First Date....

26 years ago today, Thomas and I went on our first date. Seems just like yesterday we were riding around in his jacked up white Jeep and going to the races on Saturday night . So thankful for all our years together. I'm so blessed to be his wife.....   

Remembering......

  Years ago the traveling, "Vietnam Wall" came to Columbus and I was chosen as a volunteer. I was amazed when I seen all the names. I knew there were 50 thousand plus names, but when you actually stand there and take it all in you can't help but shed a tear. I found the name I was wanting to see and made a pencil trace. Five weeks ago I laid my hand on his name again with the help of Ryan and Bradley. This time it was the actual "Vietnam Wall".
   My emotions over came me and I could not hold back the tears. The Seniors gathered around me as I rubbed across his name. I left some items at the bottom of the panel for him.
   I tried to explain Vietnam to the kids and told them there was graduate of CHS with the Class of 1962 who was in Vietnam for only 31 days. I gave them his panel number and line number and for them to go look for him. They found him, Howard (Howie) Rothring Jr. They rubbed across his name and took pictures.
   Remember our Veterans just not today but every day..........
  

Happy Birthday Mom...

   Thursday May 24, is Mom's birthday. I was going to take some photos of her on her special day but she's not been feeling well the past few days. I will share one we took on her 80th Birthday.
I ask Mom the age old question....What's your secret of making it to 83 years old, her response: A positive outlook on life, a good husband, keeping your faith and praying daily.

Happy Birthday Mom...Love you 

CHS Class of 1976

Thirty five years ago today I graduated from high School. Seems just like yesterday that Brad Watts and I walked in together along with our other class mates to receive our diplomas. We made up our motto one day coming home on a field trip: Tough as nails, hard as bricks, we're the class of "76.

It's been a long day....

  Had a long list of things to get done today. I started with laundry and got it on the line. Then worked on the RWB Festival for a while, made phone calls and checked with a few chairman to see if they needed anything. They are a great group of people, no their not great, they are awesome!!
Then it was back outside to clean out baby chicks pen, plant flower pots, a few maple trees and sprayed weeds. Had to take time to walk up and visit Daddy and took him a few starts of Black Eyed Susan. Then back to plant the Banana tree that Linda gave me and the Bleeding Hearts that I had gotten last week. It was a busy day....the last few weeks we've been so busy at Jubilee Flowers that I've only been getting one day off a week. Guess that's why my list was so long.
I still have a few things not crossed off but maybe I can do them tomorrow evening. I did get my emails sent a few minutes ago.
Linda and I checked in with each other bout an hour ago and Cindy was doing good too. Funny how both of my best friends are teachers!!
Life is good under the blooms......

Early Mornings.....happy blooms

   I love walking Bristol and Lily in the morning. The air is so clear, the birds are singing and the sun is rising over the trees. Such a beautiful picture. The dew is like pearls on the flower blooms. The world in my back yard is perfect. Everything around me is filled with love, there is peace everywhere you look. The outside world can't enter my gardens. Some days I wish I could hide under all the blooms and forget there is a world outside the brick border. Maybe I need to invite those who need some love and a little peace in their life to hide under the blooms for a while.....well, maybe not. I want my gardens to be a happy place. Full of laughter and love.....enjoy my happy blooms!!

My Mom.....

   This is my Mom when she was just four years old. It was taken on Jackson Street at her parents house.
Mom will celebrate her birthday in just a few weeks. She's proud to say that she will be 83. I love my Mom, I'm thankful for everything she did for me. Even when the answer was, "NO" I now realize with girls of my own why the answer was no a lot of times. Thanks Mom, Happy Mothers Day and I love you so much......

Mother's Day.....

   Another Mother's Day down....We all left pretty tired today. Heather's husband Craig brought us fresh doughnuts this morning and they were still warm. Heather had to order flowers three times in three days not just small orders but.... huge orders. As we cleaned the cooler out today there was nothing much left for Monday, so once again Heather places a call to market for more flowers.
   I love it when the little kids come in and they can't wait to write their name on the card for their Mom. Bless their hearts some of them just make marks or just wiggly lines. But their Mom will know exactly what each little mark means when she reads her card.

Scott......

   I spent most of my day working on the RWB festival. Making calls and double checking things. Sorting out some new events and trying to find people to over see them. I was going through some old pictures and find this one of Scott taken back in 1997. I know Scott had a blast seeing old friends, coming back home and being part of the community festival. I found some other's that I will share in the weeks to come.
   We sure could use some warm bodies...I have a few folks doing some behind the scenes jobs for me. I tell them everyday how much I appreciate them.
  

First Friday in May....

   The first Friday in May is an exciting day for the kids at CHS. It's a day for the girls to pamper their self with a nail and hair appointment. Your shoes have to match and the jewelry has to sparkle. The dress...yes the dress...it has to be special. They start shopping in January for the perfect one. The guys, they spend the day polishing their vehicle then just hang out till it's time to put on the tux, tie their shoes and then out the door looking like a million bucks. The kids this year looked the best I've seen in a few years. The dresses were one of a kind with every color imaginable. Hot pink, sleek black, neon orange, teal, chiffon red and lots of jewels.
   I remember the days getting Sarah and Sandra ready. I still have five prom dress in the closet. Not for sure but I think Mom may have one of mine hanging in her closet. I think I'll walk up tomorrow and see if she still has it. My Junior year was pink chiffon and Senior year was mint green. I took lots of pics of the kids enjoy them....

Derby Hats......

   Received a call this morning from a lady who was going to the Kentucky Derby and wondered if I could design her a hat. I told her that I had made a few and to bring her dress so I could match the colors. I have a good friend who owns an event company in Louisville and he's been designing Derby hats for over 20 years. His hats will sell between $100 to $500. He gave me some tips a few years ago and I've made a few for friends. As the young girls were coming in to pick up their Prom flowers they were amazed to see a Derby hat and wanted to watch. It was funny to see them get excited over a hat. But one young lady said she will watch tv all day just to see all the pretty hats at the Derby. She stated that she will be looking for the one I made. We all just laughed....

My Customers......

   What an awesome day at the Jubilee. We did over 200 orders for Prom this year. We all walked out the door at 5pm. As I told you yesterday we would have some that would forget, come in or call worried that it was too late and we had five of those. There will be one or two who calls about 3pm on Friday in a panic. Heather has made sure she has extra flowers for them.

   After not having my shop for four years, I still have customers who call in and tell the girls, "I want Sherry to make our flowers." We had quite a few orders for CHS prom. Over the years a majority of my customers still call and ask to either speak with me or request that I design their flowers. I guess taking great care of your customers, providing them with awesome service and beautiful flowers is something that they remember and they will follow you anywhere. My customers became my family. I guess that's why they always give me a hug when they come into Jubilee. I miss them as much as they miss me.

Prom time......

   Proms, Proms and more Proms. I did a count before I closed today and we have 91 wrist corsages to make. Crothersville, Seymour, Trinity, North Vernon, Brown County and Columbus all have Proms this weekend. We have orders from each school. This also includes the matching bout for the guy. We'll probably get a few more tomorrow and then Friday we'll get at least two calls from some that forget about it. Got to love those folks.
   We were talking about our Proms today and laughing about those big dresses and those huge pin on corsage's made with carnations. Oh, what memories....

New York City.....

 

Looking out from Rockefeller Center observation deck.



The Pear tree that survived 9/11. Notice the black scorch marks on the trunk.

Tower One Memorial

Names of Firefighters from Tower One

Freedom Tower under construction

Times Square

Miss Liberty

   I took almost 300 pictures on our trip. Hope you've enjoyed the pictures the last few days. The kids and I had a memorable time. I'm ready to go back...... Sarah says, Sandra, her and I need to plan a trip to the Big Apple, then one for DC.  I told them just let me know when to start packing!!!