PAINTING

Allan got the rooms taped and painted the two dark walls this week in between going to the VA twice. Everything checked out ok.

From 2010-10-26

Friday I helped him paint the lighter color on the foyer, living room and hall. Yancy and Brian said they were going to Cades Cove and then pack up and come home a day early. They only saw two deer from a distance. While driving home on the interstate in the dark they saw 9 deer and 2 coyotes. They got in about 1:30 AM on Saturday. They had a wonderful time despite the problems they had with their accommodations.



Saturday they were off to friends to watch football games. Auburn beat LSU and are #1 now and Alabama beat Tennessee. That night a bad storm came up with tornado watches. We went over to their basement and got soaking wet. I bent over and picked up Katie, the kitty, and felt pain in my nose, then blood started pouring out from the incision. After about 15 -20 minutes of pressure it stopped. Other than moving a heavy swing on their deck, there was no damage here. Other places did have building damage.

We took the Jeep in to get a spare key made. $217 for a key??? In 1965 who would have thought that a key would cost that much.

I cooked supper for Yancy and Brian after their first day back at work. Then we played a game of Rummykub.

We want to welcome all our new followers.

WEDDING

While driving through all the agriculture areas, I noticed I was getting a scratchy throat and sneezing. It was very dry and dusty. They are harvesting crops and defoliating the cotton which is apparently causing a lot of people to have similar symptoms. We were parked at the Agri-Center in Memphis while they were having a fall festival with music. There were thousands of people there. I was amazed we could not hear all the celebration going on while we were in our RV thanks to the good insulation.

This week we met April, our middle daughter, prior to her departure to Portland, Oregon where she is relocating.

From 2010-10-19

The week before the wedding Yancy and I worked on wedding related things which kept us busy. As I was feeling worse, I started on antibiotics in hopes of hurrying the healing process. I was improved by the time the wedding came around. A number of Yancy's friends and I met at the church on Friday to decorate. We had the rehearsal and dinner afterwards at Olive Garden. That was a long day. On the day of the wedding, Oct. 16th, Yancy and I arrived at the church at 8:45am. The wedding was held at Kingwood Church on the other side of Birmingham. The wedding party got their hair and makeup done. Time sped by fast. We looked at the clock and it was time to walk down the isle.

From 2010-10-19

From 2010-10-19

Everyone said it was a beautiful wedding and Yancy's dress was beautiful also. The reception followed the wedding in the foyer of the church. There was an abundance of food. As Brian and Yancy left in a Limo they were showered with red clown noses which was a surprise for him as he is a clown with the Shriners.

From 2010-10-19

From 2010-10-19

Afterwards lots of friends pitched in to help with the clean up. Allan and I left there about 8pm. That was another long day. We slept in, the next morning. Yancy called me several times that night. One time they had a fire in the building and had to evacuated down 15 flights of stairs. They never saw the fire or smelled it, but this will be a memory of their first night together.

This past week Allan and I purchased a Jeep Liberty. It has really come in handy to transport things for the wedding. I think we are going to like it.

Monday I had surgery to remove a basil cell cancer on my nose. It went well with very little pain. This was a special type of surgery where they check the specimen to make sure they removed it all while you are there, then they sew you up. I bled a lot and have a lot of post operative swelling. Not a pretty sight. I am to return in 10 days to get the stitches out.

Allan made his annual visit to the VA medical clinic. He will return there on Thursday for an eye exam.

Our plans were to paint several rooms in Yancy's house while they are on their honeymoon and dog sit. Due to the surgery, I am not allowed to bend over or do anything that will increase my heart rate. This leaves most of the painting for Allan to do. Poor fellow!

From 2010-10-19

Katie loves being here as she is entertained with birds and falling leaves out our back window.

Homecoming

Sorry for not posting in a long time. We have been so busy with the wedding and related things.
I will start to catch you up on our activities.

We left Carlinville, Illinois on Oct. 8 and drove to Sikeston, Mo. where we found a campground and hurriedly set up as we were suppose to be in East Prairie at 4pm for our homecoming parade. We didn't make it in time for the parade, but we met some of my classmates for the chili supper at the Martin Elementary School. I think this was the first time I had ever been in this building. From there we went to the football game. They played Portageville and won.

From 2010-10-19

At half time we all went over to Pam Williams home where she grew up. She opened the house for our informal class reunion.

From 2010-10-19

It was like going back in time.

From 2010-10-19

We had such a wonderful get together.

Jim and Carleen Burden picked us up for breakfast the next morning. It was good to see them again. After they dropped us off, we packed up and headed for Memphis to do some genealogy work and visit with some relatives in the Howard family.

From 2010-10-19

Lynn, my cousin, took us to Capleville, Tn. to visit the Bethlehem Cemetery. Allan spotted the Howard graves quickly. I found my twin aunt and uncle who had died during childhood and 2 other family members. I was able to see Ruth Howard, Lynn's mom, and get some information for the genealogy quest on the Howard side of the family.

RV MAPS VOLUNTEER CONVENTION

It took us three days to drive to Carlinville, Illinois for the convention. We settled in and that night went to register for all the events.

From 2010-10-08

The remainder of the night was free to see old friends we had worked with on previous projects and meet new friends. Sunday we attended church services and an orientation meeting for first timers. All first timers received a bag full of goodies. Allan and I attended numerous seminars during the week. Some were more geared for women and some for men. Many of the projects for next year had representatives who gave a presentation of their project. The projects included churches, schools, camps, conference centers, children's homes and teen challenge centers. All the men especially enjoyed the tool time so they could purchase new toys.

From 2010-10-08

They fed us well.

From 2010-10-08

Harold and Jeanetta drove us around the conference center and gave us a history lesson. The big barn was alleged to be a hideout for Al Capone and his bootlegging.

From 2010-10-08

There is a beautiful lake on the property.

From 2010-10-08

A previous nursing home has been transformed into housing for youth groups. The work we do no matter what type helps people and brings glory to God. Next year will be the 25th anniversary of US MAPS with all kinds of speakers and celebration being planned. We don't want to miss that.
MAPS volunteers wear red vests with patches for each project they work on. Many people worked many hours to prepare this wonderful yearly convention. Allan and I want to thank them for a job well done.

MAPS CONVENTION

We left Alabaster at 2pm on Thursday and drove to Cornersville, Tn. Got up the next morning and drove to Marion, Il. This was a much longer drive and we were tired by the time we pulled in. Saturday it started raining just after getting on the interstate and then we came upon road work with delays. The speed was slow but we kept moving. By the time we got past the work area the rain quit and we made it to Carlinville by 3pm. There are many RV's here and they are packed in close, but everyone is used to that. We have full hookups. Lake Williamson Conference Center is a very nice facility. Saturday night we had registration and a time to visit with friends. It was so good to see people we had worked with previously. We also made new friends.
Sunday we attended church services which was great. Pastor Mike Lynn preached. He is the pastor from Robertsdale, Al. AOG where we worked last Jan/Feb 2009. It was good to see him. They had a cookout for us after church. We attended an orientation for 1st timers at the convention this afternoon. We are having fun. Hope to have some pictures for our next posting.