Kickin’ Back in the Keys

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Sunset at Curry Hammock State Park on Little Grassy Key, Marathon FL

Sunset at Curry Hammock State Park on Little Grassy Key, Marathon FL

Mom and I will wrap up a delightful week and a half at Curry Hammock State Park in the middle Florida Keys tomorrow.  We’ve had a very relaxed visit, spending our time enjoying local attractions, reading, and sampling the local watering holes and restaurants. We did make one quick trip into Key West for an event Mom wanted to see.

Weather has been surprisingly nice during our visit. We were expecting rain due to Hurricane Joaquin, but with a few exceptions skies have been clear with a few clouds scattered about.

We can see coming back to the area for another visit, but if we do it will take place a bit later in the fall or  early spring. This visit turned out to be a bit ahead of tourist season, so quite a few restaurants were not open or are just now opening for the season.

When we leave the Keys tomorrow (Friday), we will head to Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando. Abby is running in the Disney Cross Country Classic Saturday and we plan to cheer her to a good finish. After that we’ll head south to Bradenton and Sarasota to visit Claire and Sarah and their families for a few days before heading home to prepare for Pat Colon’s visit the following week.

James named to elite list of Georgia lawyers “On the Rise”

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From the web site of Atlanta law firm Caplan | Cobb:

“Caplan Cobb is pleased to announce that The Daily Report has named our partner, James Cobb, to its 2015 list of the 40 lawyers in Georgia under the age of 40 who are “On the Rise.”  This is a tremendous honor that follows a highly competitive selection process.”

Congratulations to James for this honor.  We also would like to recognize Gretchen’s role in the honor.  Her support enabled him to perform at the high levels that made it possible.

More information about the honor and James’ and Mike’s law firm is available at the Caplan | Cobb web site.  Click here to visit the site.

Wyoming

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Devils Tower silhouetted against the evening sky behind our camper.

Devils Tower silhouetted against the evening sky behind our camper.

Finally, I have the photos from our trip to Wyoming organized and uploaded to the Gallery.  Click here to view them, or use the menu to go to the Gallery and scroll down to the Wyoming album.

Our agenda for the month long trip included Wyoming and South Dakota with a stop in Decorah, Iowa during our return journey. This let us visit the Bighorn Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Little Bighorn National Park, the Black Hills, the Badlands, and Mom’s eagle cam eagle family in Decorah.

We thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Its start was a bit challenging due to Mom’s respiratory issues at the altitudes we encountered. We should have known to expect them and been prepared, but the potential didn’t occur to either of us as we planned the trip. Regardless, with help from the good folks at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center we were able to continue our trip.  We slowed our pace, modified our agenda, and had a great time together enjoying the beautiful scenery and friendly people in Wyoming, South Dakota, and Iowa.

Thanks to all of you for your love and support during our trip!

Congratulations Chace!

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Photo of Chace with his high school diploma

Chace being congratulated by a faculty member after receiving his diploma.

Chace, congratulations on graduating from Parkview High School!!  All of your family are very proud you, and look forward to watching you move into the next phase of your life at the University of Georgia next fall.

Sharon, John, and Abby were joined by Gramma Jan, Bill, James, and Dan at the graduation ceremony on May 21st.  Julie sent her best wishes from Las Vegas (business trip) and Gretchen and the boys sent their best wishes from her and James’ new home in Decatur.

Photos of the graduation ceremony have been added to the Chace Graduation Activities album in the Gallery.  They need no introduction — Chace is easy to spot in all of them — he is the tall person covered by an ear to ear grin.

Oliver and Gramma Jan

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Jan and I were in the “Little Shop of Stories”, a child-friendly book shop on the square in Decatur, with Oliver this afternoon. Our outings with Oliver usually involve some form of physical activity, but today it was hot and Gretchen suggested that we try the book shop. He and I played with the train set in the sitting area for a while, visiting with other children who stopped by the area. He soon tired of that and wandered through the book shelves until he found a few books that intrigued him and brought them back to Gramma Jan for her to read to him. It was fun watching them together. Oliver is normally full of energy and bounds off after a short reading session, looking for a new challenge. Today he and Jan read three or four books before the magic wore off. The time was a nice treat for Jan and Oliver.

A few photos of the moment are in the Gallery.  Click here to view them.

Chace’s Last Week!!

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photo of Chace and his family

John, Abby, Chace, and Sharon at the Baccalaureate Service

Chace begins his last week as a student at Parkview High School this week.  I’ll let that sink in for a moment. Chace is graduating.  How can this be?  He is only six!  We wish.

Our congratulations go to Chace, John, and Sharon.  You all have made it happen and we are proud of you.

The past several weeks have been an enjoyable whirlwind of activities leading up to Chace’s graduation this Thursday, May 21st.  I won’t try and recap the activities here, but refer you to the “Chace’s Graduation Activities” photo album in the gallery.  Click here to view the album.

Incidentally, May 21st is also GrandMa Cobb’s birthday.  It would have been her 96th.  I am confident she is beaming with pride over the prospects of one of her great-grandchildren again making that day special.

Everett’s Baptism

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Chris and Ally, Everett's godparents, with Everett, Gretchen, and James.

Chris and Ally, Everett’s godparents, with Everett, Gretchen, and James.

Everett was baptised on April 12th, 2015 at the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in Decatur. The D’Huyvetter and Cobb families turned out to support James and Gretchen in this important milestone and to celebrate Everett’s entrance into Christ’s kingdom. Congratulations Everett!!

James and Gretchen hosted a celebration lunch afterward at their home in Decatur.  The gathering was a relaxed affair with good food and lots of time to visit with the D’Huyvetters and play with the kids.

Missing from the celebration were Izzy (ill), Dan (taking care of Izzy), and John & Sharon’s family (spring break vacation).  We missed you all, and look forward to catching up with you soon!!

Photos of the event are in the Gallery.  Click here to go direct to the photo album.

We have a short timer …

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John, Abby, Chace, and Sharon at the Parkview Track Senior Recognition event in Lilburn.

John, Abby, Chace, and Sharon at the Parkview Track Senior Recognition event in Lilburn.

Chace has officially adopted a “short timer’s” attitude.  I asked what he was looking forward to this spring, and his answer was “getting out of high school”!  We’ve been there Chace and can commiserate with you.  Mom Sharon is doing her best to motivate him to stay on top of his remaining studies.

Parkview’s Track Senior Class of 2015 was recognized on April 3rd at the Parkview Stadium.  It was nice to see the coaches and team recognize the Seniors for their contributions over their track careers at Parkview.  A few photos are in the Gallery; click here to view them.

After the ceremony, we adjourned to their favorite local Mexican restaurant to continue the celebration and send off John, Sharon, Chace, and Abby to their vacation cruise (they left home at 3:30AM the next morning).

Izzy’s Day

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Julie, Dan, and Izzy at Izzy's baptism

Julie, Dan, and Izzy at Izzy’s baptism

Izzy had an event filled day last Sunday, March 29th.  She was baptized Sunday morning and celebrated her baptism and first birthday that afternoon.  Participants in her activities included local family and friends and Fields family members who traveled from Canada for the celebrations.Continue reading→

Mom and I are truly blessed …

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Thanks to our wonderful children and their spouses for treating Mom and me to a great celebration of our forty (yep, you read that right — forty as in four zero) years of marriage.  We gathered on January 23rd at John and Sharon’s home in Lilburn for an evening of visiting, eating, and reminiscing over years of family history.  It was a great, relaxed evening that Mom and I will remember fondly forever.Continue reading→