December to remember

The pace was torrid, but the saga was glorious. Jenni graduated from Tech. Ben and Amy got married, and we had children, grandchildren and siblings and such from coast to coast visiting. All this in one weekend, Dec. 12-14.

Dianne and Linda came in Thursday so that they could attend all the honors ceremonies for Jenni on Friday. Laura and Atarah had their own saga of flight cancellations, re-routing and delays, but they made it in Friday night. Driving in separate cars from California were Jake, Ani and Isaiah (car 1) and Dick and Jim (truck 1). Heather, David, Jenna and Riley flew in from the East. All arrived Thursday. Roxanne and Davis flew in Southwest on Friday.

Because Jenni graduated cum laude, we had two honors ceremonies Friday afternoon. The College of Education ceremony at the Allen Theatre was followed immediately by a more personal one in the College of Human Sciences. Jenni and Grandpa Randy both participated in the graduation ceremonies Saturday morning, and then all retired to a reception hosted by Grandma Nancy.

On Sunday, most everyone drove to Fort Worth where Ben, Amy and Emily had already rehearsed the wedding. The gathering time music had an Irish flair, while the reception music afterward was a little country. Some combination of Best Man Jacob Willard Reddick Groomsman James Lynch Reddick, and Usher Kenneth Faulkner prepared the getaway car with appropriate surprises.

The couple (and Emily) returned to Lubbock for a few days prior to a year-end honeymoon.

Photos here by Roxanne Reddick. (For other photos, see the December Page.)

David, Riley, Linda, Dianne, Davis, Jenna

Jake and Ani

Laura and Davis hanging out.

Jenna at Wedding

Riley in car seat

Wild Wings dinner party: David, Kenneth, Atarah, Jenni, Heather, Laura and Isaiah

Emily and Aiden (background) couple's car

Roxanne at graduation reception

Amy's family on chapel steps at newlywed sendoff

Life Lately

Aiden shows his crabby friend,

I am done with my course work!!! Yea!!! Now all I have left is to complete my student teaching semester and I will graduate this December! I am so excited. I am planning on getting a summer job to save money for this upcoming semester of poverty.

Lilly and I got to tour her school this Saturday. She got accepted to a new all girls college preparatory school that opens this fall. She is so excited. I think that she was feeling a little anxiety (which should be expected with any move to middle school) – but at our tour she quickly buddied up with the only other girl that was accepted from her current school. I felt reassured too as the superintendent of our district explained that not only did they have the opportunity to select the cream of the crop from the applicant students, but in teachers as well. The school is small, but undergoing renovations and when it is complete, it will be equipped with the latest technology in the district.

At the tour Lilly and the rest of the new student body got to vote on the school’s colors. She voted on the combination of hot pink, black, and silver. Where else but at an all girl’s school?

Aiden is ready for summer! He often inquires about how many days are left in school. He looks forward to spending more time with his Grandma. He often declares how much he misses her. He decided to give her flowers for her birthday – “but you know, the fresh kind that you get at the market.” He also thought jewlery was an appropriate gift for a Grandma – I opted for the first suggestion. He is so insightful.

He is continuing to improve at soccer, though he has told his coach to call him Link. The first time we enrolled him in soccer he had his coaches, other parents, and the referees all convinced that his name was Link. A parent even corrected me once when I addressed him as Aiden. (I guess she didn’t know that I was Mom?? -Whatever) Anyways, the team that he has been playing with for the last year has another Aiden. In fact the two Aiden’s have the same middle name – so at times its confusing.

I have missed some of the games and practices this season because of my intensive school schedule. I was a little surprised when I took Aiden to soccer practice on Friday and heard his coach referring to him as Link. Whatever – he responds to it and the other Aiden doesn’t so I guess problem solved.

Aiden and Lilly have adopted hermit crabs. The four have been named: Clair (aka, Mr. Crabbs) Sushi, Sammy and Meany Me. Yes, it is Meany not Mini. Aiden explained that this crab is mean because it pinches hard. Aiden has been quite upset with me because I won’t by a milk snake or a tarantula. I am so mean. His life is so incomplete. I know because he tells me daily.

Kenneth is excited that I will have more time and energy to contribute to the house work. Who does he think that he married. 

Love,

Jenni

Some family history

Dianne and Linda have come and gone now. It was a wonderful three-day visit full of exhausting, but rewarding work. Nancy and I began preparations a couple weeks ago, pulling out documents, letters, photos that had been collected during more than thirty years of on and off research. By the time we had it all out, we were stunned. More than 500 photos going back more than a century. But that was not the best part.

Among the typescripts (hundreds of pages) that I have just begun to scan, were transcriptions of letters home from “boys” written in the fall of 1861 through most of 1862 bearing return addresses of places like “Paw Paw Tunnel, Virginia” and “Fort Murray” and “Huttonville” and “Phillippi” in Virginia. Yes, Civil War. Letters home. More2cum.