Happy 50th Anniversary!!

A few weekends ago, we were able to celebrate Jonathan's parents' 50th anniversary. They were married when they were 15 and 19. Their parents had to SIGN for them to get married; Alton had to sign Betty's report cards from school!! Four years later they had Jenny....Jonathan's oldest sister......there are 5 kids in his family.

J's sisters did most of the planning for the celebration since they live in Abilene, where the reception was held. We had a great time.......at the end of these pictures is the article Lady wrote for the August column in the Abilene Reporter News......."How to stay married 50 years".......I figured in this day and time, we need all the advice we can get!!!! ENJOY.......

Here are J's parents.........posing for one of many pics
My family from the side view!
J and the boys........
J's brother, Tim, with Grant. I am sure he is explaining the importance of leaving Grandad's antique trucks alone!!! They were used to decorate the "grooms table"!
Me and Hannah.....our niece who is now a senior in high school. Wasn't it just yesterday that she was the 5 yr old cute little flower girl at our wedding??!!! (Everyone keep your fingers crossed that she will decide to go to ACU next fall!)

Here is a website if you would like to see more of the pics from the party.
www.marcelainphotography.com/galleries/sbdavis

Lady's article.................
How to stay married 50 years
By Betty Davis
Monday, August 18, 2008

Fifty years ago, in 1958, Elvis was inducted into theArmy, Queen Elizabeth gave her son Charles the title"Prince of Wales," (the only title she will likelyever give him) and a U.S. bomber accidentally droppedan atomic bomb on Mars Bluff, Calif.That's also the year we got married.My husband and I were so young that our parents signedfor us to marry amidst talk and speculation about howlong it would last; the outside guess was six months.Most have changed the subject by now.The first major decision for us was whether to buywedding rings or a television. We couldn't affordboth, and my soon-to-be-husband thought a TV was awiser investment; neither of our parents had one.I said I wasn't marrying without rings. I may havebeen too young for a driver's license, but a girl isnever too young to know about jewelry.We married in my sister's two-bedroom house with about15 witnesses -- those who had influenced our lives themost. The $17 wedding dress came from Sears Roebuck,and the groom's attire was a two-sizes-too-small suitborrowed from a brother-in-law.My husband later (much later) confessed to standing inthe backyard while preparations were being made in thehouse, contemplating jumping the fence anddisappearing down the alley. There have been times weboth wished he had, but they've been few and farbetween.Our kids are hosting a celebration party for us.This guest list is longer -- more people haveinfluenced our lives.I'll wear the dress I wore to our daughter's weddingsix years ago, and I'll be standing. At her wedding, Iwas in a wheelchair, thanks to a fall and a brokenfoot.My husband will wear the suit our boys bought him forhis last birthday."Don't look at the price," they had said. "Just pickout what you like."They'll not tell him that again; he has great tastewhen he's not buying.I suppose he thought I was worth the price, promisingme that I could have a cat, and we wouldn't move allthe time. We've had more cats than the Humane Societyand lived in the same house for over 40 years.He said he would love me and take care of me, and hehas.I don't remember if I made a promise, but surely in 50years I've kept it.I could say we've been in love every minute and neverdisagreed, but the kids would call me on it. At times,we may have survived more despite "us" than because of"us."There's a sweetness, a oneness, in having a 50-yearhistory together.We've been asked, "How do you stay married so long?"These are random thoughts:Longevity isn't a goal, but the end result of dailyactions over time, that build trust, love andsolidarity.It takes two to tango, and both need to be on thedance floor. I've known marriages that failed, becauseone simply didn't listen to the music.There needs to be more endearing than enduring, morelaughter than lambasting, more touching than taunting.A genuine "I'm truly sorry" goes further than flowers-- they die, are thrown out, and forgotten.Save the flowers for "No reason, I just love you."The Bible says, as do all the books written since,that women need to be loved, men need to be respected.One begets the other, but don't wait for the otherperson to "go first." Make the first move, and thesecond and the third, if need be.Courtesy in a marriage (such as saying "thank you,""please," "good morning," "welcome home") reapsbenefits to the giver and to the receiver.We who are married have the ability and responsibilityto be the best married partner possible and toappreciate and acknowledge the efforts of the otherhalf of the union.Selfishness, always wanting one's own way, no matterthe cost to the marriage, is destructive.Selfishness keeps us from looking outside of ourselvesto "see" the reasoning of another.Alton and I haven't always done it right, making somemistakes several times. To be sure they were mistakes,but here we are 50 years later, preparing for a funparty with family and friends -- and with no desire tobe anywhere else!My husband has bought me a beautiful new ring, sayinghe loves me more today than fifty years ago. I love him more also; maybe I'll get him a new TV.

No one person holds all the tricks about making amarriage work. Tell me what you've learned, I'll tellour readers -- one column for gals, one for guys. Oneto three sentences, including how long you've beenmarried. No names. E-mail me at davisbjo@yahoo.com.

Scenes from the new surroundings........

**I know....two posts in one night! I am trying to get caught up!!!**

The porch swing in the backyard........
Jill and Thomas with BFF Lorie's kids and our dogs (who have both escaped and we have no idea where they are......that's a whole other story in itself)

Our room............
this is definitely something you don't see everyday......my sweet husband actually fixing something himself. He did TRY to make the fan in our room quit making a weird noise, it just didn't work! He will have to revert back to his old ways and call someone who knows about this stuff!

My bathtub............

Grant had to check it out! He said it was "Heaven"!!!

The breakfast area...........

Jill and some of her friends having an ice cream party.......she got the idea from the American Girl magazine and had to give it a try! They had a great time. (For those Blue Bell lovers out there....Century Sundae is awesome!)

Other Bday pics.........

Here is our 6 year old on his actual birthday with the scooter he wanted...........how he runs around barefoot I'll never know!
The bday boy wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese's for his special dinner. Dad enjoyed the games.....
and so did Jill...........
Thomas did, too, but is WAY to cool for his pic to be taken while shooting hoops.........
G racked up the tickets and got some great prizes.......you know........like Laffy Taffy that turns your teeth blue!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY G!!!!!

OK......so this post is way late......G's actual birthday was August 8th. That is the day we moved.......so we celebrated his 6 years a little early.....on the 2nd! I am just now catching up on some posts, so.............here he is........Grant Alton Davis. His middle name is after J's dad. When I was pregnant, we did not know if he was a boy or girl. I definitely thought I was having a girl. HA! I was so wrong........and so was just about everybody else. I think the only one who thought he was a boy was Momba, my grandmother. This was taken at his party......can you tell he LOVES gift cards?? His Pops knows what he likes. : )
This sweet boy needed a new ROMO jersey. The #9 on the one we bought him for his bday last year is totally gone from me having to wash it every other day. If it was in his drawer, he was wearing it! In the winter he just puts a sweatshirt under it and he is good to go! We saw this "throwback" jersey at the Dallas Cowboy store at Grapevine Mills and knew he needed it. (Doesnt it look lovely with his "I still live with my parents" tshirt and swim trunks?!)
He had his party at our church with his friend, Hannah, who also turns 6 in August. We had 2 water slides.......what fun!
Hannah and Grant blowing out their #6 candles..........
The birthday celebrants........both blonde hair, blue eyes.....so cute!
6 things I love about G...........
1. He is so smart! He loves learning and will play anyone in Yahtzee or Connect 4 and if you dont pay very close attention.......he will beat you!
2. He is a snuggler. He will still sit in my lap and play with my hair. He still sometimes even comes and gets in bed with me in the middle of the night to play with my hair!!! Im lucky I have some left.
3. He loves Jill and Thomas. (most of the time)
4. He is a little competitive. He loved playing football and baseball this year.
5. His smile! See the gift card picture to see what I am talking about!
6. He is a good friend and cousin.
Happy Bday G, even if this post is a little late!

We are in!!!!

We have been here one week. We LOVE the house, the yard, the driveway for the kids to ride their bikes, the kids in the neighborhood, having neighbors (that brought me a directory for the neighborhood!), and most of all..........no 1970 orange countertops like the old house!! We did not want to spend any money on the old house because we knew we would not be there forever!
Anyway..........here is the front view...........


Here is the back view. You can hardly see the swing in the tree on the left below, but that has to be Jonathan's favorite spot. The other night he was sitting there listening to music on his Iphone, reading the paper, drinking sweet tea, and swinging! I think I took a picture of him, but the patience with the uploading is not there today. Maybe tonight I will try again......

MOVING........

I hate moving. The boxes, the sweat, the non-working Direct-TV because you need more lines dropped from the attic. That is what I have been doing since Friday....I guess its more like we, not I. I have managed to still make it to Boot Camp at 5:15 am though.......but have not managed to blog because my Verizon card doesn't work very well at the new house.....nor does my Verizon cell phone for that matter! Once I get it all straightened out a little more......I will post some pics of the new house and the new view. It is beautiful.

We are celebrating J's parents 50th anniversary this weekend with a P.A.R.T.Y!!!! Then off to the beach next week for a little sunshine before school starts!

Love to all..........

Lady's June and July Articles.......

JUNE article........

Well, my friends and family, the June column. Truthis-I didn't think this column would be accepted by thepaper as it has no message, just a fun personal story.Perhaps they just wanted to use the clever(?) title!The title is not mine, I might point out.

The kittens are truly the cutest little things. TheMama had done a total about face. She now actsindifferent to any interest shown in the kittens.Mosley, Addie's little dog, got behind the cabinet(Alton pulled the cabinet out from the wall) and wasbarking at them. The little kitties, all 5 inches ofthem, were hissing at Mosley, while the Mama napped.We've decided the orginal scene of discovery on thehighway caused brain damage!When best laid cat plans go awrySaturday, June 21, 2008I know it's totally irresponsible, what with all thehomeless cats, but ... we have four baby kitties.Even worse, we planned them.Last October, spotting a kitten on a busy highway, Ibravely waved down the oncoming traffic and scooped upthe poor thing just in the nick of time.That's a little more dramatic than the actual scene,but nevertheless, I had a scared little ball of blackfur with two white spots on its tummy.When our last cat died, we made a pact, "No moreanimals! We're out of the pet business!" And it feltgood!Driving home, stroking the kitty, trying to rememberwhich grandchild had the next birthday (so I'd knowwho wanted the kitten), I noticed strange places onthe kitten's face. The diagnoses?Ringworms!It was a month before she was well enough to giveaway, but by then she would nap on my shoulder, curlup at the foot of our bed at night, and play with thetoys we bought her.So what if we had a cat lazing around? They say catskeep mice away, not that she would have a need to knowthat. We named her Miss Kitty.Three months ago, Miss Kitty showed a heightenedinterest in the outdoors when a tomcat serenaded herfrom the front porch. Time for responsible pet ownersto visit the vet again.We reminisced about the baby kittens we'd had when ourkids were growing up, how cute the kittens were, howwe marveled at nature -- at birth the mama cleanedthem as they wobbled, with closed eyes, straight tothe food supply, how the mama was protective, how sexeducation happened naturally. We talked about how lifelessons were taught and learned, without our sayingmuch.We smiled at the sweet memories and, right then andthere, without further discussion, we opened theoutside door.When Miss Kitty returned home, she was married -- andhad fleas.At the family announcement, the grandchildren caughtthe magic of anticipation. We knew they would.They called to check on her progress, felt of hertummy, guessed at the number and the color of the newkittens.We chose the birthing place, a box with a comfy towel,putting her in it often so she would know. She choseunder the ottoman instead -- in the middle of the den,in the middle of the night. I could hear the softmews, but couldn't locate them; it was the sound ofcontented purring that led me to lift the ottoman.There they were, one busy mama and four equally busybabies, trying to escape the clean up before dinner.I stroked her and gently put the ottoman back.Little did I know that was the calmest she would be --only because she was distracted.Her timing, just before a family reunion, was perfect;now the kids could see nature at it's best!They would see, firsthand, the tenderness of a mothercaring for her young.Mama Kitty was spastic. She would march up to thechildren, roughly grab her kitten anywhere she couldnab it, stalk disgustedly back under the ottoman --screaming offspring in tow. She scared all of us.She's moved them behind the TV cabinet, where theycan't be reached. We know they're back there; we canhear the mews. Soon we'll have four wild kittens tomatch the manic mama.So much for sweet memories.But we have four black/white kittens to givegrandchildren for birthdays, if we can catch them.And, yes, Mama Kitty has an appointment with the vet.

-- Betty Davis is an Abilene freelance writer andregular columnist who is a former Abilene publicschool board president.


JULY article

My husband and I, wondering if “retirement” is afancy word for “unemployed,” will soonknow-firsthand. The opportunity for such knowledge came sooner thanexpected when a young man, who has career dreams ofhis own, showed up and wanted “a piece of the pie.” We knew the time was right. My husband Alton, a.k.a.. “Sandy” in the businessworld, has told me not to use his name in the columnsI write, saying, “just call me Husband.” I said Iwould, but since this column is about him, “Husband”seemed a bit impersonal. And believe you me, when heno longer has a job, that’s personal! Alton moved to Abilene in September of 1957, towork at the newly opened Snowhite Bakery; his firstjob was to help assemble the shelves, racks, andequipment, many of which are still in use today. Helearned to bake and run a business, a career that hasserved us well. His love affair with the bakery business has beenlifelong, with a commitment to his products, hiscustomers and his business partners. It’s seldom that people succeed without thesupport of others; we are no different. I’d be remissnot to express a deep appreciation to those who havetrained and trusted us throughout the years. The rewards have been countless: Our children experienced working with their Dad,whether they wanted to or not. We’ve experienced the loyalty of friends who arecustomers, and customers who have become friends,allowing us to participate in the celebrations intheir lives. Co-workers are like family, disagreeing sometimes,but eventually getting back to being a living, workinggroup. We’ve shared the sorrows and successes in ourlives with each another. We’ll miss them. There is, of course, a sadness for the loss ofthose experiences. BUT....there’s also a sense of deep gratitude, andeuphoria, for this chance of new experiences. None will be more welcomed than silence at 3a.m., no alarm to remind him that he’s “gotta make thedo-nuts.” For the first time in 49-plus years, he’ll see thesunrise from home, and I’ll wake up with “Husband”beside me. It will be strange, surreal, to completely changethe pattern of our lives. We can watch a late night movie together, stay upas late as we like, sleep in as late as we like. We can hop in the car for an overnight trip or take aweek’s vacation, the first in 22 years. We can visit our grown kids, watch grandchildrenperform in whatever interests they have at the time. Friends ask what we will do; anything we want to, Iguess. I wonder if the opportunity to do anything you wantnegates the fun of doing it, if it’s like having somany pies from which to taste, that all lose theirflavor. Alton did mention fishing...once, like mostretirees mention fishing. “What in this world will I do?” wondered the manwho has worked every day long before he was old enoughto work every day. I used full self-control not to tell him of thelist I’m compiling for the day he says he doesn’t haveanything to do. “We could get bicycles,” I suggested. “Bicycles! I had a boat in mind.” Surely he’s kidding, I thought. He wasn’t. He called home the next week, said tomeet him at Lake Ft. Phantom Hill to try out a newboat. By the time I arrived, the boat was dead in thewater, but after a bit of on-site engineering, he madeit back to shore. We bought it anyway. Though we don’t have specific plans, we know thatwe can’t grip one chapter of our life so tightly thatour hands aren’t free to turn the next page. We knowthat changes in life are accompanied by changes inpurpose. We’re hopeful our new purpose will not include a 3a.m.alarm!