We are using this special post to share news of a special situation concerning Leah and Ryan. All we ask of you is that you read their story and then pray for them that the finances will become available for them to have this medical procedure and that because of it, Leah will be able to get pregnant, maintain a viable pregnancy, and that she and Ryan will be able to start their own family.
http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/the-mcquitty-fertility-fund/109478
Thank you in advance for your prayers and concern for our daughter and son-in-law
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams
More Than a Little Travel
Thursday, August 1-Saturday, August 31
We started off the month of August by taking a road trip to Eastland to meet Cathey and Jaycie. Jaycie's volleyball season was about to start, but we knew we could cram in some fun time for a few days. And, we did!
On the way back to Mineola, we took Jaycie on a side trip to Huguley Hospital in Fort Worth where almost 16 years ago she was born. This made a great photo op session, especially since we knew I was going to use at least one of the photos on her Dad's page when she turned 16.
Next, we parked down from Leah's house in Burleson, and sent Jaycie to the front door. Imagine Leah's surprise when she answered her door!
Once home in Mineola, the camera was turned over to Jaycie who can out-shoot her Grams any old day!
Since Gramps was thinking about trading his Voyager for a new trike, Jaycie and I took the car over to Tyler. (Notice his tears as he leaves the Voyager there.) Along the way though, we stopped in downtown Mineola for Jaycie to see the historic magnolia tree. And, oh, yes, we surprised Jaycie with an early birthday and Christmas gift. Her very own camera!
When Jaycie and Randi were little girls, they would get on the trailer hooked to the back of the RV and pretend it was their stage; so, for old times' sake, Jaycie acted out the "old days" at Our Little Lot at Lake Fork. Precious memories!
Though our visit with Jaycie was short, we never had a dull moment. Then it was time to return her to Eastland where her Mom would meet us. But, before we did that, we spent some time at Angela and Ladd's taking photos and then on to Cleburne to see my sister Nancy and her husband Tom as well as Leah Renee' and Ryan.
We did it! On Friday, August 9th, we became the proud owners of a Can-Am that we named Taz...She just looks like the Tanzanian Devil. Anyway, these shots were obviously taken in the cycle shop parking lot, since we aren't wearing helmets.
Once in Mineola, we drove everywhere including a trip over to Jim's aunt's house. Much to the surprise of her family, we even got TJ, to ride on Taz!
New cycle + pretty days = FUN!
We met Heather and Andy at 5 Guys and a Burger in Rockwall so we could have Alexander and Abby for a few days. Of course, the kids' favorite activity is riding on Taz!
It seems each year the kids come to Mineola on or around our neighbors, Addie's, birthday. This year Addie kind of turned the tables on us; because she gave Abby a ceramic cat which Abby immediately named Powder Puff Addie!
John and Wanda also have August birthdays...
Necessary...a trip to Appleton to the CVS to get our medicine.
Friendly, Caring, Fun, and Familiar...Gene and Carolyn's 50th wedding anniversary party on the Chain of Lakes.
We started off the month of August by taking a road trip to Eastland to meet Cathey and Jaycie. Jaycie's volleyball season was about to start, but we knew we could cram in some fun time for a few days. And, we did!
On the way back to Mineola, we took Jaycie on a side trip to Huguley Hospital in Fort Worth where almost 16 years ago she was born. This made a great photo op session, especially since we knew I was going to use at least one of the photos on her Dad's page when she turned 16.
Next, we parked down from Leah's house in Burleson, and sent Jaycie to the front door. Imagine Leah's surprise when she answered her door!
When Jaycie and Randi were little girls, they would get on the trailer hooked to the back of the RV and pretend it was their stage; so, for old times' sake, Jaycie acted out the "old days" at Our Little Lot at Lake Fork. Precious memories!
In Eastland, we spent the night at the Holiday Inn so that we could meet Cathey the next morning and get back to Yantis in time for Vacation Bible School. Since I have some kind of rash on my foot, I couldn't swim, but I sure could take pics. 
VBS at 1st Baptist Yantis lasted a 6 days and between Jim and me, we took tons of pics; but since this month has 35 collages as it is, we only documented VBS with one. 
We did it! On Friday, August 9th, we became the proud owners of a Can-Am that we named Taz...She just looks like the Tanzanian Devil. Anyway, these shots were obviously taken in the cycle shop parking lot, since we aren't wearing helmets.
Canton has a rather small but very fun water park named Splash Kingdom. It was the perfect place for us to spend a hot day with the kids! And...of course, more cycle rides!
Before taking Abby and Alexander back to Richardson, we took them to Tyler to the Brookshire Wildlife Museum. The kids had a grand time acting out their fear/reaction to the animals.
On Friday, August 16, we attended the Yantis Teacher Appreciation Breakfast at our church where we were in charge of the picture-taking.
Then it was time!!! We were packed and ready to jump on Taz and begin our adventure. We were riding Taz to Wisconsin!
Even with the late start to the day, we made it to a Days Inn in Jacksonville, Arkansas, before calling it a night.
On Saturday the 17th, we stopped at a Sonic in Walnut Ridge, AR for breakfast. The high school cheerleaders were raising money by washing windshields for customers so Jim made their day by asking them to clean Taz's windshield! This night we bunked at the Holiday Inn Express in Farmington, MO.
Sunday, the 18th, we stopped at Livingston, Illinois to attend the morning service at a small Baptist church we found on Yelp. There weren't more than 20 people in the congregation that morning and 6 of them were from the same family. As soon as the kids found out we were on a trike, they had to come out and take turns having their picture taken. The Hawthorne Suites in Bloomington, Illinois, was our home away from home this night.
The 19th was just a fun travel day. We deliberately called it a day early since are reservations in Waupaca didn't start until the 20th. We were to stay at the Best Western in Rockford, IL, but due to complications which just aren't worth mentioning, we moved across the street to the Baymont where we were greeted cheerfully!
The 20th of August we finally enter Wisconsin and arrive in Waupaca where we had reservations for the next three nights. As one can tell, we didn't burn the roads up getting here; but then, we weren't in a hurry!
Short phrases to explain our Wisconsin days... Fun! Entertaining! The Mudflappers water ski show.
Educational and interesting...The Union Star Cheese Factory in Zittau and the Hotel Fremont in Fremont.
Friendly, Caring, Fun, and Familiar...Gene and Carolyn's 50th wedding anniversary party on the Chain of Lakes.
After leaving Waupaca on the 22nd, Jim called a former student of his, Scott Hildebrand, who lives in Rochester, MN. Scott had said if we got around Rochester to give him a call so we decided that would make a great place to spend the night and have dinner with Scott and his family. (Scott, Kristine, Anelise the cutie with her blue hat! Even she likes Taz!)
Our next major stop was in Olathe, KS, to visit with Whitney, Jim and Jimmy. We know how to cram a lot of activities in just a few days! Memories are made of this!
From cheese curds and A and W Root Beer to shadow fun with pics, our days on the road brought much joy and happiness!
We returned home on Thursday, the 29th, very blessed with fun times, safe travels, wonderful friends and family.
Our maiden voyage on Taz encompassed 2,495 miles through 9 states (Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, and Oklahoma) over an 18-day period...a good start!
We closed out the month on Saturday by having our special friends Michelle and Gene over for supper and visiting.
"When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or with gratitude." - Gilbert Keith Chesterton
Grateful for memories and being back home again in Mineola,
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara, Mom, Grams
A Little Time With Family and Friends
Monday, July 1 - Wednesday, July 31
Greetings, All...The writing of this issue of the blog marks the beginning of our eighth year of retirement and the telling, in one form or another, of our retirement journey. It's hard to believe that seven years have passed since we sent those first short emails to a handful friends, an act that lead to a full-blown printed journal and then, at the recommendation of several friends, the blogsite. Thanks to all who have followed us and offered encouragement over the years.
The first few days of July were filled with family activities and lots of fun. On May 30, Cousins Danny and Cindy arrived from Tallahassee, Florida, to spend a few days before taking Aunt Glennis back home. With Danny and Cindy around, there was never a dull moment! There was, however, a lot of food...more than enough to feed family and extended family (our neighbors) at a very special meal.
The only downside we had to all the fun and frivolity of the week was Barbara's late night visit to the ETMC emergency room. She discovered that she had a bad case of cellulitis...we have no idea when or how she contracted it, but it was bad, and turned out to be something we had to be very careful about.
Danny and Cindy left early on the morning of the Fourth of July, but the void was quickly filled when John, Carol, Randi, and Rhett arrived from San Antonio, and Leah and Ryan drove in from Cleburne. There were very few dull moments this week!
On the evening of the Fourth, we made a large freezer of Big Red ice Cream and sat out in the street to watch the fireworks show from the civic center.
Greetings, All...The writing of this issue of the blog marks the beginning of our eighth year of retirement and the telling, in one form or another, of our retirement journey. It's hard to believe that seven years have passed since we sent those first short emails to a handful friends, an act that lead to a full-blown printed journal and then, at the recommendation of several friends, the blogsite. Thanks to all who have followed us and offered encouragement over the years.
The first few days of July were filled with family activities and lots of fun. On May 30, Cousins Danny and Cindy arrived from Tallahassee, Florida, to spend a few days before taking Aunt Glennis back home. With Danny and Cindy around, there was never a dull moment! There was, however, a lot of food...more than enough to feed family and extended family (our neighbors) at a very special meal.
The only downside we had to all the fun and frivolity of the week was Barbara's late night visit to the ETMC emergency room. She discovered that she had a bad case of cellulitis...we have no idea when or how she contracted it, but it was bad, and turned out to be something we had to be very careful about.
Danny and Cindy left early on the morning of the Fourth of July, but the void was quickly filled when John, Carol, Randi, and Rhett arrived from San Antonio, and Leah and Ryan drove in from Cleburne. There were very few dull moments this week!
On the evening of the Fourth, we made a large freezer of Big Red ice Cream and sat out in the street to watch the fireworks show from the civic center.
On Friday, the fifth, the kids decided they wanted to go to one of their favorite fun spots in Wood County, Lake Hawkins. Because of the cellulitis issue, Barbara couldn't get on the sand or in the water, so we just drove out to the lake, took a bunch of photos, and then returned to the house to rest up a bit for tonight's activities.
Tonight we invited Pastor David Bagwell, Lorri, Ashley, and Amber to the house for dinner and dessert, followed by another rousing round of washers in the North 40.
On Saturday, we took the kids downtown to the East Texas Burger Company for lunch and then treated them to a showing of The Lone Ranger at Mineola's Historic Select Theater, the oldest continually operating movie theater in Texas.
While we were nowhere near being Johnny Depp fans and already had some misgivings about this movie, it wasn't long before we were completely wrapped up in it. I don't know when we have laughed so loudly and long!
When we were going to the restaurant before the movie, we noticed that next door to the Burger Company was a chalkboard out on the sidewalk which advertised Heather Little as the entertainment. We found that worthy of documenting even though it wasn't our Heather Little.
The kids left on Sunday and we settled in for a week of work around the house. Monday and Tuesday we had new carpet laid throughout the house to replace the old, worn out, and non-doggy resistant carpet and flooring that had been down for a l-o-n-g time. Because of all the activity and the aromatic carpet glue, we put Bonita in the Bradshaw Hilton and then we left Tuesday evening to let the house air out.
We spent the rest of the week putting the house back together, doing regular household chores, and catching up on yard work.
Sunday, July 21
This morning found us enjoying the regular worship services at Yantis First Baptist Church.
After church, we met our friends Gene and Michelle Young at the Minnow Bucket Restaurant on Lake Fork for lunch. For our new readers who may not be in the know, Gene and Michelle were administrators in Dodge City when I first started teaching in Liberal. But, we didn't meet them until we bought our lot at Holiday Villages of Lake Fork several years ago. We formed an immediate bond and have enjoyed visiting with each other and sharing our good times and bad times with Gene and Michelle.
Monday, July 15
We had some banking business to take care of in Terrell this morning, so we called Leah to see if she wanted to meet us at one of the restaurants near the outlet mall. She thought that would be great, so as soon as we finished our business, we drove to the mall and had short, but very nice visit and meal together before we got in our respective cars and returned to our homes.
We spent the rest of the week taking care of multiple chores around the house. I spent most of the time working outside, while Barbara spent her time working inside to build a 50th anniversary DVD for our friends Gene and Carolyn Neyer.
Tuesday, July 23
I went to the regular prayer meeting at Yantis First Baptist Church this morning and then over to spend the morning working on Our Little Lot, trying to keep the yard in shape. Meanwhile, Barbara continued her work on the anniversary DVD.
This afternoon we joined a group from YFBC to travel to Arlington for for the game between the Rangers and the Yankees. Of course, the trip had to have a meal included (we ARE Baptists, after all) and we all voted to share fun, food, and fellowship at a Taco Bueno near the ballpark.
The game was great fun, even if the Rangers did end up snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. The highlight of the evening, even if it was about the "bad guys," was watching Mariano Rivera come in as a closer for the Yankees and demonstrate why he is the best closing pitcher in all of baseball!
The rest of the week was all about cleaning house and getting the DVD ready. We took delivery on some new living room furniture and you would think there would be photos, but there aren't, at least not at this writing.
Wednesday, July 24
Finally, the anniversary DVD for Gene and Carolyn was ready. Tonight we went to their home at Lake Holbrook to show them the finished product and to enjoy an evening of fellowship, food, and games with them.
Sunday, July 28
We were back in church at YFBC again this morning and were treated to great music by some of the members of the Praise Band.
Monday, July 29
We began the meat and potatoes part of the probate process of settling Mother's will today. When I was an assistant principal and principal at Liberal High School, I spent more than my fair share of time in court testifying about student issues, and I always had at least a small case of the nerves when I stood before the judge. Even though today was a simple case of beginning probate, those nerve issues reappeared this morning as I waited for the judge to make his appearance...there's just something about a guy in judicial robes, carrying a gavel, that sets him apart from the rest of us...
Wednesday, July 31
We'll close out this month with a photo we recently received of granddaughter Jaycie.
"Cherish your human connections: your relationships with friends and family." - Joseph Brodsky
From Mineola, Wood County, Texas
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams
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