“Other things may change us, but we start and end with family”

So much has happened since the last post (granted it has been awhile). This last month has been packed full of very extreme feelings and situations.

Last month we lost our Papaw. He was a wonderful man and lived a long life. It was an absolutely beautiful weekend in the Tennessee mountains for the funeral. People were so sweet to bring an abundance of food to my Mamaw and my uncles, who are still living in town. Two hawks flew over and a train sounded during the service-- Papaw loved hawks and worked for the railroad. I have to tell you that one of the most amazing things that happened was that the entire town shut down to allow the funeral service to go through. Every corner had an officer and people stepped out of their homes to pay their respects as the funeral procession went by. I can't even describe how precious that was. Papaw was buried with full military honors in the family plot.



Throughout the weekend, we told our "Papaw" stories. Some of the few that I remember:
-Papaw used to pop out his teeth at us when we least expected it--scary, but I credit my dental hygiene to those moments.
-Papaw used to call me, "Ms. Molly O'Day"- I have no idea why, but it stuck for years.
-He used to send us 50 cent pieces on our birthdays.
-We used to play baseball with a plastic yellow bat in the backyard--it was so much fun.
-Papaw was also present for the first and last time I have ever shot a gun in my whole life.
-I caught a sting ray in Florida with Papaw and we went fishing on their boat.

He will be very missed.

Two weeks later my cousin Stephen got married. Congrats Stephen and Cambridge! It was a beautiful service that was very "them". Flower petals lined the aisle and Stephen and Cambridge created and decorated the arbor that they got married under. The party was full of laughter, good music, LoVe and dancing.

We also got all of the cupcakes finished and they were delicious. It is so much fun to do this for the people we love. Hopefully, I will get some other pictures, as well-- but here are a few:












While this has been a whirlwind month, it has been full of family and love--the things that get me through each and every day. It would be nice to slow down and be able to soak it all in, but I guess that will have to wait til I turn in my last assignment in December ;).

Enjoy the day! Love your family!