6oth Anniversary Announced in newspaper

I wrote up an announcement for my hometown paper, the Tullahoma News, for my parent's 60th anniversary. This is what I sent in. It was published in the August 31, 2011 issue of the Tullahoma News.

Larry and Marilyn Nee celebrate 60th anniversary

Larry and Marilyn (Rice) Nee of Tullahoma marked their 60th wedding anniversary. The couple was married on July 4, 1951, at the First Congregational Church in Gardner, Mass.

The Nees celebrated their big day with friends and family at Tims Ford State Park pavilion on Saturday, July 2. All seven of the couple’s children were present to help celebrate.

The couple’s children and their spouses include Larry and Robin Nee of Normandy; Roberta and Randy Adams of Shelbyville; Kevin and Cindi Nee of Baton Rouge, La.; Scot and Sandy Nee of Smyrna; Sharon and Mike Goodman of Tustin, Calif.; Chris and Karen Nee of Hillsboro; and Mary and Jerry Felts of Manchester.

Their 15 grandchildren are Kevin Gray (Amy) Mason; Stephanie (Bryan) Sexton; Adrianne Rynearson, Joshua Nee, Jessica (Daniel) Andermann; Trisha Chambers, Steve Nee, Michelle (Brent) McCoy; Michael (Melissa) Goodman; Justin Goodman, Chris Nee, Jr. (Kayla); Shannon Nee, Nick (Nikki) Nee, Jeremy Nee, and Shawn Felts.

Their seven great grandchildren are Emma Mason, Gray Mason, Ella Mason, Eli Mason, Libby Sexton, Annalee Sexton, and Jackson Goodman.

On this special day, one of Larry and Marilyn’s granddaughters, Adrianne Rynearson, became engaged to Richard Proper of Holiday, Fla. The proposal was accepted by the entire family.

Also attending were Bob, Dot and Candy Couch, Carol Churchill Goodman, Vivian Pobojewski, all of Tullahoma; Elaine Mann of Shelbyville; Les and Sarah Farris Keasler of Shalimar, Fla.; Kim Widener, Brandon and Bradley Leth, all of Murfreesboro; Dennis and Karen Stanhope of Peebles, Ohio; and Barry and Diane Kennedy of Paducah, Ky.

Jackson Video

OK, Melissa came thru for me! She sent me a link to a YouTube video of Jackson taking his first few steps. How awesome is that?! Thanks, Melissa!

Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mhf2WUUt3M

I've watched it several times now...

Jackson's First Steps

OK, I think I've got the video... lets see if it'll play!

Milestones

(THIS IS FROM JACKSON'S FIRST TRIP TO A WATER PARK TODAY)

My daughter-in-law posted a video this morning on Facebook featuring our grandson, Jackson. The video captured his first few steps as he played with some toys we sent him for his first birthday. (I wish I knew how to download the video from FB!!) What an adorable video it is!

Jackson stands up from a squatting position and is quite in control. Not bad for a beginner! It won't be long until this is old hat for him and he'll no longer think anything of getting up and going from one place to another as we do. But this is a day that I will remember for a very long time. His first steps! I wasn't there in Texas to see them in person, as much as I would love to be, but that Michael and Melissa took the time to get it on video for us... OK, for HER parents', too! It really means so much to us to be included in Jackson's milestones.

His next milestone should be in September. September 9th to be precise. That milestone will be his first birthday. What I would do to be there. But if I can't, I know Michael and Melissa will be there to document it in video and in photographs. I really can't wait to see them!

This and That

Things I've read that touched me in one way or another...

I might not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be. ~ Douglas Adams

Little by little, one travels far. ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at. ~Bruce Lee

I always knew looking back on the tears would make me laugh, but I never knew looking back on the laughs would make me cry. ~Unknown

I am the family face;

Flesh perishes, I live on,

Projecting trait and trace

Through time to times anon,

And leaping from place to place

Over oblivion.

~Thomas Hardy

I thought of you with love today, but that is nothing new.

I thought about you yesterday, and day before that, too.

I think of you in silence, I often speak your name.

All I have are memories and a picture in a frame.

Your memory is a keepsake, with which I'll never part.

God has you in his keeping, I have you in my heart.

~Unknown

Why is it that darkness is always associated with a person's lowest moment? For it is only in darkness that we can see the stars. ~ Kevin Nee

Although its true that you don't know what you have until it's gone, but it also true that you don't know what you have been missing until it arrives. ~Unknown

Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe; And stronger than you seem, And smarter than you think. ~Winnie the Pooh

A dictionary is a fine tool to consult before putting your opinions in writing for the whole world to see. On the other hand, failing to do so certainly makes for amusing reading! ~Unknown

Sabrina fair, listen when thou art sitting under the glassy, cool, translucent wave, in twisted braids of lilies knitting the loose train of they amber-dropping hair. ~John Mitton

Warm summer sun, shine kindly here.

Warm southern wind, blow softly here.

Green sod above, lie light, lie light.

Good night, dear Heart

Good night

Good night

~inscription on the gravestone of Mark Twain's wife

Home is the place your grow up wanting to leave and grow old wanting to get back to. ~John Ed Pearce

Listen to the sunset

Hear its silent sigh

As it falls down the horizon

Warning, the moon is nigh

~Unknown

I have always known that at last I would take this road, but yesterday I did not know that it would be today. ~Unknown

Don't worry about the people in your past. There is a reason they didn't make it to your future.~Unknown

A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn no other way. ~Mark Twain

It's funny that what used to be the end of the world is now the center of the universe. ~Bill Killie

The kiss of the sun for pardon

the song of the birds for mirth

One is nearer God's heart in a garden

than any place else on earth.

~Dorothy Frances Gruney

I don't care how old you are, the only safe way to guarantee the moster under the bed doesn't grab you is to use the run and jump method. ~ Linda Lechtenberg

The Family

A family is like a patchwork quilt

with kindness gently sewn

Each piece an original

with beauty all its own

With threads of warmth and happiness

it's lightly stitched together

To last in love throughout the years

a family is forever.

Playing with Photo Shop

I was recently at the beach and a friend of mine wanted to play with my camera and caught me walking on the beach. Not a bad photo of me (as far as photos go) but I decided to play with the image in Photo Shop...

This is the original photo, just cropped to get rid of the excess beach, water and peoples!

The last one is kinda hard to tell due to the size, but it's supposed to look like it was painted on canvas. Oh well. It was fun playing with Photo Shop once again!

Hope your day is going well!

Catching Up

I've been neglectful of this blog for a while... it's summer! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

We went to Tennessee for the 4th of July. It was my parent's 60th wedding anniversary and we always have a family reunion on the weekend of/before the 4th of July. Lots of fun since friends of ours from Paducah came down for a couple of days and stayed with us at our house. We toured the Jack Daniel Distillery and visited the local swimming hole of Rutledge Falls. We got to spend 2 weeks there and I can't remember a time when vacation just seemed to fly right by. It was over in a hurry!

Since we drove there, it took two days each way. Over 2000 miles one way! Since it was so far to drive, we took turns driving. We had Georgia with us and she got her chance at driving, too! We stopped in Tucumcari, New Mexico on the way to Tennessee and stopped in Amarillo, Texas on the way back. It was the first time Mike had driven to Tennessee from California. That was my 3rd trip. Still as beautiful as ever. I think the area around Williams, Arizonia (Gateway to the Grand Canyon) and the Ozarks of Eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas are the two most beautiful parts of the entire I-40 drive... until you get to Tennessee! You would think a two thousand mile trip with a cat would be a living nightmare... actually, after Georgia checked out the car (top to bottom, side to side, every nook and cranny) she settled down and was a great, if not curious, passenger!

Since we've been home, we haven't done a lot of anything at this point, but we did go to the Orange County Fair over in Costa Mesa a couple of weekends ago. Lots of fun!