Bridal portraits

These certainly could not be posted till now... as we believe in that traditional notion that the groom must not see the bride in her wedding gown until the wedding.

And here is our professional photographer at work... Anna Wilson of Greenville, SC

And here is a good friend!  This young woman is a doctor, no less, who waded the creek to remove a shoe from the line of shot!  Thanks, Tiffany!

Wedding!

Today was a beautiful day for a wedding...

In a sweet religious ceremony, at the little country chapel where her father and I were married, and where she was baptized as a month old infant, she walked down  the aisle to the man of her dreams.

Their vows were beautiful and timeless and honorable.  In the quiet of the small assembly, they pledged themselves to each other.

I made very few photographs... we have had an awesome photographer, Anna Wilson of Greenville, SC, who has traipsed through hill and vale and waded a creek for the sake of this couple.  Her work will be showcased here when it is available. 

First dance:  "Never alone" by Lady Antebellum

May the angels protect you
Trouble neglect you
And heaven accept you when it's time to go home
May you always have plenty
Your glass never empty
Know in your belly
You're never alone

May your tears come from laughing
You find friends worth having
With every year passing
They mean more than gold
May you win but stay humble
Smile more than grumble
And know when you stumble
You're never alone

I would be remiss not to interject here, that the wording in this song was rather timely.  As the happy couple turned to leave the alter, the bride did, indeed, tumble down the step (really, a very awkward step).

I must say that if Clayton, who had only been her husband mere minutes, is always so quick to set things to rights in those times in her life when she does, indeed, stumble, then she's a very fortunate woman.  His protective instinct for my daughter was a true reflex... may they ever be there when the other stumbles...

Never alone
Never alone
I'll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown
Wherever you fly
This isn't goodbye
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone

Well, I have to be honest
As much as I want it
I'm not gonna promise that cold winds won't blow
So when hard times have found you
And your fear surround you
Wrap my love around you
You're never alone




Never alone
Never alone
I'll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown
Wherever you fly
This isn't goodbye
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone

May the angels protect you
Trouble neglect you
And heaven accept you when it's time to go home
So when hard times have found you
And your fear surround you
Wrap my love around you
You're never alone

Never alone
Never alone
I'll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown
Wherever you fly
This isn't goodbye
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone

A dance with her daddy...   "Ordinary Miracle" by Sarah McLachlan

and with her bigger baby brother...  "Carolina Girls"

 A yummy cake and awesome food.  Special thanks going to Patti Nelson and Beth Copeland who worked their magic as caterers.

Clearly, the most mannerly garter removal that I've ever seen at a wedding...

A bouquet toss

And a happy getaway... Hawaii bound!

PhT!

A fun and lighthearted moment at the medical school graduation is the giving of a special degree to the parents and spouses of the new doctors.  Her first signature with the M.D. behind it was on a certificate that confers to her parents a Ph.T. degree... "Putting her Through"...

We shall frame it and hang it proudly!

It reads:

The School of Medicine certifies that Dawn and Thomas


having successfully persevered for many months


despite the necessity of encouraging and supporting a daughter


the endless unintelligible conversations of professional jargon,


the excuses, the blame placed on the


imaginary injustice of the professors,


the long hours of all night call, the periodic anxiety of waiting for grades,


and the multiplicity of general hardships


which become the lot of a student's parent


is hereby awarded this degree of


Ph.T.

Dr. Dr...

Yesterday, my daughter and 75 of her classmates of the past 4 years received their MD degrees.

We, her family, are proud of her accomplishment.  These many years of education have taken a lot of stamina on her part, patience, self control and delayed gratification.  It has taken courage in the face of things that would make many of us weak-kneed and more hours and days and nights of sheer intestinal fortitude than most folks could pull together.

As she starts her medical career, her mother will pray daily for the same things that I've prayed for years now.
May she continue to walk the path of God's will in her life... may she find strength for all of life's challenges...may she be a blessing to others and they to her...  May God continue to guide her as she moves out into the world to be a physician and give her wisdom to be a healer and wise counsel to her patients and their families.  May she continue to learn daily and may she always live in the grace and goodness of a child of God.

Home again...

Wednesday evening, I followed my boy home...

...out of the city... country bound.

There's never so good a feeling as knowing that this child is here to stay a while.

He loves the city and loves school and does an outstanding job at being independent,
but for the first time in over two years, he'll be home for a stretch.

The act of getting him packed, down three flights of steps and packed into two vehicles requires stamina.
When we first began this education journey, many hands made light work...
...and I was much younger.

This is likely the last time that I'll move this son from a college dorm.  He has an apartment in the fall.

At the end of the packing venture, when we've managed, again, to successfully evade the university security during our 'park here, run and cram things in the vehicle, move this van for that car and cram it full" moment, we were tired and hot and hungry.  I asked him which restaurant he would miss most while he was home and we went there.

Blue Cactus, is a tiny little,' you'd never find it if someone didn't show you where it was' place... a few tables, three people cooking where you could see them... a blend of Korean and Mexican menus.  As I sat across from my handsome son, and we discussed his year, his friends, his plans for the future, they brought us some amazing food.  I can see why he loves it so, they know him there, which pleases me greatly... that in a large and impersonal city, he brings a smile to the faces of folks in his favorite restaurant. 

Of course, he's mine... I understand why they smile.  His easy going way, his impeccable manners,,,
what's not to love?  Being engulfed in his arms, while he's still sleepy and warm the first morning home is a singularly amazing moment.  I am blessed by his love and affection and even 21 years after I became his mother, I'm stunned by the fact that he's mine.

The boxes are not unpacked...they're everywhere... but I'm so very glad he's home.

Welcome home, son... welcome home!

Wow!  A bumper crop of muscadines or wild grapes, volunteers that have taken the job of shading the chicken coops.
The payoff after a cold hard winter and an exceptionally pollinated spring!

And yes, there's a grassy straggler... it's far too wet just this moment to do anything about it, except admire the beans, which are still wearing their dicotyledons.

And far too often, I forget to grab a basket

(note that I have grabbed a camera... not a basket~!)

I default to the standard farm woman solution.

In the rush of banquets,moving, graduating, and weddings, some things remain the steadying force.

The sun comes up on new surprises each morning...

and you have to get in the eggs.