My grandparents' anniversary ... August 21, 1904

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9CpXkUNZcH3Fc_FJKCrLfMGcXCIFIhOAwk7RpeVQsMsg-SYF3Ut8desaCyxXQiPVepS41iFTqnn_xLn7thNSerJs-CfSaZ5PpNgdJFGhEU2zqTlZbGvWUBAalrjVaoupnC5AARurcWJcW/s1600/a+cabin.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="271" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508032850494499970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9CpXkUNZcH3Fc_FJKCrLfMGcXCIFIhOAwk7RpeVQsMsg-SYF3Ut8desaCyxXQiPVepS41iFTqnn_xLn7thNSerJs-CfSaZ5PpNgdJFGhEU2zqTlZbGvWUBAalrjVaoupnC5AARurcWJcW/s400/a+cabin.jpeg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><br />There's a narrow gold wedding band I wear on my left hand along with my own. It is my grandmother's wedding band that was left to me when she passed away many years ago. Inside is engraved my grandparents' initials and the date of their wedding ... August 21, 1904 ... 109 years ago today.<br /><br />My grandfather was from Grayson County in southwest Virginia. My grandmother was from Allegheny County, NC, just across the New River and state line. They met at an all-night dance, a tradition during those days in the mountains where the young people would meet at someone's house for a dance party. The social gatherings would last all night because folks lived such long distances from one another and it was difficult and dangerous to travel through the mountains after dark.<br /><br />I don't know how long they courted but my grandmother, whose father was a <a href="http://swacgirl.blogspot.com/2012/08/my-great-grandfathers-kennedy-country.html">prominent and prosperous store keeper and farmer</a> in the Turkey Knob community outside Sparta, NC, consented to become my grandfather's wife and move away from her family. Because the marriage license was obtained in Virginia, my grandparents, along with the wedding party, walked to the Virginia-North Carolina state line and were married in the middle of the road. My mother said that was a common practice back in those days.<br /><br />Their names were John and Molly and they were two teenagers beginning life together as generations had done before in those isolated, hard-scrapple mountains. They settled in a small cabin on the side of a mountain near an area known as Mouth of Wilson, located in the shadow of Grayson Highlands and Mt. Rogers in the days before they became a state park.<br /><br />The land was sloped and rocky ... the elevation was over 3,500 feet ... and to walk it today makes me wonder how they were able to survive in the harsh winters and difficult summers. In two rooms, they began raising their family that would eventually include 10 children ... my mother was the youngest. My grandfather farmed with a mule and plow, piling rocks on the hillside that are still in place to this day. A small creek passes below the cabin, a source of water during the days they lived in those cramped, sparse conditions.<br /><br />They were surrounded by family. Our relatives are all through those hills, most staying close as they grew into adulthood, married, and raised families of their own. My grandfather's parents lived in a log cabin on the Knob, the family place that was made up of two rooms and a fireplace on the ground floor, and one large room upstairs. <br /><br />Because they were tough and made their own way, they set a work ethic for those of us who followed that continues to this day. And, as I once again look at the gold band on my ring finger, I think about how it all began on this day 109 years ago when John and Molly became man and wife.

Appalachian Mountains family Grayson County Grayson Highlands Mt. Rogers My grandparents' anniversary ... August 21, 1904

There's a narrow gold wedding band I wear on my left hand along with my own. It is my grandmother's wedding band that was left to me...

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Family

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzorHewOrd8Hc2eJe9qzC4OPPcQEuV7a25gwpqO5mIrIs8o0VOD-OfhcgECPXy-RM-Pegm1N6b4Vp940LOvCCPCkbFKkDXwkEwgRcsO0pErREIalOJgkAhdS5fvnUQ7zHrgRWw_JGMdN_/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzorHewOrd8Hc2eJe9qzC4OPPcQEuV7a25gwpqO5mIrIs8o0VOD-OfhcgECPXy-RM-Pegm1N6b4Vp940LOvCCPCkbFKkDXwkEwgRcsO0pErREIalOJgkAhdS5fvnUQ7zHrgRWw_JGMdN_/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Birthday celebration on the deck.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHPxekV8ETst-1R3yFUrmFzkwn8fToyZqKKTF-nRK_zN6sEYjbDUzLBTv4tv9iYq0qlyB0LXcOkcecssR1YWbampUGe8kokAN1HOXMPCrnuT2-nZtxoQskXLBoulA4GGjCNesCXXHTdN1/s1600/1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHPxekV8ETst-1R3yFUrmFzkwn8fToyZqKKTF-nRK_zN6sEYjbDUzLBTv4tv9iYq0qlyB0LXcOkcecssR1YWbampUGe8kokAN1HOXMPCrnuT2-nZtxoQskXLBoulA4GGjCNesCXXHTdN1/s400/1a.jpg" width="163" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>He brought flowers for his grandmother.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3XlfYOTpPQxp6qGLqYPg-RI_Mfy9NybScY7tpZitknfZ46o1EHerETS9mzoPX8xCvzjOy9J7CXnLPd1ZXZ600awQ_diSued9_rxCJqQif97qoTLdZttSm5IR0uo1VYqoSjGcu-V1NPl0/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3XlfYOTpPQxp6qGLqYPg-RI_Mfy9NybScY7tpZitknfZ46o1EHerETS9mzoPX8xCvzjOy9J7CXnLPd1ZXZ600awQ_diSued9_rxCJqQif97qoTLdZttSm5IR0uo1VYqoSjGcu-V1NPl0/s640/2.jpg" width="388" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Mom with the beautiful flowers from cousins Lynn and John Osborne in Chesterfield.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbUaXJRojMov-ppJ4QZS9qS5Qa8FAGlcZo9BlAkT6X5ZIir8qCD0jgeu_YaZ8ElH95OE6_Zps8_R8V1aAq6UD8v_seH_gqPyZXRPYJTklP8VAJLbi7F2d_-RElH66inB3w-EQ_s9VLwa3/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbUaXJRojMov-ppJ4QZS9qS5Qa8FAGlcZo9BlAkT6X5ZIir8qCD0jgeu_YaZ8ElH95OE6_Zps8_R8V1aAq6UD8v_seH_gqPyZXRPYJTklP8VAJLbi7F2d_-RElH66inB3w-EQ_s9VLwa3/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSiG6pRjJn7L3j_P-wxJ-5nvfY-ixCVZqujVxjI5-4ax2f2rSqHLpTfBSgy6kMslb5W0j2XQAbPrL1GQ_cz9VFprMrNVUrXce6SHqgLVxNImr9icdEotdrrmhbqOBACKhwoS6DTick6BqT/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSiG6pRjJn7L3j_P-wxJ-5nvfY-ixCVZqujVxjI5-4ax2f2rSqHLpTfBSgy6kMslb5W0j2XQAbPrL1GQ_cz9VFprMrNVUrXce6SHqgLVxNImr9icdEotdrrmhbqOBACKhwoS6DTick6BqT/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUYWYs0emmlvK4qnSNEFekqfM3NTljJunoGLutNMxylf5ILmYJf7Hmu0_Umf1AmLcVLg4lG9XNEYlewtrG811NPh4zcWHAardNsXTv36qRvDb6yo8pGqMWzMk1fCDmfSBXIP5zS6vqiqG/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUYWYs0emmlvK4qnSNEFekqfM3NTljJunoGLutNMxylf5ILmYJf7Hmu0_Umf1AmLcVLg4lG9XNEYlewtrG811NPh4zcWHAardNsXTv36qRvDb6yo8pGqMWzMk1fCDmfSBXIP5zS6vqiqG/s400/4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Dinner was marinated pork chops and corn on the cob from the grill, boiled Yukon Gold potatoes and sliced tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, and grilled flat bread. Summer eating is some kind of good with all the fresh produce.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtuMvQlGre56lv0dJiat56_e6XYxAkA0sWuEpyihxKkdcAlErLKr0ZeC00Oa2F5COqORkfkxo4uBgMvgfwPKUc8GJHMog5NkOfzbQd9Yvj8NK9IV63P5LNstC0YTBuElvlDAtclRzKoSSO/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtuMvQlGre56lv0dJiat56_e6XYxAkA0sWuEpyihxKkdcAlErLKr0ZeC00Oa2F5COqORkfkxo4uBgMvgfwPKUc8GJHMog5NkOfzbQd9Yvj8NK9IV63P5LNstC0YTBuElvlDAtclRzKoSSO/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Gourmet birthday cupcakes for the birthday folks ... both my parents and SWAC Husband.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUAOy6-pPoWtRdNrAiAh-aIpuPtJvKrXhr2ja5rCsFy8uWhTK2NmGt2olzMjIy1roQCnxp_ttTcSt7XiGoEn2X6hB4Peo6CBEJ3HzBw1Nu-fdnt5PPHToDUnAtfmedUf6mcFTyJgPi0Iyi/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUAOy6-pPoWtRdNrAiAh-aIpuPtJvKrXhr2ja5rCsFy8uWhTK2NmGt2olzMjIy1roQCnxp_ttTcSt7XiGoEn2X6hB4Peo6CBEJ3HzBw1Nu-fdnt5PPHToDUnAtfmedUf6mcFTyJgPi0Iyi/s400/5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>SWAC Son brought flowers for me, too, even though he and I are February babies.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWPMnCTgN5zyPLSytmMi49DrggXI5kuqwlBsMp6ezC0Iy8toE0vqPEIq1WW8oLb5X4sSR6r405B2lCfodRhPnNBl5wdvG6bK63OfFR4ZgxcavHbVPlGtQxGJWKEv87fksLmX6xjPF0hEN/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWPMnCTgN5zyPLSytmMi49DrggXI5kuqwlBsMp6ezC0Iy8toE0vqPEIq1WW8oLb5X4sSR6r405B2lCfodRhPnNBl5wdvG6bK63OfFR4ZgxcavHbVPlGtQxGJWKEv87fksLmX6xjPF0hEN/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>My bookworm parents rocking and reading on the front porch.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirUSwklR_qZWszUqKtYODYjP7eHPQCknvcKTprEOH66OvQIymupSiQwnhhZe_n9wlXoE1FXowDJjtqG1TSJb3VWR7FnosuKmIuSaWIdTK-YjXO41310D95lbNlHOy9WxcJgWjjdaICV_Y-/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirUSwklR_qZWszUqKtYODYjP7eHPQCknvcKTprEOH66OvQIymupSiQwnhhZe_n9wlXoE1FXowDJjtqG1TSJb3VWR7FnosuKmIuSaWIdTK-YjXO41310D95lbNlHOy9WxcJgWjjdaICV_Y-/s400/2.jpg" width="167" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Stepping out in the back yard.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINo4_GuMbUBTyS3GtjcsOedZkyDIKW8b0AfkdTuCqR6bd72R_9YuGdSqmlGQkDL7v6GmUa0wrI-WNdKxKgtu6DjtfHy35UzlfttimPc9RjH8uqqmkgYub2WPxIwhRIDJQ79maICdDp2I5/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINo4_GuMbUBTyS3GtjcsOedZkyDIKW8b0AfkdTuCqR6bd72R_9YuGdSqmlGQkDL7v6GmUa0wrI-WNdKxKgtu6DjtfHy35UzlfttimPc9RjH8uqqmkgYub2WPxIwhRIDJQ79maICdDp2I5/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>They like to roam the yard and woods when visiting, checking out the plants, trees, and flowers they have passed along to us over the years. They like to check out the garden, too, and both love tomatoes so we sent them home with a load of freshly-picked produce.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2AY84rFTSXCCa0HeFJxBsm83iLj4pvNAMRk7j4Om-kMXCs6UMrOnlLIvriAnrCnwUbk7rpkEUAkh_fF8fzKJrP5RqOy4GusUP20pgBBY3YO72KCKpeWEfexKb_f8WehG4zAAO5SABA9Bu/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2AY84rFTSXCCa0HeFJxBsm83iLj4pvNAMRk7j4Om-kMXCs6UMrOnlLIvriAnrCnwUbk7rpkEUAkh_fF8fzKJrP5RqOy4GusUP20pgBBY3YO72KCKpeWEfexKb_f8WehG4zAAO5SABA9Bu/s400/4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I have a Country Mouse and a City Mouse for parents ... both grew up with different background experiences ... but both love the outdoors.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-H3lvpAvu-jMxmsTWkn163kY93e_asSGtWlT_XKAFbVwBI145SV-zJXdxBiEkaNiKreRnvomC8gMUH948XTYkRi8UfVV7M1M0U3U1XH2ZCVvWXmZUXbRsAwlU_E7t0fkp1etMuxSwMhW/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-H3lvpAvu-jMxmsTWkn163kY93e_asSGtWlT_XKAFbVwBI145SV-zJXdxBiEkaNiKreRnvomC8gMUH948XTYkRi8UfVV7M1M0U3U1XH2ZCVvWXmZUXbRsAwlU_E7t0fkp1etMuxSwMhW/s400/5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />My parents were in town this week for a visit. We were celebrating birthdays and family. They are in their 80s and still perking right along and, while visiting, they didn't really want to go anywhere but, rather, just talk, read, and enjoy the peace and quiet of the Shenandoah Valley. <br /><br />So that's exactly what we did. SWAC Son joined us as we celebrated the birthdays on Monday with dinner on the deck ... grilled pork chops and corn with goodies from the garden -- boiled Yukon Gold potatoes as well as freshly picked tomatoes and cucumbers, along with strawberries, blueberries, and peaches. Oh -- and gourmet cupcakes for the birthday kids -- strawberry-topped cupcakes for my folks and key lime-flavored for SWAC Husband.  And gorgeous flowers for Mom from SWAC Son and cousins in Richmond. It was a feast on the deck overlooking the back yard, woods, and mountain ridge, and so we lingered until dark, talking and enjoying the cool evening breeze.<br /><br />It was a good week and we were thankful that the weather cooperated with low humidity, low temps, and a breeze, and even the rain showers were gentle enough to sit on the porch and read. I set up the video camera and recorded Mom talking about family history, something we need to continue next time we're together, and took notes that will be added to our genealogy books.<br /><br />They are part of the World War II generation, a sad, fascinating time in American and world history, and each personal perspective of that time as teenagers is unique ... one graduating high school and going straight to work ... the other graduating high school and attending Virginia Tech before the Navy pulled him into the war. Victory gardens, ration coupons, gas shortages, loss of a sibling during the war ... they know it up close and personal. <br /><br />Family and the Shenandoah Valley. It doesn't get much better....<br /><br /><i>Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell</i><br /><i>August 2013</i>

Augusta County Blue Ridge Mountains family friendship parents Shenandoah Valley World War II Family

Birthday celebration on the deck. He brought flowers for his grandmother. Mom with the beautiful flowers from cousins Lynn and John Osborne ...

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Back in the homeschool classroom: Grown son's first house

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQbaOY5gze7LqBd5pDiAjc5xYhu_mLZoyWT3tTknRMnn58TJNY32Kfnlon8Paox6t6mJ_HO9UN7z-O_mEEnRdCWkhMNpl1z7mN_iNrfWNINzKgG9t2X39t6g90sjtL1cNYfDWxHsBuqflP/s1600/25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQbaOY5gze7LqBd5pDiAjc5xYhu_mLZoyWT3tTknRMnn58TJNY32Kfnlon8Paox6t6mJ_HO9UN7z-O_mEEnRdCWkhMNpl1z7mN_iNrfWNINzKgG9t2X39t6g90sjtL1cNYfDWxHsBuqflP/s400/25.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Unpacking and organizing in the new kitchen.</i> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>We're proud of our son. At the age of 29, he has become a home owner, purchasing (on his own with no help from us) his first house -- a three bedroom, two bath with one car garage and pool with a view of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park. <br /><br />It's a path he has been on since graduating from homeschool high school. Educated at home in grades 2-12, he attended nearby Blue Ridge Community College and then transferred to James Madison University's computer school to complete his degree. He secured a job in Harrisonburg and moved into an apartment with friends, paid off his student loan within a year, then saved and finally bought a new car after driving an old one since the age of 16. With the car paid off, he turned his attention to home ownership. <br /><br />This year, that became a reality. His friends, sister, brother-in-law, aunt, uncle, cousin, and grandparents have visited. We gathered as a family at his house and celebrated.<br /><br />The foundation laid during his youth has paid off with his fiscal responsibility and determined path in life. His dad and I are proud. He now has a nest of his own.<br /><br />---<br /><i>Lynn Mitchell educated her children at home for 16 years and was part of leadership in North Carolina's Iredell County Home Educators (ICHE) and Virginia's Parent Educators of Augusta County Homes (PEACH). Her son graduated from Harrisonburg's James Madison University (JMU) in 2007 with a BS in Computer Science and a minor in Creative Writing. Her daughter graduated from Staunton's Mary Baldwin College in 2012 with a BS in Sustainable Business and Marketing. Lynn and her husband live in Augusta County located in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The story of how she began her homeschool journey <a href="http://swacgirl.blogspot.com/2013/01/back-in-homeschool-classroom-blazing.html">can be found here</a>.</i> <br /><br />Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell<br />June 2013

Back in the homeschool classroom Blue Ridge Community College family James Madison University Lynn R. Mitchell personal responsibility Back in the homeschool classroom: Grown son's first house

  Unpacking and organizing in the new kitchen. We're proud of our son. At the age of 29, he has become a home owner, purchasing (on his...

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Jenna Bush Hager reveals 5 life lessons learned from her grandparents

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-bsE6rsJGcnkGSvJyhVDGaGZhiMd7lWuTy5VSHNVlKaoqltlJLe0agF0aj9FjwtFUKlziO9cY_fsTAnVJi4eZTE1UawjBfmsTPwo7INgkTskSBlc-bsGXVCxoqTNrMG5hVqFg-zZQYXiq/s1600/Jenna+Bush+2+baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-bsE6rsJGcnkGSvJyhVDGaGZhiMd7lWuTy5VSHNVlKaoqltlJLe0agF0aj9FjwtFUKlziO9cY_fsTAnVJi4eZTE1UawjBfmsTPwo7INgkTskSBlc-bsGXVCxoqTNrMG5hVqFg-zZQYXiq/s320/Jenna+Bush+2+baby.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Jenna Bush Hager, one of the twin daughters of former President George W. and Laura Bush who is married to Henry Hager, son of Virginia's former Lieutenant Governor John Hager, recently shared <a href="http://www.today.com/allday/jenna-bush-hager-5-things-i-learned-my-grandfather-grandmother-1C8819779">five life lessons</a> that were passed along from her grandparents. Those grandparents are former President George H.W.  and Barbara Bush.<br /><br />Be sure to <a href="http://www.today.com/allday/jenna-bush-hager-5-things-i-learned-my-grandfather-grandmother-1C8819779">read Jenna's article</a> for her expanded explanations of the five life lessons passed along from George and Barbara: <br /><br />1. Don't talk too much about yourself.<br />2. Have lots of loyal friends -- and be one.<br />3. Laugh.<br />4. Love.<br />5. Write handwritten notes.

Barbara Bush family friendship George H.W. Bush George W. Bush Henry Hager Jenna Bush Hager John Hager Laura Bush Jenna Bush Hager reveals 5 life lessons learned from her grandparents

Jenna Bush Hager, one of the twin daughters of former President George W. and Laura Bush who is married to Henry Hager, son of Virginia'...

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Ahhhh

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4I_FSvDPIVvnjAiLZU12dqxSisQqbK6N3w_VwY5f77qYVetojlswyTpNmhK0tEjrjH8ejNpcv6Z42ezL9DQGRkhBukexjFehy333l13reSLe9zh2EYaG1TvF9SJexZ-VObvhhIDhNh31/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4I_FSvDPIVvnjAiLZU12dqxSisQqbK6N3w_VwY5f77qYVetojlswyTpNmhK0tEjrjH8ejNpcv6Z42ezL9DQGRkhBukexjFehy333l13reSLe9zh2EYaG1TvF9SJexZ-VObvhhIDhNh31/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefieM0nTVyeQ1ZKxj6GwL_Yt9u0manjZbKkZY30-H7H_CJzlNVaRMMj0cWAEAcNy1HyCrRrKAtWoHbJkAh5nsOqVuFf5_QTeuD2ysFX7kSiPa_KCAxulJQbBuhdUjwUVL834CZMbY9i5r/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefieM0nTVyeQ1ZKxj6GwL_Yt9u0manjZbKkZY30-H7H_CJzlNVaRMMj0cWAEAcNy1HyCrRrKAtWoHbJkAh5nsOqVuFf5_QTeuD2ysFX7kSiPa_KCAxulJQbBuhdUjwUVL834CZMbY9i5r/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMHTh-bEJAgPqHNpwWWCgcVshwa_0sab47RWfEWxclmUo98XmjDZi1heXRwUUPP4IPCgd2Yfb65ZhmG4w_482hGWGOYdKsLB9j0cKtlsYlLhZXyITPPinMojXBnPlxgK-yk2Q3kykq2J8/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMHTh-bEJAgPqHNpwWWCgcVshwa_0sab47RWfEWxclmUo98XmjDZi1heXRwUUPP4IPCgd2Yfb65ZhmG4w_482hGWGOYdKsLB9j0cKtlsYlLhZXyITPPinMojXBnPlxgK-yk2Q3kykq2J8/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia8EngkRyxaa0TC6-ovi6StCFWWtdcPrrIDSFt-H94edOVD61jp8AfRy2GoCCQnvlhBHMvhCGoOMhqewHy0i6-lXtEQy8EuoKhzTfmxktgWfEXUXxb84NK9yMDjV_sbvUQR93xbOt8CoTW/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia8EngkRyxaa0TC6-ovi6StCFWWtdcPrrIDSFt-H94edOVD61jp8AfRy2GoCCQnvlhBHMvhCGoOMhqewHy0i6-lXtEQy8EuoKhzTfmxktgWfEXUXxb84NK9yMDjV_sbvUQR93xbOt8CoTW/s400/4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell<br />Florida's Panhandle<br />May 2013

family Florida Panhandle Gulf of Mexico tourism Ahhhh

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell Florida's Panhandle May 2013

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Father's Day 2013: 'One More Day' ... with Dad

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyYFRVjhz7uof1EPnUo0V1LX2QdyTUWVBm8ZO9V1q96-4MjfZ5bg4JYN_pvZz_MxzX1raOHgop13P2tRjYBs8T5nde8Sa5V2zx28hPQkdp7fv-jwjiyvWQSs8H5CDuaTp8lrMi98UcLOo/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyYFRVjhz7uof1EPnUo0V1LX2QdyTUWVBm8ZO9V1q96-4MjfZ5bg4JYN_pvZz_MxzX1raOHgop13P2tRjYBs8T5nde8Sa5V2zx28hPQkdp7fv-jwjiyvWQSs8H5CDuaTp8lrMi98UcLOo/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Shenandoah National Park as the mountain laurel blooms. My dad had two places on earth he loved more than anywhere else: the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.</i></div><br /><i>[My annual Father's Day remembrance of my dad....]</i><br /><br />It's Father's Day and, once again, my dad is not here to be with us. He passed away in 1975 at the age of 51.<br /><br />There's a country song by Diamond Rio called <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuE1XJ_uqOs">"One More Day"</a> ... and every time I hear that song I think of my dad. It has been years since cancer took him from us and, yet, a word or song or thought can bring me to my knees as I continue to feel the loss of a man I admired and respected and miss to this day.<br /><br />He was a simple man, the oldest of five children growing up in Amelia County, Virginia ... a child of the Depression who quit school after eighth grade to help support his financially-strapped family.<br /><br />According to many pundits today, he should have felt sorry for himself and given up on life or blamed society. But he didn't. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, traveling to exotic places in the South Pacific as a gunner on the <i>USS Wisconsin</i>. He came home to Chesterfield County, Virginia, after the war, settled down, married, and raised three daughters. He wasn't the CEO of some company ... but to us he was more.<br /><br />He was funny, easy-going, and hard to anger ... but when he angered, look out. He was a stern disciplinarian who had a thundering velvet hand when we had misbehaved. He was a deacon in our church and a Sunday school teacher for most of his adult life. He played baseball on his company's team, and he taught us the game.<br /><br />My dad loved to camp in the Shenandoah National Park along the Skyline Drive. Because my parents couldn't afford pricey vacations, they took us to the mountains from the time we were young. Dad was a naturalist before it became fashionable. He was mindful of nature, teaching his girls to leave the flowers for others to enjoy. He taught us to pack out our trash, be respectful of the animals that lived there, and enjoy that beautiful part of Virginia.<br /><br />We still enjoy that beautiful part of Virginia. At the age of one, my parents took me for my first camping trip to Big Meadows Campground ... and we've been at it ever since ... and living in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains is a dream come true.<br /><br />Though not physically with me, I carry Dad's memory and honor him by remembering and practicing what he taught all those years ago.<br /><br />And that's why the Diamond Rio song can bring me to tears in a heartbeat ... if I could have just one more day with him it would be sitting around a campfire in Shenandoah National Park ... one more time.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuE1XJ_uqOs">"One More Day"</a><br />By Diamond Rio<br /><br />Last night I had a crazy dream<br />A wish was granted just for me, it could be for anything.<br />I didn't ask for money or a mansion in Malibu,<br />I simply wished for one more day with you.<br /><br />One more day, one more time...<br />One more sunset, maybe I'd be satisfied.<br />But then again, I know what it would do<br />Leave me wishin' still for one more day with you.<br /><br />First thing I'd do is pray for time to crawl,<br />I'd unplug the telephone, keep the TV off,<br />I'd hold you every second and say a million "I love you's"...<br />That's what I'd do with one more day with you.<br /><br />One more day, one more time...<br />One more sunset, maybe I'd be satisfied.<br />But then again, I know what it would do<br />Leave me wishin' still for one more day with you.<br /><br /><i>Originally posted on Father's Day 2007.</i>

Blue Ridge Mountains family Father's Day friendship mentoring Outer Banks Shenandoah National Park Skyline Drive Father's Day 2013: 'One More Day' ... with Dad

Shenandoah National Park as the mountain laurel blooms. My dad had two places on earth he loved more than anywhere else: the Outer Banks of ...

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