FREE TO BE …

Grandson Knox, son in law Kerry and hubby Neil bounced around on the trampoline for a while late this morning before the rains came.

Well, mostly Knox bounced around …

… and had a blast just running in circles. I wish I had a tenth of his energy.

Son in law Kerry and daughter Kelly offered to make supper for us this evening, which was a nice surprise.

They brought salmon, corn on the cob, and a veggie mix of broccoli, carrots and cauliflower.

Neil had uncovered the grill this morning and got it cleaned off, so they wrapped all the goodies up in foil and laid it on the grill.

Couldn’t have asked for a nicer evening dining al fresco.

We don’t normally do anything special on Memorial Day, so this was a delicious treat. Thanks again, Kelly and Kerry, for preparing and cooking this most excellent meal!

We are so blessed to live in America and so thankful for all those men and women who fought on our behalf and gave their lives so we can be free to be. Never take it for granted. Happy Memorial Day, USA!

FUN IN DOGWOOD PARK

My family has a tradition of getting together for lunch whenever we’re able to. We’ve been known to gather in fast food restaurants when the weather is cold. But on days like today, we hit Dogwood Park and have a zany good time. Sometimes, only four or five of us show up. Now that school is out, there were 16 of us out there under the blue sky and hot sun. Thank God for the nice breeze! But we could have done without those pesky carpenter bees, which seem to love those wooden picnic tables. We had to spread out to eat our lunch and everybody was all over the place, so this picture represents most of us there today ~ I didn’t get Ashley, Ethan, Neil and Knox in this shot, but I did manage to capture Sarah, Holly, Kerry, Kelly, Ann, Jane, Ken, Chris, Julia, Shelby and Elijah. Like trying to get a group shot of those bees!

Julia and Knox making sidewalk chalk art ~

Knox loves his cousin Elijah, much to Elijah’s aggravation at times [well, most of the time] ~

The city finally turned on that beautiful fountain for the summer. Kelly took this awesome shot of Elijah playing under the cold waterfall. I’m sure it felt pretty good on this 85 degree day.

Knox had a great time getting wet, too! He ran  in circles around the fountain.

When we were at the park, somebody said, “D.Q.!” Who could resist that?!

Kelly took this great panoramic shot with her iPhone.

See anything different [and kind of weird] about this panoramic shot? Shelby decided she wanted to be in the shot twice, so after Kelly’s camera swept past her, she crawled under the table and popped up on the other side in time to be in the picture again. Pretty cool. Our lunch bunch had a lot of fun hanging out together this afternoon. We always do! Let’s do it all over again soon!

BECAUSE I’M HAPPY! SCHOOL’S OUT!

Today was the last day of 7th grade for granddaughter Shelby. Needless to say, she’s happy because it’s done. Here she is posing with her fave after school drink.

Big smile but tearful eyes ~ she’s sad because she had to say goodbye to friends, especially those who she won’t see again because they will be moving away. Bittersweet day for her. 8th grade next year! Wow!

Grandson Elijah spent the last day of 2nd grade at a Nashville Sounds baseball game with his classmates. His friend’s mom snapped this shot of them at the game. They’re team mates on their Diamond Backs baseball team, and they play their last game this evening. I didn’t get to see him today as usual, but I heard he had a good time at the Sounds game. 3rd grade for Elijah next year! He and Shelby have worked hard in school this year and made the awesome grades to prove it. Proud of you two!

Happy 53rd Birthday today to my bro-in-law Don Foy!

FOR ALL WE KNOW

You + Me =

Forty-one years ago today, Neil and I said, “I do!” Forty-one years later, see what we did?! Praise God for our enduring marriage, through all the ups and downs, and tears and laughter, and for our greatest blessings here on this earth ~ our two precious daughters and sons-in-law and their children, our three grandchildren. I could not have asked for a more awesome husband and family, and I thank God for them every single day.

My cousin, Mike Brown, performed our wedding ceremony on that Saturday afternoon, May 19, 1973, and his wife, Shelley, who has a beautiful singing voice, sang For All We Know, which is a song from the movie Lovers And Other Strangers. The Carpenters’ version of the song was a favorite of mine back then and I still love it and especially the lyrics, which is why I wanted it sung at our wedding. I didn’t get to hear Shelley sing it before I walked down the aisle, and what I wouldn’t give to have a recording of that and our whole wedding for that matter, but that was back in the day before people started filming or video taping their weddings. Thought I’d share the lyrics which are short and sweet and still hold true for me now.


 Love, look at the two of us
Strangers in many ways
We've got a lifetime to share
So much to say
And as we go
From day to day
I'll feel you close to me
But time alone will tell
Let's take a lifetime to say
"I knew you well"
For only time will tell us so
And love may grow
For all we know.


Happy Anniversary To Us!

HAKUNA MATATA

We turned Grandson Knox loose in Dogwood Park this afternoon, and he took off running. It was an awesome day to be outside ~ felt like Fall which is always all right with me. Knox has been singing ‘Hakuna Matata’ from The Lion King lately. I think it might be his new favorite song. It’s a problem free philosophy, don’t ya know.

He was running so fast, I don’t think his feet ever touched the ground. Neil and I just sat and watched him zoom around. Thanks for the pic, Kelly!

After the park and some supper, we hit Big O Donut Shop to check out their goodies. Their donuts are really … big!

Knox enjoyed his cinnamon donut so much that he had cinnamon and sugar in his hair, down his shirt, on his lap, and on the floor. Thanks again for the pic, Kelly! He’ll probably be jitterbugging the rest of the night from the sugar high. But, hey, no worries! It’s all good.

H A P P Y * A N N I V E R S A R Y !

Wishing my daughter Kelly and son in law Kerry a very happy 6th wedding anniversary today! Love you both very much.          Photo: Destin, Florida, May 16, 2008

“Children and mothers never truly part—bound in the beating of each other’s heart.” ~Charlotte Gray

I love my girls ~ Kelly and Holly ~ two of my most treasured blessings ~ thank you both for a wonderful Mother’s Day today!

This is my favorite picture of my mother ~ Hampton Gailbreath Mabry ~ She passed away April 29, 2012. Love you and miss you, Mom!

SWEET MUSIC

Tonight was granddaughter Shelby’s middle school spring chorus concert. The students got to pick the songs they wanted to sing, which made for a fun and entertaining concert. They sang songs ranging through the decades from the fifties through today’s music. There were some talented kids on stage.

Much to our surprise and total delight, we found granddaughter Shelby’s name on the program to perform one of the ensemble tunes.

That’s my sweet peep in the middle. She and the two other young ladies sang A Thousand Years [from Twilight: Breaking Dawn in case you live under a rock]. Not even her mom had any idea she was going to do this. I was talking to Shelby earlier in the week about the concert and she told me she was really nervous, and now I know why, but if she was nervous, she hid it well and her voice never faltered.

She sang a solo part in the song. I never knew what a sweet and clear singing voice she has. [Her mom says Shelby sings in the shower.] She is a fairly quiet and unassuming 12 year old. This really blew me away. She did a wonderful job, and I’m so proud of her.

Her face was still red, even after it was all over. Her mom said Shelby’s face had been red all day, and she’d asked Shelby if she was having an allergic reaction to something she’d eaten or touched. Shelby’s heart must have been in nervous high gear all day. You can relax now, Shelby, you did a great job!

Grandson Knox, Shelby’s cousin, enjoyed the concert and wanted to get up on that stage and sing and dance, too, which he happily did after the show.

I think he was singing a Thomas the Train song as he danced around the stage.

What a ham bone!

His mom finally had to go up there and drag him off the stage because he was having fun and didn’t want to leave. Shelby was cracking up. This night was just full of memorable entertainment!

P.S. As it turns out, Shelby's red face was caused by more than just nerves. She actually was having an allergic reaction to some facial scrub she had used that morning. When she woke up this morning [Friday May 9], her face was blazing red and very swollen. She ended up missing school and is hanging out with me today. She hopes the Benadryl will help!

Tennessee State Flower ~ Iris

Filtered through the Waterlogue app ~ The unseasonal heat has pretty much zapped our Irises ~ except for these which had the good sense to bloom in the shade

E. V. E. R. L. O. V. I. N. S. A. T. U. R. D. A. Y.

Saturday. In the park. I think it was the… well, not the fourth of July, but the third of May. We were celebrating my great nephew’s twelfth birthday at Cinderella Park. It was a totally gorgeous day to be outside, playing. Or, as Neil seems to be doing, contemplating something in the distance.

My girlie peeps posing for a selfie ~ from left grand daughter Shelby, niece Julia, niece Sarah [yes, she had her hair dyed PINK yesterday~I love it!], daughter Holly and daughter Kelly.

And this is their awesome selfie [thanks for sharing, Kelly!]. Aren’t they all simply beautiful ladies?! Love them.

Grandson Elijah [high flying on the right] and his cousin Matthew always enjoy each other’s company and had a great time in the park today.

Wheeee!

Grandson Knox enjoyed some high flying, too. He had a giggly good time.

That’s me [a.k.a. Granny] power-boosting Knox into high flight. [thanks for the pic, Kelly!] Fun times with peeps in the park! Hope you enjoyed a good time Saturday, too.
Happy Birthday to great nephew Ethan, who turned 12 big ones on April 30! Love you, cool dude!!