Things I've Come to Realize

A Contemplation piece after some extraordinarily difficult months ...

*Panic is over rated - this learned from being married to an Englishman

*Spartacus has a very sweet soul

*Grandchildren are EXTRA special

*In my case, nothing is ever as it seems upon first impression except some one's character - that is ALWAYS dead on

*All things go full circle given enough time (time to heal, time to relax, etc.)

*I love spring and summer in the mountains

*Girl friends are one of life's greatest gifts

*Newlyweds glow brighter than all others

*Change keeps you young, involved and always gives you something to look forward to, no matter who's idea it is!

*Blessings are far greater than ever anticipated and you need to take the time to give thanks for them

*Your parent's wise words are always with you if you listen for them

*All you need is love (and a little food)

Now that I've learned all these facts, I hope I can remember them! :-)

Sweet Blessings to all,

Cheri

A PERFECT Wedding!!

Once upon a time there was a Princess named Melissa Morgan

And a chef named Jon Adams

Who became Mr. & Mrs. Jon Adams in the most beautiful wedding ceremony ever.

There was plenty to be jovial and toast each other about!

Here is one of Melissa's brothers (John) and Paul having THE best time EVER.

This is Jon's dad, Mike and his beautiful family. Maggie (Jon's "little" sister) is on the left, and Mike's wife (and most importantly, Jon's second mom) Brenda is on the right. Brenda has been our angel since Jon was about 10 years old. We are very grateful!

here is Jon's ("big") sister, Jenn, her husband Victor (the tallest one), and son Christian who totally entertained the crowd with breakdancing at the reception! And there appears to be a special guest in the bubble on the right! I LOVE special guests that show up in photos!

These are Jon's boys, Austin on the left and Cade on the right.

Jon's mom is in the middle --- me (Nana)!

The BEST ring bearers ever AND turns out some great dancers too!

Here is the mother of the Princess, JANE, who is incredible and REALLY knows how to throw a PERFECT event. Jane you are my true hero. And of course the chef's mom, Cheri! We both appear to be beaming from ear to ear. Well, we actually ARE beaming from ear to ear!

And I couldn't leave this one out, Bonnie on the left is Jon's godmother and has known Jon all of his life. Sabrina is on the right and has been a friend of mine and the children's "Auntie" since the beginning of time (or so it seems). These women and I have been BFFs for decades.

Jon & Melissa's wedding was absolutely spectacular. I will post more pictures throughout the week. There are many, and they are just the amateur versions. The professional pics will no doubt be so much better! I have pics of the rehearsal dinner, the bridal luncheon, the pre show and some of the kids at the pool and candid shots of everyone ... stay tuned!

CONGRATULATIONS to you, Jon & Melissa.

Much love,

Paul & Cheri

People you must meet!

Meet Al & Karen Rosenfarb! These are the very generous folks who donated the stove and refrigerator to us. They were up here in the mountains for a couple of days checking on their beautiful home and enjoying life. We certainly enjoyed spending some time with them. What very sweet, talented and wonderful people we have been lucky enough to meet!

And once again, Barry & Caroline. They've appeared before in our adventure.
We all had dinner at the Rosenfarb's gorgeous house Thursday night. They have a house on the top of Beech Mountain. It is absolutely LOVELY ... and the views are incredible. Now I see why people want to live up there (summer time anyway)! We stayed entirely too late, ate entirely too much and had an absolutely wonderful evening. It is nice to once again come around to the time of year when we can all socialize without worrying about snow travel and freezing to death! FINALLY! Although I do hear it might snow shower next week ... today it has been spectacular! And tomorrow is supposed to be more or the same. THANK GOODNESS!!!
And I ask you to keep good thoughts for Caroline. She will be embarking on an adventure no one really wants to have to go on. Many blessings, Caroline. And to you as well, Barry.
There are all kinds of things going on in our lives. Paul has now put the third coat of polyurethane on the library floor. It is spectacular and beautiful! I'll post pictures in all the phases this weekend. The instructions say we must let it cure for 7 days ... so perhaps we can move back in to the room next weekend. The difference is amazing. Next is the ceiling. Then the mantle. Then ... well, then we're ready to install all the book shelves and call it a finished room! It might be a while before the shelves get in ... but it's getting there .. so exciting!
We'll post some pics of the outside projects this weekend. We've got all kinds of new stuff going on. As they used to say on t.v. when they wanted to keep you in suspense, "stand by" ...
Happy Friday. I am so glad it FINALLY came!
Cheers to all!
Paul & Cheri

Another reason ...

I had to go to the "Tag office" this morning to get the sticker for the company Explorer. Oh dear, dread, dang it I thought on my way ... having memories of going to do such things in Orlando and it turning into a day's worth of frustration and anxiety. So I started into this errand with angst, to say the very least. I always wait until it is a necessity to do these things ... Paul is not really the only procrastinator in our house!

So, when I handed over the notification to the clerk she smiled, said "good morning" and put the info into her database. (WOW! A smile! Hmmmm .... might not be so bad after all!) OH ... "honey, y'all owe property tax on this vehicle. You'll have to go to the tax collector and pay this first. It's $2.24, interest on your account." Oh boy! Where do I go? "You just go right to the court house, walk in the front door, down the main hall. Turn right where you see the sign for the tax collector". Alrighty then! Upon my exit from the tag office, a very nice man held the door open for me AND tipped his baseball cap while wishing me a good morning. (you know, people here are so nice ... open faced, happy campers!) So, I drove the 1/2 mile to the court house (go to the first "red light" and turn left. Courthouse is up on the right) ... turns out it was just right there! But it was raining and freezing, so driving was the way to go! So, I went in the big oak door at the front of the court house. There was a sign about no cell phones in the court room, but no armed guard, no metal detector, nothing scary or otherwise out of the ordinary. Actually not an employee in site! (guess no court in session?) Anyway, after a very nice man opened the door for me and politely nodded, I went down the corridor, turned left at the "tax collector" sign and was greeted by 3 clerks all with big smiles and willing to please. Good grief! I am DEFINITELY not in a city any more - this is GREAT! I handed the piece of paper to who I think is Ms. Daniels and we completed the entire transaction in less than 2 minutes! Then we exchanged "I wish the sun would come out" kinds of things. I passed one other fella in the hallway who nodded and smiled. He was one of the latino folks that come up here to do landscaping work and he had on a FABULOUS tweed hat that my dad would've worn in the late 50's. So dapper! Then, a very young contractor fella in jeans and a t-shirt opened the door for me and off I skipped. You know, living in Mayberry has some drawbacks but visiting government buildings is NOT one of them. True, I can't get to Starbucks for a latte, but they do have coffee shops here (The Ugly Mug, for example!) and they make lattes and they don't cost a fortune. I can't go shopping for clothes without driving an hour, but there is always the internet and I do not like to shop at all anyway. I'm always thinking we're in the right place for us. We can always just hold the sunshine in our hearts when it isn't physically shining (but as Ms. Daniels said, "you won't get much of a tan that way") and we are happy here. Who could ask for anything more?

To further the "people are nice here" thing, the Club has a "snack stand" at the 10th tee for the golfers when they round the corner. Bea worked at the 10th tee (for a long time now) but this winter she worked for the Club in the mail room, handing out mail to members instead of making their egg salad sandwiches and hot dogs as the golf course closes in October and reopens in April. Today was Bea's last day in the mail room and the women who work for the Club fixed a little "good bye" party with cake and ice cream. Bea, who is from Roan Mountain, TN (4 miles from our house) was absolutely flabbergasted that all the hoopla for was her. Mountain folks are HARD workers, humble people and loyal friends and employees. They deserve big THANK YOUs at every turn. It was so sweet to see Bea so tickled and grateful.

Hope it turns out that someone is nice to every one of you today too! It sure does feels good!

Happy Trails!

Paul & Cheri

Sunday Wishes!

Happy Spring!
Happy Easter!

Congratulations to Chad & Jennie!!

In this gorgeous little stone chapel in the heart of Linville, NC at about 4:20 pm in a very intimate ceremony today

Jennie and Chad became Mr. and Mrs. Chad Goodwin

Perfect!

Best wishes to you Chad and Jennie!

Much love,

Paul and Cheri

Happy Easter Weekend!!

This was Monday!

And Tuesday

Ugh! Enough already ....

Since Paul is redoing floors, our furniture is pretty much every place. Kind of like college ... you have to climb over stuff and hope for the best. But I think the cats are ok with it because this chair must be conveniently placed just for the "overflow" of Artemis's body ... two cats, not enough one chair! teehee ... they are so funny. It's amazing how entertaining animals can be.

By Thursday we had sunshine again --- Whoo hoo! This is where I get my hair cut. Told you about the signs around here ... perfect!

And this is Beckye (pronounced Becky) the owner of Beckye's curl up and dye. She and I both enjoy lattes during our hair appointments!

This is Jack, the mascot for Beckye's curl up & dye. He loves to stand under the capes when you're sitting in the chair and scratch his back on them! Again, so funny and so entertaining. Jack is a cool dude and truly loves life. Just like us!

Here's a tree lot without the snow fall on it. The rolling hills with the trees make a gorgeous scenic drive ... even if you're just going to get your hair cut. There is nothing like driving on Old Spanish Road here. It's breath taking. Part of where Paul used to drive the tractor for the tree farm in the season. But much colder then!

This was in the yard when I got home ... Paul and his projects. He was "tapping" the maple tree for sap so he can make maple syrup. This tree has to come down to put our building up so he thought he'd try his maple syrup skills out. I NEVER know what I'm going to see when I pull into the driveway .... if I can even get in the driveway! But I will tell you, Paul had a HUGE grin on his face and a gallon of maple sap! So funny!

Jennie and Chad get married tomorrow at 4pm. So exciting! We are looking forward to greeting Mr. and Mrs. Chad Goodwin!! Best wishes for a wonderful rest of your lives, Chad and Jennie!

Caroline is facing a fight with breast cancer. Please keep her close in your heart and send her good thoughts ... and any words of wisdom you have and prayers ... lots of them. She will certainly appreciate every ounce of energy you can offer her!

Happy Easter to all! We look forward to the Alleluia chorus as we feel the new life burst forth with spring's bliss. It has been a very dreary, weary and LONG winter. We will be celebrating up here, for sure. And we are hoping for chocolate from the Easter Bunny! Well, mostly that is what Paul is hoping for! I'd settle for carrots ;-).

Happy Easter to all!

Paul & Cheri

p.s. Our new wood pile!!! Paul has been busy, busy, busy!!

April Snows & such ...

April snows are much more fun than February snows around here because they are brief in theory. I know, the locals tell of tall tales of biggest snows ever in April. But my experience is that the snows are fluffy and pretty and gone in 2 days. My kind of snows! So, here are the April daffodils trying to shake off the snow. Mind you, it was close to 70 degrees on Sunday, and down to low 20s yesterday. They might be confused. No more than we are though!

Today is Jennifer's birthday! So, HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEET GIRL!!! Jennifer, Vic and Christian are in Los Angeles visiting her dad for spring break! Lucky ducks! Have a great trip you guys and enjoy the spring AND the break. They just found out one of the gyms where Jenn & Vic work is closing due to economic woes, so they too are becoming victims. Please keep good thoughts. We're all trying to keep each other "afloat" ... it gets harder the more work that gets lost among us. We need some jobs, don't you know! Although we know in our hearts it will all work out, 'tis always a little scary to face the unknown details. And so it goes!

Do hope you are all having a lovely spring day and enjoying the sunshine we have up here on the mountain today. I know we're facing a bunch of incoming rain and storms, so we're definitely enjoying the blessing of the day ... and the temps in the 40s! Sunbathing weather for here.

**And a reminder, the bears are waking up! For those of you up here .... Watch your surroundings as you go outside first thing in the morning and in the dusk part of the evening. Hugh (my boss) had some HUGE foot prints greet him in the snow this morning as he left the house for his car. Dennis (the maintenance guy here at the Club) says this one has been all over the property, they are seeing signs of his presence every place. He has turned over a 400 pound steel garbage cage and broken it so he could enjoy food. So pay attention! They're waking up and they're HUNGRY!!! Wish we could all hibernate. All that sleeping and then you get to EAT all you want! What a concept! :-)

Happy Birthday, Jennifer! Happy upcoming Easter to all!!!!

Cheers!

Paul & Cheri

Bridal shower weekend!

This is what most of our floors look like. Paul stripped the floors in January 2007!
When I arrived home Sunday this is what the den/library floor looked like! BEAUTIFUL!! So Paul outdid himself while I was in Atlanta. WHOO HOO! What a surprise! This baby is GORGEOUS! Only 2 more coats to go! Unfortunately the snow will slow the process as it has to be warmer than 20 degrees to treat the floors with the polyurethane. (more like 60 degrees!)

This is my stowaway, Artemis. Isn't he funny! He really wanted to stay in the suitcase until he realized I was going to zip it up ... he happily removed himself at that point.

Most precious ...

Azaleas in bloom in Atlanta. The colors are so brilliant and incredible.

And the lawns are absolutely magnificent.

Dogwoods, dogwoods and more dogwoods! Oh my beating heart! It is so incredibly gorgeous!(and a lot different from the mountains in April!)

This is Melissa at the bridal shower. A beautiful woman and she'll be a beautiful bride.

Happy Melissa!

And the coolest of cool! This is Christian, the best wii bowler of current times!

I had a wonderful trip. The drive was uneventful (thank heavens) and the weather was stellar. I was able to meet many new people and reconnect with many old friends. Melissa's mom, Jane hosted me in her own home and treated me like a queen. What wonderful treasures I found all weekend long! The shower was lovely and hosted by Melissa's bridesmaids! I even got to see Sabrina and have dinner at Nick and Jim's and visit with Jon! Obviously I got to hang out with Christian, but I was also blessed with visiting with Jenn. It was a delightful trip and apparently VERY needed! (Who knew?) It was the boost my spirit needed after being through a VERY LONG winter. I'm ready to carry on now!

And thus, we are back to the grind. With weddings coming up and plenty to do!

Oh yeah, and it's snowing!! And apparently will be for a couple of days ... to the tune of some where between 4 and 7 inches worth! BRRRR ... again!

I'm cutting my caffeine intake which is my current challenge. If I growl at you, don't take it personally. I'll be better in a few weeks!

Until later ...

Cheers!

Paul & Cheri

Mid Week

This is Melissa and Jon (my son and his fiancee') ... aren't they a GREAT couple!?! Not to mention gorgeous young adults! I'm going to Atlanta this weekend for the bridal shower! Can't wait ... getting off of the mountain, maybe see some real spring time action AND get to see the kids! I'm sure I'll get to visit with Jenn and family and maybe even visit with Sabrina! And I will be able to stop by Shay's house and visit with her for the first time since Christmas! TRAVEL! What a concept! Whoo hoo! Only yucky part for me is that Mr. Glover has chosen to stay home. I don't blame him, but I sure will miss his company!

This is the epitome of March, in like a lion, out like a lamb. Except for here where it snowed this Monday just past, and we are expecting it to snow again this coming Monday! Not quite over with winter here, but we are singing praise that we aren't having the blizzard and flood the northern Midwest is experiencing!! These boys are such entertainment for Paul & I!!! This is what they look like while we are having our television hour in the evenings. The family sofa! What a hoot!

I went to a bridal shower for my friend Jennie Kress last Sunday. Such is the season apparently. Anyway, thought these decorations were so cool and a fabulous effect. They look like they are just totally suspended in mid air! (I can't tell the magic secret!) Very fun for anyone looking for a fun idea. I'm thinking about hanging them in the dining room just because!

One of the reasons I carry the camera around is for moments like this! Paul and I rode through the town of Hampton and this sign just cracked us up! LAUNDRY MAT for starters (you know, as opposed to Laundromat?), but mixed with an Internet cafe ... and inside .... the whole thing was questionable, but quaint! Although I don't think we'll revisit any time soon, it was fun.

These are the boys sunbathing in amongst the avocado tree, sage and other herbs in the dining room sunlight. They find the sunlight no matter HOW small the dollops are! Cats seem to really understand the necessity of vitamin D!

How do you like the baby strawberry plants?? Especially the one in the Santa planter? One of these is an orange tree ... can you guess which one? Anyway, we hope to have LOTS of strawberries mid summer .... will keep you posted!

This is our NEW wood burning furnace in the basement! Isn't it fabulous! And man, is it ever warm! We are so very grateful to Vicki and Richard for their very generous gift to us. I may now NOT freeze next winter. Thank goodness!!!!!

That's about it from Green Acres. There are 100 things going on, but makes me too tired to tell all , so I'll just keep it light and hope you all know we send you good thoughts and happy wishes each and every day. In particular we are keeping very good thoughts for Caroline who is staring down some scary health things. We are sending very HAPPY BIRTHDAY wishes to Victor, Jen's husband, Christian's father and our son-in-law! Hope it's a great birthday on APRIL 2nd!!

And we are asking for safe travels to all who are going to Chechessee Creek this Friday to witness the scattering of the ashes of our dear sweet friend, Steve. He wished to be given back to the earth at the golf course in which he was the happiest ever in his short life. And his wish was specific in true Steve fashion. His sweet friends and golf buddies have arranged to make his last wishes come true. So be it. Rest in peace, Steve. I will always miss your precious adorable presence, but will always feel your sweet spirit present. I am very grateful for having known you.

And now we move on...

Happy Mid week to all,

Paul and Cheri