This is my family

Here is little Alec with his tennis racket.........



I have a husband, 2 grown married daughters who are as different as night and day, and 3 grandsons under the age of eight. The grandsons all belong to my daughter who lives near me. The oldest is thin, shy, and would rather die that disappoint his teacher. The middle one is built like a Mack truck, loves being the center of attention, and never met a stranger. The baby is 2 now and he likes to throw things heavy at my head. I babysit him three days a week. After a morning of romping and generally acting like a 2 year old, he is ready for his nap by 12:00, and I don't hear another peep out of him until at least 3:00. I think this because he lives in such chaos at home that he loves the peace and quiet at my house. Their mother is my older daughter and she was no trouble to us at all when she was growing up. She never got into trouble at school and has a master's degree in elementary education. Her husband is very good to her and loves his sons. He is a very good son-in-law.

Now for our other daughter. When she was a teenager-Oh, My GOD! I do not know how I survived. I'll never forget the time she came home from college with a bright pink hunk of hair going right down the middle of her head. She looked like a deranged Mohican. Then there was the time she got the tattoo right above her behind. That will look great in the nursing home, don't you know? The best gift she gave me was when she came home with the tongue stud. When she stuck her tongue out at me, I let out this blood curdling scream!! I nearly fainted. It was the best reaction she could have hoped for, I'm sure. Thank goodness she has settled down, married a fine man, gotten a degree in computer programming, web development, and administration, and is doing well. I'M the one who is the worse for wear!




This is my sweet, shy Joshua with his parents
Stephanie and Erin. (Erin, Eric, and Alec!!!
How am I supposed to remember that when I
am in the nursing home?)




This sweet cherub is my little Eric graduating from pre-school.

Here is my younger daughter graduating from college-you have no idea how proud I was!!




I didn't get to have a church wedding, but both my daughters did. My poor husband had his heart torn out twice when he had to give both his precious daughters away to two other men. The older one went first and it hurt him the worst, I think, just because he wasn't prepared to let go. He had gotten used to the idea by the time Holly got married, but I could still see the pain and wistfulness in his eyes. I, of course just cried at both weddings.




This is Holly
and Shane.



This is Stephanie with the
minister on the left and her
new husband, Erin, on the
right.









I also have a best friend, Pam, who I can call anytime (except when she is hiking, swimming, power walking, exercising, bicycling, or otherwise abusing her body) and tell her all my problems. She can also do the same with me. We worked together for years and go on trips together with my other best friends, Vicki and Beth. Pam came up with the idea of getting charm bracelets and adding a charm to commemorate every trip we take. We have all sorts of rules about the bracelets. We wear them only when we four are together, and we are only allowed to buy charms when we are together. Once we bought pewter horses to remember our trip to the race track in Arkansas. Pam got to looking at her horse one time and realized her horse's tail had broken off. I started laughing until I looked at mine and saw that my horse's tail had broken off, too. We have so many charms on our bracelets now that the constant jingling drives all of us bonkers!! We like to drink, eat and talk about men on our trips. We mostly vent about our husbands and laugh about everyone's elses (current and exes). When we are driving to our destinations there isn't an antique or junk store we won't stop to shop in. I LOVE the art deco period. (I once paid $601.00 for a plastic Cleopatra box. Yep. I'm an idiot. But I AM a proud owner of a black and white art deco 1930's Cleopatra box.) Beth loves really old purses and books. Vicki loves to buy things for family and friends. Pam loves old hankies and Westie dog memorabilia.


Here are Pam, Beth and Vicki. I love my friends. They are the family I got to pick.

I guess I should post a picture of my husband and me. Here we are at Thanksgiving. My husband is quite nice looking I think. I fell in love with him because he had big muscles, wore boots and rode an orange motorcycle. Now his muscles aren't so big, his boots rotted away and he sold his motorcycle, but I still love him. Let's face it, I haven't exactly been on ice over the years, either!