO PLACES!!! - BILL
This is something we need to do! August is only six months away. I name this month, because it’s the last month of summer, which is the time that the kids are out of school, but only in early August. I’m racking my brain on how to go about it. MONEY would make it easier. Aunt Lucille was around to make the last two reunions so easy. She just pulled out a matured bond, and asked me if I thought it would be enough for the second reunion. I thought it was probably for about $5,000. It was for $20,000. I’m just not accustomed to thinking that big. And for some people, it’s just a drop in the ocean. It was for her. I remember that she commented one time that she wouldn’t want to live if she didn’t have her money, or something to that effect. Daddy told me. I can completely understand that. It would be so difficult to go from riches to rags, but many people have had that experience. Aunt Lucille had been so used to having riches for so very long that she wouldn’t have been able to handle life very well without it. At least, not at her very advanced years. But she gave a lot of money away to family members. She really did go to the aid of many of her people, when they were stuck in the mire and couldn’t get out.But I think my subject was Family Reunion. We could make it very simple. Just three days of fun and frolic somewhere. And each of us taking care of our own expenses. Birmingham would be the obvious place to gather, because it’s a central point. We could settle on a motel. All of us stay in the same one. Even those who live in Birmingham might want to just take off and stay for three days in the motel. We would have a pool, and we could locate some restaurants in advance. But the stickler would be entertainment for the kids, of course. The pool would be the main attraction, then back to the motel, TV, and naps. I should call Faye and ask what they did exactly. They stayed in the same Motel. All twelve kids showed up, and 27 of their grandchildren (they have 36 now). They just stayed in the same motel, ate out. And just had fun together. They did this in a place close to Tuscaloosa (I think??) I would have to ask. Danny told me they had a blast. I’m not sure if he meant a good blast or a bad blast, but i’m sure he meant good one.
Now, Let’s get busy on this. I have to for sure, because Luis is the one that will be dragging his feet.
I wish I could remember the name of that place that we stayed at close to Sterrett, Al. at the second reunion with Aunt Lucille in 1993. It was Pine Something. It was just so nice.
Those of you that went have to agree. We had our rooms. And the best part was the restaurant that served our three meals a day. And then there were activities. Boating, Volleyball, etc.
I have a sad feeling that that place is out of business. I don’t know why, because I loved it. Will somebody try to find out about it???
Bill
February 16, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [3]
Your right in calling Home Depot an Um “UR ” job since it doesn’t qualify as a professional job, but it fits into my goal. I take one class a semester at Jeff State in Landscape Design and get certified with 26 hours. You can’t work at a nursery and be an outside contractor at the same time because they consider it to be a conflict of interest , but if you keep a portfolio along the way you have two options 1) prove you can go on to there design team (which is a substantial raise) or 2) opt. to be an independent contractor. At this point through alot of prayer, I go by the spirit and the spirit tells me to continually learn all I can an definately go to school and see what happens then. Lake has a small building behind her chiropractor office that can be used as an office. If your good, you’ll make money. You know how the game goes bill your an Engineer and you know all about networking, advertising, etc, etc, I will let the Lord lead me.
This is on my refridgerator
February 16, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [3]
I loved President Hinckley so much that when he died I posted his 9 b’s on my refridge. Its a talk he gave to the youth. I may have added a few.
l. Be Positive
2. Be Patient
3. Be loving
4. Be Kind
5.Be calm
6. Be persistant
7. Be hardworking
8. Be honest
9. Be a better person
(Of course for him “Be funny”).
Also Mother when you talk about parents not being active, Pres. Monson’s parents weren’t active LDS, but he thought the world of them because they had big hearts. Look beyond to someones heart. 
b
Beth is my substitute
February 16, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [4]
Since starting at Home Depot I have to give up one sunday a month, that s the deal, so I talked to the primary president and beth is my substitute teacher to the five year olds, she qualifies, she is a member, she quit smoking and dylan is in her class. this is God’s doing. Also Bobby Steele Hyde is the piano player in primary and she and Beth are close and she will be there for support for Beth.
Y’all have to watch the minnesotan’s for global warming video!
February 14, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [15]
why has no one but mom watched this?! I only post GOOOOOD stuff. Everyone do it NOW!
To Beth: Plain and Precious Truths Restored
February 13, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [11]
There is tons and tons of information to be found online now about the Book of Mormon, and how the Lord prepared the Book of Mormon to “make known the plain and precious things: which had “been taken away” from the Bible. You can goto JosephSmith.net. Its purpose is to provide accurate and authoritative information about Joseph Smith and give insight into the mission of his life.
At every General Conference I am overwhelmed to think of the small beginnings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and where it is today. Just listening to the most incredible choir in the world is enough to start my tears rolling. Then to hear those great, great men…Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ….stand and bear their testimonies to the saints, and to the world, is just so fulfilling to my very soul.
Beth, it would be wonderful if you would get the BYU channel. We listen to it all day on Sunday (mostly, Luis does). At least, it’s on, and we hear it, as we walk back and forth in the house. I pause, sit down, and listen to a talk, and then go do something else.
gifts
February 13, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [5]
Mom and Dad,
Thanks for the presents, they were wonderful. When I got home, Benjamin would not stop talking about the presents he got and that I should hurry and open mine. Of course, what I heard was - with much pointing and excitement, “Dadee! Do di do di bi di gi pesents gaba dogo baga da woobot. ehin u (translated to: behind you, telling me where my presents were)” And so on and so on.
I think that was an additional present you may not have intended.
I’m sorry I missed your call, I’ll call tonight.
Love you and miss you.
minnesotan’s for global warming
February 12, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [1]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJUFTm6cJXM&eurl=http://www.google.com/reader/view/
hilarious. if this link doesn’t work go to http://boortz.com/nuze/index.html, scroll down to the link for minnesotan global warming and enjoy.
Thanks for the gifts
February 11, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [2]
Nana and Carmen,
We received your package today- Thank you guys very much!!! The clothes for James Michael are so cute, and Lexie LOVES her pajamas, Carmen, She has an obsession with dogs and PJ’s right now so thoses couldn’t have been more perfect! We miss you all and we will send more pictures soon!!
Casey
February 11, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [4]
Casey called me last night from Albany. She finally has her own apartment , it is owned by the treatment center and she finally got 6 months sober so she was eligable. She gave me her home number. It is not a cell number so I told her not to be calling people and running up her bill. Luckily she doesn’t know the phone number of her old friends. The apartment is next door to the treatment facility so she is still required to attend her counciling and meetings there. She is working at Sonny’s waiting tables, she got her GED and now she is waiting to be accepted at Albany State. She will work part time and go to school part time. She said she is paying her own bills now and she sounds so much more mature now. I told her the present Prophet quoted the other day that for the young people to make it now they have to pray morning and night every day. She says she does. She got a blessing in the church as a baby and I wish I had the blessing, but she has a lot of faith. She says she even has money saved in the bank now and the councilors told her grandparents not to buy her a car, she has to save and buy one herself. I am proud of her.
My job
February 11, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [6]
Well it seems Pikes is being bought by an individual, our wholesale is great but the retail is not, we lose too much inventory. People who want retail can come in and order unusual plants , that s the only way I can think not to lose money, so…. they won’t be hiring me back as they only need wholesale salesman now and they have plenty of those. So…Home Depot offered me a job with a $2 raise starting out, only problem is they do a background check. They had me take a drug test immediately which I am not worried about. thats fine but my credit is really bad from the past , way back from 2001-2003 and I am scared that may mess me up, they are supposed to call me back today and let me know. I am nervous.
Music
February 11, 2008 | Nostalgia, Self-Kudos | Comments [5]
After a L-O-O-O-N-G hiatus, I’ve started getting serious about music again.
Mom can tell you the stories. I got my first “electric bass guitar,” a Fender Mustang short-scale, when I was 15. My bio-Dad made the down payment for me and Mom and Dad arranged for the credit. I paid them by babysitting for the kids next door when we lived on 27th Street, whose single mother worked until the wee hours of the morning as a cocktail waitress.
I had that bass until my Freshman year in college when it was stolen from my dormitory. Wish I still had it; I think we bought it for something like $350 in 1973, and it’s now worth about $1,200 on eBay!
I didn’t have an amplifier at first so I bought an adapter cable at Radio Shack and plugged it into the amp in the cabinet-style stereo we had in the dining room (used to drive “Papa Luis” crazy because I’d forget to plug the turntable back in and they couldn’t figure out why the record player didn’t work!)
I went on from there to learn to play the acoustic guitar, then took classical guitar lessons at Alabama School of Fine Arts and majored in Music for a couple of years in college. While in college, I played bass ALL the time, upright bass in the college symphony, in a bluegrass group (”The Mud Acres String Band”), and in a Jazz trio. Played electric bass in a sort of “prog rock” band as well.
But after I dropped out of school for while in ‘77, I sort of lost my zeal for it, always thought I was just “not good enough,” really had low self-esteem in that regard, I guess. I got married to Lynda, and we immediately made Seay, and that was about it.
Of course, since then Seay has been trying to establish a music career of his own, and I’m proud of him.
I’ve always had a guitar or two lying around and from time to time I’d play a bit, then lose interest again. About three years ago I started getting VERY interested in playing again and got together a small group of guys in an “acoustic guitar” band, but that fizzled out pretty soon, too, with everyone too busy with other stuff.
My guitar (and bass) collection kept growing, however. I now have several acoustic guitars, three basses, a nice “jazz” guitar and a bunch of amps and other odds and ends. But lately, since I turned 50 I guess, instead of going for a sportscar and maybe a “blonde” accessory, I started really obsessing about playing music. I hunted around for some guys to play the stuff that I like - “jazz-rock” for want of a better name - and even have begun taking lessons in Jazz theory from a local professor of music.
Saturday I had my first “full-fledged” band rehearsal with some guys I found via the internet. One is a keyboardist about my age, has a music degree from University of Houston, very accomplished; another is a transplanted Englishman who’s an engineer at TI and does a lot with “programming” synthesizers, and the drummer is a young kid who doesn’t like the stuff most kids his age play.
The keyboard guy, Rick, already had some charts written down of some things he’d composed, and we just went at it, and really sounded pretty good by the end of the three hours we spent. I can still read music just well enough to get along, and then we just explained things to the drummer, who quickly “got it.”
I don’t know where it’ll lead - things like this usually fizzle out soon after they start for one reason or other - but it was just FUN to play again! I just missed it so much.
Anyway, when and if we record anything (which we plan to do very soon) I’ll be sure to post it up here.
(Gosh, I need to dredge up some old memories about Mom’s interesting reactions to some of my music “projects” when I was a teenager! Remember, the first kid is always a BIG revelation to the parents!)
Ruth Faust
February 10, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [1]
Pres. Faust’s wife Ruth passed away this morning just 6 months after Pres. Faust. Its interesting how often this happens to long term couples.
What a movie!
February 10, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments
I guess you all have already bought tickets to this movie http://www.hillarythemovie.com/trailer.html
Leno’s interview with Mclain
February 9, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [1]
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_020408/content/01125108.guest.html.guest.html
President Clinton Again
February 8, 2008 | Politics | Comments [1]
With the only decent candidate out of the race, Mitt Romney, it will be either Hillary or McCain. 75% of the voting public can’t stomach McCain. Blacks and Women will go for Hillary. I think we should face reality. Hillary would never have run in the first place if she hadn’t believed she would make it all the way to the White House. What on earth is this country thinking. To think that a wonderful human being like Romney could be overlooked is beyond me, but it does show how low we have sunk.
February 8, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [2]
We are calling him James Michael, but around the house we are calling him “Bubba” I know, I know that is true Alabama style, but that is what Lexie calls him and it is so cute, I guess its better than “Hey Junior!”
By the way Jaymi was holding the baby last night for one of the few times because he has been sick, and Lexie came into the room and said “No, Daddy, give that back to momma so she can put him back in!!”—–I guess we have some work to do!!
Crystal and Jamey
February 7, 2008 | Birthdays | Comments [2]
I know that Lexie’s birthday is in February, but have forgotten the date (Big Nana!! How could you!!). Look for a package in the next few days for James Michael and Lexie. Also,
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO CALL JAMES MICHAEL! You know something, we’re so accustomed to calling him “James Michael” around here, that it’s about to stick. That’s what happened with Adam Michael. We never could decided. Melissa favored Hunter, which was his third name. I liked Adam. I don’t know who liked Michael best, so anyway, he ended up with both names of Adam and Michael. I’m getting used to saying James Michael. Better let us know.
BURTHDAYS
February 7, 2008 | Birthdays | Comments [4]
Please take the time to do the following: Give me the birthdates of all the members of your families. I am determined to get these names and dates on a calendar from the beginning (with Luis and Me) to end (with James Michael). and this includes the spouses of each, and also would include Melissa, who is still close in the family unit to be considered part of the family, and I know her birthday is on September the 17th. I’m going to send everybody a birthday card this year, and I mean it, not matter how late the card might be!!