Updates

When we came out of hibernation, we discovered there was a lot to catch up on! We have done tons of updating, cleaning up, painting and etc., etc. There is still so much to do ... but looking at these pictures always reminds me that we haven't just been sitting around eating bon bons! Charles came over yesterday with his beautiful orange tractor and bush hogged the side yard for us. Now when the boys come up the week of July 14th, I won't have to worry about losing them in the side yard ... or a snake pit or any of those "mountain" things that happen to a passel of boys on their adventures! I thought I'd include some of the interior updates we've done. The rooms have basically all changed in one way or another since May. We are finally getting settled. We still have a lot of sanding woodwork and refinishing, and doors and floors. But it is coming together ... at long last! Thanks to all who have had encouraging words, and supportive phone conversations! It has truly helped when the thoughts of ever being completed is so overwhelming. We continue to try to eat this elephant one bite at a time!

Some news:

Dancer's Pointe moves in to National Competition this week. Best of LUCK to you ALL!!! Mr. Paul and I will be thinking about you and sending great big gobs of good luck wishes your way!

One of the students at the Dancer's Pointe, Abby Horton, was in a serious car accident last week. She has been in ICU at Arnold Palmer and is fighting really hard to recover and get back to her bubbly self. Please say a prayer for Abby and her family.

Pennisu , our dear friend, has said good bye to her mom after quite a battle with lung cancer. Lois and Pennisu have been best friends all of Psu's life. The way they went through the experience together was truly beautiful and precious. Psu, we are thinking of you and always sending you love. Get some rest!

Austin, our 8 year old grandson, broke his arm last week. Boys break things ... anyway, he is in a huge cast because he broke both of the bones in his forearm and it was quite traumatic for Austin, his dad and everyone else in the family. Luck was on their side as the surgery that they were told they needed did not turn out to be required. So, all in all, things were better than they could have been! I'm sure summer in a cast is not fun! But he is looking forward to the 2nd cast, which will be a half cast and WATER PROOF!!! The things they come up with!

Last week was my sister and her husband's 4th wedding anniversary. I haven't been able to find her to send her good wishes, so maybe she's reading this! Happy Anniversary Cyndie and Paul!

Well, think I'll go refill my coffee cup and figure out what to do today! Guess I'll have to plant all those flowers that are sitting in trays out front! We've finally had some glorious rain, so maybe things won't look so dead now! Do hope you are all well and keeping cool.

Cheers to all,

Paul & Cheri

Happy 8th Birthday to Austin!

It does not seem possible but Austin Adams is turning 8 years old!!! Our first born grandson is already 8 years old! WOW! How time does fly.

Austin, I hope you have the happiest birthday EVER!

We love you,

Nana and Paul Paul

Happy Father's Day!

These are our dads! Don Taylor and Mel Glover. These are the guys who stood strong and tall AND taught us as best they could all about life and how to get through it with as much grace and dignity as possible. These two men are, in our opinions, amazing fellas. We are lucky. We have had great role models as fathers. Paul and I are very lucky.

My dad went to war at 18. He fought in WW II in Burma, India. Can you imagine going to India from Virginia in 1942? He said it took 3 months to get there ... good Lord! He came back (thank GOD) to his high school sweetheart, my mom. They got married and the rest is obvious. Dad moved us all over America as he pursued his career in Management for Mechanical Contracting Firms, the largest ones in the nation. He traveled constantly and was always being transferred to the bigger jobs. In fact, he refused to get on an airplane again after he retired! He amazingly enough found time to raise a family and engage in the family unit enough so that we have real memories of having a dad. He also cared for my mom after she had a massive stroke and was her primary care taker until she passed away. The industry to which he gave most of his life eventually took his life as he died of asbestos poisoning of the lungs, which he contracted while managing all those waste treatment facilities back in the 70s and 80s. Of course, I miss him greatly and there is not a day that goes by in which I do not think of him, or hear him say something to me that I really need to hear. He was a great man, a fun loving and gracious man, and a heck of a guy.

Paul's dad was born and raised in Blackpool, England. He and B fell in love, married and had a family, mostly raising them in Oldham, England. (WWII did major damage to England and people were moved away from the cities to be protected from all the bombing. There was a lot of family being "farmed out" to relatives who lived in "safer" places and people got displaced and replaced regularly. Mel and B were not exempt to all that in their childhoods) Mel moved the family (4 children) to the States when Paul was 19 with the intention of buying a dive shop in the Keyes. Mel and B got their United States Citizenship a few years back! Mel has been an excellent role model for determination and having a dream and realizing it, no matter what it takes. He has an ornamental iron business and has been self employed for years now in Orlando. Talk about a man with a dream!

So, thanks dads! And Mel, Happy Father's Day to you! Hope your day is a marvelous one!

Much love to all you dads! Paul & Cheri

Happy Friday the 13th!

Alhtough I wrote this on Friday, I forgot to hit post it .... so here it is)

We had quite an eventful weekend LAST weekend! It was yard cleanup day at the Glovers. Our friends Jennie, Chad and Charles all came with their heavy equipment, as well as their boots and gloves and their youth (thank goodness!) and we attacked the massive list of "to dos" with great vigor. IT was extremely HOT (for us, 90's) and when the brush fire got to where the flames were about 40 feet high, it was REALLY hot! The brush pile was left over from the genius tree trimmers when we first moved here (remember that??? yikes!!!) Well, in spite of dubious attention to detail, even the best laid plans have the ability to go awry, I have discovered. The next "guy" that throws a match on a brush pile in my yard that is not in a designated burning zone will be exterminated ... and that is a promise! Anyway, although there are several scorched trees and the brush pile is still burning very slowly 7 days later, we survived that stupidity and are moving on. (it was one of those, "hey y'all, watch this" moments,absolutely astounding!) But I will have to give credit where credit is due, and I thank God and all the angels that Paul has fire fighting training and was able to contain the flames. That was definitely divine intervention! :-) It also kept me from "the killer" instinct.

The behemoth mound of firewood that was in our side yard (to the left of the driveway) has been cut, chopped, split and stacked into 4 workable wood stacks which Paul figures to be about 2 cords of wood. A nice winter's supply, thank goodness! It is stacked so that I can reach it! You can actually stand at the top of the driveway and see all the way down to the garden. It is absolutely beautiful (especially since fertilizing and etc.) Chad was a weed eating machine ... and most of the wild briers and poison ivy and etc. has disappeared from the side where our neighbor's driveway is a bit overgrown. We seem to be on a "free the rhododendron and small tree" campaign. Still have a bit of weed eating and clearing out to do. But, it's so much more manageable. It is absolutely gorgeous. And it is so nice to have it all under control once again. Hopefully, it'll stay that way. We shall see. Jennie is a landscape design grad. and was very good at keeping us all focused and on task. We have big plans for making things pretty and manicured soon enough! You can actually stand at the top of our drive and see all the way to the bottom of our property for the first time ever! So lovely!

A HUGE thank you to our friends, who were nice enough to sacrifice their Saturday to help us get back to basics!!!! Charles even hauled off all of the trash! What a guy!!!! It was a LOT, and a big deal. Thanks, Charles. And a HUGE thank you to Jennie and Chad, who keep me sane most of the week without Paul around in the evenings, as well as help me with projects and tasks. So nice to have friends.

Paul and I spent Sunday finishing up the wood, planting flowers and herbs, mowing and watering ... and we were absolutely 2 tired old people Sunday night at 9pm. We pulled out our camp chairs and sat by the fire, had a shandy and enjoyed the stars popping out. Then, it was Monday and we'd had no rest. So this has been a long week of work and tomorrow will be a very welcomed rest day! I hope I can talk myself into resting. That's the hard part for me.

I am in the middle of wallpapering the bathroom. I like to think of it as "Victorianizing" it. It's looking so nice. It's amazing how things just transform. Anyway, the bathroom renovation is going to be a somewhat lengthy process with many phases to it, but at least we've begun, and that is, as they say, the first step! Captain obvious, here!

That is the update on the house, but there is so much more happening ...

* Dancer's Pointe is having their recital tomorrow. I'm so bummed that we can't be there. But we are absolutely sending the very best wishes for a PERFECT show!!! Good luck to EVERYONE!!

* Elise was given GREAT news on Monday. They found nothing to worry about in regards to the biopsy and she has been given a clean bill of health! Amen and hallelujah!

* My niece Erin flew in from Africa last night, and has a lifetime worth of memories and accomplishments with her now. Her stories of women with aids and children who've been orphaned and live in deplorable conditions are heart wrenching. I can't imagine having seen the things she actually lived through. Cool kid!

* My niece Hollie has been on t.v. in Nashville lately, and has been working with the Alan Jackson camp on videos pretty consistently. Should be a great help to her as she begins her career in modeling. So exciting to be beginning such an adventure! (I seem to have a heightened sense of the beginnings of young people's futures now that my stuff is nearing a halt!)

* My sister in law Debbie is making great progress with all the legal red tape she's had to go through, as well as with her personal healing in regards to the death of my brother. I am so proud of her and admire her so much for the way she has handled everything that has been thrown at her this year. Her father is healing very nicely from his by-pass surgery and has gone back to work; and her mom is healing currently from bladder surgery that she had to undergo last month. Debbie, you are amazing. We love you.

* Pennisu and her mom continue to bravely battle all the things they're given one at a time. It is not an easy pill to swallow for them, and we consistently keep them in our thoughts and prayers. Her mom is a warrior, and is very strong and determined. The apple did not fall far from that tree, Psu. You are loved. xoxo

* So You Think You Can Dance is in full swing and gives us dancing enthusiasts something to watch on t.v. Thank you Fox Network!

* Paul got another raise at work this week! We still don't know why, but ours is not to question! That makes his third raise since he started in February. YES! He's lovin' that part of the deal!

* Jennifer continues to heal from her appendectomy and we are discovering how closely related to the immune system that actually is. It possibly answers more things with her health than we dreamed possible! Another Amen and hallelujah. She is well enough to have had all 3 of the boys a couple of days last week! I know Christian was so EXCITED to have his cousins come over for a bit. Summers are always so fun for kids! I can't wait until it's our turn to have them!

* Jon and Melissa have set a date for their wedding for April 24th, 2009 at the Primrose Cottage in Roswell, GA. I LOVE WEDDINGS!!!! Can't wait!

* Paul's mum and dad seem to be holding their own, albeit with some kinks and such. They recently cruised with Chris and Rick, and their photos on the blog are amazing. check it out, http://chrisrick.blogspot.com/. Rick has done some very cool tricks with the blogger stuff - has photo slideshows and all sorts of things!

* Paul's niece Sarah is jumping her horse Badger and there is a great shot of her jumping 3'3". I am so very impressed! I'm not sure what the nephews (Nick and Hayden) are up to because they don't have personal blogs, but this is Sarah's and it's great to read! http://jandbstables.blogspot.com/. The boys are both athletes and I imagine they fish and etc. all the time. So much fun to be a kid! Congratulations, Sarah!! Their family blog is http://winchfamily-blog.blogspot.com/. As they live in Charleston, SC and have a wonderful home in a new subdivision where there is plenty of wildlife, it's always fun to see who caught what in the back yard!

* Our friend Beth, who lives here is now temporarily (we hope) residing in Massachusetts with her folks. Her mom was in need of some nursing care, and since that is what Beth does she is on the job. Although mom (Mary) is improving daily, it looks like Beth's detail is open ended, and I miss her bunches. We're still taking care of the bungalow for her and hoping for her sooner than later return!

Thanks to you all for being in our lives and making it worth living. We certainly do enjoy our time here on earth. Hope all of you can say the same thing!

Cheers and all for now,

Paul & Cheri

Recital Season again!

It's said and DONE! Yesterday started with run throughs on the stage ... we went from the flowers in Alice in Wonderland to Flying a Kite ... on to No Strings attached (hip-hoppers, of course) ... and Mary and Bert with Supercal. Its was a great time had by all ... the local championship cloggers came in to round out the show (thank goodness ... it would've been a bit sparse!) and my sweet husband was the Master of Ceremonies. The children are precious and the performances were all just adorable. There is nothing quite as sweet as the children performing with their innocent smiles and big wide eyes, and nothing quite the same as the feeling when it's said and done! So for today, at least, I am reveling in the "it's Done!" factor. And my sweet M.C. is, of course, still sound asleep.

We have umpteen unfinished projects that need to be addressed. We found a FABULOUS round table that is big enough to seat the entire family if by chance they are ever all here together. In order to put that in the dining room, there are vast arrays of configurations to be considered. Although we spent plenty of time plotting and planning, the big huge round table still seems to be sitting in pieces in the hallway. It's a good thing this house is so big! We have plenty of space to store things until we seem to get to them!

We are also still halfway through the bathroom renovation. I started to hang the beautiful Victorian wallpaper I found in an antique shop, but unfortunately being antique paper, the glue is not working - old age I suspect. Just doesn't seem to activate with the water ... so I need to get some wallpaper adhesive and that requires a trip to town. That requires an extra hour. Maybe now that dance season is over ..... I've also got one wall left to paint.

The yard is overgrown with grass since the fertilizer was so effective! We did a great job of turning it all green though!! I hope Prince Charming will get up soon and attack the final side that needs the attention the most! I'm sure he'll want to go to soccer today so I have a very narrow window of "honey do" time to capitalize upon!

As i was frantically sewing costumes on Friday, Jennifer called me from the ER and reminded me that perspective is everything! My sweet and incredible daughter had an emergency appendectomy this past Friday. After writhing in unbelievable pain for about 24 hours, she finally went to the ER only to discover she had appendicitis! Good heavens!!! All is well, she is home and recovering with unbelievable speed. Apparently now the procedure is done through laparoscopy (sp?)which makes things SO much better. Heal quickly, Wonder Woman!

My niece (Erin, my brother's daughter) is in Africa working with HIV infected women. The stories she has told are unbelievable. There is so much basic ignorance about disease and where it comes from. She spends a great deal of time with the women and orphans. She's planning an a safari at the end of her time there, and is looking forward to that as a reward I think! She spent time in Amsterdam on the way to Africa and was very taken with the museums and beauty of the place. Also very entertained by the "red light" district, as all young folks seem to be.

My other niece, (Hollie, my sister's daughter) has been working with Alan Jackson on videos and has been having a marvelous time with the whole thing. I am quite sure she'll have a great summer filled with modeling jobs and perhaps some more video shoots. She seems made for it. Much luck to you, Hollie in all your adventures!

On a very serious note, my father's S.O., Elise is undergoing a biopsy tomorrow for a node in her lung. PLEASE send her good thoughts and serious prayers as she and her family go through this time. Elise, we are thinking of you non stop. God Bless.

The Dancer's Pointe is having their dress rehearsal this weekend. GOOD LUCK to ALL!!!! I have thought about you for the past couple of weeks. I certainly miss the excitement and the real show! Mr. Paul and I are definitely sending good thoughts!!! xxoo

SPA has their recital this coming weekend and we extend our best wishes and good luck to all of the SPA dancers too!!!!! Dana, and her lady tappers are always in my heart. Good Luck, Ladies and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!!!!! I wish I were right along beside you! xoxo Haven't had my tap shoes on in 6 months or more. I MISS YOU ALL.

My sweet Prince has appeared, so off to make tea! Happy JUNE to all! It is finally warm here ... 70's at least. I actually broke a sweat yesterday ... could've been recital jitters, but I sort of doubt that as it was 78 degrees. For us, that's a major heat wave!

Good cheer to all,

Paul and Cheri