Quick note... Dad just got out of the hospital a few days ago... yea really..after 3 weeks at one hospital he was moved to another and back in ICU... Bad pneumonia,collapsed lung,blood clot in his shoulder,heart attack and too many other blood infections to name... He was one sick man... He has been sent to rehab and they are trying to get him back on his feet. He is feeding himself now and eating well. He had a lot of fluid after being on a vent for 2 weeks. That is all gone now but after not being able to eat for so long because of such an infected mouth with so many blisters because of all the antibiotics he had been taken. It took weeks for that to clear up and lost nearly 60 lbs in 3 weeks, 30 lbs of fluid and 30 lbs below his normal weight. It has been since the 10 of Aug, I have gone everyday except 3 days when the girls went and I took the days off. It has been a long couple of months. but he is getting stronger I don't think he will ever be strong enough to walk or it is going to take a long time... He will be 87 on Sunday and on November 16th they will be married 66 years!! That is a long time...I am tired but I have found out how strong I can be and have to be...God is there by me everyday and all the prayers from friends and family have been wonderful. That's what gets me through everyday...


Lynn

Some time off...

Sorry for the lack of posts... I will get back to it..

My father is in the hospital on a vent with a very bad pneumonia since last Friday. Than on Monday the rescue squad took my mother to another hospital 20 miles away where her heart Dr is. She only stayed 1 day with a mini stroke.We spent 5 1/2 hrs in ER... Grrr... But going in two different directions is crazy and trying to work this first week of school.
   Hopefully dad will be off vent this weekend and they will move him to a rehab center in a few days. Of course 20 miles away from here. Having him right here at the hospital has been easy to stop before work and after. So I can get home to attend to mom...Thank God they live close to us.

So I will see you all soon...
Keep Us In Your Prayers!
Lynn

The Wedding and a Favorite Uncle!!!

Well with all the planning and all the detail...

You know you are going to forget something!

But someone to walk ME down the isle...

Surely Not!

Well here we are an hour before the wedding

and Amanda says who is walking you down the isle?

Well I thought she had planned that ! LOL

So she ask me and I was given the option to ask who ever I wanted!

There was no doubt in my mind who it would be if I had the choice...I said can Uncle Paul do it?

Tears flooded her eyes...

She said let ME ask him?

So this is what she is doing right here...

I think Sandra took this picture... and it is priceless!

So here we come...

I just felt so comfortable... arm in arm...

Yes it was the right choice...

Now Uncle Paul, he isn't my uncle

He is Toms Uncle

His dads brother!

But he is the closest Uncle I have ever had!

I Love being part of this family!!

Tom and I started dating in 1971

and shortly after I got to meet the Uncles...

Tom said this would be a challenge...

He had two ornery uncles, and If I survived them things would be good...

Well when they teased me I gave it right back.

Besides they took me fishing and they saw I loved it, so I couldn't all bad...

even for a girl!

Yea me and Amanda are a lot alike!

So This One Thing That I Got To Choose...

Yea it was the RIGHT CHOICE!

LOVE YA UNCLE PAUL!!!

To Be Continued...

Lynn 

The Wedding... The Guys!

Now I'm probably not the one that should be writing about these guys since I have known them for such a short time..
But I'm going to give it a shot...

Another Awesome Picture...
and you get a really good look at those fantastic Guys!

The Best Man...

Shawn & JR

These two guys grew up together as next door neighbors...

Now when I say next door, it really means next door.

Out in the country next door means you couldn't see their house from his!!! LOL

I can only imagine these two running down that road to each others houses..

or riding their bicycles & later motorcycles.

As rotten as these two are now I can't imagine their High School Years!

and I don't want to know!

After School they both joined the Service

Both went over seas..

JR did two tours in Iraq

and Shawn  was in Iraq also...

Pat, JR & Shawn

You see what I mean they even look rotten...

But Boy Do They Clean Up Well !!

Three good looking guys...

These three along with Chad have been friends since their school years they have just always been together...

When Amanda was in Jr High she met Chad and some other friends

that she has been friends with ever since.

Now they met at a local bowling alley just right down the street, just by chance...

the three of us girls went down one night to bowl a few games

and there was Chad  with a couple of friends 2 lanes down...

Flirting with my girls all night!

Not even living in the same county they started coming down every week and talking on the phone.

They would even come down after church on Sunday mornings and LET me cook brunch for them!!! LOL

None of them ever dated they just became really good friends through the years...

I always told Amanda some day she would marry a Lincoln High School Guy...

We just all hit it off that night.

They were good kids and I love them all.

I always still get hugs every time I see them. What memories of those years we will always have!

Than when JR came home from the Service he was with these guys when she met him...

and the rest is history...

The clincher in this relationship was

She told him she carried her Golf Clubs and her Fishing Pole in her trunk of her car at all times

Just in case the stream looked good or it was a beautiful day to play a round of golf!!!

Of course he didn't believe her until she let him look...

She was just a Good Ole Girl!!!

Mark, Warren, Pat, JR, Shawn, Chad & Mike

Mike... or should I say Uncle Mike. Yea he is JR Uncle so yea they have known each other for ever... I got to meet him a few years ago and he is a lot of fun. Mike always has his guitar with him and Friday night was no different... Well after the storm he got it out and just started playing it. It really lightened the mood. We even laughed a few times at the guys singing right along with him... of course by that time I had had a few drinks and things were beginning to look better or maybe it was just because it was getting darker and with no power it was getting really dark! LOL

Now Mark and Warren came into the picture a few years ago. JR worked with Mark for a while and that is how they became great friends and Warren met Amanda at the mall where she works at a local Restaurant. They just all hit it off and started hanging out together. These are great guys and they are lucky to have each other... Life takes it's twists and turns and you just never know when you are going to meet someone that will be lasting friends... I think this group will be like our six couples have been for years, at least I hope so!!!

JR and Shawn up front...

Pat, Mark, Warren, Mike & Chad...

They could be models...

Oh wait maybe it was just this wonderful Photographer that made them look this good!!! LOL

It took an army to get this crew ready for this wedding... You don't see most of them dressed  like this too ofter. If it weren't for Kayla and Pat tying all those ties... well you get my point!!! LOL

JR hates to have his picture taken and his cousin was the Photographer, I don't know how she got him to take so many great pictures but I'm sure glad she did..

Well I hope I did these guys justice, because they are the Greatest!!
To Be Continued...
Lynn



The Wedding... Girls

By now you probably know this is one of my favorite pictures...

and these are also my favorite girls!!!

Girls that have known me as "Momma Lynn" most of their lives...

I Love each and everyone of them...

Except for her new Sister-in-law that I have only known for almost 5 years...

I have known most of these girls a really long time!

My oldest daughter Colleen was Amanda's Maid of Honor

and a beautiful one she was..

I knew she would choose this beautiful blue color for her shoes and flowers

because she is my daughter, with those big beautiful blue eyes...

that she took after her daddy!

Colleen...

This picture says it all...

These sisters are so close and that make me so so happy!

Just 3 years and 10 days apart...

But she shared the honor of Maid of Honor with Amanda's life long Best Friend...

and they did the job together beautifully...

Kayla...

Kayla has been around since the day she was born, living just 2 doors down from us...

just 6 months after Amanda...

This isn't a great picture but you sure get the idea how close these girls have been

for such a long time

They were there for her every step of the way on this journey...

Amanda, Colleen & Kayla

Kayla, Amanda & Colleen

Haven't they turned into beautiful young ladies!

Kayla holding her hand and I am sure Colleen had the other hand!!

Betty Jo...

This is Amanda's new Sister-in-law Betty Jo

She has become not only a sister-in-law but a great best friend...

 an amazing one too.

Amanda is so lucky to have such a loving family to be part of...

Mary...

This little Flowergirl is her new niece, Betty Jo's daughter...

as if you couldn't already tell that...

She is the perfect image of her mother... 

and just as sweet.

When Amanda came along she was tiny

and when she finally could say Amanda's name she called her...

ANDA...

and it stuck!

Bethanie...

Bethanie... what do I say about Bethanie???

Well look at that smile, that is her daddy's smile..

and it is beautiful..

But her kind heart is diffidently her mothers...

She is as sweet as they come!

Bethanie has also been around since she was born, living just up the road.

Her father and Tom were best friends growing up as were Tom's mother and his mom.

Missy...

These two beauties have been around since Jr.High School and their cheer leading days...

two special girl for sure. I loved those Jr High and High School years...

Kids around here all the time, going to cheer competitions and just

hanging out having a great time... I could tell some stories for sure...

and I know they could..

But I wouldn't trade them for a Million Dollars!!!

 Dana...

I remember when these girls would come to the house at midnight with all the ingredients and say:

Momma Lynn make us some Vegetable Pizza! Out came the pans and away I went with everyone helping and of course they ate every bite!!! LOL THOSE WERE THE DAYS!!!

They all made beautiful Brides Maids and they had a great time doing it...

We laughed and we cried... and we drank a lot of wine over this last year.

What memories we will have...

I am so happy that Amanda has such great friends and new family... such amazing girls!!!

Now we need to all get together real soon and drink a little wine and just laugh and have a great time again...

They even have cute feet...

I am loving the pictures from the great photographer..

Thanks Sandra!

To Be Continued...

Lynn



The Wedding Day!

GIRLS JUST GOT TO BE GIRLS!!!

Well it is time to party and these girls know how to do that...

They had some great playground equipment...

This big ship was great for the kids, they loved it!!!

But than it was the BIG KIDS turn...

There I am high atop that ship dancing to the music...

With all those great GIRLFRIENDS

right beside me!!!

The funny part was one of the husbands, standing by the DJ was directing that dance everything he did...
we did... We laughed so hard!!! But it was time to laugh and have a good time for sure!!!
Even the bride was up there with us...
( and of course there I was no shoes... I didn't have them on all night!)

But than it was time to come down...

and what better way but the slide..



Helping us was the Groom of course.

While everyone took pictures...

I'm sure somewhere there is a video..

That will come out when I least expect it!!! I'm sure...

We had such a wonderful night!

To Be Continued...

Lynn

The Wedding... Lets Party!!

OK it's time to start this party!!!

The first dance as Mr. & Mrs. Walls

They are just too cute!

Now it's dads turn with his baby girl...

I can only imagine what they talked about during this dance!!!

But this was the dance she knew was coming, but I'm not sure she told JR about this one...

This is a very special dance...

If you have been reading this blog you know this group is a very special group!

The 5 couples that we have been friends with since all of our children were born, and before that!!!

When the first of the children started getting married these wonderful men

started a new tradition!

I'm sure on that day they didn't know what a Grand Tradition it would be!

They all encompassed the bride and groom

and at that time they give them all of their best wishes

and let them in on all the secrets of life and how to have a Great Long Lasting Marriage

as we have all had!

THIS IS ONE GREAT PICTURE!!!

Well they got her...

and she knows what is coming...

and now the new husband...

This has become a very emotional moment for the bride & groom...

because everything that is said at this moment

they know is from the Heart!

It's as if you have SIX FATHERS AT THAT MOMENT!!!

You laugh, you cry and you soak in all of their wisdom!

They all truly love you!!

THESE ARE LASTING MEMORIES!!!

To Be Continued...

Lynn

The Wedding and a Special Newspaper Article...

Here she is in front of those doors again... with that cute little Lace Leafed Maple they used for the
Tree Ceremony...

I'm not getting lazy today. I just wanted you to see the Beautiful Newspaper Article that was in the paper after the wedding...

They wanted to hear about local Hero's that helped during the storm...

Well we had lots...
And this story really lets you know how much we love this great group friends and family!!!
Hope you Enjoy!!!


Click on this link, than when the picture comes up click on it and it will enlarge. Do the same on both links...
http://timeswv.wv.ussrv07v.newsmemory.com/loadPage.php?token=473SyOHY7JiTcHOTopmXoJafi5eVn5PmmsdvdJGflJKinKaBnpemkKY

Ok now this is page 2

http://timeswv.wv.ussrv07v.newsmemory.com/loadPage.php?token=473SyOHY7JiTcHOTopmXoJafi5eVn5PmnMdvc5Oflp2jlKKFm5Cil6iYkQ%253D%253D

To Be Continued...

Lynn

The Wedding Day!

Can you find us??? Back in the left hand corner watching as our youngest daughter

dances her first dance with her new husband...

They were so happy and so were we!!!

OK so Colleen, Amanda and I all left in 3 different cars

to get our hair done.

Colleen's appointment was first

and as I sit here I can't even remember if we were even there

at the same time...

I know I had talked to her several times on the phone,

than she was off to make a couple more stops before going back to the Venue...

Amanda's appointment was next

she was almost done by the time I arrived!

When I got there I was a wreck, still crying at any little thing.

But Bill tried to calm my nerves

and did my hair beautifully..

(As I sit here writing It just hit me we took pictures that day at the beauty shop, they are on the camera that is lost or thrown away somewhere... that makes me so sad to have all those personal shots gone)

So off I went to go back home and get dressed...

So glad now that I had steamed all the girl dresses and mine on

Wednesday and Thursday nights..

Especially Amanda's that took probably an hour...

But they were done...

I jumped in the shower for maybe 2 minutes...

Girls all over my house running around

doing make up and jumping into dresses...

I grab Amanda's Dress and away we go...

I get there and I am amazed

things look beautiful

Everything back together

Sparkling Clean

And The Sun Is Shinning!!!

GOD IS GOOD!!!

To my amazement there is electric and the DJ is  going to have power!!!

How is this possible?

As friends come back I get bits and pieces of stories of the afternoon!

Two of the guys earlier in the day are going out to get

 Ice and more bottled water.

Going down the hill they pass someone they recognize!

He has a generator in the back of his truck...

They get out to talk to him and explain that there is a wedding at Heston's today...

He ask Who's Wedding?

They say It's Tommy Usary's youngest daughter Amanda...

that's getting married and we have no power for anything!!!

He has known our family his entire life, in fact I used to babysit him and his brothers and sister..

He said let me make a few calls and see what I can do!!!

Before we knew it...

There it was a Giant Generator with A Light Pole

You know like they use on the interstate when they are working at night!!!

He just brought it and said there you are!!!

Of course I cried again..

One of the bridesmaids made a call to one of Amanda's friends and he had another

generator there in no time flat!!!

So now we have power in the kitchen.

Our Food had been transferred at 1am Sat morning to our local Fire Dept.

we put everything in their refrigerator's.

Than that morning our great Cooks went to the Fire Dept and put everything on to heat up

and had to transport everything up the the Venue...

So much extra work was done that day to pull this off...

There are those cooks look really close you can see them smiling and having a great time...

Here we go everyone in line getting their food talking and enjoying

their evening. As if nothing from the day before had ever happened.

Of course there are ceiling fans everywhere there...

BUT!!!

not a one running...

Thank goodness the only thing the storm did bring was a little cooler

temperature and a breeze every once in a while...

To Be Continued...

Lynn

The Wedding Day!

At probably 9:00pm Friday night I was still trying to get service on my phone

Being all the way down on that property away from everything and everyone!

We had no idea what all was going on around us!

I finally got to make a call.

First I called my parents to check on them.

I ask my dad is everything OK there?

He said yea WHY???

LOL

So I thought they must have power and they have no idea what is going on!!!

My next call was to my BEST FRIEND!

The person I always call first when I need Prayers!!!

She is always there for me and this night I really needed her, she had no idea how much!!!

I called and told her everything was a mess!

It seemed like just minutes and there she and her husband were...

I fell into her arms and just sobbed..

Now if you know me you know I NEVER CRY!

At least not for anyone to see...

I was so glad she was there.

There was nothing anyone could do that night in the dark...

but she didn't waste any time and got on the phone and called all our friends...

We have 6 couples of us that have been friends since before kids...

that is a long time!!!

She ask what we needed and I just said bring leaf blowers,rakes and anything else you can think of

we will be back as soon as the sun comes up!

OMG!

The next morning we were there a little after 5am

and soon after here they came one by one!

I cried every time someone new came...

They just jumped right in doing everything!

Leaf blowers were cleaning the property..

All the gals were whipping off all the tables and anything else that need cleaning...

Chairs were being set back up...

The owners of the property came down and ran the lawn mowers to mulch up

the lawn after all the branches had been picked up...

My brother-in-law that had made that huge easel that got broken in the wind

came with his tools and put it back together..

It looked as good as new...

The men picked up those doors and bolted them back to the rebar

they had been ripped off.

And my amazing neighbor was there at 5:30 to basically

start all over decorating them again.

Than she started on the flowers that were all around the cabinet for the Mason Jars!

We worked so fast and furiously putting things back up one at a time.

My girlfriend getting candles ready!

All the men working to get the lights put up!

Yea they still put them up knowing we were probably not going to have power!

My sister-in-law filling globes with oil while tables were being set!

Time flew and at one point I said I would just stay and the kids could go

and get their hair done. It would be OK!

I still had to go put the flowers on the cake.

And I remembered OMG!

The wedding bouquet

I was suppose to finish that last night!

Jeanie she was my saving grace!

Along with everything else she finished it on time!

My girlfriends spent tireless hours primping over everything...

I had talked to Patty every morning all winter long. Describing everything in detail

that we had made and how and where I wanted to use it!

Boy did she listen...

Because after I left she and the rest of them made what they called

Executive Decisions!

And they were all Right On!

And my neighbor Jeanie everytime I was unsure about something and just needed someone to

check it out and give me an opinion she was right there to listen to my conserns.

What wonderful friends...

The  kids wouldn't let me stay they made me go get my hair done.

As I traveled up to get my hair done Patty would call and say is this OK or that OK???

Everyone of them had already been through this with almost all of their kids...

But this was my first...

I have never cried so much in my whole life..

They were good tears, I was just overwhelmed at all the kindness...

This could have never been done without them... all of them!

That day at 11am my oldest daughter came to me and ask

Mom do you know all the words to the songs they are playing during the ceremony?

I said yea right! Why?

Well mom we still have no POWER!

At that moment It just hit me like a ton of bricks...

Were we really going to have a Wedding?

To Be Continued...

Lynn

And Now For The Rest of The Story!

Less Than 24 hrs Before the Wedding!

For as many years as I can remember Amanda has loved Heston Farm

It was her dream to get married there someday.

She'd had friends get married there even in rain storms

and it was fine because even tough it is outside everything is under cover!

The weather was unusually hot this week

and Friday was really hot and they were calling for

a thunderstorm.

We started early putting up decorations

and if you have been reading this blog for the last week we had made most of them

in this last year.

Things were really starting to look nice

but it was time to go home and get ready for the Rehearsal Dinner

Than after the dinner that was at the other end of the property we would all

go back up to the pavilion to finish up what we could before calling it a night!

Remember my last post we talked about the beautiful weather we were having for the Rehearsal Dinner?

Everyone dressed for a luau!

Well things changed real quick that night!

We heard the first clap of thunder and a few of us thought we better run back up there and put

a few things a little more undercover...

Have you ever heard of a storm called a

DERECHO

http://earthsky.org/earth/videos-and-images-violent-us-storm-of-june-29-2012

This link will tell you a little more about it..

It is a lot like a tornado but instead of being vertical it comes in horizontal!

It went from being sunny and beautiful

to being

Yellow and Green/Gray

skies in just minutes.

The wind started picking up

they said upwards of 70+ mile an hour winds..

We were grabbing decorations and stuff and literally throwing them in the kitchen

which was the only completely covered area.

Those beautifully decorated doors at one point I saw two men trying

hold them up. At that time I looked up and all those beautiful trees were just

twisting off and exploding right in front of us.

At That Point...

I screamed for everyone to drop everything and run to the kitchen...

Those doors dropped to the floor and we ran.

The sky was black at that moment and it was only 8:00

and the roar was so loud as it passed over us.

I had never seen or heard anything like it!

All the power was out and we were tripping over things in the kitchen,

trying to get around with our lights on our cell phones.

We came out of the kitchen...

only to see all the destruction this had left in it's path.

I grabbed Amanda in my arms 

both of us in shock at this point to what had just happened...

We just stood and cried!

Looking around to see if anyone was hurt and wondering how everyone was that we had just

left at the other end of the property. Because they had no real cover down there. Just an open pavilion.

It seemed forever before anyone came up from down there.

Everyone was OK...

except for Amber who fell and really scrapped up her leg.

We waited for power to come back on, and made phone calls to see if we could get any help down there.

Tried to check out the property..

for any damage...

The cabinet that was to have all those mason jars had blown down and was full of water.

There were Hydrangea's all over the place.

Chairs set up for the service were blown here and there.

Limbs and leaves scattered the beautifully manicured property.

Benches and chairs around the fire pit were all down.

It seemed that the storm came right up the rivers path!

The doors they stood in front of just a couple of hours earlier at the Rehersal were a mess...

These doors were held up with rebar driven in the ground and bolted to the back of the doors..

Chairs blown and leaves everywhere...

furniture around the fire pit

This tree was right behind our pavilion

just twisted and wripped apart.

That evening the sound of chain saws rang out into the we hours of the night.

The fire alarms kept ringing.

Trees on homes and roads and in the river all around us.

This tree behind us looked liked it had been pealed like a banana..

Up rooted trees just laid in the river and almost 4 weeks later it is still there.

For a week there was no power on that hill and as you can see power was off in a huge area of the East...

But it was hit and miss... we live less than a mile from where the wedding took place and we never lost power. But that whole hill was without for a week.

West Virginia had almost 500 electrical poles down...

and twisted towers...

stuff like this doesn't get fixed overnight! 

To Be Continued...

Lynn