Beach Celebration

Mermaid!

Stephanie and Cory celebrated their 2nd wedding anniversary by spending a week at their favorite beach spot. They invited me and Jaime and the kids to join them for a couple of days. We ate at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company. Here are some pictures. You can see that we had a great time. Stephanie's mom also came to spend some time with them before they finished off the week on their own. Happy Anniversary!

A Florida Summer Day from Long Ago

Here I am about 1957 at age 8 or 9 with my cousin, John, and my brother, Rick.
We were visiting my Aunt Nellie in Tampa, Florida very near to where I live now.

 Inside Aunt Nellie's house with my baby cousin, Denny

Rick on Aunt Nellie's porch

 Me, Mom and my baby cousin in Aunt Nellie's front yard.

Mom's hair was in pin curls, but check out what a tiny waist she had.

In 1956 or 1957 my family drove from Oklahoma to Tampa, Florida for a summer vacation. Tampa was a very exotic location to me with the tropical rainstorms, palm trees, and beaches. Aunt Nellie's kitchen was a converted Florida room with slatted glass jalousie windows. There was a banana tree by the kitchen window. I told my granddaughter, Jill, that I had pictures of myself when I was her age. So here they are.

Deja Vu All Over Again

Jaime and Jonah, 2000

I'm taking the occasion of Jonah's recent birthday to post one of my favorite pictures of Jonah and his mom. Jaime was favoring a short, strawberry blond hairdo at the time which matched perfectly with the red glow on little Jonah's head. That made me think of this picture of me and Cory. He was 11 months old. As I recall, a photographer actually came to the door! I let him in and went and changed myself and the baby. Can't imagine doing that today. But he took a nice picture.

Shari and Cory, 1972

My hairdo made me think of another set of pictures.

Shari, 1969

 Jill - last Thursday

6th Anniversary

 

 Our 6th anniversary at Ivarone's. Steak, wine, and cannoli's for dessert.

Graduation!

Another graduate in the family. Stephanie just graduated with a BA in Criminal Justice and now Mia has graduated from Pre-Kindergarten. Seriously.

At first she wasn't into it.

But then she was all smiles and sang all the words with her class song and even danced a little.

Then they put on their caps and gowns and marched down the aisle to Pomp and Circumstance. I confess to choking up a little. At the same time the end of year party was taking place at the school next door where Jill and Jonah and their friends were having fun at a Hawaiian-themed celebration.

Here are a few special graduation photos from the past.

Jaime had a graduation ceremony from kindergarten with cap and gown and a limo ride (around the block so they could arrive in style.) This must have been about 1985.

Here is Jonah in 2005. I have a better graduation picture but I can't find it.

Here I am in 1966 in my High School graduation picture.

 I even found this picture from my dad's graduation from Crescent, OK HS in 1939. He is the 3rd one from the right on the top row. How do I know it was 1939? Because I also have this cool little graduation book from the occasion.

Inside are all the names of the graduates in case you think someone in the picture above looks familiar.

Next door, at the end of school party, there was a lot of bouncing, dancing, pizza eating and hula hooping going on. Mia got a lot of attention from the older crowd as she came in still wearing her cap and gown.

Jill and Jaime hooped a little.

Mia is learning. Here she is with TWO hoops!

Concert in the Park

Jaime and Courtney

Jill hooping. (Notice her bangled belly dancing scarf.) Mia  and Jaime hooped, too.

Courtney and Jill dancing

There used to be a concert in the park every Friday night in the spring before the rainy season. I loved it. But then it got too crowded and then they moved it to a park in downtown Tampa. Well, I found out that some of the concerts are back in our local park so Jaime and I took Mia and Jill and Jill's mom, Courtney. It was a James Taylor tribute. Not really Jaime's music but definitely mine. There was mellow music, hula hooping, glow-in-the-dark jewelry, face painting, and ice cream eating. Everyone had fun and the little girls were exhausted and ready to have their faces washed by the time the concert ended at 9:00.

Jill at NASA and My Birthday Celebration

 

Jill had a field trip to NASA and even met John Glenn!

My birthday celebration

I like this picture of Alan

Fishin'

 

 

Mia

Baby Ryan (Grace and Dan's baby)

Cory and friends

Jaime and Alan cooked wings. Ymmm!

Aaron

Jill just returned from a field trip to NASA. She even met John Glenn! She was so excited. The other pictures are from a little cookout Jaime had at a nearby beach for my birthday. She had margaritas and chicken wings. It was awesome.

And then Mia took a nap.