Another Sprout on the Family Tree!!

Tony Lee & Juanita (Melhorn) Cooley have a SON! Ashley and Kristan have a little brother. Andy & Joy Cooley have a GRANDSON. And the little guy does NOT yet have a name! Well, actually he has too many names and Daddy & Mommy are still trying to decide which one they want to keep. (update: His name is Christopher Lee.)

Thank You, God, for watching over Mom and Baby Christopher Lee!

Christopher Lee arrived yesterday, Fri, Oct 24, 8:41 pm. He weighed 7.5 pounds and is 21 inches long.

CONGRATULATIONS,

Tony & Juanita, Ashley and Kristan!!

WELCOME, CHRISTOPHER LEE!

* blush *

I confess, I cheated and sneaked (no, not snuck!) 3 (update: now 5) posts in here labeled with the dates when I should have posted them! Now, I'm current. Yay! :)

What goes up must come down...

Thank God for His continued guidance!

Another celebration of Life!

Knock on wood...

Celebrating a Family Mile Marker

I haven't figured out if blogging is work or play. lol Some days after I have been on the computer alllllll day, I think about posting on my blog and it feels like more work. Then other days I think about posting and it feels like I shouldn't shirk my work to play on my blog. I do enjoy keeping up with you all through your blogs (and FaceBook too, I might add!!), so I'll try to do better on my blog.

Celebrating a Family MileMarker

My husband Ken's parents, Ken & Donna Young, were married on October 11, 1958, which being interpreted is, FIFTY years ago--a Golden Anniversary! Instead of letting them have a second honeymoon (jk), the family coordinated a weekend getaway in a mountain cabin near the little town of Ellijay (north of Atlanta, GA) to celebrate their 50-year milestone.

I have to put this note in here. :) Shortly after Ken & I started dating, my Uncle Jim & Aunt Georgine came to visit with us for a Cooley family event. When I introduced Ken to them, Uncle Jim said, "I used to go to school with a Ken Young. He played trumpet in a trumpet trio which I accompanied on the piano, and I stood up for him at his wedding, but I have no idea where he is now." Sure enough, Uncle Jim and Ken's parents attended school together and Uncle Jim was in their wedding all those years ago! What a coincidence! Small world...

My sister-in-law, Christine, is far more a shutterbug than I am, and she happily (I think!) agreed to share her pictures with the rest of the family. She did a fabulous job taking pictures as well as chronicling the weekend, so be sure to see these posts on her blog to see what a wonderful weekend and celebration we had!

Anniversary Weekend - Check out the awesome accommodations at Rivers Bend cabin! Ken & I stayed in the Bear room. My favorite feature of the cabin was the front porch. The most un-favorite feature was the driveway. Wayyyyy too steep.

Congratulations... Celebrating 50 Years Together! - photos of the celebrities :)

Anniversary Dinner - The GPS system took us round Robin Hood's barn and all his fields and back 40's to reach the Toccoa Riverside Restaurant. Most of the route was on a one-lane dirt road. We wondered how in the world a restaurant so far out in the boonies could even manage to stay in business. When we finally arrived, however, we discovered a much better route to get back to the cabin--on main roads, no less! Back at the cabin, I really enjoyed listening to the family conversation as Dad & Mom Young opened their cards and reminisced about the people who had sent them anniversary greetings.

More Weekend Fun - I think every household brought a bag/box full of games. We didn't play half of them, but we did have a great time playing the ones we played.

Family Photos - Best of all, it was just fun being together... and when you have the entire family together, you better get snappin'! We were so happy that Mom's sister and husband, Don & Lois White, were able to be with us for the weekend. (Uncle Don is Ken's hero!)

Wow, just doing this post, I feel this sentiment all over again: What a heritage!

Congratulations and thank you, Dad & Mom Young!

Knock on wood...

A picture's worth a thousand words... but this time "a thousand words" will have to do.

Maybe we should never have named our cars because since we named them, they seem to have taken on personalities of their own.

Our newer car, Repeat, came equipped with an alarm system which is designed, of course, to deter car theft. Well, this alarm is apparently multi-purpose or thinks it needs to see a little more action.

At random times, the horn has sounded its intermittent beep when apparently nothing has been anywhere near to it. We dash to the door, grab the remote and poke it to turn off the alarm. Then a week or so ago, we were driving down the road "just minding our own business," as Jeff Allen would say, when suddenly the horn started blaring. We were almost to a convenience store, so we pulled onto the edge of the parking area and turned off the engine, but the horn kept blaring. Ken did a fast restart so we could move to a much larger shopping center parking lot a little ways down the road and the horn stopped. * sigh * No rhyme or reason why it started or stopped, but whatever!

I have no idea who coined the phrase, "knock on wood," but we all know what it means, and I should've done it recently after responding, "Not much," to LaDonna's "What's been happening?"

It was either that night or the following night that at 4:10 AM, the car horn started blaring... and I don't mean the normal, intermittent beep, beep, beep. Oh, no! It was constant blaring. Ken grabbed the keys (keyring) and dashed to the front porch where he pushed repeatedly on the remote, waving it around from one angle to another as the horn continued hollering.

He ran down the steps to the car, tried to unlock the door, but the remote nor the keys would unlock it. He hurried to the front passenger door and tried again and was finally unable to unlock with the key. Now remember, the horn is blaring constantly all this time at 4:10 AM! He reached across to insert the key into the ignition, started the car then turned it off. No change. He stretched across to unlock the driver's door manually, then jumped out and ran around the back of the car to get in on the driver's side. He started the car again, put it in reverse, back into park, turned off the engine. No change. By this time, of course, lights were coming on in houses around us--one neighbor even came out on her front porch poking her remote at her car! lol

Robe and slippers notwithstanding, Ken suddenly decided he had to get the car out of the community, so he started the engine again and took off... well, as fast as you can take off trying not to break the 10 MPH speed limit within the community and get ousted! Also as fast as you can take off and wobble over 5-6 diagonal speed bumps. We both thought that if he drove a little way and turned off and restarted the engine, the horn might stop like it had before. (Can you tell we've accumulated a MicroSoft repair mentality?!) So he drove to the nearest parking area, tried off/on. No change. Drove onto main highway to get away from residential area, horn blaring, but thankfully not encountering much traffic--duh, it's 4:20 AM!

A sudden inspiration hit him that maybe someone would be on duty at the Buick dealer down the road, so he headed there with mixed emotions. Hoping someone would be there and yet not really wanting to interact with anyone because of being attired in robe and slippers! He turned off the main highway into the dealership, then turned left to enter the dealership, and * whew!! * the horn stopped. Like a kid who knows he's on the brink of consequence. Incredibly relieved, he made a U-turn toward home.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, I listened to him driving/blaring out of the community, praying the landlord wouldn't run these peasants off her land and figured he would drive somewhere to do the off/on bit before coming back in about three minutes. As three minutes became five, ten, then fifteen, I changed my prayers to keep Ken calm and rational, not to encounter a policeman--he didn't have his driver's license with him, and desperation for the horn to please stop its yelling. Realizing that things were obviously not going well, I decided I needed to go find him and at least offer moral support. I scurried around, dressing, then grabbing clothes, belt and shoes for Ken, cell phone, keys and purse for me, writing him a note to call my cell phone if he should come home and find me gone. My hand was on the doorknob when I heard a car door slam. He was home!! It was 4:40 AM.

You can only imagine the state of mind he was in recounting to me what had happened. Wearily, he dragged himself to bed, praying, pleading, begging that we wouldn't have a Repeat performance!

No less than twenty minutes later, just shortly after 5:00 AM, what to our wondering ears should we hear? You got it: our constantly blaring horn! To our credit, in just a very few minutes, Ken was dressed (I hadn't undressed--a name like Faith was lost on me at this point!), had grabbed up wallet, keys, etc, and we both had dashed out to the car, hopped in, and raced through the 10 MPH zone and over the 5-6 diagonal speed bumps, and reached the nearby local Lowe's-to-Walmart parking lot. We tried the off/on routine several times, driving around the empty parking lot between each attempt, again to no avail. Suddenly, as mysteriously as it had started, it stopped.

Since the remote was useless to lock, unlock, open the trunk, etc, we decided it needed a new battery, so I entered Walmart to purchase a replacement. New battery in place, the remote worked except that it didn't emit a "chirp" when we locked the car. Hey, we weren't about to complain. You gotta be kidding! We also weren't about to return home. What guarantee was there that the horn wouldn't start blaring again?! So we parked in a proper parking spot over in the Lowe's territory and reclined our seats to doze there until a "decent" hour. If we were in for an encore, we wanted it to be at least after daylight had come!

Thankfully, we have had no further occurrences! * KNOCK ON WOOD!! *

Another celebration of Life!

I remember how many years I heard "older people" saying they couldn't believe they were already such and such an age, i.e., "How could I be this old already?!" And I specifically remember thinking, "Good grief, how can you be that old and not feel it?!" Yep, you got it, now I'm saying it!

I don't recall the event that aggravated me, but I remember animatedly, loudly, tearfully expressing my aggravation to my dad about my name being Faith, "I hate my name! Why did you name me this awful name?! Why didn't you name me a pretty name?" Dad called me into his study, sat me on his lap, and said, "I want to tell you a story." I was somewhere around 6-8 years old.

Dad explained that Mom and Andy (next older sibling) both very nearly died when Andy was born. (Mom was a severe Type 1 diabetic along with various other health problems.) Because of that the doctor made it plain to Mom and Dad that they were not to have any more children.

Five years later, however (ha! don't you love all of us howevers?!), they found out that they were going to have another baby! The doctor was very upset and insisted that they should not let this baby be born. Mom could die; the baby could die; both Mom and baby could die--lots of sad scenarios. Dad might be left to raise three or even four children by himself. They were to go home and think about what the doctor had said and be ready to discuss this at the next appointment. Mom and Dad said they didn't need to think about it. They would pray about this situation and trust God that both Mom and baby would be safe, but even if both weren't, then God would give them the grace and strength to face and get through a difficult experience.

While they were waiting for the baby to be born, the doctor again and again pressured them not to let this baby be born, but they prayed and prayed and asked everybody they knew to pray too. When the baby--a girl!--was born, they had a name picked out to name her, but when he held her in his arms, he said, "She's only here by faith. We must name her Faith!"

Well, that explained why Brother Fred Watson always called me "the Faith child" and "the miracle girl"! I had been so annoyed that he always called me that and fussed over me. Now, it was great. (Bro Watson and Dad were doing some evangelistic work together back then. Actually, when I was born, Bro Watson made it to the hospital and saw me before my dad did!)

As I key this, I still sense the awe I felt that day Dad told me his story. That was ME?! I was that baby?! What a wonderful story! What a wonderful name! :)

Dad continued that the doctor said I probably wouldn't live long, but they would keep an eye on me to help me all they could. With each subsequent appointment, he couldn't believe I was healthy and thriving. It was because of faith! The devil had tried to keep me from being born, but God gave me life! God surely had a special plan for my life. When I reached my first birthday, they rejoiced again that the devil's plan had been defeated and faith in God had brought LIFE! Every birthday of my life should be a celebration of that defeat and our victory by faith.

(Obviously I was having a bad hair day! lol)

So my birthdays have always been a day of rejoicing. I've never tried to hide a birthday. I've never tried to hide how many birthdays I've had. Why would I? Every one has been a gift from God!

In an email from my big brother, Tim, today he said,

• I am thinking of the day, nearly 48 years ago, when I came home from school and PRESTO! There was a baby lying on the couch! My new sister! I don’t remember knowing there was a baby coming. You just showed up!
  
  I was a proud big brother. Somehow, probably with money from Mom and Dad, I bought you a little pink squeezy, squeaky teddy bear, that I thought you liked better than all your other toys. It was my gift to you!
  
  You have added joy to our family! Happy Birthday Again!

Isn't he an awesome big brother?!! :) I responded that he has told me that before (altho I enjoy hearing it every time he tells me!) and I have long wondered, "How did the family experience 9 months of a pregnant mother and a very bright 9 year old never have a clue that a baby was ready to be born—especially with all the prayer they were requesting!" That amazes me.

He sent a message back:

• People just did not talk about pregnancy in those days. Mom was sick and in the hospital different times. I don’t know how it happened that I did not realize what was happening, but I’m glad Mom and Dad had the faith to risk all.

Wow. What a heritage we have. What a legacy of faith. (no pun intended! lol)

For some months I have been wishing for an mp3 player. Guess what Ken's parents' gift was? :) I'm not an earphones person, so Ken complemented their gift with a nifty little speaker.

Most years since Ken & I have been married, we have been at a Chinese restaurant for my birthday meal. The last 11 years have been at Mandarin House in Knoxville. I seriously considered getting out of the rut this year, but when push came to shove... we ended up at Mandarin House. Tasty but, yeah, a little boring.

Just as we were preparing to leave, however, we heard music start and could not resist hanging around for a little while--it was a man playing a steel drum! We love the sounds from this instrument. (Several years ago we were privileged to watch a group of steel drummers in Opryland Hotel. That was unbelivable!! Since then we have purchased several "Carribean" CD's just to hear steel drums.)

Celebrate YOUR GIFT of LIFE! :)

Thank God for His continued guidance!

The last couple weeks were very topsy-turvy. At the last minute, we changed our plans about staying home for Ken's week off. We had a list of companies lined up where Ken was going to apply, houses we were going to look at (outside only at this point), and communities we were going to scout.

Late Saturday night, I decided to check the company website for the company for which Ken works. Aha! They had just posted three jobs! I whispered to Ken to come see what I had discovered, and while we sat there in the dining room discussing if and how this might change our week, we heard Ken's mom come from the bedroom to the living room. Something she had eaten for supper wasn't agreeing with her and she wasn't feeling well. We decided to talk with her and get her advice.

A few minutes later, Dad shuffled out and sat in his recliner. He was suffering with a pain in his side (which was later diagnosed as shingles--oww!!) So we heard his input too. :) As a result, we changed plans again and decided to pursue these other positions within the company and in the Charlotte, NC, area.

Incredibly, Ken was able to make some connections and contact the Charlotte supervisor. Through a series of glitches, however, the interview didn't happen until Friday. Everything seemed very positive. The supervisor said he would let Ken know by the end of the following week. The only negative we saw was an adjustment to a different shift, 1:30-10:00 pm, but since we are night owls, we didn't think it would prove terribly difficult.

The week went by with no word. On the next Monday, Ken talked with the "big boss" here in Knoxville and he offered to find out what was happening. Surprise! They had hired someone else because Ken had said he preferred day shift. No matter that Ken had told him the 1:30 shift was very workable and even the 2:30-11:00 pm shift was okay.

Well, I know I said it before, but we have prayed that God would open and close doors, so, although we are shaking our heads at the apparent confusion, we aren't questioning a thing. We're thanking God for giving us clear guidance. Again.

What goes up must come down...

I first thought to title this post "Up, Up and Away!" --serious cliche notwithstanding--but basically we saw these hot air balloons briefly sailing above us and then showering all around us.

Our stay-cation plans abruptly changed and we packed up and went to visit Ken's parents for a week while Ken did one last job application "blitz" for 2008. When we arrived, Mom was excitedly telling us about a hot air balloon they had watched come down (intentionally) the evening before. Hot air balloon fest was for the whole weekend and a contest was on that evening, and would we like to go on a hot air balloon chase? You betcha!

We piled in their van and took off. Close to Anderson we started seeing the balloons wafting close by and this one landed in a parking lot just to our left, so we darted in there and watched the process from landing to pack-up.

Letting the air out of the balloon and pulling the panels straight.

Folding and bundling.

All folded and bundled, ready to be placed in the canvas bag.

Placing in the big canvas tote.

The trailer that transports the paraphernalia.

Just as that balloon was being packed into the trailer, we noticed lotsa balloons off to the west. Mom asked a few nearby spectators where they were located and off we dashed again.

We found a place to park near the airport and two balloons appeared to be ready to land... and then swooshed upward and floated away. Mom took this photo. I think it's postcard perfect. And then the chase was on again!

As we were stopped at this traffic light, just ahead of us, a balloon landed in the middle of the road and the pilots (is that what they are called?) were firing up in spurts trying to get out of the way as traffic swerved around them. After five or six "hops" they were across the lane and finally up over the curb. Mom was thankful we weren't closer... I was disappointed we weren't! lol

Finally we spotted shopping center parking lots on both sides of the road where the balloons were coming down seemingly all at once. The sky was falling! lol A lot of balloons were in the lot to the left, but rather than taking up our time to make a left turn, we hurried into the lot on the right, jumped out, and scurried to the edge of the lot/grass where they were landing. So exciting!! I hardly knew where to look because they were everywhere!

Judging by the speed and angle this one was coming down, we were pretty sure this one would land right in front of us.

A gust of wind blew this balloon into another one just landing.

I love the designs and vibrant colors. They are so beautiful!

This one I mentioned earlier DID land right by us. I waited and waited to get a shot of the fire. No go. Finally, as we were walking away, I heard the whoosh and got this picture. :)