The Wedding of Travis and Anna Thacker

Jeremiah called and asked if I would do a wedding for his friends Anna and Travis. They wanted to get married on the Blue Ridge Parkway at an overlook called Thunder Ridge. It was also the location that he had proposed to her. It is a beautiful site, overlooking the valley and mountains below.

The weather could not have been better, It was in the low 80's with a ten mph breeze, just enough to keep the bugs away.

It was a simple, yet beautiful service. Travis held their 2 week old baby, Ember Rose, during the service, while Anna held a bouquet of Day Lilies.

Joanne took the pictures which wasn't an easy job. The balcony was four steps up and she was facing into the setting sun.

"You may kiss your bride" is one of my favorite things to say at a wedding.

"I would like to present to the world Anna and Travis Thacker"

...And Ember Rose.

One of the things I love about this is that I am allowed to partipate in personal moments that change people's lives.

Travis, Anna, and Ember Rose may God bless you will a long and happy life together.

Mount Airy Charge 2010 High School Graduates

Kevin and Heidi with their son Cody Dawson

Kim and Kent with their son Brandon Saunders.

The boys with their grandparents, Betty Jo and Walter Dawson. Brandon and Cody graduated from Halifax High School.

Brandon Wyatt with friend at Gretna High School graduation.

Brian Daniels graduated from Galileo Magnet High School in Danville Virginia.

Memorial Day 2010 at Republican Grove UMC

Joanne and I were were in New York visiting our grandchildren over Memorial Day weekend. While we were gone, Republican Grove UMC continued their Memorial Day tradition.

After the morning service the members of Republican Grove UMC go to the church cemetery and place an American flag at the grave of each member who served in the military.

The flags that were placed on the graves the previous year for Memorial Day are gathered. The old flags are then taken to the National Gaurd unit for proper disposal. There is a ceremony that is conducted before the flags are destroyed. It is a ceremony that shows respect and honor to the flags.

It is a moment that will bring tears to your eyes as the church remembers those who served to assure them the freedom to gather and worship in peace and freedom.

Brandon Wyatt Graduation Cookout

Sunday evening we went to a cookout to celebrate the graduation of Brandon Wyatt from High School. Brandon will be attending Virginia Tech this Fall, joining his brother, Wesley.

 

There was an abundance of food, family, and friends.

 

It took a little work, but they actually got Thomas playing games and hanging out with the teenagers.

 

We had a short rain and then an incredible rainbow. It was one of the few times I've ever been able to see the entire arc of the rainbow. 

 

We had a good time and very much appreciate being included in the celebration. 

Lester Family Reunion

Sunday, June 6th, was the Lester Family Reunion held at Providence UMC. Joanne, Thomas, and I were invited to join them. It was held in Providence UMC's new fellowship hall. It was really nice to be able to gather in an air conditioned facility, especially since the temperature was in the 90's outside.

 

There was plenty of food to go around. Just a few high points for me were the fried chicken, country ham biscuits, Doris' apples, broccoli salad, baked beans, deviled eggs, and others. Thomas, who has an excellent appetite, did not leave hungry. There were a number of desserts, even Ann's cherry cobbler, though she didn't climb the tree for these. 

 

The meal was also a celebration of Brian Daniels graduation from High School. Brian will be going to Averett University next year and has already received several scholarships.

 

Thomas, our grandson, had come back to Virginia with us when we came home from our Memorial Day weekend trip to New York state. We had gone out to eat, gone to the movies, played the Wii, watched the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, spent time with his great-grandparents, and laughed a lot. Today was his torment day, he had to listen to me preach the same sermon three times at three churches, and attend a reunion and graduation cookout where he didn't know anyone. For all his stature, he is painfully shy.

 

Thomas had two clear plastic spoons that he kept placing over his eyes. It would make Joanne and me look distorted and he would just sit there and laugh at us. Its hard sometimes for me to remember that this 1/2 inch short of six feet tall kid is only twelve years old. He's a lot of fun to have around.

He may not know anyone, but I guess as long as he can pick at his grandparents the time is not a total loss.  Thank-you to the Lester family for allowing us to join them.

Preaching at Full Gospel Tabernacle

While Joanne and I were in New York, Dave asked if I would like to preach at Full Gospel Tabernacle, the church where davve is the pastor. In addition to the sermon, I took advantage of the opportunity to share (brag) about the three churches of the Mt. Airy Charge. Using their projection system, I showed pictures of the churches, their stained glass windows, the various ministries of the churches, and some of my favorite pictures of the country beauty.

These are our grandchildren, Lila, Taisie, Thomas, and Levi.

The members of Dave's church were very welcoming and gracious to a visiting United Methodist pastor.

Car Wash Playtime

I thought I was being very clever talking the kids into washing the car  for some fun. They were having a good time except that Taisie said the bugs were hard to get off.

What soon became clear was that the kids agreed to wash the car simply so that they could hook up the sprinkler and run through it. It appears that I got out clevered.

Children's Science Museum with the Grandchildren

Over Memorial Day weekend, Joanne and I went to New York State to be with the grandchildren while Courtney and Dave went to New York City to celebrate their 18th anniversary. The family are members of the area Children's Science Museum. We took and afternoon for a visit. We had an excellent demonstration of area water turtles. The kids did a green screen weather program. The storm would play on the screen behind and you could watch it on a monitor after it was done. Lila did a puppet weather demo.

We visited the reptile room and the kids got to touch a Banana King Snake. Levi and Lila played with the distorted mirrors.

We all got on some of the computer station programs they had there and played for a good while.

Wedding Shower at St. Andrews UMC

Josh Dalton and Katie Nuckols had a wedding showe at St. Andrews UMC.

There was a good group from the churches and family members.

Everyone had a good time and Josh and Katie got some very nice gifts.