Maryann took this picture of us so we could put a picture on my blog. Hopefully I will remember how to put more pictures on for future use.

Christmas past

When I was probably around 5 or 6 we were visiting with Uncle Williard and Aunt Mary and their family on Christmas Eve in McCalla, Alabama. I was so worried that Santa would not know where to find us if we were not at home. Everyone told me not to worry, that Santa always knew where to find good boys and girls but some how that didn't stop my worrying. When I got up the next morning he had found us and I was so releived. Ah, the joys of childhoold!

Conference memories

Since this is conference weekend it got me to thinking about how we were able to first get to see general conference when I was growing up. As you know I was born in the dark ages (before tv).When the tv stations were talked into broadcasting a session it was the Saturday morning session brought to us on Sunday morning. We were overjoyed at this. When we lived in Utah, we were able to see each session on tv, amazing! When we were in Germany we were able to go to the stake center and the audio was sent out but no picture. So they would put slides up of the person giving the talk. When we visited Herb's family we even got to watch it there at the church and could hear it in German if we wanted to but went to the room with English. Then when the church put satelitte dishes in we could enjoy all of conference. I was even able to go to a conference session in the Conference Center. But the best way is in the comfort of our own home. I hope all of you will enjoy watching conference however you will be seeing it. I like to think I have all of my family with me listening to our leaders. I love all of you!!!

Family Tree

11 September 2009 my last uncle died, Charles Gosa, my Aunt Sue's husband. Aunt Sue is my Dad's youngest sister and last living sibling in his family. Cecil came down and we went to his funeral in Aberdeen, Ms. on Tuesday, 15 Sept. On a previous trip to Alabama Cecil had visited most of the cemetaries where we had relatives burried and copied down the information from the headstones. We were entering this information into new family search and were able to get some cards printed out Saturday when Dad and I worked in the temple. Uncle Hugh and his wife, Robbie Gates; Uncle J.S. and his wife Avis Law; and Aunt Margaret's husband, John Whitfield, were baptised and confirmed on Saturday. We were trying to get Aunt Margarit's work done also but she had been reserved by someone already. After Cecil called all of his children that could have done this we found out Kristen had reserved her the night before. When all of this work is done we can have these couples sealed and my Dad's siblings sealed to their parents. It made me feel really good to get some genealogy done. So check it out!

Play house

I guess maybe I was about 5 or 6 when my Dad started building me a play house in the front yard. He got the frame work up and a floor put in and Cecil said he thought he got the walls put up about 3 feet but I don't remember whether there were walls or not. I had many long hours of fun playing in my playhouse with my dolls. I don't think I could have had any more fun if it had been finished. It stayed up for a few years and when it got in a condition that wasn't safe it was torn down and a basketball goal was put up. I don't remember one being put there as the on I remember playing with was in the side yard but Cecil said the first one was in the front yard. l also had a favorite tree in the front yard that was made for climbing. It had low limbs and nice wide branches that made little pockets that were just right for sitting in. I spent lots of time in the tree. It was still there when I graduaded from high school but I had not climbed it for many years, I am not sure when it had to be cut down.

Uncle Charlie's Beard

Charlie used to brag about how he was getting a beard when he was a teenager. He had about 3 hairs growing from his chin, and he would keep rubbing his hand along his chin and grin. One day when their family was visiting with my family, Wilson, your dad and I decided to do something about it. Wilson and Johnnie held Charlie down on the couch and I got a pair of tweasers and pulled his "beard"(3 hairs) out. If you listen hard you can probably still hear him howling. We thought it was funny at the time but now I can see that was a little cruel. I guess he has forgiven us but it probably took a good while.

When I was 2 years old my mother started cooking lunch for the little school in our community. Sometimes I stayed home with my grandmother but most of the time I think I went to school with her. I would wander into the classrooms but probably stayed in the lower grades as Cecil was in the first grade and Wilson and I would listen in. After 3 years of doing this the first grade teacher told my mother if she would get the books and teach me at home she would test me and put me in the appropriate grade. When I turned 6 they closed our school and we were bused to the next school over (Carlowville,12 miles away). I stayed in the first grade 2 weeks and was moved to the 2nd grade and I knew most of that grade also. This is how I graduated from high school at the age of 16.

Carlowville is where my mother and father both went to high school and maybe junior high also. Anyway that is where they met but is a story for another day.
One of the things I remember about being at the Pleasant Hill School was the music class. One of the ladies in the community came a few days a week and taught us how to sing. It was lots of fun.

One thing I liked to eat during that time was peanut butter rolled in sugar. It would come out long like an earth worm and I called it a worm. I walked into the classroom one day eating one and the teacher asked me what I was eating and I told her it was a worm. She got all excited and went to my mother and told her I was eating a worm. Mama laughed and told her it was only peanut butter, the teacher joined in the laughter. This teacher,Mrs. Eunice Simmons, was always one of my favorite teachers, she later taught as an English teacher in the high school.
My mother worked in the lunchroom at the new school also and after a few years became the manager of the lunchroom as well as the bus driver for our community. So I never missed the bus and always had good things to eat for lunch.

OK kids, here it is. You want some memories of my childhood.Since I have to think about the first time I remember your father, I'll have to tell about that later, but I can start with our first date. It was February 4, 1961. We to the drive-in in Selma but I do not remember what the movie was and yes ,we really did watch the movie, but you know how bad my memory is on some things. I do remember that was't the first time he had asked me on a date. The first time he asked me I turned him down because he asked me to go to his school's homecoming dance. I did not know anyone from his school besides your dad and his brothers so I was scared to go and therefore turned him down. Aren't you glad he didn't give up? Anyway this is enough for now.