Kelsey's 13th Birthday

Layna's sixteenth birthday party was Friday night, and on Saturday we helped Kelsey (Kendra's oldest daughter) celebrate becoming a teenager. Family and friends young and old gathered at Medard Park and enjoyed a delicious lunch catered by Sonny's Barbecue.

The candle wouldn't stay lit!

Finally!

A mountain of gifts.

A truly gracious, grateful, and sweet young lady.

I just liked Carla's expression in this picture.

Daddy & Mama

Hailey & April

Sweatyhead!

The boy loves to play!

Show-off!

Following are some bonus pictures Kendra sent me of Kelsey's special day.

Uncle Roland prays over Kelsey.

My sweaty nephew.

Bailey, Thaddeus, Nathan, Logan, and Jordan

Bubby

Layna's Sweet Sixteen

A few weeks ago, when Carla and Nathan were home, we helped celebrate Layna's (April's daughter) sixteenth birthday. The evening started with appetizers at John and April's house, including crab dip, artichoke dip, salsa cheese dip, and fried cheese. John and April had planned a limo ride to GameWorks in Ybor City for Layna and her friends. The limo was late arriving (of course), so we hung out at the house for a while.

What a great picture of April, John, and Carla!

Nathan loves for us to watch him play his DS.

The limo finally arrived.

April looking like Aunt Sharon.

Of course it rained for the occasion.

Layna got a new phone for her birthday.

Nathan begging to play games.

The ultimate competitor.

The kids had pizza at GameWorks, but we had . . .

. . . at . . .

YUM!

Back at GameWorks, April and I wait for the bells and whistles to stop.

Hailey and Nathan called it a night on the way home.

2008 Spring Picture

Here is the 2008 school picture of Nathan and me. It has been a tradition since Nathan was a baby for us to take our spring picture together at school. This year spring pictures happened to be taken the morning Carla and Nathan were flying back to Jamaica, so we were able to squeeze it in. To see the older pictures, visit Carla's blog by clicking here.

Happy 50th, Bishop!

Jim and me, Easter 1977

Today my longtime friend turns 50! Bishop Jim Swilley, or Jimearl to all of his college friends, and I met on the first day of college when we were assigned to be roommates at Southeastern College in Lakeland, Florida, way back in 1976. Jim was 18 and I was 17. We have remained friends ever since. We stay in touch from time to time, and we (almost) always give each other a call on our birthdays. It's easy to remember because our birthdays are exactly six months apart. His birthday is April 3, and my birthday is October 3, so he will always be older than me. He met the half century mark today, so guess what that means for me! Bishop Swilley pastors Church in the Now in Conyers, Georgia, with his lovely wife Debye.

Happy Birthday, Jim!

Happy Easter!

And if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, [then] He Who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also restore to life your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you.

Romans 8:11 (AMP)

Last night Bubby and DeeDee colored some Easter eggs because all they had at the Easter egg hunt was plastic eggs. Leave it to DeeDee to do the grandmotherly thing! But then of course DeeDee is the epitome of "mother" and "grandmother."

Why does the purple egg look brown?

DeeDee is making crab stew, garlic bread, and salad for Easter dinner. It has been wonderful to have Nathan and Carla home for two weeks of Spring Break, and we've still got (almost) a week before they fly back to Jamaica. Wish you could be here, Todd!

Mama & Daddy's Wheel Covers

A "Before" picture for April and Rhoda.

April said I needed to write a new post, but nothing that eventful has happened lately. I've been busy with my National Boards, and I really have nothing good to say about that ongoing experience. The only thing I have any pictures of are Mama & Daddy's wheel covers. A few weeks ago Mama told me the paint on her wheel covers was flaking off, and when she showed them to me I had to agree that they didn't look that good. I told her Jerry might be willing to spray paint them like he did the panels on my car. Being the nice guy he is, Jerry said sure, so I went by Advance Auto Parts and got a can of wheel cover spray paint. Daddy took the wheel covers off the car, and I carried them to my house. Jerry came over, and we spent a Sunday afternoon sanding and spraying. Well, Jerry did most of the work. I sanded, then he re-sanded my wheel covers because the edges weren't "feathered" smooth enough, and of course he is THE Spraymaster. We delivered the wheel covers later that afternoon, and Daddy put them back on the car the next day. Jerry and I are looking forward to the meal Mama promised.

Jerry acting like Jerry.

Jerry re-sanding my work.

Sanding all done.

My chain-link fence was the perfect wheel cover holder.

Good as new, or should I say the "After" picture.

Note: Check out the orbs in Mama & Daddy's garage.

2008 Relay for Life

The American Cancer Society's 2008 Relay for Life is just around the corner. This team event to fight cancer is a worthy cause that touches all of our lives. Tomlin Middle School, where I teach, is very involved and donates thousands of dollars every year. In 2002, my whole family attended the Relay for Life at Plant City High School. My mother, Evelyn Blount, who is a survivor of breast cancer, participated when the survivors walked the first lap.

Mama with Jackie Waller Rollyson and Louise Crowley Sullivan, three survivors from the Turkey Creek High School Class of 1954

Mama and other survivors take the first lap.

My sister Carla joins Mama for the caregivers' lap.

Our whole family was there . . .

. . . including baby Nathan.

My good friend Jerry Woods and his daughter Brandy lost their wife and mother, Judy, to breast cancer on November 8, 2006. Jerry is the director of Relay for Life for the City of Mulberry, Florida. Jerry's 2008 relay team, the Couch Potatoes, are sponsored by his employer Florida Air Tool.

Jerry, Brandy, Judy

One of the easiest ways to get involved in the Relay for Life is to make a donation online. I encourage all of my readers to join me in this fight against cancer. You can visit Jerry's Relay web page, read his family's story, and make an online donation by clicking HERE. Together we can stamp out cancer!