My Daddy, the Veteran

This first picture is of Daddy in Germany during World War II.

My daddy is a veteran, and I didn't mention him the other day. My mom passed away on Veteran's Day 2008, and I posted about her instead of the Veterans. So, I will speak of my daddy today.
World War II was the beginning of Daddy's military career. He served as a Medic in the Ninth Armored Division, and he received the Bronze Star for Bravery. He went out under fire to rescue men that he saw were still alive. He says it was his job as a medic. The military saw it otherwise. They saw it as brave acts that deserved one of the highest medals you can receive. Medics did not carry any type of guns or weapons, so going out under fire with NO way to defend himself was truly an act of sheer bravery and duty to his fellow man.


This picture is a picture of my Daddy as a very young Air Force soldier.


My daddy is one of the finest men on the face of this earth. He always does what is right. He is always honorable and truthful. He taught all of us to be honest forthright people, and we all are to this day. Daddy continued his military career after the War, by joining the Air Force. He was in Germany when I was born, and I was nine months old before he ever saw me.


He was also gone for a year or more at a time during our growing up years, to Vietnam and Morocco. He went many other places for what they call TDY, which is temporary duty somewhere else. My daddy is a wonderful, honorable man who does anything and everything that he can for his children and his grandchildren. I cannot honor my Daddy enough with my words. Being his oldest child is an honor to me and an extra special blessing. Thank you Daddy for always loving me and taking care of me, even to this day...still!! I love you!!!!

Mamma

Two years ago today, my mamma went to heaven. She was the most wonderful mamma in the whole wide world, and I miss her very much!!
Mamma was very supportive of everything I ever did. She was a terrific mamma who was loving and caring. She always had a smile on her face, even as she was suffering in severe pain from that awful cancer disease. Mamma would not let anyone know how bad she was hurting, but we knew she was in a tremendous amount of pain. None of us will ever know, or could ever imagine, how bad she hurt, because she didn't want to worry us. Mamma was a wonderful Southern Lady. She had a great role model in my Granna, I had a great role model in my Mamma, and now I am trying to be a great role model for my daughter and son. I recently changed the name of my blog to A Southern Lady, because I am now following in the tradition of all the sweet, Southern ladies who have gone before me. I am now the older generation, and I have a lot to live up to in order to pass on the legacy of all of my wonderful, strong, faithful, Christian, selfless, loving Southern Ladies who have molded me and made me who I am today.
I love you Mamma! Thank you for always being there for me, for never judging me or anyone, for always loving everyone unconditionally, for being supportive always, and for being my Mamma!!!!!! I love you!!!!

Music

I love music. My mamma used to tell me that all my life I would just burst out into song at any moment! She said that I did this from the time I was very small until...well...NOW! I do that all the time. Everything reminds me of a song or some piece of music. I often sing a song when someone says something that reminds me of a show tune or some other type of song that fits the bill! People look at me funny when I do that, but I just smile and tell them why I thought of the song! I lost my music for a while, during a hard time in my life, but I have gotten it back. I am singing in the choir again. For quite a few years, I allowed someone to take my music away. I missed it so...but I got it back again. Then, I lost it again. Now, I am trying very desperately to get it back and the joy that comes with it. I have a poster in my classroom that says: Kind words are the music of life. Isn't that an interesting way to promote positive attitudes and kindness to others?!
Music, it is in my soul. It is in my innermost being. Music is ME!!

My Saramina

My Saramina is my mamma's big sister. She was the serious sister, and my mamma was the silly sister! HA! The two close sisters are together again now in heaven. My Saramina went to heaven last week. She was a very sweet and loving aunt and lady. Saramina was a true genteel Southern lady who only thought of others, never herself. She was one of the most selfLESS people on the face of the earth. I have been so fortunate to have been raised by, and to have been around, MANY selfless ladies: my Mamma, my Granna, my Saramina, my Grandma, my Aunt Bernice, my Aunt Bonnie, my aunt Carwee who we called WeeWee, MarySue, Aunt Eunice who we called E, and the list goes on and on. All of these ladies meant a lot to me and impressed upon me the true meaning of being a mom, a sister, an aunt, a grandma, a friend, and a true lady. I have had a blessed life by being related to so many wonderful ladies, and I hope that I can always be an extension of and an example of all of them as a sweet, Christian, selfless lady just like they have all been.

Birthdays, Greek for a Day, and other stuff

October is month of birthdays. We start with mine and move on through the month to the 27th. I have made cakes for each one. Mine was a five layer heart cake that ended up being somewhat lopsided! Rachel let me have a party at her house on Sunday, and we went out to eat on my real birthday, on Wednesday. We ate at my Thai restaurant. I made a second cake that was a party hat, on my actual birthday. Then, the youngest hooper had his second birthday, for which I made Mickey Mouse and a Party Hat. Next on the list was my sister. Her cake was supposed to be in the shape of petals, but you couldn't really see the curves.I made little bumble bees to place all around the 'flower'. They turned out pretty cute. I saw this idea in a magazine, and I wanted to try them: yellow peanut M&M's, tootsie roll, and a clear spice drop.



Amy was next, and I tried to be like the pros on this one and 'cut' the actual shape. I made a four and a zero for her big 40. The four kept falling apart, but it held up long enough to get a good picture. haha It sounds like all the cakes were a flop, but they really turned out okay.
Daddy's birthday was this week, number 89. My niece, Kate, turned 22 on the 27th. She requested a red velvet cake. As a surprise, I made her cake in a Strawberry Shortcake pan. HA! Well, it was the color of Strawberry Shortcake, so.........there ya go! She liked it. There was a lot of detail work on that one. I took the day off on the 26th to be with Daddy and to prepare the big birthday dinner and the cakes. I made Daddy a red velvet cake, also, but I only used white icing. Daddy doesn't like colored icing, so I always leave his plain. We had a double celebration Tuesday night, and we all had a great time.
We have other birthdays this month, too. My cousins Marvin and Mina had their birthdays a day apart, on the 19th and 20th, in two different towns. Mina's is on the same day as my sister in law, Amy's. My young cousin Landon will be 2 on Kate's 22nd birthday. Those two will round out the month.

Also in October, there is a Greek Festival here in Savannah. I like to go just to get some Greek food. I cannot remember the names of all of it, but I like it! This year, I used my cell phone to take some pictures. I usually get there at dark and miss most of the dancing. This year, I got there around 3 and saw some of the dancers. I also went into the Greek Orthodox church and took some pictures.

The Sign



The dancers!





The entrance




The ceiling!




The church




My church does a special series of services in October called "God on Broadway". These services are inspired by the music and themes of famous musicals. This year, we have used South Pacific, Fiddler on the Roof, Big River, and The Music Man. Each service has been very special, and everyone in attendance has been greatly blessed. Next week, we will use Jekyll and Hyde. I am not sure what the service will be like, but I know it will be great. I do know that the choir is singing a song about wearing masks, so I am sure the sermon will be about something like that.
So...there is a list of things that have been going on around here. Lots of stuff is going on at school and elsewhere, but I will leave that for another time. Have a great day!

Lil' Fella

The littlest Hooper had his second birthday this weekend, and it was a fun event. I made two cakes for him: Mickey Mouse and a Party Hat. 3D is awestruck by cakes. He just stares at them and takes them alllll in. He did that with the castle that I made for his big sister, too.






Anyway, the little guy, 3D, alias Lil' Fella, is now TWO! Papa got him a football for his birthday, and that gift was the hit of the day. Lil' Fella did not put it down the rest of the day or night! What a present. Right after he got it, he was supposed to open another present. He very carefully placed the ball right by him. When it rolled off, he got up and slowly and meticulously walked over, picked it up, and put it under his arm...and that is where it stayed! Little Dewey III loves any kind of ball, and he always has one in his hand, but this football was the most special of all. It was so cute to watch him. Then, he "played catch" with a few people, and very carefully watched to make sure that the other person threw it back to him!










As you can see, he held that ball while eating his cake...



while eating ice out of his cup...



and finally as he was saying good bye to everyone from his little chair!!!!



Here are the final pictures of the night...Lil'Fella in his crib making sure his football will be right beside him all night!






Slam dunk, Papa!!

Bali Hai

At my church yesterday, we had the first in a series of church services centered around the theme of Broadway musicals. The series is called "God on Broadway". Yesterday was World Communion Sunday, and the entire service was planned around the play South Pacific. This play was chosen because of the inner running themes of racism and acceptance of those different from ourselves. The musical depicts two different love stories that take place on an island in the South Pacific, during World War II. One story is of a young Marine lieutenant who falls in love with a young Polynesian girl, and the other is of a young Navy nurse who falls in love with a Frenchman who lives on the island. Where does the racism theme come into the story? It is within both of the love stories. The lieutenant is madly in love with the young Polynesian girl, and he enjoys spending time with her, but he cringes at the idea of marrying her. When he later realizes the conflicting feelings within him, he sings a wonderful song called, "You've Got to be Carefully Taught". This song describes the feelings of racism and hate that are not in one's mind initially, as a child, but are placed there by others during one's lifetime. The young nurse exhibits her feelings of racism when she finds out that her Frenchman is a widow, and that his two children were born of a Polynesian woman. The young nurse cannot get past the fact that his children are biracial, and she runs away from the relationship.
Later in the show, the Frenchman and the lieutenant go on a secret mission on another island where they can see the enemy ships coming. In this way, they can help the cause of the United States. Alas, the lieutenant is killed on the mission and does not return to the island. After much sadness and realization of how narrow minded she has been, the nurse goes to the Frenchman's home to help take care of his children. Happily, the Frenchman returns home safely to the arms of his the young nurse and his children. Of course, the young nurse has had time to think about her ugly thoughts of racism, and she is extremely happy to have her Frenchman return to her. Unfortunately, the lieutenant does not return, and the young Polynesian girl is devastated. She must now be married off to some older plantation owner and return to life as usual on the island.
In the sermon for the day, our minister did a wonderful job of bringing in the message from the musical into our everyday lives. He talked about how the song, You've Got to be Carefully Taught, brought up a stir of controversy back in the 1940's, when the musical first came out. Rodgers and Hammerstein were greatly urged to take the song out of the musical. They were told that the show would never be a success with such a theme running through it. The two great musicians left the song in the story, and it is still there today to help teach us how to accept and help each other, rather than reject and tear apart one another.
We opened the service with the song Bali Hai, welcoming everyone to the wonderful island. Of course, that theme was to represent being welcomed into the house of the Lord to feel his wonderful, peaceful presence in our lives.
There is Nothing Like a Dame was sung wonderfully by our men, and they used this song creatively to do our morning announcements! Several guys received "mail", and they read their "letters" to the congregation. Their letters, of course, were our morning announcements, and it was really fun to listen to these guys play it up as though they were reading love letters from home!
The children used their puppet ministry to the song, Happy Talk. The positive message was creatively rendered by these children and they had a lot of fun ministering to us. Another song, Cockeyed Optimist, was presented to us to help remind us all of the importance of taking a positive outlook on life. All of the songs and little scenarios worked together to create a wonderful worship experience, and everyone in attendance was truly blessed. Next week, our service will be around the family in "Fiddler on the Roof". You can join us in the services by going to our church website that I have listed here.

http://asburymemorial.org/

I hope you enjoy the services!