Friday, May 1
Our two weeks in Toccoa have absolutely flown by! Now it's time to say good-bye to our fellow volunteers with the hope that we'll see each other again in October.
We spent the first half of this day attending our final volunteer meeting where Phil gave the morning devotion. The rest of morning we spent working in the kitchen and saying our good-byes.
Leaving Big V in the campground at Georgia Baptist Conference Center, Jim and I hit the road in the Equinox toward Midlothian, Virginia, and two of our precious grandchildren, Ava and Jack (and their parents, Mike and Kelly).
Our first stop was in Gastonia, North Carolina, to see Bett and her new home. Bett's husband Bob was Jim's first band instructor mentor and Bob's family means the world to him!
After leaving Bett's, we decided that we'd go another hour or so before stopping for the night. We definitely wanted to be "fresh" and in full grandparent form when we got to Midlothian!
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Saturday, May 2-May 6Arriving in Midlothian brought us joy beyond measure! However, our reunion with Kelly would have to be put on hold until she returned from a job in Canada. Until then, we tried our best to spoil her children. We felt rather confident that the pictures below would offer proof that we were quite successful in this attempt.
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Thursday, May 7
Kelly came home late late Wednesday night or maybe early, early Thursday morning. To say that the kids were excited is putting it mildly. We had a wonderful day hanging out with her and the kids and having a picnic with their daddy at noon.
Since Mike and Kelly had plans that night, we got the opportunity to spend more quality grandparent time with Ava and Jack. Jim used that time wisely, teaching the kids how a trumpet works. Ava got so involved, she composed a song that she entitled, "Jesus Listens."
"Jesus Listens" created by Ava and Jack. Song title by Ava.
We finished up the evening with a trip to McDonald's for dinner and Sweet Frog for dessert and bubble fun time.
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Friday, May 8
An early start this morning meant we arrived back at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center and Big V before dark. We forgot that a dance recital was being held in the auditorium so the evening was rather interesting with watching all the comings and goings.
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Saturday-Monday, May 9-11
We fully intended when we left Georgia on Saturday to be home by Sunday evening. However, Mother Nature had the final say when we checked in with Jim's aunt and our neighbors in Mineola. Due to the rain, tornadoes, and flooding creeks, we were encouraged to stay put until Monday morning.
The Saturday morning drive through Atlanta was a piece of cake compared to the Friday afternoon mess we got into three weeks ago!
And, a special welcome by a band of Gold Wing riders at the Alabama Welcome Center made for a fun and interesting break. We even got the chance to tout the virtues of the Can-Am Spyder to a man who was interested in comparisons between two and three-wheeled cycles.
When we crossed into East Texas, we found the creeks and rivers overflowing...
We were pleased to find a sunny day awaiting us Monday, which made getting Big V unpacked at the house and then returning it to Holiday Villages a piece of cake.
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Tuesday, May 12 - Friday, May 15
These were days of getting back into the routine of living at home and taking care of business...not much worth writing about, and certainly nothing worthy of the unnecessary usage of digits on our digital cameras!
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Saturday, May 16
IT'S ARMED FORCES DAY!!!!! Saluting the men and women currently serving in our armed services across the nation and throughout the world. Thank you for your service!!!
On this Armed Forces Day, we joined 20 other Patriot Guard Riders at the Spur On Ministries Cowboy Church between Mineola and Quitman to honor the life and service of Mr. Gregory Knight (12JUL1923 - 4MAY2015). Mr. Knight proudly served in the U S Navy. He joined January, 1942 and was discharged December, 1947. He served as an aviation mechanic. Mr. Knight was very proud of his service to his country and was a true American hero of the greatest generation. He was awarded numerous citations during his duty in the Pacific theater. He was a member of the Spur on Ministries Cowboy Church.. He is survived by his wife, of 76 years, Vernelle Knight of Winnsboro, 2 sons and 1 daughter. All honor to his name!
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Monday, May 18
One of our favorite activities is to have guests once a month for a special luncheon. I call this group, Two Men (Jim and John) and Six Senoritas (T J, Addie, Wanda, Dorothy, Jenny, and me). This time we made certain we served a couple of Toccoa recipes we learned on our recent trip...corn casserole and s'more cobbler.
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Tuesday, May 19
Today brought a surprise visit from Madelyn, Jon and their son, Jarhett.
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Friday, May 22
Life can sometimes be a bit strange and today was no exception. Jim and I had left Mineola on the way to Lubbock for Jaycie's graduation from high school. As we usually do, we stopped at the Sonic in Eastland for a drink and potty break.
When I came out of the restroom, I saw Jim visiting with a woman and my jaw probably dropped to the floor. That was no woman...that was one of my kids! That was Shellie who I had taught at Wester Elementary School in Lubbock, Texas,some 30ish years ago. What a wonderful surprise!
Arriving in Lubbock, we quickly settled in to a spare bedroom at Cat and Stacy's where we could enjoy quality time with Jaycie before the big day tomorrow. Part of the fun of spending time with the kids and grandkids is expanding our horizons in culinary cuisines. Today was no exception as Jaycie took us to Bahama Bucks for a midday treat.
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Saturday, May 23
Though this day was supposed to be about Jaycie and her graduation, we had a slight snafu this morning when Jim found a stray fish hook and thought he couldn't live without it. Yes, you may say, "OUCH!".
Instead of getting dressed for graduation, Jim and I took a quick drive to Covenant Medical Center where he entertained the entire staff with his fish story and the one that did NOT get away.
We weren't certain that we'd make it back to the house in time to go to graduation with the group; but, the doctor made certain that she worked in a timely matter and with minutes to spare, we were able to rush home, put on our graduation clothes, and jump in the car to head to the United Spirit Arena for Monterey High School's graduation!
As joyous as this occasion was, there was a short period of tears when I first saw Jaycie enter the arena. To know that her father, my son, Jimmy Clint, was missing such a milestone and knowing how proud he would have been at this moment sent me into a tizzy for a bit. With Jim's comfort and the grace of God, I made it through. What a beautiful senior this young lady was! We're proud for you, Jaycie.
Since Jaycie was going to a senior lock-in at 11PM, she was going to need to take a little nap. So, Jim and I decided that we would go to a candlelight vigil the family of Mark Ysasaga was holding at Coronado High School. Mark has been missing for 3 years. His stepfather, Michael Cuevas is another one of my "kids" that I taught at Wheelock and we wanted him and Mark's mother Anna to know that we continue to hold each of them in our prayers.
Just as I was meeting with Michael, Jim got a phone call from his sister-in-law Jane with the news that brother Jerry had been airlifted from Roswell to Albuquerque this morning and was in the critical care unit at Lovelace Medical Center. His heart had stopped for 20 minutes and his left lung had a hole in it. Without further ado, we left Coronado, went back to Jaycie's, packed our bags, and took off for Albuquerque.
The beautiful sky just seemed to bring us both comfort at a time that we needed it.
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Saturday, May 24
After leaving the motel in Muleshoe, life brought us another surprise. This one pleasant! My sister Carol and her granddaughter Kim were leaving Albuquerque as we were approaching. With a little planning, we wound up meeting each other for a short visit at a truck stop/Burger King in Moriarty, NM.
Another plus to this day was swiping a new picture of granddaughter Randi off of her Facebook page. Randi is attending college and working, too; so it's not often that I get to "see" her on FB. Thanks, for the pic, Randi! You are gorgeous!
The rest of this day and the ones to follow were spent at Lovelace Hospital in either the waiting room or in Jerry's room during visiting hours. For the record, neither of us ever wants to be in an intensive care unit, but if it was necessary, this staff is who we would want taking care of us. We can't speak highly enough of the high quality professional and personal care Jerry received, and how the family was included in all conversations.
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Monday, May 25
Memorial Day...This day is not about celebrating with baseball, burgers, barbecue, and beer,. Rather, this is a day on which citizens of our great nation remember those patriots who gave the last full measure of devotion; those who purchased and maintained our unique freedoms with their lives. Any celebrations today came at great cost. May we all truly honor that sacrifice today and each day we breathe the fresh air of freedom.
Tuesday, May 26
Memorial Day...This day is not about celebrating with baseball, burgers, barbecue, and beer,. Rather, this is a day on which citizens of our great nation remember those patriots who gave the last full measure of devotion; those who purchased and maintained our unique freedoms with their lives. Any celebrations today came at great cost. May we all truly honor that sacrifice today and each day we breathe the fresh air of freedom.
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Tuesday, May 26
Since Jerry had had a rough morning with tests and pain, the nurse gave him medication to put him out for several hours. So, we went back to the motel where we met Jim's friends, Bob and Teresa and their granddaughter for lunch. Just before we ordered our meal, in walked Max to make the day complete. He had driven over to Big A from Santa Fe in his brand new toy which the guys had to check out after we ate.
After this short break it was back to the hospital for the rest of the day.
We obviously won't show photos of Jerry from this week, but dug into the files from last summer to show the two of us sharing a brotherly moment during better times in Roswell.
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When Jane returned from Roswell Wednesday at noon, Jim and I took off to return home. We made a quick stop in Lubbock to see Jaycie and take her to Sonic for a treat before continuing to Post where we spent the night.
Thursday we got home in time for Jim to rest before he had to be at the community band practice. This was the last practice before their concert Sunday.
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Sunday, May 31
Today was the Spring Concert for the Lake Country Symphonic Band. For the first time, the theater was sold out prior to the concert date. Even if we do say so ourselves, the band's performance and the crowd's reactions surpassed all expectations!
For some reason, I didn't do a very good job of being Jim's photographer at the concert. Think I still must have "jet lag." Smile....
Another busy month has passed and we continue to feel blessed with all God has given us. Family, friends, musical talent (for Jim), and the love of music (for me) just to mention a few blessings.
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"Each day offers us the gift of being a special occasion if we can simply learn that as well as giving, it is blessed to receive with grace and a grateful heart." - Sarah Ban Breathnach, author of Simple Abundance
With a grateful heart, back at home in Mineola, TX,
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsie
