This is 93!

 

We celebrated my father-in-law's 93rd birthday yesterday.  Anyone who lives this long deserves all the cake, ice cream and presents!

 

 

Friday Favorite

I forgot one picture in my post yesterday.  It's one that I snapped during Sunday school in church in Cookeville.  My sweet 92 year old father-in-law taking notes!  I love that he is still plugged in to what is being taught at church.

 

 When was the last time you took notes in church?

Photo Dump

I have a lot of pictures, this and that from here and there, so I thought I'd just post them with a few words. This is from a couple weeks ago on our way to church.  Snow on the Southern California hills!

All the rain we've received means an abundance of green...

Seen at Cracker Barrel...

I love running in my sister-in-law's neighborhood.  The goats always have a little something to say.

A large herd of deer crossed in front of us.  I couldn't get my phone out in time to catch a picture.

But I did get a picture of my favorite dear!

 

Members of the McElhaney clan after the memorial service.  We were so blessed by all who came!

A visit to Cookeville isn't complete without a trip to the Lazy Cow Creamery!  You can get a double scoop in a waffle cone when you're 90.  Isn't Pops dapper?

A few shots from a trail run last week.  So much mud!

And finally ~ a boy and his dog!

Timeless

Les' dad arrived last night.  In his luggage is this Bible:

Bill received it after joining the Navy in 1951 when he was 18 years old.  Nearly 66 years later it is as enduring as ever.  Tucked in that Bible is a note from Grandpa McElhaney written in 1952 telling his youngest son to live right and honor the Lord, and that his dad would be praying for him.

Isaiah 40:8, "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever."  It is timeless!

Celebrate Good Times

I'm using today's title but not the writing prompt.  This week is the kickoff of a long anticipated event - McBRAAM ~ The McElhaney Brothers' Bicycle Ride Across America.

These two brothers, Lance and Les, will be riding their bicycles across the United States of America!  It has been on their bucket list for years and it is finally going to happen.  Les' dad, Bill, affectionately known as Pops, will be driving the support vehicle.  The route looks something like this:

They will leave Southern California on Saturday, September 30th and plan to be in Savannah, Georgia by Saturday, October 28th.  The two most common questions I have received:

1.  Are They Crazy??
Well, yes, a little.  Or maybe a lot.  However, this goal is not out of reach.  Les and Lance are both strong riders.  They will not be racing.  Pops will have water, fuel and tools in the van if (when) somethings goes wrong.  All three of them are very intelligent (it's actually kinda scary how smart they are) and they have spent months planning, researching, thinking, and planning some more.

2.  Are You Going With Them?
No.  Originally they had considered renting an RV and Les told me I was welcome to go along for part of the trip.  My response, "I'm not living in a rolling locker room for a month!"  This is a boys' only trip.  I am happy that they are doing this but I am happy to stay home.  I've got a to-do list that is growing and I hope to actually get it all done.  I will be flying to Atlanta during the final week to meet up with them and be in Savannah for the grand finale!

I'll be posting updates here from my perspective from time to time, but if you're interested they plan to blog daily at their own blog ~ McBRAAM.  Let the good times roll!

12/28 ~ Something Awesome (Photo-A-Day)

Yesterday we toured the Mighty Mo - the Battleship USS Missouri.  I'll do a full post later, but something awesome was this chow line:

Why was this chow line something awesome?  Les' dad was in the Navy in the 50s.  On Christmas day, his ship was docked next to the Missouri and the captain of the Missouri invited the entire crew to dine with them!

Who would have guessed that 60 years later Les would be standing where his dad had been as a young soldier.  I'd say that's something awesome!

Saluting Our Veterans

The observance of Veterans Day began in 1919, one year after the end of World War I. It was originally called "Armistice Day." President Wilson proclaimed it with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…" It wasn't until 1954 that this holiday was changed to Veterans Day to honor American veterans of all wars.


Dad had at least three uncles who served in World War II. They were Grandma Ruby's brothers. Here are some excerpts from emails about that time:

Lewis went into the service in 41 and spent 6 months away from his base in El Paso at a radio operations school in Kansas. When he got back he was called in to the office and told his mother was ill and was given a 10 day pass. He rode the bus to Woodlake and got to see our grandma that night but she was bed fast and had been for a while. She had a hard time seeing him and he had to get really close to her. When he got up in the morning, she wanted to fix his breakfast (just like a mom!) and tried to get up. She passed away that day.

It couldn't have been easy for our grandma to have three of her boys go in the military in wartime either.

Euel was in Germany and worked on railroads. Lewis was going to learn to shoe horses but ended up in radio instead, he was in the Philippines and was due to go to Japan when the war ended. Unsure where Kyle was.

The sacrifice of a mother, sending her sons to war. The sacrifice of sons, going to war, not knowing if they'll ever see their family again. I have a lot to be thankful for.


My father-in-law was in the Navy in Guam, the Philippines and Hawaii during the 1950s, but did not see combat. Here he is in his uniform:


And still able to wear it in 2007!



God bless America!