Posts Tagged ‘American Life’

Someone Has a Birthday Today

August 5, 2013

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(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

No, it’s not Shirley Temple, although our Birthday Girl could easily pass for Shirley.

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Our Birthday Girl never could pass  up a good swing.

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Besides looking like the talented Miss Temple, Birthday Girl was also very musically talented.  She played in her school band, . . .

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. . . studied piano, and gave several recitals.

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She also studied Latin in school, although I’m not sure how completely thrilled she was about that class.

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I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that the Birthday Girl is my Beautiful Bride.  The thing I like most about her is her smile, even if the wind is messing up her hair while we’re hiking.

I try to be a gentleman, so I won’t tell you how old she is today.  But I do invite you to pop over to her blog or her Facebook page and wish her a Happy Birthday.

Down Memory Lane: Dating Betsy

July 8, 2013

2001 -- Dating

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

Betsy and I had our first date on March 29, 2001, and things got serious after our date to Fall Creek Falls State Park on April 21.  (If you missed that story, click HERE.)  It wasn’t long after that date that things started getting serious.

The picture in the top left corner of the collage was taken in late April at the Paris, Tennessee, Fish Fry.  Mom and Dad had gone for several years, but Dad felt he could no longer drive that long distance, so Betsy and I took them.  Betsy met my sister Janet and her husband Charlie for the first time at the Fish Fry.

The picture on the top right is a class portrait of the Experiencing God Bible Study that Betsy taught.  By that time Betsy knew she was getting a ring, but she didn’t know when.  She got it about 30 seconds after this picture was taken.  I was already down on my knees, so why not?  I knew she could teach that evening without any problems even after getting the ring.

Later that week celebrated our engagement by going to Nashville for dinner and a performance of “Fiddler on the Roof”.

The hardest part of getting engaged to Betsy was meeting two of her sons in Knoxville (picture at lower right).  I don’t mind telling you I was nervous, but Jeff and Bert must have approved, because Betsy and I were still engaged after that evening.

To see larger versions of these pictures and others, click HERE.

SkyWatch Friday: Fire in the Sky

July 5, 2013
Glade Community Club fireworks, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  July 4, 2010.

Glade Community Club fireworks, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. July 4, 2010.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

This is my post for Skywatch Friday, a meme for sharing views of the sky from all over the world.  To see more, or to join and share your own photos of the sky, click HERE.

Glade Community Club fireworks, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee.  July 4, 2010.

Glade Community Club fireworks, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. July 4, 2010.

The sky over Fairfield Glade was like the sky over many places last night — full of color and noise.  The annual fireworks display is popular with people of all ages, as many of our residents gather at Druid Hills club house to take in the show.

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These pictures were taken a couple of years ago.

Down Memory Lane: Fall Creek Falls

April 22, 2013

2001 -- FCF I

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

April 21 is a special day for Betsy and me.  On April 21, 2001, we had our first ‘big’ date.  On that day we went to Fall Creek Falls State Park here in Tennessee.

Our first date was a dinner date on March 29.  We had a couple of other dates after that, but on April 21 we spent the entire date at Fall Creek Falls.  We did a lot of talking and some hiking.

Fall Creek Falls State Park has five major waterfalls — those were the first waterfalls we saw together.  As you might expect,  this was the beginning of our waterfall ‘collection’.

The collage above has some pictures from that first date.  The picture on the upper left is a picture I took of Betsy fairly early in the day along the lake near the park lodge.  On the upper right is a picture of the two of us taken at the base of Cane Creek Cascade.  The bottom row had Fall Creek Falls and Coon Creek falls on the left, and Piney Creek Falls on the right.  In the picture of Betsy showing some leg was taken on the trail to the base of Fall Creek Falls.

Betsy and I have gotten back to Fall Creek Falls almost every April 21, and yesterday was no exception.  As I said, April 21 is a very special day for us.  What was the best part of the day?  I got my first kiss that day.

To see larger versions of these pictures and others from that day, click HERE.

Happy Birthday, Robert

March 15, 2013

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(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

It’s hard to believe that this cute little boy is 44 years old today.  He looks like a little angel in this photo, but the photographer really had to work to get this photo.  Bobby didn’t want to have anything to do with picture-taking.  But the photographer made a loop of scotch tape and put it between Bobby’s hands.  When Bobby got distracted trying to get his hands apart, the photographer squeezed a squeaky toy causing Bob to look up.  The result was this, one of my favorite pictures of my little boy.

Speaking of hard to believe, it’s hard to believe I’m old enough to have a son that old.

Down Memory Lane: Our Reception

January 23, 2013

2001 -- Reception I

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

Although we both lived in Hendersonville, Tennessee, at the time, we got married in Knoxville.  We did this so that we could have a small family wedding.  Betsy was the Associate Minister at a large Methodist church in Hendersonville and she didn’t want to have to make decisions about who in the congregation should be invited and who should not.

‘The Girls’, Betsy’s girlfriends from the Hendersonville church, gave us a reception in the church fellowship hall a few weeks after our wedding.  This allowed members of the Hendersonville church to share in our wedding.

I came across pictures from the reception when I was going through my archives and posting pictures on my photo website.  The collage above includes some of those pictures.  From left to right along the top:  Betsy and I when we arrived at the reception, sampling some of the goodies, and with ‘The Girls’.  On the bottom left we’re sharing some photos from our wedding and honeymoon.  On the bottom right I’m talking with Mom and Dad.

To see larger versions of these pictures and others, click HERE.

Silly Time is Here

January 9, 2013

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(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

On our first Christmas after we got married, Betsy and I took some pictures which we used in Christmas cards the following Christmas.  That led to our habit of taking ‘formal’ pictures each Christmas morning.

Our routine is to set up the tripod, get dressed in nice clothes, and take many pictures, hoping that at least one is a ‘keeper’.

The whole process can take a fair amount of time, which can lead to some silly pictures as well as good ones.

Santa gave me a post-Christmas present of a neat collage maker.  The collage in this post is my first attempt to make a collage from scratch.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

December 21, 2012

2012 -- Christmas Outside

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

We’ve tried to be good all year,
and have decorated the outside of the house with symbols of Christmas cheer.

2012 -- Christmas Indoors

Inside the fire in the fireplace casts a warm glow.
The tree is up with room for presents below.

There’s only one thing for my Beautiful Bride and I to do —
That’s to wish a Merry Christmas to each and every one of you.

Family Time

November 30, 2012

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

It’s always a special time for Betsy when her middle son from Texas visits east Tennessee with his wife and two daughters.  They have many people to see in a short time, but we were able to spend the afternoon of Friday following Thanksgiving with them at Fall Creek Falls State Park.  We had a delicious lunch and  visit in the park lodge and then went to the Fall Creek Falls overlook to see the waterfall and take some pictures.

Judging from the smiles, it’s safe to say that everyone enjoyed themselves.

 

Mother of the Groom

November 14, 2012

Betsy and son Jeff’s wedding, Dalton, Georgia. October 6, 2012.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

Betsy’s son Jeff got married last month, and while the bride was beautiful, there is no doubt in my mind that the prettiest woman at the church was the Mother of the Groom.

Betsy and son Jeff’s wedding, Dalton, Georgia. October 6, 2012.

In the past Betsy has been self-conscious about her weight, and I often had trouble getting her to let me take her picture.  But now that she’s close to what she weighed in high school, I think she rather enjoys having her picture taken.