The Big 60 Final Chapter

Well, on November 9th, the big day arrived.  It started with e-cards coming in from Adam, Adie Price, Karen and Greg, David, and even one from Peru...Bill and Johanna. Then, Dean whisked me off to a wonderful lunch at Carmelita's. I still find that some of the best Mexican faire anywhere.

We then headed over to Tampa and the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel. My sister Mim and her hubby Ted joined us that evening, and they were going to stay through the 11th, Mim's birthday. Dean and I were surprised that evening with a fruit and cheese tray and a bottle of champagne. Thanks again Larry, we enjoyed it all!

Dean had to leave the next morning, but I got to stay another day. Margaret and Daddy got there, and the Hall girls got to celebrate their birthdays with their "good friend" Bill Hall. The celebration was certainly enhanced by Glenda, the good witch of the North. For those who know The Wizard of Oz slot machine..she visited me and rewarded me with $700+.

Unfortunately, we had a bit of a mishap Tuesday night. Daddy took a fall in the room. We found out when we got back to Monticello, the next day, that he has a broken rib. I guess we will have to "tone down" next year's celebration. Please keep our Daddy in your prayers.

So, the Big 60 came and went. I loved spending time and celebrating with  my family and friends.  To think...in high school, I didn't even think that "1984" would ever get here!!

Part 2 The Big 60

While Bobby Bowden celebrated his 80th birthday, I celebrated  Part 2 of the big 60, the day before my birthday. After church, Dean and I and his Mom headed for Largo, where Ruthie was competing in another gymnastics meet.

Ruthie had quite an audience for this meet. Her mom, two grandmothers, her Grandpa Dean, her Great-Grandmother "TuTu", and her 4th grade teacher Mrs. Rasmussen. She put on quite a show! The first pictures are a few shots of  their warm-ups...This is what I meant by getting tired just watching warm-ups!

You see how it hurts just to watch?


Ruthie began her rotation at the beam. This one gives her and a bunch of others their greatest challenge. Imagine, spinning, doing handstands, and other such activities on a narrow piece of wood above the gym floor!! Ruthie's determination and skill gave her the highest score so far...9.175.

                           AWESOME!!

Ruthie entertained us royally on the beam, on the floor, on the vault, and on the bars. 3 of her scores were 9.1+, and the vault was 8.8. She finished fifth Overall, in her group! Thanks, Miss Ruthie, for helping me celebrate Part 2! Enjoy some parting shots....

                                         

                       

             Be very careful when you put your hand on top of your head during a gymnastics meet...That can be some sticky stuff!!

How To Celebrate The Big 60 Part 1

OK, 60, by anyone's standards is getting right on up there in the age brackets. You begin looking in the mirror and seeing your mother staring back at you!! So how do you actually celebrate this birthday?? Well, part 1 happened today...just two days before my birthday.

We made my birthday trip from Monticello to St. Petersburg for the big football games.. Yes, Rusty and Flip played their final football game of the season. We missed our two biggest cheerleaders, Ruthie and Ellie, but we added their great grandmother, AKA TuTu, as a very qualified cheerleader!! After all, she raised three boys and attended baseball, soccer, and swimming meets...then had four boy grandkids, attending the same. She commented that this was fun, because "We didn't have football back in our day!"

We will start with Flip's game. Here he is with Matthew Stofer, discussing the strategies of the game..Hey, let's run fast and score more than the other team!! I think we get medals for this one!

Here are some of the action shots for the game...Flip pulled two flags and ran for a long gain. He had a great day, and enjoyed the cool weather. Though his team came up a few points short, they played with "determination" and did pick up some medals for their outstanding play!

Next, we move to the Rustmeister's game.

This weekend, the results were reversed. Where Flip picked up a couple of quarters from Grandpa, Rusty almost broke the bank. With blazing speed and dogged determination, Rusty rushed the quarterback, chased down the running backs, and showed excellent speed on the offense. His team won the game, and Rusty walked away with 7 quarters!!!! I know, and so does Adam, that there WERE sparks coming off those shoes , at one point!!

Yes, this was a great start to my birthday celebration. I even chased the two of them down for a big hug!

Dean's mom and I left the game to meet up with good buddies and newly retired, Elaine, Janet, and Charlotte, to wander around the Dunedin Art Festival. It was a beautiful afternoon, filled with great talk, great art, and great Kettle Korn. I do believe Mom enjoyed that the most!!

Turning 60 is a lot more painful than 30, but surrounded by loving friends and family, makes the journey easier. So, thank you my dear friends and loving family for making 60, Part 1 a little easier.

Fall on Lake Burton

Dean's mom has a birthday today, the 24th of October..she will be a beautiful 89. It has been 10 years since she could celebrate her birthday on Lake Burton. As soon as we arrived, all of us breathed in the crisp fall air and settled back to watch the leaves begin turning bright yellow, deep crimson and orange.

Baxter, who had been a howling "basket case" in the motel, settled right down and enjoyed his stay at the lake, and his ride on "Evie's Porch".

 Isn't my coat just precious?? Thanks MOM!!

Yes, we had to bundle up for our boat ride, but it was worth the effort. As usual Evie's Boat Tour was a huge success, as we checked out the latest construction projects, and gave thumbs up or thumbs down to the newest creative endeavors. We don't quite understand the lighthouse or turret or observation tower on the newest house...but someone with a bunch of money must have liked the idea.

We still like coming back to the Jerger place. Just hope that the generations to follow will appreciate having this beautiful place to come. Though Lake Burton is 95% Georgia Power Leased property, Dean's Mom and Dad purchased their 3 lots from long time resident Knox Bynum. With their foresight, and Dad's love of a challenge, our family will never have to worry about leases...Up Yonder will belong to the family as long as we wish to have it. After 40+ years, it still looks great and is such a peaceful place to come.

Ruthie's Gymnastics...The Beginning Chapters

Wow! were we ever impressed on Sunday. Ruthie was participating in only her second competitive gymnastics meet. For those of you who know, she is a Level 4 in experience, and so much higher in perseverance, dedication, and drive.

Her team is  "beautifully" outfitted in TuTu's (Ruthie's great grandmother, Evelyn, from whom she received her first name.) favorite color...PURPLE!!

They began their rotation at the bars, where Ruthie twisted and flipped and muscled her way into the number one position. It was a great start to the meet.

Then, they moved to the beam..I still have no comprehension of the courage it takes to spin, hop, and do handstands on that teeny little board, high above the ground. But, Ruthie did it and with style and grace.

Thirdly, the girls approached the floor exercises. Everyone does the same routine, to the same  music. So, by the time Ruthie got there, we kinda knew what to look out for. Though she fell short of the perfect 10, which I was awarding on every event, the judges rewarded her with the highest score of her age group. 9.375. I think if they would just review the tape, they would see it was really a 10! Again, Ruthie took top honor for that rotation.

Finally, she made her way to the vault, and again did a magnificent job on that apparatus, as well!

Then, Adam and Lori led us off to the rewards room, where all the "hardware" was presented to the highest scoring level 4's according to ages. Ruthie walked away with the two first places (Bars and Floor) plus a 7th in the vault. This propelled Ruthie into the #1 Overall gymnast in her age group! She got medals and a plaque, and she helped her team finish in 3rd place!

I don't know how, but she was able to muster up a smile and didn't seem the least bit winded by this unbelievable day of competition. I personally was exhausted, and had to rest my back after WATCHING the warm ups!

Way to go Miss Ruthie!!

Are You Ready For Some Football?

NFL?? No, it is not our favorite football league. NCAA?? This year, with FSU playing so poorly, again, not our favorite football league. Club Sports Kids?? YES...with two superstar grandsons playing, by far, our favorite football league.


Dean, Baxter and I headed for the  fields, for an exciting morning of flag football. Rusty and Flip provided two hours of thrilling, hard "non" hitting action that any fan of  the gridiron would have loved! Their fans went WILD!!

First it was Flip's team..Flip played with reckless abandon..grabbing flags right and left, running for a touchdown (which was called back due to the erroneous ref's call that he stepped out of bounds), and chewing his mouthpiece into submission. When it was all over, his team had won, and Flip had garnered 5 quarters from Grandpa, based on the 4 flags pulled and the "touchdown", and he was awarded with the "MPE". That is how Flip explains the, perhaps more commonly used, MVP of the game.

 

Next, it was the big "Rust". His team had yet to win a game. Today, Rusty helped his teammates change that outcome completely. Rusty, as usual, was the thorn in the opposing quarterback's side, as his blinding speed provided little time for picking out receivers. Rusty pulled 3 flags and had a great day on offense, rushing for a key first down! At the end, his team counted their first win, and Rusty garnered 4 quarters from his Grandpa!

We had a great time watching the boys play and playing with the girls. Baxter is still taking a nap after all the walks he took with Ellie and Ruthie.

 

United Way

Yes! This handsome United Way volunteer is none other than, Dean Jerger. Dean is the co-chair of the United Way campaign in Jefferson County. He and Nan Baughman begin this month, visiting or calling businesses in the area, schools, and others to contribute to this worthy organization. The two of them are spearheading this fundraising for the third or fourth year.

When I was an employee of Pinellas County Schools, I resented the fact that the county first took money (not much) for United Way. Finally, I opened my eyes to the kids in my classes who actually benefitted, in some way, from the United Way organizations. Then, I quit griping, and actually increased the nominal contribution. In a large county, like Pinellas, it is so easy to raise the big bucks!

Since we moved to Jefferson County, we have come to understand, not only the unmet needs of a small county, but also the fact, that the good folks and businesses get "tapped" time and time again for so many causes. The most fascinating thing to me is that these folks just keep giving and giving and giving. Even in these tough financial times, they understand that the needy keep getting needier, and that joining their small contributions can make a difference to the organizations in the county that serve those folks.

Jefferson, along with Madison County, are a couple of the smaller counties in the Big Bend area. So, United Way, up here, is called United Way of the Big Bend. The larger county, Leon, is able to raise money much like Pinellas, so the "Big Bend" shares a little of that wealth with the smaller counties. Our county raised $50,000 last year, but distributed over $70,000. Again, I see the generosity of people helping people...

Yes, I know, there are administrative costs in the United Way. In the Big Bend it is 17.5%. As you can see, the "little guys" do not pay any of that percentage,technically, as they distribute more than they raise. Without the organization, I believe many of the needs in a smaller county would continually go unmet.

So, thanks to Dean and Nan, for all the hard work they do for, as you can imagine, many, many causes in Jefferson County. And thanks for Jefferson County residents for "Living United".