Then and Now

Another one of the girls, Nedra, who lives in Tennessee came in later so we had another mini-reunion a few days later. Many of us were in Camp Fire together. During high school, it was called Horizon Club. Our senior year, we attended the Starlight Ball where each of us was presented with our dads as escorts. This was our group picture. Of course, I am always the shortest of the group. Notice these long white gloves---I don't know what it was about gloves back in those days. We also had those shoes dyed to match our gowns. Jean's mom had even saved one of the dance programs with the pencil attached where you would write in the name of the guy you had saved a dance for. We had so much fun back then!!!

Wanda, JoNell, Reva, Jean, Nedra, Susan, Stephanie, Janice 1968 Starlight Ball



Mrs. Williams, Susan, Nedra, Jean, LeAnne, Wanda, Linda, Stephanie, Janice, Mrs. Allison, our leader, and Reva
Spring 1965 (Freshman year) Horizon Club Convention in Marshall---We are in our uniforms--notice those gloves again, and oh, those purses!!! We had a good laugh over this picture, SOOOO
We took a modern version of those who were there.

Nedra, Jean, Wanda, Janice, Reva, JoNell

Classmates of 1968

The girls who ran around together back in high school got together at Jean's lakehouse. We had the most fun imagineable!!! All 14 who attended---some couldn' t make it---
41 years of catching up to do----we talked, ate, talked, ate, talked some more!!!----Eight hours for some of us. Everytime someone had to leave, they would say, "I have to go, but I don't want to go!"



It was amazing how much I had forgotten about those olden days or things that I remembered that others had forgotten. We all agreed that we were lucky to have grown up in such a good small town full of such wonderful friends.



Looking at old pictures and reminiscing


Touring the boat house. We never did have time for the boat ride.

My Best Friend

My best friend from school when I was growing up, Reva, lives in Oregon and was coming home this summer. She emailed a bunch of the girls and we ended up having a "reunion". ---41 years later. I hadn't seen her in 21 years.

Graduation Night 1968


Summer 2009

Our Fourth of July

We enjoyed our 4th by the pool---margaritas and Corona to keep us cool and grilled hamburgers and hot dogs to feast on. Our friends, Tim and Jan, enjoyed it with us.

Family photo in the pool. Our little boy Tex is really taking to the water this summer.


So is our friend Tim. Could anybody enjoy relaxing more?




Tim, Jan, and Fred solve the world's problems.

We did manage to make it to two firework shows this year, Wylie and Royse City. My goal is to see two each year since I love them so and there are never any the rest of the year? Didn't we use to have firework shows on other holidays?

The Beall's Bottle Tree

During our travels in the south, I have seen and read about bottle trees, an old tradition started by slaves, to scare away evil spirits from gardens and homes. This has become a popular way of decorating in southern gardens using wine bottles. I have been saving bottles for a couple of years and even had friends donating colored wine and liquor bottles. I even hauled some empty red liquor bottles back from Cabo. (since red is so hard to find) I showed Fred a picture of one and he said no problem---he could make it for me. So many months later, we finally got it welded and in the ground. I also used leftover metal rods to do this arrangement in another part of the beds.



This is the one that he made---what a great job, Fred! I love looking at the colors with the sun on them and the other day when it rained, they were beautiful with droplets on them


If anyone is interested in seeing more or getting ideas on bottle trees, check out this website

felderrushing.net then look under hundreds of bottle trees---he photographs them all over

Our 23rd Anniversary

The trip to Cabo was planned all around the best time for fishing. Sometime after it was all booked, we realized that it would also be our anniversary. Fred really surprised me this time!! He told me not to ask any questions that day---just do what he said----that is really hard for me who wants to analyze and question everything. I had asked to go downtown to The Office and Mango Deck, the local beach bars, so that I could swim in the ocean there. He said we would go after breakfast, but we had to be back at 1:30. When we got back, he went to the front desk and then led me to the other side of the hotel to a room on the top floor. I had the most beautiful tropical flowers ever and all our luggage was in this room. The hotel had upgraded us to an ocean front room. We had champagne and chocolate covered strawberries waiting for us.




The maids had decorated our bed with a red rose, chocolate kisses, and Swans made out of towels. Even the bathroom was decorated.


That night we enjoyed more champagne and a dinner in the main dining room. What a great day we had. I don't know who was more excited, me or Fred!!!


The view from our oceanfront room.

Fishing in Cabo

The reason for the Cabo trip was fishing. Fred and his fishing buddy, Joe, have bucket lists. One of the things on Fred's was to catch a big Marlin in Cabo. So I suggested that they go fish and us girls could enjoy the resort. They fished 3 days AND caught the big Marlin on the very first day out. Fred hooked a 200 lb Marlin and fought it for 40 min. Then it broke off before it got to the boat. Joe hooked another one and got his in. What a great treat for the guys!! We can mark that one off the bucket list.




Joe's Marlin


One the second trip, Fred caught a Rooster fish (can you guess why it is called that?)--50 lb. He was so excited because he had never seen one or heard of this kind of fish.




They also caught dolphin (mahi mahi) and some other assorted fish during the week.

Cabo San Lucas

In June, we went to Cabo with friends, Joe and Jan Miller. We stayed at the Riu Palace (all inclusive resort)---What a fabulous place with good food and drinks, great pools and beach, good fishing for the guys and even better shopping for the girls.

The view of downtown from the beach---these waves really got up later in the week as a tropical storm was offshore.


We couldn't swim here but did go about 1 mile down the beach in front of the beach bars--very safe swimming there.


View from the Lobby Bar


Enjoyed surf and turf (yes, we had lobster) at the steakhouse and baked Alaska for dessert. There was also a Spanish restaurant and a French restaurant.----All had great food, but we went to the buffet most because we didn't want to have a time schedule.

They had weddings on the beach several evenings at 6 so we watched from the pool area before we went in to get ready for dinner. What a great trip!!!

More of Cabo

Happy Hour--Jan, Janice, Fred, Joe



Janice in the swim up bar pool. It had hot tubs and an infinity edge.


The rocks and arches of Cabo from the infinity pool. There were four of these infinity edges---two in the big pools and one in each of the swim up pools. Everybody loved just sitting next to them and watching all the beach activity while the cabana boy brought more drinks.


View from the Lobby Bar. There were two pools just like this.---the activity pool and the quiet pool. Guess which one we preferred?

My Big Chair

While we were in Barbados, we found this really big chair (actually 2 of them) on the deck overlooking the beach. They were always full during the day, but we got to sit in this one at night. Such a neat chair!



I couldn't find one like it but Fred did give me this big Papason chair for Mother's Day. I enjoy curling up in it and reading--may try a little napping, too.