Thrilled To Be Thirteen! Happy Birthday, Shelby!

Granddaughter Shelby turned 13 years old on Friday, July 18. She’s been looking forward to this day probably from the moment she turned 12 last year. It’s an exciting time for her, to say the least.

Today her family helped her celebrate this major milestone in her life with a birthday party at her house.

Her dad always lights her birthday candles.

We sang the Birthday Song and she blew them all out at once with some encouragement from her brother Elijah.

She served up yummy homemade punch.

Shelby made her own birthday cake this year ~ a red and blue Jell-O cake with whipped cream frosting. It was delicious!

She enjoyed opening her gifts. One of the things she requested was markers. She loves to make art.

She also received some stylin’ clothes from her Mimi and Papa Myers. And even got a gift of money from her brother from his own stash. She also got money from her great aunts, uncles, and cousins.

She didn’t expect to get a cardboard playhouse that she can decorate. This present cracked her up. Her grandpa couldn’t resist getting her one because she enjoys hanging out inside of her cousin Knox’s cardboard playhouse when she’s at his house. She mentioned that she’d like to have one for herself (better be careful what you wish for).

A girl can never have too many colors of nail polish ~ a gift from Aunt Kelly.

The great thing about a summer birthday is a giant water slide, and thanks to a generous mom and dad, this has become a birthday party tradition for both Shelby and Elijah.

All the kids (and big kid Holly) had a blast on this thing, especially since the rain finally stopped and the sun came out. More birthday fun than pint sized peeps should be allowed to have. What a fun party! It was great fun watching Shelby celebrate her 13th!

This is Shelby’s artwork on her bedroom door she created in honor of her own special day. She worked on this for days. I think it’s awesome. Shelby is an awesome young lady ~ a teenager! How can that possibly be?! Her grandpa and I love this sweet girl to pieces ~ so blessed to have her in our lives. Happy 13th Birthday, Shelby!! Hope all your birthday wishes and dreams come true!

NINETEEN CANDLES ~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SARAH!

My sweet niece, Sarah, is 19 years old today. She partied last night at her house with family and a dear friend and even Harry Styles made an appearance to help her celebrate this milestone.

Her celebration was as unique as Sarah herself ~ never boring and never cliché. She had a pineapple upside down birthday cake (made by her mom and totally delicious!) lit up with 19 candles, vanilla frozen yogurt (which looked suspiciously like vanilla ice cream at first glance until someone bothered to read the label ~ it was so good!) and lemonade with mixed frozen berries (also yummy!).

We sang the Birthday Song, and she blew out all those candles. 19! Where did all those years go?!

Presents for the birthday girl. What a fun party! Happy Birthday, Sarah! I’ve enjoyed watching you grow up and into the beautiful (both inside and out) young woman you’ve become. God bless you as you make the most of this final teenage year.

And always remember, Aunt Kay loves you.

Saturday Night Fever

Grandson Knox caught boogie fever this evening and danced with abandon to the lively beat of the music outside Chili’s after supper. Move over, John Travolta! Knox's mom, Kelly, took these pics.



Got the wings of heaven on my shoes.
I'm a dancin' man and I just can't lose. ~Stayin’ Alive

CELEBRATING INDEPENDENCE DAY 2014

The 4th of July is one of the holidays that I truly love and enjoy. Every year, our family gets together in my backyard. We talk and laugh, play games like corn hole, pig out on the awesome food that everyone made ~ Neil’s grilled ribs, Don’s cole slaw, Ann’s potato salad, Terry’s baked beans, Holly’s deviled eggs, plus corn on the cob, cantaloupe, and yummy desserts like Jane’s cookies, Larry Foy’s homemade blueberry pie, Shelby’s patriotic Jell-o cake, and our homemade vanilla ice cream ~ it’s all to die for which might happen because we eat and eat and eat some more. When it gets dark, Jerry and Kerry put on a fireworks show worthy of the ones you see in big cities. Well, that may be an exaggeration, but not much. Knox didn’t enjoy the loud fireworks. They scared him. He says, “Maybe next time.” We all had a great time together. Couldn’t have asked for more beautiful weather. It was perfect. Thank God from whom all blessings flow. What a blessing to be a part of the best family on the planet and to get to live in freedom in this great country! And God willing we’ll do it all over again next year! Happy Independence Day, America!

“Does it hurt when I do THIS?”, said no physical therapist ever.

Top 10 Rules for Physical Therapy By your Therapist
1. Never say "I can't" because you'll do it anyway.
2. Never say, "it's easy" because we'll just make it harder
3. Never say, "I want to go home" because you'll stay longer
4. Never lose count because you'll start at one again
5. Never complain because we never listen.
6. Never argue because you'll never win.
7. Never scream or cry because it only encourages us.
8. Never look like you're enjoying it because we'll put a stop to it.
9. Never hold your breath because if you pass out and die, we have to fill out the paperwork.
10 Never lie or cheat because we know the truth and you will live to regret it.
I had partial knee replacement surgery June 16. Thirteen staples. Not so bad. Those are out now as of Tuesday. The worst part of it was probably the blood thinner injections twice a day in my belly for ten days which I gave myself. Take a deep breath and plunge. Wow. Certainly glad that part is done. Orthopedic doc gave me orders for outpatient physical therapy same day I got my staples out. I called to make an appointment and they said Come on over! That first session wasn’t too torturous, but definitely not fun. I knew she would push me. She did. Today was my second session, about 45 minutes, and I have to tell you, she made me cry. It was so unexpected. Just couldn’t help it. She told me I was the second person she’d made cry today ~ if that made me feel any better. It didn’t. It’s what I’m there for. They push, so I have to push back I guess. I know I’ll be better off for it when it’s all said and done. Six weeks. Three times a week. I’m expecting it to get easier. Yes? The best part comes at the end of the session when she places the electrode pads around my knee and completely wraps it in ice and turns on that machine which sends electricity through my muscles, making them move. Feels like things crawling inside my skin. It’s a weird but oddly nice sensation. That and the ice which is a relief. I’m faithful to do my exercises they gave me to do at home, but not like that. I don’t make myself cry. I’ll leave that up to the PT. I have a nice long weekend to recuperate before session three on Monday. My knee is starting to heal and feel better each day. No pain, no gain, right? Oh yeah, those top ten rules listed above? They are all true.  

Any man can be a Father but it takes someone special to be a dad. ~Anne Geddes

Neil and daughters Kelly and Holly ~ Happy Father’s Day! Thanks for being such a great pa and grandpa!

Old as she was, she still missed her daddy sometimes.  ~Gloria Naylor
This is probably my favorite picture of me and my dad. He passed away March 18, 1999. He was so quiet and mostly patient and I’ll always love him for being the spiritual man he was all his life which still has a huge impact on my life now. Thanks, Pop! Love you and miss you!