LIZ GETS MARRIED!

Karen's best friend for life got married on April 18th, 2009, in Athens, Georgia. It was a beautiful wedding, and a great trip to Atlanta and Athens. Karen was a Matron of Honor, and Caroline was a flowergirl. I sang a couple of songs, and Nicholas provided the comic relief for us all. Here are some shots from the Braves game on that Thursday, from the campus at UGA on Friday, from the hairdressers, the wedding at the Chapel on campus, and some from the reception.

Fun in Athens, and the Rehearsal Dinner

Braves' Game

The Wedding!

One of the neatest blessings of the entire trip came from another of Liz's best friends, Jennifer Mason and her husband John. We spent Wednesday and Thursday evenings with Jennifer and John, and it was amazing! Jennifer kept me laughing nearly the entire time, and John kept me in awe as he quietly and consistently served behind the scenes. Thanks guys! And Congrats Liz & Tony!

Caroline's Family Picnic

At Caroline's school, Dexter Elementary, once every spring they hold a "Family Picnic Day". Families are invited to bring a blanket and sandwiches to eat with the kids out on the grounds. Last Friday was our chance to eat with Caroline, and we had a few photos to remember the day. Enjoy this show of Mrs. Bray's "Brilliant Bears"!

Family Gathering-Music Smart 2009

Every Friday at C S, either one of the classes or a group of students presents a life-skill common to the school, or one of the multiple intelligences that the curriculum of the school is built upon. Last Friday, we celebrated MUSIC SMART with the C S music teacher Susan Van Dyke.

She is an absolute magician! We were treated to solo violinists, a solo cellist, a vocal ensemble singing I Don't Wanna Grow Up from "Peter Pan", several pianists performing everything from Indian Chief to Sad Song to Tarantella. We kicked off the morning with an African Drum Circle that I had been helping Susan with. We enjoyed a traditional drum circle with four feature soloists!

To conclude the presentation, the 3rd graders unveiled their Will P Memorial, "Will You Read with Me?". Will was a student at C S the last two years, and passed away at the end of last school year due to a terminal illness. It was a touching tribute to a dear friend; the 3rd graders contributed over 250 books to the C S library in memory of Will.

The Easter Egg Hunt, 2009

Our church always does an Easter Egg hunt on the grounds every year, and this year was perhaps the best ever!













Pastor Rayden's songs before the hunt were particularly fulfilling, but the eggs were quite exciting! Here's a slideshow of the events...

Easter Sunday 2009

Nearly every Easter and Christmas, I usually play timpani at St. Marys Episcopal Cathedral, which is a very old, (very "high" church) in downtown Memphis. David Spencer, our trumpet professor, starting hiring me to play there since my first Christmas here. That leaves Karen usually taking the kids to church flying "solo", which I always miss.

This Easter, Karen had to wear her new "supervisor hat" for the Night Nurse company, and covered a shift from 8:00-11:00 that morning...no Easter service for her. Fortunately, one of neighbors that we attend church with agreed to take Nicholas and Caroline to church for us - Ms. Christa to the rescue! Here are a couple shots of our angels...

Belle...

One of my favorite parts of our Disney trip was actually "lunch with the Princesses" at Cinderella's table (in the castle). "My" favorite princess is princess Belle, from Beauty and the Beast. All of the princesses came by the table, except for Cinderella, who was still entertaining guests with photographs in the main hall entrance.

Finally, the last one to come by, was Belle. She had greeted the kids as had the others, and then posed for a picture...except that MY CAMERA BATTERY DIED!!! Oh the horrors! The pain! The consternation!!!






That was a Tuesday...







After a very long Wednesday at Animal Kingdom, we returned on Thursday to finish Magic Kingdom. We hadn't planned on it, but just happened by the East side of the castle mid-afternoon, only to see BELLE taking pictures with everyone! She was actually about to start Storytime in the Garden with Belle, for which we promptly grabbed a stone seat and enjoyed a thrilling time with Belle. Sadly, I was not selected to be the Beast - the chap directly in front of me was, and he was a splendid beast for sure.















After the story time ended, Belle then stayed for more photographs, for which we waited anxiously in line (boo lines, but hey! It's Belle!). Please enjoy these masterpieces with the grandest Princess of all - and Karen would love for someone to wipe that goofy smile off of my face...

Sea World

The first stop we had after Martin and Nicky's wedding was Sea World outside Orlando. What a treat! I had never been to Sea World, and it was amazing. We saw SHAMU up close and personal, saw dolphins soaring through the air like birds, paddled our hearts out in Pink Flamingo boats, and whatever else we could get our hands into. IT WAS AWESOME!

Here's a cool slideshow for you -