Today, I went to the funeral of my cousin's 38 year old son, Scott Jeramie Skidmore. He died of leukemia. It was the largest funeral I've ever been to, and one of the most elaborate. He was a man of immense faith, and it was evident in the turn out of his friends for his funeral. He was in their choir, band, and what most churches would call an elder. Their ceremony was something I've never before seen in a church.... complete with a flag draped coffin, swords carried by his fellow elders, and a true celebration of his short life. As you entered the church drive, there were flag bears on either side of the drive, all the way thru the parking lot, which overflowed into the grounds. There were probably close to 1000 people there, if not more. This was truly a tribute to his faith, and his desire to live life to the fullest with God by his side.
Now, back to more pleasant things. It's raining cats and dogs here, and supposedly it's going to get much worse. I never had a chance to blog about Dad's 84th birthday party, so here are some pictures. He had a ball. We ended up with 19 people here for dinner Saturday night. We played rock band, watched football, and they all ate like pigs! I cooked 2 meals each day, and there were no leftovers. Angie's husband, Eric, made the birthday cake, a dump cake (sans nuts) because that's what my step-Mom always made for Dad. For the kids, she made brownies. They all left early Sunday morning, and all arrived home safely. By the way, only one person was sick all weekend.... 24 hour stomach virus that her son had earlier in the week got her down. Several stayed in motels, but we had a house full.
I got Dad a birthday card that referred to the fact that as we get older, we tend to get lost. So, I found him a card to carry, and when he's lost, he's supposed to hold it up in the air. It is also translated in French and Spanish in case he gets REALLY lost.
He had plenty of people to serve his cake.
My cousin Johnny and his wife Shelly also came over for dinner and the party. They live south of Fort Worth, so it was a long drive that night to come over and go back home.
You know how they say "When guys get together, it's always a peeing contest"? Well, sometimes the same can be said for sisters. I was telling Janice about the "Go Girl" that Angie got Sheila and me for Xmas. She just had to see it.... next thing you know, she's trying it. Here she is going on the patio..... danged near flooded the place.
Then, she tried it on the tree. Now, I no longer want to hear anyone ask if Angie can photo-shop...... Obviously, she is a pro at it. That's all I'm gonna say about the following two images.
Seriously, there is nothing sacred when Janice is here for a visit. Most of you already know that, cause she was here last year for his party when most of the Fab Five came over. There is NEVER a dull moment when Janice is here.
Tuesday night, Gary and I went to see Avatar. It was one beautiful movie. The story line was easily figured out within 15 minutes of the movie starting, but neither Gary or I cared. It was one experience that neither one of us will forget any time soon. The special affects were just amazing. It was, however, extremely loud.
Speaking of that, Gary actually went to an ENT to get permission to get a hearing aid. I am sooooo excited. He went to get one, and because he has zero ability to hear in his right ear, they refused to fit him for one until he got clearance from a doctor. Guess they were afraid they'd get sued if something went wrong. I haven't figured that out yet. Anyway...... let's all keep our fingers crossed. Oh yeah, he did mention that it cost $500. YUCK! Maybe he can still afford the hearing aid.
Chloe has strep throat (like for the billionth time) again, and decided she should spend the night with us last night. She slept with me, and watched her favorite movie..... Twilight. Angie had church work today, so Chloe slept in and watched Twilight over and over. Angie took me to get my hair cut when she got off work. After she got home, she realized Chloe hadn't taken any of her meds, nor done any of her homework. Chloe is now grounded..... I'm not sure how long. Gary knew she had homework (this one wasn't my fault), and I presumed he had her take her meds. I did my part..... I bought donut this morning.
I spent the rest of the week calling people to tell them they can't be a PA any longer. Talk about getting an ear full. Don K. reduced my workforce form 33 (counting overhead of me and Sheila) to 15. UGH! Some of them had been doing it for almost 3 years. I even had to let Margie, Ralph, and Gary T go. I hope they all still like me. I played golf with Matt D and Gary T yesterday, and all Gary T did was complain to Matt how I'd fired him. He didn't get any sympathy from Matt, cause Matt isn't working for me anymore either. He is going to work for someone else on Monday, and I'm hoping it works out well for him.
That's it for now. Hopefully I'll blog sooner and not have so much catch-up to do. Later....
That's it for now.
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