A Tribute

On Sunday, August 22, my Paw Paw went to Heaven. We just returned last night from two days of funeral home, funeral, spending time with family, and remembering. It was sad, and it was wonderful. As my Granny said, and I kept thinking, "He sure would have enjoyed this."

This is one of my all time favorite pictures of Paw Paw. That man could drink some coffee.

Paw Paw was my dad's dad. He did have health problems, including severe diabetes that caused him to lose his left leg several years ago, and a heart attack and bypass surgery years back as well. Still, none of us expected to lose him this week. He was 82, so I guess when the call comes you're never completely surprised.

I think most of all this week I've been reminded of what a merciful God we serve, and how generous He is to pour out blessings on His kids. My folks and some other family went by to see him and Granny Saturday evening, he got up Sunday morning and went to church with Granny, came home and ate lunch, then fell asleep in his favorite chair and didn't wake up. What a great day for him, and the whole family is grateful for the easy exit. People have been so kind, and it was amazing how many came to say goodbye and to offer sympathy to all of us. And the food, well, that's how God's folks take care of each other. By the truckload!

My brother Jonathan put together a terrific slideshow of his life. I swiped a few pictures.

Paw Paw, about 19 or 20. He was born in 1928 in Cleveland and grew up there, then moved to Atlanta and worked at the General Motors plant for 30 years. Most folks knew him as J.L., or Junior Lee Adams.



He married Granny, also from Cleveland, and moved her out of the mountains too. She was from the Shoal Creek side of town, and he was from the Mountain View area. They once told me it was rare for Shoal Creek and Mountain View young people to date and marry like that. I never asked which one of them was from the wrong side of the tracks.

Then along came three kids. Larry, my dad, is on the far left. Can't help but see Shannon's resemblance. Uncle Danny is in the middle, Aunt Angela is on the right.

And they grew.

And they became musical. When Granny was a young mom she wanted to know how to play hymns on the piano, so she took lessons until she could. Then they made sure all of the kids knew how to play as well. It worked, because not only to they all still play the piano to this day, they also play an assortment of other instruments; trumpet, clarinet, flute, and french horn.



When my dad was 15, along came a surprise- my Uncle Doug.

My mom and dad's wedding, July 1972. On the left is my Nanny and Grandaddy. We lost him four and a half years ago.

Here's how I remember Paw Paw and Granny in my youngest years. I was very fortunate to grow up having a close relationship with both sets of my grandparents, and am grateful for the impact they have had on my life.


They never missed an adventure and enjoyed road tripping and camping in younger days. Even in his oldest days Paw Paw would always go anywhere anyone would take him.

The family grows again, and in this picture includes me, my brother Jonathan, and cousin Gary. I think I was close to four in this picture, and they were babies...and now we're a youthful 36 and 33. I actually remember this day because wherever it was we were in the picture had a swimming pool and I was extremely disappointed not to be getting in it. Darn those Sunday clothes.

In his lifetime Paw Paw restored a couple of cars, including an A model. We grandkids loved to ride in it.

Fast forward a BUNCH of years, and here's Paw Paw in New Mexico in 2003. Our family has been blessed to go on several working vacations together at various properties my dad and uncles own, and Paw Paw and Granny got to go with us almost every time. He loved riding the four wheeler and on this trip rode it nearly 30 miles around the ranch without telling anyone where he went, no cell phone, no way for a nearly 80 year old one-legged man to get help if he needed it. He probably knew if he told anyone where he was going they wouldn't have let him go.

A few years ago.

Almost three years ago while on a trip with the family after Christmas, Granny had a stroke. She was left different, and not happy about it. If you ever ask her what you can pray for for her she will say that she wants to get better. Paw Paw had to become her caretaker, along with the family's help, which hasn't been easy. She took care of everything at home, including the house, paying the bills, and answering every phone call. He adapted, though the last few years haven't been easy for either of them.

Last year, at their 60th wedding anniversary party.

Just before this summer. There are several April birthdays in the family, and he shared a celebration with some of the folks he was most proud of. He never forgot to tell us how much he loved us and was proud of us. I will miss that.

This family has been so very blessed to have the example we've had in Paw Paw. He is leaving a Godly legacy behind, and because of his faithfulness we are reaping the rewards. My brother, cousins, and I put together a few thoughts for the funeral, so here are some of the things we learned from Paw Paw:

Keep on keeping on- even when things are tough, even if you lose your leg- and do it with a good attitude.

Count your blessings every day, out loud.

Always tell your family how much you love them and how proud you are of them.

Read your Bible and do what it says.

You will become like the people you are around, so choose wisely.

Pray for your children to have good relationships with each other when they become adults.

Never meet a stranger.

Treat and love your married-ins like they are your own.

Be faithful to tithe.

Don't let the fact that other people think the coffee isn't any good keep you from enjoying a second cup.

Always be up for an adventure.

If you're willing to give the time and energy, there's nothing or no one that is too far gone to be restored and made beautiful.

Always make time to visit relatives, sick folks, and old folks- even if you are one yourself.

If you don't have integrity in everything and aren't honest you aren't good for much.

Work hard.

Two legs are overrated, and determination is key- keep on riding four wheelers and enjoying what you like.

Cherish your spouse.

Tell good stories and make people laugh.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.

At the funeral my Uncle Danny said he was simple man, and was a living example of the book of Proverbs. That was my Paw Paw. During the funeral his pastor of 20 years said he had talked with Paw Paw after the death of his own father, who passed away in his sleep. Paw Paw said if he had a choice, that would be the way to go. God gave him his wish, and we thank Him for that.

I love you Paw Paw, and I will miss you.

Amelia goes to camp

I've now set a record for time elapsed between blog entries. As I said in the last post, life has been a lot of fun around here, so things have occasionally (daily) been put off. I've got about 2,349,217 photos from the summer, so maybe I'll eventually get caught up.

The photos below were taken in June by Pepper (aka Morgan, as she is known in real life). She's been a summer staffer for several summers, starting back with our first one when camp saw less than 40 kids. She's awesome! I have some photos on the wall at home that are very overdue for updating and she was helping me out with the task. Summer light is a challenge to work with, and what appeared to be pretty decent morning light turned out to be more like a beam directly from a helicopter search light. Once I printed them I realized they were too washed out to work for portrait replacements. Oh well! Many were cute regardless and Morgan is a very patient photographer. Thanks Pepper!



The black and white effect helped the light issue.





On the other hand, my Glamour Shot portrait turned out just beautifully!

I was a character for "Clue" played during second session of camp, a disgruntled ex-beauty pageant queen who may or may not have killed Rambo (James' camp alter ego) with a fast flying high heeled shoe. Right after I was finished applying the frosty fuschia lipstick Shannon said in all seriousness, "Mama, you look beautiful!" Thanks, buddy. Wonder if it was the Cinderella crown or the stuffed Pomeranian that did it for him.

Boy were we blessed to have James' folks here for five weeks this summer! Papa hauled his motorcycle from Texas so he'd have it to ride in the mountains. The kids were glad he did.







See ya, mom!



In other news, we put in a pool.



Or put up a pool, actually. This thing wouldn't fit in my SUV so one day before the summer started I hauled my horse trailer to the Gainesville Walmart and picked one up for me and for Alison, who needed a replacement after finding out that they don't winter well outdoors.

I love how Elizabeth is so well prepared for 11 inches of water.

And now, Amelia at camp! She went to third session, June 28-July 2. She had been looking forward to it all summer, especially since she would be at camp with three of the Davidsons, including Ruth who would be coming for the first time as well.

Staffers are posted to greet cars and show people where to go when they arrive. We showed up on the golf cart. Jackie (Snaps) gave her an official first day name tag.

She and Ruth claimed top bunks. They were in Rockcreek cabin, the youngest one for girls. The summer I was pregnant with Avery we actually lived in this cabin during camp. We were in our rental house in Clermont before moving to camp in October, and we wanted to be close for the summer. I loved that summer in spite of the fact that I was about two of my normal self size-wise.




Bunkmates!

The cabin was princess themed, by choice of the counselors. It couldn't have been more appropriate for these ladies. Every kingdom needs rules.

Rockcreek counselors, Bubbles (Angela) and Cupcake (Olivia). Sweethearts in every way! We will be blessed for sure if they are able to return next summer.

The first night includes the all-important tribal selection. Campers at Strong Rock are either in the Waya (wolf) tribe and are red, or are in the Awahili (eagle) tribe and are blue. Once you're a Waya or Awahili it stays that way for all your camp years. Maggie and Bennett D. were already Waya, so the girls had their fingers crossed to become Waya as well.

Amelia draws a color at random.

Ruthie draws...and...

Amelia gets her wish and is a Waya.

Thankfully for the friendship of all involved it worked out for them both. Go Waya!

Waya cheers.


Awahili cheers.

The first night game is always the same, and is played for tribal points, as are most evening games. It's ultimate frisbee, only modified and renamed by James to become "Multimate Frisbee" (played, you guessed it, with multiple frisbees.) It's a favorite of many returning campers.

Amelia jumped right in and started playing.

Don't let those mean old Awahili intimidate you.



Off to find another frisbee in need of catching.

The other kids never have any trouble finding ways to entertain themselves during evening activities. Shannon played a lot of the games played all over camp this session. He hung out with Bennett whenever he could.

Elizabeth likes to wander all over the place.



I stayed out of Amelia's way as much as I could. We wanted her to have as normal and independent of a camp experience as possible. About three days in I couldn't resist taking a picture of the self-styled hair do. My only request before camp started is that she got help at least once a day to brush it out good.



Still cute from the front!

Meanwhile, Avery relishes the joys of being a dude with outdoor plumbing. Field Two doesn't have a restroom real close by, so he always wants to use the great outdoors.

Which isn't a problem with me, as long as he goes around BEHIND the building. Oh well.

I love it when the nurse for the session is a favorite friend. Nurse Jenny flashes her gang sign.

"Nurse Jenny, I think we have a problem over here."

"Or maybe it's over there."

Shannon has been a bicycling fool all summer. Except for the endo he did at this field when he tried to ride through a narrow ditch (and literally flew over the handlebars), he is a fearless rider. I've always said he'll be the one whose last words will be, "Hey y'all, watch this!"





His only complaint is that his bike doesn't have gears. Do they even make bikes for five year olds with gears? I have no doubt he could handle them.

I have to agree with him about it needing gears.

I got a few shots from the last night of Amelia's session called Tribal Council, where the tribes compete in a series of games and activities. I was too busy yakking to get her competing in her game though.

Balloons filled with shaving cream must be popped and the shaving cream is carried back to a staffer. Tribes try to get the most shaving cream to their person during the round.

It somehow mysteriously ends up other places too. Like all over faces and in outrageous shaving cream hair do's.

Elizabeth watches from her perch.

Another game is called "Face the Cookie."

Competitors try to get a cookie from their forehead into their mouths without using their hands.

This is Jacob, my friend Becky's son. He's got good cookie handling skills.

At least it doesn't look ridiculous.

Success!

Noah, who goes to our church. If you didn't know what was going on here you might think this is a form of hot cookie forehead torture (truly grisly, trust me), or maybe that an alien took on cookie form and is sucking out his brain.

Waya cheers! (Or is it Wayas cheer?)

Here's Cricket (Michael) getting ready for every staffer's favorite game, Coolest Counselor. Kids are about to fill his shirt with ice. There's also a representative from the Waya tribe, Google (Aaron)....

...who looks like he's about to have an ice, ice baby just any second. Brrrr!!!!!

The campers love it when the staff compete. Nothing like transferring marshmallows to a bowl at another table using just Vaseline and your nose.

Blech!

Babushka and the Outlaw. A new series Tuesday nights on NBC.

The last evening Lifeline (what we call our devotional times) is done by the lake. We have a theme for the summer and all the Lifelines follow and build on the theme. This summer it was Faith: Where's Yours? Rambo does a great job with these.

He commands fire too. Cool.

The day the parents come to pick up their campers we do a final closing program in the gym. Performance oriented classes show what they've learned, including gymnastics, dance, drama, and drumline (percussion class). My camera didn't like the light in the gym so I only got one okay picture of Amelia with her dance class.

They did a pretty lengthy routine considering how few days they had to learn it. She's now officially a Michael Jackson fan. (Part of the dance was to a snippet of "Beat It." We heard it on the radio on an 80's weekend program a few days ago and she asked me to play it again. I guess part of school this year will include learning how a radio works.)

She had a wonderful camp session and enjoyed all five of her activities of choice very much- horseback riding, arts and crafts, dance, gymnastics, and swimming. She made new friends, had a blast with old ones, and thoroughly enjoyed the staff. She was really bummed when we said no to her attending fourth session. If we let her go all summer there's no magic left for next summer! I have a feeling we'll be attending Strong Rock Camp again. If you ever need a reference from a parent, give me a call. :)

Amelia's summer fun continued the next week. She and I went to Six Flags together, and because I wasn't interested in either hauling around or ruining a camera on water rides, all we got were a few shots on a disposable one. Of course I've yet to develop it. Six Flags does a reading program for kids where they track their hours and earn a ticket. A local homeschooling mom coordinates it for our area, and because I'm Amelia's teacher I got a ticket too. That was a fun day. It had been about 8 years since I had been. She was tall enough to ride a lot more than I thought she would be, and even rode the Mind Bender with me. (Still one of my favorite roller coasters.) We were hot, sweaty, and thoroughly tired at the end of the day, but happy. I again decided that I hate getting older. I didn't used to get dizzy on rides. My theory is that the liquid in your inner ear that helps you maintain balance gets old and stale and therefore doesn't work properly.

One more picture to end this post.

Rambo, a cycling fool. Can't think of too many people who consider "Cycling Fool" to be a compliment, but I think he would. He accomplishes amazing feats of distance, altitude, and speed on a bike. He hit 57 mph on his bike on one of his mountain rides lately. He was BREAKING THE LAW on a bicycle. Crazy man. (I'd rather he didn't tell me such things...)

I have many, many more pictures to post and smart aleck comments to make, but this project always proves more time consuming that I think it should be, so I'm done for now. I'll do my best to get to the next post soon. Tomorrow officially starts our first day of school (I've decided), so in not too many hours second grade and kindergarten will commence at the Himstedt Preparatory School for Boys and Girls. I also have to drive 45 minutes each way for Elizabeth's two year check up with the rest in tow (which I had nearly forgotten about), and am supposed to meet with James, Daniel, and Rebecca for a little while tomorrow. Maybe school can wait until Tuesday.

'Night!