Thanksgiving Colors

Thanksgiving moments are like the colours of autumn!

• Brilliant red- all the turkey feasts over the years with family and friends!
• Pumpkin orange- not just pumpkin pie, & sweet potatoes- GO UT! Beat A&M!
  

• Golden yellow- the JOY and EXCITEMENT of HEATHER & MATTEO getting married in JUNE!
• Translucent Blue -calm, peaceful rain, frost, snow!

• Turning green leaf - Transitioning from a 28 year Abilene relationship to an Austin relationship with my friend, Annette!
• Burnt Brown- raking leaves, picking pecans--knowing God will change the brown to green!
  

Oxford's Magnetic Pull

Oxford, England pulls David and I to the people, the gardens, the rain, and the pace like a magnet pulls all the iron shavings. We love this small island filled with different voices and different languages.

People come from all over the world to learn "proper English." Therefore, you hear all the mother tongues before you hear the broken English and then full sentences.

This morning the sun was blazing the new day, puffy clouds gather as the morning lengthens to midday. You stop for coffee and a crossiant after going to the market. You'll need your "hoodie" to take the chill off the bare arms. The clouds are still gathering until the sky is heavy with grayness. Still no rain! Just grayness!

You hear the magpies chattering at the squirrels as you drink tea in the afternoon. Looking up into the trees you wonder what the chatting is all about! Still no rain! Supper brings grayness and heavier clouds. Wondering what tomorrow brings rain or sunshine?

The gardens are green and blooming only because of the sun and the rain. We passed so many different kinds of beautiful plants on the way to the supermarket; bleeding hearts, begonias, geraniums, roses, butterfly bushes, huge pink and blue hydrangas that have grown for many years.

God is good and what a gift He has bestowed on us as we are drawn to the people, the gardens and the pace of English life.

4th of July - Rosalyn & Josh's Wedding

If you had told me in 1983, Rosalyn will marry on the 4th of July, I probably would have said, "Not my daughter!"
Wow! I didn't know she loved the 4th of July so much, until she told me her memories of laying in the back of the pickup with Carly and Kimberly, listening to patriotic music; the memory of watching fireworks in Denver, Colorado with the Southern cousins.
What a fun wedding and what a way to celebrate the 4th! It was an explosion of family and friends, shiny, sparkling, beautiful daughters; the tastiest watermelon, ice cream, cheese cakes, pies, cookies, and sangria! But the funnest part was celebrating the joy by dancing to some of the liveliest music and with the hottest guys! Kyle Blair, thank you for dancing with me! Dancing with some of my "oldest" friends was great!

The joy on Rosalyn's face as she stuck her hand out to receive her wedding ring, the grin on Josh's face as he looked at her coming down the isle holding hands with her Dad; the pure happiness as they took communion together and stood looking at each other; the tears in her sister's eyes as they listened to their vows, all of these are memories that will forever be etched in my mind.

All of the preparation was special as the Perry family gathered the week before. Matteo and Heather coming from Rome early to help and be a special part of the celebration. All of the parties from the shrimp boil, to the BBQ rehearsal dinner, the bouquet brunch/lunch, the bridal brunch and then the full day of fun preparing for the wedding. It is a week I will not forget. I feel the best part of the Perry weddings has been the actual togetherness of the Perry girls gathering to plan and execute!

Weddings bring people and relationships together, to experience the "JOY"; to witness the forming of a new family. There is actual joy in letting go of your daughter to a man whom you love and know will care for her as we do. To know another family and totally new friends are going to support them in their lives together is a huge blessing!
We feel joy in knowing another chapter is actually beginning to be written in their lives with Jesus as the center. Our children are not ours, they are God's. We thank God for letting us have our daughters for such a short time.
We love to have them when we can. Thank you guys for caring for our girls!