Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

I remember the first time I went to the circus and saw the high wire trapeze artists … I was terrified …they didn’t have a safety net under them and I kept my eyes closed through most of the performance.

Dr. Seuss was right. “Life is a balancing act.”

As a retired educator…teachers always talked about promoting the concept, to their students, of becoming life-time learners. We should never stop being excited about some new interest in our lives. Too many times, aren’t we guilty, of over-thinking these random interests that enter our lives unexpectedly?

We lose the moment in our zest to keep pulling ahead of the pack.

Our rational brain tells us to let these unexpected interests slip away…they are thwarting or detouring our growth path towards our “Major”  life goal. But are they? If we keep growing and learning new skills for only the objective of ‘pinning the tail on the donkey’ of life…did we really win the game?

It is just as important to take time off from our diligent journey through life with goals and objectives intact as it is to stay on the straight and narrow. Aren’t the back roads the best part of life?

“The black hole (and dark side) of trying to live in a constant state of growth, can cause you to lose your bearings if you don’t “stop to smell the roses.” You might begin to feel as though you are on a roller coaster, changing and growing so fast, you start to lose perspective on where you ever were in the first place.

It is so, so, so important to pause and enjoy your “successes” along the way. Whether that’s something tangible, like a raise or a new car, or something intangible, like a healthier self-esteem or a new-found sense of confidence, it’s crucial to enjoy those moments.

If you don’t, you will feel like a hamster on a wheel, never taking a break, never resting, always looking for the next reward–and then the reward will come and you won’t even realize it because you’re already onto the next task.

It’s a fine line, but it’s necessary for balance. Constant growth is great, but what good is it to reach for the sun if you never stop to enjoy the sun in the first place?

Be like a tree. Always growing, and at the same time, always grounded.

Resource:(Five Questions to Ask Daily to Succeed in Life) Nicholas Cole

So until tomorrow…”Stay open to unseen possibilities” as we go through life…adding new leaves to our branches as we grow together.

“Today is my favorite day”

Tommy and Kaitlyn provided me with a great family story. They toured St. Patrick’s Cathedral. In one room Tommy discovered a tablet that said: “Leave a message for a loved one who has been affected by war.”

So Tommy did just that…for Uncle Ben. Now his name will always be a part of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin!

The Dingle’s are leaving for Southern Ireland tomorrow – The first  time they will have to drive and they are a little nervous but like Anne advised  “Just follow the car in front of you.” Bye Dublin!

*

Dear Reader:

Yesterday Anne invited me for lunch and to come see my “grand” niece, Nala. She has grown so much I hardly recognized her… but she was a little “under the weather” after just coming off some antibiotics… still beautiful and very loving, however!
As part of the meal Anne brought out her first-ever jar of homemade pickles she attempted making.They were really good…the perfect crunch…I ate mine all up!

Sometime during our lunch conversation Anne mentioned the struggle to mix cucumbers and the right amount of vinegar and brine… so that trying to make pickles had really gotten her “into a pickle” during the process.

We both started wondering about the origin and it turns out to be  a good one…with lots of history! The expression originates from a famous naval battle during the Napoleonic War…called the Battle of Trafalgar .

During this fiercely fought naval battle (ending in victory for the British)…Admiral Horatio Nelson was fatally wounded by a musket ball and died on the deck during the battle.

Nelson’s Irish surgeon on board, Beatty, made a dramatic decision. He decided to “pickle” Admiral Nelson’s body to try to preserve it for the grand hero’s funeral … already being planned in London as part of the monumental victory celebration.

The quick-thinking Irish surgeon preserved it in a cask of brandy lashed to the deck of the ship. A hurricane was on the horizon and the mast has been shot off; so now there was no way to hang the sails that would get ship (and body) to England quickly.

(Beatty died wealthy—honored for his quick thinking in preserving the body and was later knighted.  Today  several liquor companies sell bottles of spiced rum named after the Admiral pickled in brandy. There are still pubs all across England called The Lord Nelson.)

This unique embalming only worked somewhat because they caught some of the sailors trying to steal brandy from the barrel (with the body) when no one was looking.

Dr. Beatty had to quickly wrap the  decomposing body and get it in the casket asap before the processional…(finding himself in somewhat of a pickle) but he managed to do it all…none-the-wiser to the people of London and the royal family.

Today Nelson’s monument is located in Trafalgar Square, a 169-foot-tall column surrounded by larger-than-life brass lions. It is such a key British emblem that Hitler planned to take it back to Berlin as a trophy once he conquered London. (which thank goodness Hitler didn’t accomplish.)

Dr. Beatty was allowed to keep the “killer musket ball” as a good luck charm. He used it as a watch fob for the rest of his life. When he died in 1842, his family gave it to Queen Victoria. It’s in the grand vestibule of Windsor Castle.

So until tomorrow…The next time you get yourself “into a pickle” remember Admiral Horatio Nelson’s demise” and be content with your less dramatic situation. It can always be worse.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Nala is now a free dog…allowed to roam the big beautiful back and side yards of Anne’s property. The new fence just went up…and adds so much to her beautiful outdoor areas. Nala is still adjusting to that much freedom…but getting braver every day!

At 4:30 am Wednesday morning I was climbing back in bed from a bathroom run when I heard a beep go off on my Iphone…It was from Kaitlyn…they had arrived in Dublin…their first stop on the itinerary!

So much going on… I received this “Boo” card from Eva Cate and Jakie!

… And Boo Boo loves y’all This Much!

The next Dingle Family (Walsh, Mollie, Rutledge, and Lachlan) left Sunday to rendevous with sister Chelsea, Mike, and Madeleine at Disney World. The cousins look like they are having a ball! 🙂

Dear Reader:

Two Christmases ago I got this beautifully wrapped gift from Mandy and John which Mandy decorated. It had the softest red blanket in the bucket with several other smaller accessories. It was wrapped so elegantly I didn’t want to open it because it was my prettiest decoration/ornament left over after the holidays.

I had the gift for about two weeks when Mandy called and asked if I had opened their gift. I confessed that I had not…and why. It was too pretty and when folks dropped by they all commented on it. “Well I think you want to open it mom because there is a gift card in there that would really come in handy with the after Christmas sales.” I opened it. She was right! 🙂

I wish I could wrap gift items in a pretty way, but I am all fingers, thumbs, and stuck scotch tape. So I find myself choosing gifts that I give friends…as much for the wrapping… as the gift itself. I gravitate to the store that will wrap a purchase worthy of “ooh’s and aah’s.”

There is a certain (if not large) amount of truth in the adage: “It’s all in the presentation or the packaging.”
This is true about so many situations in life. We all might be packaged differently but under the wrapping…beats the same heart and soul and dreams of another fellow man.

It is also true that when it comes to solving problems…we each unwrap a problem that arises in different ways…based on our unique perceptions of the world and life.

In correlation to these thoughts on diversity in packaging…Madisyn Taylor wrote these personal observations on the subject called: Life Packaging. 

BY MADISYN TAYLOR

“Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common. Celebrate it every day. After all…It takes different flowers to create beauty in a bouquet.”

Dear Reader:

Isn’t this orchid beautiful? Susan (Kaitlyn’s Mom) gave it to me as we were all helping straighten things up and get other things out  (late Saturday night) from the Exchange Building on Breach Inlet.

Yesterday as I was straightening things back up (around the house) from the (getting ready and hurrying disarray clutter left behind) I looked around at the relics that would always be the memory keepers of this event for me.

Relics are defined as:  objects of historical value or sentimental interest 

…Starting with the gorgeous orchid now sitting on my dining room table. White orchids stand for beauty, elegance, and innocence. How appropriate for this beautiful wedding! A moment when two souls see the true beauty in each other and decide to experience life, its ups and downs, awkwardness and elegance, innocence and corruption together for the rest of their lives.

Then there is the itinerary/program, along with the koozies supplying dates and names to this beautiful day. Important to have the date handy when the memory fades.

It is time to place Cinderella’s “gown” back in the closet with all the accessories intact. Perhaps one day…who knows…my prince will come…or better yet the lottery announcer will call. 🙂

I didn’t have glass slippers but I did have “gold” flats. They will probably see more “action” than the other sentimental relics from Tommy and Kaitlyn’s wedding.

The most important relics, of course, will come from the memory and heart, in the form of laughter and shared voices, where the wedding will dwell for as long as I live.

I have decided that I have a “little” suggestion for God. When we are born I think we should all get 10 “Time Out” free passes. So when we have an event that affects us immensely- good, bad, or sad- we have 24 hours of “free time” (not clock or calendar time) but magical disappearing time in order to ingest the moment and then return to chronological time without missing the day/night at all. Just a suggestion God from one of your crazier “children.”

Maybe it is because I am getting older but I want more time to “process” the important moments in my life…to think about them and then place them wisely in the best location in my memory box…a place where I can retrieve them easily in a moment’s notice.

While I have been on my own personal wedding “time out”… the garden hasn’t and yesterday it surprised me with all the “living” “growing” and “blooming” it has accomplished during my wedding and post-wedding R&R.

.Anne texted Sunday evening and suggested lunch yesterday which placed us at Continental Corner laughing and catching up. So I got to place another circle on my calendar…great way to start the day and get back in the “groove.”

So until tomorrow: Kaitlyn had a memory table for photos and sayings by loved ones who have passed on. On the wooden plaque it said: ” We know you would be here if heaven weren’t so far away.”

Isn’t it wonderful that a part of our loved ones who passed on still live in the generations alive now? Life is amazing that way!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Today Tommy and Kaitlyn leave for Ireland…if all goes as planned they will be boarding their plane this evening in New York and arriving in Dublin, Ireland in the “Top of the morning” Wednesday. Safe travels Tommy and Kaitlyn. Godspeed!

“May the road rise to greet you ( and remind you to drive on the left side of the road.”)

P.S. Let me know when you place your feet on Irish soil…knowing you got there safe and sound is very important to mothers

The ” boys” have gone to Chattanooga with Butch and Susan to “vacation” until Tommy and Kaitlyn get back home!

When my brother, Ben, left Sunday he stopped by his son Lee and his wife Vikki’s home to see his little namesake Rhodes  Benjamin who is adorable…soon to be 8 months. Rhodes is too precious.

Dear Reader:

When I came across this poster…I knew what direction my thoughts were going to head today…to blessings and prayer.

A few weeks ago Kaitlyn texted me and asked if I would be willing to say a blessing and prayer during the wedding ceremony. I assured her I would be glad to…She suggested…perhaps even an Irish blessing as a send-off for their honeymoon.

So I started looking through Irish blessings…Mandy had Carrie read one at her wedding which was beautiful. But after going through several dozen Irish blessings…none of them seemed to fit what I was feeling inside.

It was then that I realized I needed to provide my own story and perspective of why their union was a blessing for me.

As I started organizing my mental thoughts on to written text early Saturday morning I realized that  prayers and blessings (standing at the altar) were Tommy and Kaitlyn.

I saw the irony (and God’s sense of humor) in the fact that Kaitlyn asked me to provide blessings and they had already been provided by God. (The two most important blessings were standing side by side… already in place.)

Kaitlyn also asked me about a prayer…not knowing that SHE was the answer to my prayer…for my “child” Tommy to find that special person to complete him and change him…show him a new perspective on life…and that she did.

It is every mother’s hope and prayer that their children will find that special someone to start a new beginning with…to intertwine their two paths together.

Anne…I held up your stone with the word B E G I N ( The one you gave me five years ago when I was trying to find the courage to start the garden…my foremost dream for my retirement years…Life’s Beginnings Part Two.)   

Beginnings are tough…Think back on your dreaded homework, required essays, term paper assignments or looming project deadlines. We probably spent more time complaining and worrying about them than just getting the courage or gumption to simply begin.

After the start (the beginning)…the rest is mostly down-hill.

Personal beginnings are even tougher. When we enter any kind of personal relationship with another…at some point we have to be willing to leave our comfort zone and take a leap of faith..(secretly terrified of rejection and hurt.)

But as I told the gathering Saturday afternoon…we were all there  as witnesses to the success of Tommy and Kaitlyn’s beginning relationship (classmates at law school, friends, and then more) ending on this special day in a commitment of love to each other in front of family and friends.

We were, also, witness to the multitude of bountiful blessings surrounding this special occasion personified by the number of dream-catchers blowing in the gusty breezes around the ceremony.

My prayer ended with a saying that popped up in the recesses of my memory box out of no where, but one I liked a lot because of its simplicity and truth.

“The life and love we create (through God) is the life and love we live.” 

It is up to us to create the life we want to live. My prayer for Tommy and Kaitlyn is that they create a most beautiful life and lasting love together.

It takes a lot of “girl time in pj’s” to pull off the fashionista look but it was accomplished with beautiful results by one and all!

Kaitlyn and Tommy gave me a bag (MOG engraved on it…Mother of the Groom) at Christmas (for the wedding) and did it ever come in handy!

I could put everything in it that I needed…a type of survival kit for emotionally spaced-out mothers of the bride and groom. I love it!

I gave it to the bartender to safeguard during the ceremony and forgot all about it since there were photographers taking all kinds of pictures…. for once I just wanted to enjoy the moment… face-to-face and not behind an Iphone camera.

However, as the sun began to set in its breathtaking backdrop on the water, I was compelled to retrieve my “survival kit” and take some photos of it and the last part of the evening. Here’s a glimpse of Tommy and Kaitlyn’s waning hours of the wedding.

…And to think it all started with a special delivery and ended with a dance.

Dear Reader:

I just want to share a few quick moments of reflections on the beautiful day immortalized as Tommy’s and Kaitlyn’s Wedding Day.

I woke up yesterday morning at 6:30…pop-eyed and ready to go. I worked on my blessing and prayer for the wedding ceremony while it was still early…all I could hear were the birds singing as the sun rose…great motivators for writers.

I had already texted Tommy because I wanted it to be the first thing I did on this special occasion  and said “Happy Wedding Day! I love you!” Mom.…I got back a fast response “Love u too!” The day was set…all was perfect in God’s universe for the mother of the groom.

Knowing that I would be emotionally and physically drained last night I decided to go ahead and start the blog… writing about experiences earlier in the day…(Pre-wedding) and that is when one strange feeling came over me.

I went to set the date for the blog…typing in 05/07/17. What??? May 7th…that can’t be …nothing exists beyond May 6th for me. I checked my trusty old calendar beside the computer…it stopped on the sixth …(Like Grandfather’s Clock) no more circles around dates…just blank numbers staring back at me.

I suddenly felt a wave of loneliness pass over me. This wedding date had been on my mind and in my heart for so long…it was like some part of me got cut out and thrown away. My third ( and last) “child” would be married and heading to Ireland on one of many new adventures in his life with his new wife…Emotional confusion discombobulated by layers of happiness, sadness, excitement and stillness. It was everything I had hoped and prayed for but I didn’t expect a sense of “what now?” to follow.

I am happy to say these strange feelings quickly dissipated when I got so many email and comments from all of you that had me laughing again. All the way from Dubai, Ambika said the new name for the couple now must be “TOMLYN.” Too funny I thought…then Sis Kinney picked up on the moment and said “Why not KAITMY?”

A good lesson for me to remember…”Time waits for no man...nor does it stop for any man or woman.” No matter how important a person or event affects our lives…the sun will come up the next morning…life will go on.

It is God’s Promise to us and it is unwavering.

Just a little preview of some of the fun!

All dressed up and somewhere to go!

Who would have thought we would have a fire in May? So nice!

Getting ready to start!

A most beautiful sunset with dream catchers swaying in the breeze!

Joanne King did the flower arrangements and everything was beautiful!

My nephew Lee and his wife Vikki provided the music – so great to have such talent–keeping it in the family!

More pictures coming your way tomorrow but the MOG (Mother of the groom) is signing off tonight! I am tired…a happy tired…but tired! 🙂

I will sleep great tonight with visions of Lady Fingers and lemon squares ( by Doodle- Delicious!) dancing in my dreams!

Thank you God for this incredible day!

Dear Reader:

Yesterday morning I woke up early…my mind swirling in its half-awakened, half-asleep condition. “What day was it?” “Ah…Friday…what was going on, what did I need to do?” And groggily I lay there and went over the list in my mind.

By then I was now wide awake and ready to take on the world…anticipation and excitement mounting. Everything was gathering full speed culminating in “THE WEDDING!”

The joy of anticipation! How I love imagining how the big events in life will play out…anticipation heightens our senses of adventure, mystery, and the unknown. It is like reading a mystery book and finally turning to the last page to discover “Who Dunnit?”

Andy Warhol put it this way, “The idea of waiting for something makes it more exciting”.

And now here it is…the day we have all waited for…dreamed about, thought about, prayed about, and smiled about. The Wedding Day!

No doubt my emotions and feelings will have run the gamut from tears of joy and happiness to a silent prayer of thankfulness for all the blessings falling around the ceremony like confetti on New Year’s Eve…by the time it is all over this evening.

Already I prepare myself for the confusion of mixed feelings that I will feel in the following days….a sense of relief intermingled with a sense of sadness and loss over the thrill of anticipation.

I remember with Mandy’s wedding in 2008 (She’s the oldest and being a girl… the role of mother of the bride was much more “hands on” than the role of  mother of the groom.) It seemed like for months there was ‘something to do to get ready for the wedding.’ Detail after detail.

It was a beautiful wedding outdoors, cool perfect weather, and all went well. I do remember feeling a real sense of relief that everything turned out so well for my only daughter’s wedding. A couple of weeks after the big event I visited her and made a comment that she must be relieved, too, that all the running around and  fixing problems was over.

Mandy looked at me and sighed. “No, I miss all of the excitement of getting ready …the anticipation that keeps life running on a higher rung of exhilaration.”

By the time you read this blog today…the BIG EVENT will have come and gone. The anticipation will have dissipated like a tornado setting down, turning everything upside down, and then departing like nothing happened… leaving everyone exclaiming, “That was fast!” in its wake.

So until tomorrow…We must all remember that the most important thing that will never disappear is the memories cemented in love and joy shared by all as one…another jewel for the treasure box.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

 Celebration Time! Food, Fun, Family and Friends! A Blustery Day for a rehearsal and many hands move lots of decorations quickly!

Look at my wonderful gift from Tommy and Kaitlyn! My favorite saying!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you…I will treasure it!

Dear Reader:

I came across one of my favorite quotes “accidentally” earlier this week and I think today, Friday, the day before the “BIG EVENT” is the perfect day to share it again.

“Normal day…Let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.” Mary Jean Irion

Don’t we spend too much of our lives just mulling along trying to get to the next “big event.”  We say things like “It’s Wednesday, only two more days until the weekend!” or ” Just one more week on the grindstone until vacation.”

The problem is…if we aren’t living each day to its fullest…think about how much of our lives we are throwing away. Are we unconsciously saying…“If it isn’t a perfect day…then we are just going to let it slide?”

Every day is precious…every hour, minute, and second. If not treated as such…we have unconsciously given our time on earth away, as dismissively as taking out the garbage. Surely our lives deserve more than this.

So until tomorrow… on this magnificent, beautiful day Friday, the day before the wedding…I breathe in and out the life-giving air that lets me enjoy each moment of life. I am happy with today and eagerly anticipate the wonder and excitement of tomorrow.

“Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

Here are some photos from our first gathering of family and friends from both sides of the family. Out-of-towners and the bride and groom’s families met for our first “meet and greet” last night at the Boat House on Breach Inlet.

From earlier weather forecasts I thought we might have to go inside the Boathouse Restaurant instead of going to the top deck where we planned to meet at 5:00 yesterday afternoon…but the rains held off, there was a delightful breeze, and everyone had such a good time!

One can actually feel the continuity of life and family in moments like these…too rare…but more precious for it.

We were all prepared after meeting everyone to fill in the family tree puzzle…things like…the coolest Grandmother (Susan’s mother-Judy) Dan has to be Butch’s brother, Dan’s wife Trudy has the same name of my childhood best friend and so on. The maids of honor-Lily and Mary are beautiful and adorable, Kaitlyn’s nieces. Here are just a few snapshots from the fun.

* Remember how I mentioned that I would love  to wear some Confederate Jasmine cologne or perfume. Well…obviously I am not alone. Frances Wilder Townsend thrilled my history soul with this first-hand account re-telling of some family history.

Back in the depression, my mother worked as a free-lance secretary; she would go to the homes of folks that needed dictation and typing. One of the families she worked for (in addition to Dubose Heyward -Porgy and Bess) was the Kittredges, who owned Cypress Gardens, before it was open to the public. They were working on the planting and landscaping. Mr. Kittredge worked for years to develop a perfume that mimicked Confederate Jasmine, but he never succeeded. 

Obviously only “God can make a tree” or Confederate Jasmine perfume. 🙂

Dear Reader:

Isn’t one of the most important things in life… the creation of our own unique ‘realm of possibility?’

Last night as I sat out in the garden around 7:30…watching the sun slowly sink in the west…I looked down the path of the garden and thought back to when it was just a back yard with grass (well…half and half weeds). It is hard for me to even remember now when the garden wasn’t there…when I had not gathered the courage to “live in the realm of possibility.”

The Confederate Jasmine smelled so good…it just seemed to waft over me every time a breeze swept by. I “googled” to see if a perfume had ever been made from Confederate Jasmine and discovered this bit of information.

…”The scent of a living flower (like Confederate Jasmine) is impossible to capture perfectly in a natural raw material. When we smell a flower, we are actually smelling the volatile molecules in the air around it. The air around the flower has a different chemical makeup than the essential oil, concrete, or absolute once it’s extracted from the plant – so the flower extracts can never smell the same as the living flower on the stem.” 

*As much as I would like to spray on a little Confederate Jasmine…I  kinda like the idea that artificial attempts to capture a God-given scent are impossible to duplicate!

FYI: Most jasmine perfumes come from India or Egypt and to put it mildly are quite expensive. So I think I will “freely” use my God-given sense of smell and enjoy it sitting in my own back yard.

As I slowly walked back to the house through the garden another scent awaited me! My first gardenia bloom! Pure joy!

Byron Garrett (The ABC’s of Life) comments in his book that as we start to pursue our earlier dreams on a more serious level, we will no doubt run into two types of people – the dream makers and the dream busters. Sadly, sometimes, it seems like there are more dream busters than makers and due to lack of trying or seeking…they tend to want to dissuade dream makers from following their own dream, their purpose in life. Stay away from them.

Instead seek out other dream makers…. change agents “who see the world differently” …not just settling for the “status quo” but pursuing the  “what could be.” They are the ones who continuously live their lives in the realm of possibilities.

I have given this some thought over the years and find it to be true…I have met both dream makers and dream busters. I no longer ‘hang’ with the dream busters. Life is too short.

While reading Oprah Magazine waiting for my annual physical at Dr. Montoya’s office yesterday (overall a good and promising report :)- Dr. Montoya is a dream-maker) I came across an article on the Miss Fountain of Youth and Exuberance gal, herself …Dolly Parton!

I had an “aha” moment when I read the following observation she has made in her life: “Some people work at being miserable, I work at being happy.”  

How true: The way I see it…if I am going to work hard and put my precious time in life on something important to me…I am not going to waste it being miserable. For my time and perseverance…I won’t settle for anything less than happy!

Here are some more photos of my ‘realm of possibilities’….my garden and who is popping up to greet me once again this spring.

Gerber daisies, Amanda Rose, Confederate Rose, and I had to move the fairies because the coleus plants were overtaking the village!😍

So until tomorrow…Remember: “The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful” (e.e.cummings)

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Kaitlyn and Tommy…Just thought I would throw in these four words of wisdom! 🙂

Dear Reader:

Monday night I remembered a quip that I always told my students on the first day of class. I told them if anyone ever asked  “Who are you?” Always respond with “I am the story of myself.”

When you think about it….answering a “Who are you?” question  can result in a long, complicated answer if not formed and formatted by the story that we are. One could answer I am a daughter, niece, cousin, mother, grandmother, aunt…then list your occupation(s) and end with a child of God. Or you could respond, like many Native-American tribes taught their young, by saying simply “I am the story of myself.”

I do miss the storytelling from my teaching career…since it was a daily activity…part of my own personal “core curriculum.” I remember one year thinking I should put a sign over my door saying “Social Stories” instead of “Social Studies.” *If my beloved subject was called that…I think it would make all the difference in the world.

Monday night I re-read Kaitlyn’s re-telling of her and Tommy’s story…their “Our Story” off their wedding website.  Kaitlyn is such a talented writer and she expresses feelings that we can all relate to in such a sincere, honest style. I never cease to smile and shed a tear each time I read her writings.

When I asked Kaitlyn if I could share her story with all the blog readers she immediately texted back, “Of course!”

So for our mid-week benchmark before the W E D D I N G …here’s Kaitlyn and Tommy’s “We are the stories of ourselves.”

OUR  STORY

Our lives are our own personal novels that we write every day: each year is a new chapter and each sunrise brings a new page. Tommy and I met in approximately our 29th and 24th chapters respectively.

So until tomorrow: Great stories happen to those who tell them.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Happy Anniversary John and Mandy! What wonderful chapters you have added to your story…titled: Eva Cate and Jakie! My favorite chapters!

May 3, 2008. Nine years of  wonderful stories!