Mike, Mikey Joe, Squints or Michael..the Baby

"To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time." -Clara Ortega

When I was a kid I used to be so embarrassed by the fact that I had three siblings. I mean when you are a teenager and your Mother is picking you up at school in a van full of young kids..... that was not always the "coolest" of situations. Plus, being the oldest of four children also had it's unwanted responsibilities. I remember changing lots of diapers and helping mom with things around the house. Not all of it was hard or taxing...but the fact that I had to stop playing with friends to babysit one of my brothers or sister was sometimes more than I could handle. I just wanted to go back to the days of being an only child or a "smaller" family. I often heard that we could not go here or there because there were too many of us and it would cost too much. It was always mortifying to go to a restaurant and tell the hostess that we needed six seats and likely a high chair! Geesh...always such a circus and production.

However over the years I have shredded my immature feelings about a big family and have embraced it even more. One of the most fun things about having so many siblings is discovering who you are most compatible with. As we each grew up in the house...it was obvious who was similar to who. Joe and Lynn were very similar in that they had such compassion towards others, excelled well in school and in athletics. They always had tons of friends and never had the personalities of stress or anxiety. Now Mike and I on the other hand were the opposite. Although Mike was much smarter and athletically gifted than I was .....we always had the same demeanor. We both tended to dramatize our lives and we made it a habit to question and ponder the bigger picture. We also had the most common sense out of the four of us. I think we could just about adapt to any situation if need be.....in fact Dad used to say that if we were all four trapped on an island....Mike and I would survive because we had the wits to...Joe and Lynn...well..they would struggle! LOL!

Mike has and continues to amaze me constantly. His zeal and love for sports is something I have long admired. Ask him anything about anyone and he knows the answer. He is also a human GPS system.....he can go anywhere once and will remember how to get there forever! He is often full of crap and tends to love anything that everyone else hates. I love that about him and it is so predictable at times it is almost comical. Mike was by far the quietest child growing up....and clearly I now know why. He was an observer....if he ever needed anything he had three older siblings to do it for him. But he also had the upper hand in so many ways. By being the youngest he discovered early on what to do and what not to do to stay out of trouble. In fact....I don't ever recall a time that Mike got punished. The rest of us.....well...let's just say that we "did our time".

Today Mike is all grown up and doing very well. In fact...I always tell people that Mike is living the life we all should at 25. He lives in a huge city with a bunch of his buddies. He has a great job and travels often. He is so much fun to hang out with as well. I love spending time with him at ASU football games and when it comes to taking sides on most issues....he usually sides with me! Sometimes I am amazed how stinking smart he is and wonder where does he store all of that knowledge? Not to mention that has the best sense of humor....but you have to look for it!

I look forward to seeing how Mike evolves in the next few years. He says he would like to go back to school to be a professor. I can definitely see him in that role. Students would be drawn to him and I think he has natural gift for helping and teaching others. He swears he is never going to get married or at least wait until he is 45. I beg to differ big time. I am convinced that some girl is going to come along and knock his socks off. However this girl has to be someone who can handle his wit, tolerate his passion for sports and love to watch all of his favorite TV shows (and put up with a not so clean car at times). I can tell you that she is around...and I might have already met her too! In the mean time, I will enjoy watching Mike embrace being a bachelor and continue to listen to his crazy stories.

I love you Mike!

JAR

Good things come to those who wait...and wait...and wait!

I suppose I always thought I would follow my mother's timeline. You know...married at 24, kids by 26. So when the first milestone passed and I was not married or "with child"...I began to doubt the process by which life is supposed to go. So I thought of course by 30...I would have the "two car seats and a minivan" as Lee Ann Rimes would sing. Nope. Not in my cards. Evidently God just did not see that I should have that lifestyle just yet.....so I waited. I kept thinking after each bad relationship ended, "do I really have to endure another one?". Obviously so.

So when I decided reluctantly to start dating again this past January....I did so with very much trepidation. I went out on a couple of dates with a few guys and started to think...."this has got to get easier..right?" Nope. It does not. So when my high school friend Laurie emailed me to ask if I would be willing to be set up on a blind date with one of her friends...I was really NOT willing to go there. But...what did I have to lose? Boy...am I glad I took that leap of faith. That small leap...landed me right into the man of my dreams.

Nine and half months later I am happily looking ahead to a life with a man that fulfills every dream and desire that I could ever imagine. I have to think that every bad relationship, every "toad I had to kiss", every lonely New Year's Eve and every bridesmaid dress that had to be worn....can honestly be said to be worth it. I mean I felt that at some point the waiting would pay off.....but 40 was starting to come faster and faster every day! So here's to the future and to a life worth waiting for!

JAR

p.s. Stay tuned as I slowly move from a Single Southern to a Not So Single Southern and all the adventures of planning a wedding...Jenny Style! Love to all, but most of all, my husband to be Josh!

The Quiet Outlaw

It is not the years in your life, but the life in your years that counts.- Adlai Stevenson

Some might have called him a wall flower, others would say he was just very quiet...but those that knew him well, knew he was far from both. My Uncle Jerry was by no means a flashy guy. He was always the man that stood in the back of the room at huge family events and always stepped aside when someone was flying through the kitchen at Nanny's. You never heard him complain about anything...and I mean anything. Uncle Jerry endured many dinners and events with our large nutty family including my lovable Uncle Jay! Oh boy....I know he will miss him!

Uncle Jerry had the wit and humor that could make you smile for hours. I can remember when I was younger having endured hours "in the front room" at Nanny's house, walking back to the TV room only to find Uncle Jerry sitting on the couch watching something that was always more interesting than the drama in the front room. He would always make a joke about not having to "put up with the front room drama" and ask if I wanted to join the crowd. And I always did. He was a funny guy, quick to crack a wise comment and the man that created the "outlaws". The outlaws were the husbands of the sisters. They would usually stand together at a function (usually at the back of the room) and make fun of everyone else (quietly of course). He was the ringleader and you would never know by his size and demeanor....but he was indeed the man with the plan!

My uncle was a family man as well. He was devoted to my Aunt Margie and was always by her side. I can't ever remember a time that there wasn't one without the other....they truly were a pair. I imagine like any couple they had their ups and downs, but you would never know it. They stayed true to each other and true to their children and grandchildren.Whenever either of their children needed anything (or grandchildren for that matter) they would help without hesitation and go over and beyond what was necessary to make everything better.I often thought that they reminded me of one of the couples from the "in between" scenes in When Harry Met Sally; they could always finish each others' sentences and thoughts...literally.

I can't help but think that when Uncle Jerry was diagnosed early this year with lung cancer he probably was scared. I imagine that was not a diagnosis he was prepared for. Heck...it's not a diagnosis anyone is prepared for. But in true Uncle Jerry fashion....he handled it in stride. Throughout his entire battle you would always seem him with a smile on his face and ever so often catch him saying something funny under his breath. Even last week, my father told me he was sitting up on the couch, wrapped in his blue snuggie making fun of Uncle Jay (lol)! Oh Uncle Jerry! Some things will never change!

So I would like to think that somewhere in heaven right now, my uncle is sitting somewhere in front of a beautiful pond, peacefully relaxing without any distractions. Of course...there might be a TV near by with a good western on...because after all...he is the quiet outlaw!

Love to you Uncle Jerry and to the Sides Family

JAR

Dear Lord.....

Each night as I lay down to sleep I close my eyes and begin to say my prayers softly. This week I can't help but give more reflection as we begin the Christmas season. One could say that this is a difficult time of the year for me. It is hard for me to get in the "spirit" and even harder for me to tolerate the frills of it all at times. However I will pause and reflect a little more closely this year due to all that has occurred in the world.

Many friends have lost jobs, many loved ones have become ill and the tone of the world seems a little less joyous then most years past. However, I feel more thankful and grateful than ever before for all that I do have. I have been blessed with a wonderful family.I could not ask for more loving and fun people to surround myself with. I have been sent an angel this year who I truly see spending the rest of my life with. And as I have said all along...good things come to those who wait. I have friends who I am may not get to see often, but I know are always there. I have my health and memory and can function freely. I am able to get up and go to a job everyday that I love and I can put food on my table. I live in a country that is free and allows me all the opportunities in the world to be anything and everything I have dreamed I could be.

So Dear Lord on this Thanksgiving, thank you for this life you have given me and thank you for all that I have to look forward to.

JAR

Great Song. Great Meaning.

If you have not turned on your radio in awhile.....take a moment to listen to this great new tune from country star Trace Adkins. The song, "All I ask for anymore" is a sweet and simple truth to what we all should think about his holiday season.

Take a moment to see for yourself.

JAR

"All I Ask for Anymore" video

Freedom isn't Free

“The men and women who serve in our military have won for us every hour we live in freedom, sometimes at the expense of the very hours of the lifetimes they had hoped to live.”- Bob Riley


So on this Veteran's Day I would like to take the opportunity to thank those who have given of themselves so freely to defend this great country we live in. Not only have they sacrificed so much of themselves, but most likely the livelihood of their families and friends as well. I believe we live in no greater nation than America and usually it takes only one trip abroad to verify that if you can't realize it living here day to day.

In a time of uncertainty in the middle east, unsettling boarders with our neighboring countries and an overall poor economic climate, one would question whether or not the role of the military should be altered or downsized. NEVER before have we ever needed our military more and they will probably be asked to do more with less. It is without question that they often have a thankless job and that is unacceptable. So the next time you see an officer in uniform, be sure to thank them for the service they have provided to your great nation.

I would be remiss this Veteran's Day if I did not honor those in my family who have served or who are currently serving in the military. I have/had family members serve in all branches for the last 70 years going back to World War II. So on this day I say, "Thank you" .

Grandpa Ruggieri

Fuzz Weddington

Andy Weddington

Linnea Weddington

Matthew Weddington

Pete Weddington

Ken Weddington

John Pickett

John Kirk

Dean Sides

Brian Foil

Mark Trexler

Andrew Scruggs

Ryan Windam


God Bless America! JAR

My Little Sister

When mom and dad don't understand, a sister always will. ~Author Unknown


I can remember the day that Dad took us to the hospital to meet our new little sister. I really was excited to think I was going to have a new little playmate around in the house. After all, Joe was no fun to play with. He was only four and all he ever wanted to do was play with balls. Basketballs, baseballs, footballs....balls, balls, balls. You get my point. So the idea of having a little sister who may want to play Barbies and dress up was really exciting. I could not wait.

So once we got to the hospital Dad said we had to pick a name for the new baby. He threw out a couple random ones (I even think Sarah was one of them) but I did not like any of them at all. When we finally got in to see the baby for the first time, Dad said "How about Lynn"? And I said, "Yes....Lynn is perfect"! And so...that is how the story goes (well for the most part). Lynn Marie was officially named that day. And to be honest with you, she really did look like a "Lynn". I could not imagine her as anything else. She was soooooo tiny and her little cheeks were so pink. I could vividly remember that one detail. It's funny because Lynn had rosy cheeks for years as a child. And even today she has a glow to her as well.

Lynn was tiny as a baby and I can remember whenever holding her that she seemed like a baby doll. Secretly I thought she was my own baby doll at times! I loved having a little sister and we had a great time growing up together. We would play school together, dress up together and do all the things that sisters were supposed to do. But as life goes....kids grow older and interests change. I got to a point where little sisters weren't so cool and I know those years were hard for Lynn. We didn't get to spend as much time together as she would have liked and I feel bad for that. She reminds me often that I let her down. But....I work hard today to try to make up for those years and I will work even harder to make our future even better.

Life now with Lynn is wonderful. I have been blessed to have had opportunities in the past 10 years to be in situations where Lynn and I have either lived close together or been able to see each other often. There is no doubt that I consider her my closest friend. To me the years between us mean nothing...there are just there. I look up to her for advice all the time as I tell her that she is the wise one in our relationship. She has such an old soul and giving heart. I am fortunate that we are able to be so close.

This past January, Lynn married a wonderful man by the name of Michael Beahm. She could not have picked a better match. I am thrilled to think that these two have a life ahead of them full of wonderful adventures and surprises. I look forward to seeing all their experience in life. I hope along the way Michael will allow me to snag Lynn from time to time to have some quality sister time! But if not (which of course I know he will).....I will know she is only a phone call or text away!

I love you Lynny! Happy Birthday!

JAR