CATCHING UP

Boy, have we been busy. A few days before Emma's graduation I began having pains in my leg. It got to the point where I could only walk if I could find somebody with a pain pill. I took a pain pill and made it to Emma's graduation and then John and I took off to Birmingham to see Dr. Bramlett. Dr. Bramlett operated on my leg/hip 20 months ago. He told me it was a pinched nerve in my back and I had an inflamed sciatic nerve. Medicine....medicine...medicine....a inversion board.....rest.. and I am some better but still not back to normal and some days it is still bad. We are giving it until August before we do anything else. It seems like my life is flying past me while I hobble around.

I had big plans for John's 60th birthday........you know the saying....best laid plans....oh, well. Picture this.....we were going to a ranch that was inside the National Park at the Grand Canyon. We were going to sleep in a covered wagon....well, at least one of the nights...and we were going to ride 4 wheelers to the edge of the canyon on the morning of his birthday and toast his 60th year..... Needless to say, Hop A Long Joy could not have done those things. I was feeling better and still had lots of pain medicine.....so, we did head up to The Smoky Mountains to celebrate and I only had one embarrassing leg moment and luckily not many people were around....but we were together and that is what counts.

Josh could not be home the weekend of John's birthday so we celebrated his momentous birthday the next weekend.

Miss Lilypie stayed with us this week. What a fun,tiring, happy time!

So....now I am going to try to catch up on the blog!

HERE GOES

 

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Celebrating Pops Birthday

Happy 60th Birthday

Courtney, Lawson and Lily came to Berry Saturday afternoon to spend the night before we celebrated John's birthday on Sunday.

Lawson and Lily were conked out!!!

Decorating for the party

We tried to use things that Pops liked for decorations. That is moss covered deer horns

I had candy from our childhood for treats

Brady gave John this card and It was soooo funny

After a steak dinner and all the kids helping Pops blow out his candles.....

it was POOL TIME!

A TRIP

with John and Hop-A-Long

John and I headed to Maggie Valley, North Carolina to spend the weekend together and celebrate his birthday. We were hungry and there is nothing that we love better then a "dive". We ate at the bar and the sandwiches were great!

The TV was playing a repeat of an Alabama game. One that we lost and we both had on our Alabama jackets......oh, well!

We just took off on this trip without any reservations. We stayed at this cute little old hotel. We were one of two cars there. It was full but everybody was on a motorcycle. Every time we pulled into our parking spot John said he bet somebody was sweating their bike parked next to us!!!

John and I had been hearing about Cataloochee Valley for years. That is where they released the elk to try and get them repopulated in the Smoky Mountains. John has always wanted me to hear an elk bugle. So, our plans were to come in September, when they are in rut ( did I get that right??), so I can hopefully hear their bugling.

Everything we had read about Cataloochee Valley was about how dangerous and narrow the roads are to get you there. So, since we couldn't go on the big trip I had planned we decided we would go see this Cataloochee Valley for ourselves and then we would know what we were doing when we went in September.

Well, they weren't kidding. But, we made it fine and I am glad that we have been there before we make the trip in September before sunrise.

It is a beautiful place!

this little church in the bottom of the valley was like a postcard

Inside the church. We are in the process of getting new pews at our church and I couldn't help but smile as I looked at these pews!

There was a very old Bible open on the podium

Hop A long

and her sweet, patient husband

We stayed in a hotel in Townsend the next night. Look a REAL KEY!

and of course

CADES COVE

Aunt Kim at work

Aunt Kim made Lily's 3 month picture about 2 weeks ago. John and I met them there to see if we could be of any help. We were on the lawn of the Presidents Mansion at The University of Alabama. Students tours were being given so we got lots of attention!

Tuesdays With Meme

The Summer Edition

Grandkids and yellow labs.....the more the merrier!!

Pool Time

Emma, Abby and John Brady

The kids have always loved playing pretend in the pool house. Usually they play store. Today it was a Snack Shack. The rules are still posted on the door.