Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. David Jones ~ 9/23/06

David was suprised by the groom's cake. His favorite group is "Slayer" and this awesome chocolate cake was decorated with their logo. :)

There is a story behind this that would take too long to tell. This is Lisa Moore, the Priestess that performed the ceremony. I was priviledged to perform the ring ceremony by her side that was written by Brent.

We both put our dresses on at 5:55 over our tired and sweaty bodies. The wedding was to start at 6:00. We were just a bit physically spent. This is pretty much the only picture you'll see of me. I was behind the camera. That's a good thing :)

On Monday we drove to Helen to see Jeff's grave site. He has a beautiful view! As was tradition, we took him a shot of his favorite drink to toast his son's marriage. It's OK, he was there with us.

Lisa and Marlene gave theirs to Jeff . . .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On September 23rd, 2006 David Orlando Jones was married to Cynthia Elaine Anthony, in Lilburn, Georgia. I put as many pictures up as I could that would show how pretty everything was.

Congratulations Dave & Cindy!!!

Love,

Aunt Trudy

Happy Birthday Ryan :)

For Ryan… From Mom~~~

One more hug….
One more bedtime story…
One more bike ride…
One more Power Ranger cartoon…
One more colorin’ dinosaurs on the ‘puter…
One more Batman Halloween costume…
And even one more Peter Pan costume with little Tinkerbell at his side…
One more ice cream cone…
One more jump on the trampoline…
Or maybe another Karate tournament…
Or another T-Ball game!
Where did it all go? You asked for more then, I’ll ask for more now!

Time is speeding up… It’s hard for me to let go… because now I’m the one that really wants one more story, bike ride, cartoon, costume to sew, ice cream time, jump, spar and hit. I can only hope you will look back with as many fond memories as I!

Those days are past and now I will look forward to:
One more life long friendship kept…
One more Prom…
One more touchdown…
One more life goal met….
And life will change again…. And I will still always love you…

And want just one more hug…

~Labor Day Will Always Have SPECIAL Meaning To Me~

Look Ma! I'm Sooo Large It Hurts All Over!!
But I sure felt kinda cute!!!

By the way, I just went to Jane's 50th Birthday party last Friday. She's STILL this cute!!

Yes! Labor Day has special meaning to me. Approximately 18 years ago on this day I labored! Yes for 30 hours!!! He was not to be born on Labor Day of that year but on September 6th in the wee hours of the morning. The Doctor said that I was due on Labor Day and I did everything in my power to make that happen! Mexican food, long walks on the green belt, driving over railroad tracks, perhaps I should have mellowed out a little because he turned out to be a C-Section Dude! Argh...

I know that the calendar has been altered a little with all of those leap years and such, but this day always holds "special" meaning to me.

~ Of course, more to come in the next few days ~ With a special tribute to Ryan :)

16 Things I Love!

I was sent one of those emails awhile back that really made me grin. It was a very thoughtful list of "things they loved". What a great topic for a blog! The following are the best little tidbits I could think of at the time. It was fun to think of something that I could share that could actually even define what makes me who I am. Here are a few...

1. When my family is "enjoying" each other's company. Maybe around the dinner table or on the way to dinner or a movie. I love it when we are laughing at the same things. This would be with each other and not AT each other.
2. Saturday morning trips to Home Depot with Gary. Usually includes a big Diet Coke and a Chorizo with grilled onions. This qualifies as a date in my book.
3. Walking into a clean room.... yes I cherish it when it happens...
4. Light Jazz music on the patio with iced tea or lemonade and my feet up, with a light summer breeze please...
5. Late night phone calls with good friends
6. Early night phone calls with good friends
7. The tingle that goes up my back when I hear music that speaks to me
8. New sheet music and/or a new CD... really exciting when one goes with the other & can be played together
9. The first sensation of jumping into a cool swimming pool on a very hot day after working hard in the house or yard
10. Night swimming. Floating on my back under the stars, wondering if God is watching from up there...
11. The hug that sends my sweetie off to work in the morning, sometimes just a silly ritual but it's the connection.
12. Quiet morning walks by the streams and ponds in my neighborhood.
13. The way my dog looks when he runs.
14. Feeling not old when I run with him.
15. The tickle of kitty whiskers that go up your nose when you snuggle close.
16. Special uplifting emails from people you love, often including positive messages that help you remember that life and relationships are precious.

In Remembrance - Class of 76

This picture isn't very clear, but these are those classmates who have passed on. Both Gary and I were sad about a few of these surprises.

Highland Class of 76!! What a Kick!

Last weekend was our class reunion. It was 30 long years ago! Gary and I were highschool sweethearts! And yes, we've been married for 29 years! We waited a whole year to get married after high school! This is a fun picture of Gary and I with one of my best friends Carla. She was with me when I first met Gary at Bob Prestwich's Party!








Bob didn't go to the reunion but we met him for breakfast at Perkins the next morning. He plays the drums in a rock band. He also plays for Sunday services at Grace Luthren church. We were able to listen to him that morning. It was SOOOOO good to see him after all this time. It really has been 30 years since we'd seen him!

P.S. Hey Terri..... Bob says "HI"! He wishes you well and only the best!!




One of the most pleasant surprises was Cathy Beebe! Thank God, she's not DEAD! My father's home care nurse told me she had passed on. It was a case of mistaken identity. It was actually her sister who died. She was a bit surprised when I hugged her so tight. Then amazed that she had been mistaken for dead.



Some people really haven't changed all that much. There were some pleasant surprises as well as some disappointments. Some of the humor was done in fun..... some not. There were some strange moments.... like the seperation of people into some of the old cliches. There was the parking lot crowd. Those would be the ones drinking beers out of coolers outside. Then there were those who hung in the middle between the parking lot and inside. Then there were those who boldly hung out inside and outside..... hmm...... I'm not sure about the 40th.

I'm glad it's over and we won't have to think about it for 10 more years.

Fun Was Had By All !

Ryan & Steph Getting Ready To Jet Ski :)

~Pictures From Mexico~

Chichen Itza

Ikkil - The Bluest Water I've Ever Seen!

My Second Blog?

I'm a little braver now... but not much. I have read some very good blogs from other people. I would like to be able to create a "positive" blog. I've seen a lot of garbage from the kid's postings on "MySpace". That really isn't a good forum to be publishing in. I felt like a stranger in a strange land, but that's where the kids are doing a lot of their communicating ;-}

Our family just got back from a wonderful vacation in Cancun! It was an interesting trip to take with teenagers. We went to Chichen Itza. We spent some great time on the beach. We took a dinner cruise... which made me rather seasick but was fun anyway. We took the kids to Senior Frogs. Hmmm...... a strange experience in itself. But all in all it was good. Getting back to reality has been harder than I thought! I could sure use another few days on the beach to think about absolutely nothing!

Oh well.... Life's Good...

My First Blog...

Sounds rather elementary doesn't it? When asked for a name, "Just Trudy" was the first thing that came to my mind. But then who else would I be?

Perhaps More Later :)