Silver Linings

We all know there are always silver linings in the clouds. We also know they require some real search parties sometimes! Our week has been a mixed bag of blessings and heart break. But I'm concentrating on the blessings part right now, as it somehow eases the heart break a bit! My brother's service was the most beautiful memorial I've ever experienced. There were many people who felt moved to share very sweet things about Wayne. There were little surprises, like Wayne's music he recorded in his young 20's as a rock star ... and a slide show of various pictures that his wife Debbie put together, so perfectly expressing his life within the phases and eras, including his hair dos through the decades! There was a motorcade of motorcycles, 2 of which were actually his. His oldest friend in the world, Bob, rode Wayne's Harley and really did the honor justice. But the absolutely most wonderful thing we found at the service was Erin. Erin is Wayne's daughter who we've seen NONE of since she was an infant. Wayne and Debbie have seen her, of course. But as families often are now, Erin was raised in a different state (Tennessee) and it just wasn't an option for us to visit given whatever situation. SO, now we have uncovered such a beautiful treasure that we would have otherwise waited WHO KNOWS how much longer to find! So, meet Erin! She is a graduate of UTK (Univ. of TN at Knoxville) and is currently choosing her life's work ... and what direction she'd really like to pursue. Anyway, the concentration is animal science, one way or another! We are so excited to welcome Erin actively into our lives and look forward to catching up on a lot of past time. Pictured here are left to right: Erin Taylor - my brother's daughter; Jennifer - my daughter; and Derek Doker - my sister's son ... missing from this generation in the picture is Jon - my son; and Hollie - my sister's daughter.

There were many other silver slivers that came out of the past week. Paul & I had Jen, Vic and Christian at the house from Sunday before Christmas until Christmas day. It was such a treat to have the house filled with family, especially with a family member who is so determined about Santa Claus and enthusiatic about presents! Christian really kept the spirit of the season alive for us, and provided a huge diversion from the sadness. He is precious.

There have been so many sweet and wonderful messages from friends and family and I appreciate all of them. Thank you so much for your love and support!

Will update soon, as the two Adams boys will be arriving tomorrow for a visit!!!! Until next time, joy in your hearts and peace in your souls! (and Paul says, Chocolate in your bellies!) Paul & Cheri

Merry Christmas to All!

It is with the total spirit of Christmas that we wish for you all, our friends and family, a very Merry Christmas. We enjoy and appreciate each of you as you are all blessings to us, and we want to thank you for that!

And we are hoping that each of you have a wonderful New Year filled with prosperity, love, joy and good health. Peace to all!

Paul & Cheri

Correction!

The address to Lawrencville Presbyterian Church is 800 Lawrenceville Highway. (not 1800)
Call me if you need directions! OR there's always Mapquest! xoxo

Wayne

Service for Wayne Taylor:
Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church
1800 Lawrenceville Highway
Lawrenceville, GA 30045

December 22, 2007
Saturday Service 2 - 4 pm
Visitation at 1:30 pm

in lieu of flowers, donations to N.A.M.I. Gwinnett will be accepted at
P. O. Box 464053
Lawrenceville, GA 30042

Donald Wayne Taylor, my brother

July 1, 1947 - December 19, 2007

It is with a broken heart that I must write my brother died this morning. He just turned 60 years old in July and was living life to his its fullest, and thoroughly enjoying the ride! Wayne and I were devoted pen pals and e-mailed each other every other day or so. We shared the equivalent of a million novels with our ramblings! I will miss his sense of humor and the way he viewed life more than I could ever express. It is with a heavy heart that I ask you all to send my brother all the best wishes for a great journey. I will so GREATLY miss my big brother here on earth. I will include a picture of him with my next post along with service information when I find it out. He lived in Atlanta, and I'm sure will be honored by countless friends and family members. He has a wife, Debbie and a daughter Erin (who lives in TN with her mom). Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Thank you
Cheri

"Tis the Season!!

Seems as though this season above all others brings the best out in all of us. Thank goodness there is a season for that!!! There is more love, laughter and life in people during this time of the year. The stars are truly lined up that way, and have been since the beginning of time. Winter solstice is such a very special time of year so remember to watch the sky during this time, it's generally beautifully filled with stars galore. Makes EVERYTHING shiny and bright! Which is what we hope your holiday season is for each of you, whatever it is that you celebrate!

We're getting along with life, holiday preparation and everything else we can get in to! No rest around here! Paul has insulated the underbelly of our house! HOORAY!!! Today he is beginning with the installation of the wood stove in the kitchen! His sabbatical is truly working out WELL for us! (He might not agree~but I'm thrilled at all the "honey -do's that are getting done! The opportunities are endless!) :-)

Hope everyone is healthy and having fun and being safe with the holiday preparations and all that fills the air this time of year. We are looking forward to having the grandchildren up (oh, and their parents too!) over the week of Christmas. Hopefully the ice and snow we are supposed to get this weekend will melt quickly to allow travel for the zillions of folks who go over the river and through the woods this time of year. We're sending out good thoughts to all in hopes that this season is a joyful, peaceful time.

I continue to absolutely love my new job! I must be the luckiest woman in the world to be able to work in such a spectacular environment. The massive windows always have a view of Grandfather Mountain that is just magnificent. Now I know how Paul felt when he was out in the Christmas tree fields looking at all those spectacular views. It really is something you cannot put in to words! But it's glorious! In addition, I really enjoy the industry and what the job requires being done. I truly feel like I've hit the jack pot! So grateful!

As we are always reminded of how lucky we are, the woman who owns the studio where I teach has just been deemed homeless by a house fire that basically took all she and her fiancee had. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers (Stefanie and Jessie) as they rebuild their world. They have land under contract, and are in the process of buying a trailer to put on the land until they can get their house built. Although they are bouncing back quickly, there are many details yet to be settled. I know they would appreciate your support through any means at all!

It's birthday season, as we all know. Paul's grandmother has a birthday coming up on Saturday, the 15th. Forgive me for not knowing the exact number, but I believe it's in the 90s. Happy Birthday, Gran!!! And all you other Holiday babies!

Keeping it short ... much to do! Cheers to all! Paul & Cheri

Life is Good!

Look! We have heat! REAL heat ... the house is so nice and cozy ... thank goodness, as it's going into the teens (temperature wise) this week. We're expecting storms (snow and rain) so it's just in time! THANKS again to my siblings and their spouses :-). We're still waiting for Lowe's to get their gas logs in stock for the bedroom fireplace. And the wood stove is schedule to get installed this week ... life is good!

Here is our beautiful Christmas tree in its undecorated state. We had to leave it naked for a few days so the cats to get used to it and climb in it, etc without breaking everything. As we suspected, they're over it now, so Paul, Charles and I put the lights on it last night and I suppose Paul and I will get it decorated in the next few days. This picture of the farm house and tree farm is my attempt (while driving) to get a shot off so you can see what the trees look like when their in the dirt on their farms. It's really pretty incredible how massive these tree farms are. I'll try to get a better picture display this week. It's not that easy when you're supposed to be driving on these mountain roads!!!!

I think Paul's stint with the tree farm work has come to an end now. He's driving some of the Mexican men to the airport tomorrow so they can go back to Mexico for a few months. I guess they come back in March or April to begin shaping the trees and such after the freezes are over. Paul has made some interesting friends whilst working with the trees ... he says the guys are getting very excited about going home. There is one man who has a 2 month old child he's going to meet for the first time. Life is different for everyone of us, isn't it!?!

My new job is LOVELY. The folks I'm working with are wonderful people and the members at the club are all very nice folks. We only have about 24 full time resident members. But there are 446 members (and families) all together. Apparently the winter is calm and the summer is CRAZY! Just my style! It works out great for me, as dance is crazy in the winter and calm in the summer. I'm so fortunate to have been chosen for this job and I am definitely aware of it and saying grace every day!

We're going into Johnson City today to find some work clothes for me and to give Paul some Barnes and Noble time! Also, it seems to be December already, so I'm sure there will be some Christmas shopping to do ... can't believe it's already December!!!!!

Hope everyone is doing well and ready for the coming weeks of holiday mania! Cheers to all! Paul and Cheri