Happy Birthday to Hallelujah!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HALLELUJAH CHEWBACCA HOLLAND!!

This picture was taken when Halbo was about 4 months old, in Greensboro, NC. He posed his own paw for the camera even!

Here is Halbo, a whopping 12 YEARS LATER! Hal turned 12 today on May 3, 2009; a day I honestly thought we'd never share with this dog. If you haven't met Halbo, he's a very special dog. He's grumpy, grouchy, a nervous-nelly, and incredibly territorial. He's likely bit or nipped at many of you, our precious readers! He said he's sorry!

Last summer, Hal blew out his right hind leg knee, and we thought we were going to have to put him down. His vet advised against having surgery, because he is old and would likely blow the other one any day. We brought him home with a decision to make; let him go play with Mama Jacque (my mom) and Jesus, or keep him with us and let him be a happy tripod. He had actually started working on the annual Christmas letter, just in case he wouldn't be around to finish it for the holidays...

Well, we actually went to bed that night expecting to put him down the next day or so...and then we woke up. He was bouncing around, playing, barking, asking to go on walks, the whole bit. After we dried our faces, we decided a happy tripod was just fine with us! Shar-peis have a normal lifespan of 7-10 years, so he's quite the elder statesman. Here's to you our first "child" - Happy Birthday Hallelujah!

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...