Fun Times

2012-01-23T16:23:00.001-08:00

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Girls Day in Kingsport

2012-01-22T08:34:00.000-08:00

This was Daddy's ring- and oh how he loved it.

So everyone could enjoy "a little piece of it" we took it to the jewelry store to have a surprise made.

Then off to Hobby Lobby ~ ready for SPRING!

Who is hiding behind that spring time mask?

Seriously picking out yarn for their knitting class!

Such a quick learner!

Concentration at its finest!

Who will finish their scarf first? Only time will tell!

# 2 SNOW DAY

2012-01-13T09:50:00.000-08:00


I do love a snow day! #2 we have had so far.

2012-01-09T19:17:00.000-08:00

What a crew!

got to love it

2012-01-03T12:01:00.000-08:00

2012

2012-01-01T15:11:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!

2012

My Final 2011 Post

2011-12-31T14:51:00.000-08:00

Well, another year is passing by. Needless to say 2011 has not been the best for our family. Lots of sadness and lots of changes for us.
Looking back I see~
in January - we had 4 snow days - those are always fun!
February brought bad news for my friend Sherry - her breast cancer had returned after 13 years.
Ella Carol was born on Mike's birthday - Feb. 11th.
March seems to have been a calm month - maybe the quiet before the storm. We did make a fun trip to KY to see Ella for the first time.
April 4th - as I was sitting on the playground I get the call from Carolyn. The call that some how you know one day you are going to get, but you are never ready for it. She said Mother had fallen during the night and Daddy had called 911 and took her to the hospital. I got there quickly and I did get to have some conversation with her. We joked and laughed as we always did. Her surgery went well and she even talked after it, but then her body slowly gave in. She did look up at me and she said, "this is the end isn't it" and we reassured her it was ok to leave us and we would take care of Daddy.
She died on April 8th. The rest of April and in to May was filled with taking care of Daddy. He was heart broken and had such a hard time without Mother.
Elyse graduated from UT in May with her masters. And luckily I finished up another year ~thanks to my friends and such a big thanks to Sarah who filled in for me. A sweet friend of mine Wendy King died of breast cancer. She was such a special person.
June came and Daddy seemed to be doing some better. We still didn't leave him much by himself. We all took turns staying with him and it was so sad to see him so broken.
Father's Day was a special time for us as that was the last time we spent with Daddy. He was happy, he enjoyed lunch and he loved all his silly presents. I'm so thankful for that day.
The very next day I get that same phone call. Daddy has gone to hospital. Elyse and I were having lunch in Knoxville so we just hop in the car and head to Kingsport. When we got there Daddy was in pain but knew we were there. He asked Elyse about her car and seemed to listen when we talked to him.
As the hours passed on he became more and more distance. They moved him to a room and by 2:30 that morning we were moving him to the ICU. They told me he was the sickest man in the hospital. Once again we all were there and we never left his side. He died June 25th. 78 days after Mother died.
Our lives changed forever this year.
July brought a new job for Elyse and a move for her. George Washington Elementary in Kingsport. Mother and Daddy would have loved having her up there. Daddy just knew she would get a good job.
August, September, October - another school year started- we all managed to get through day by day. We cleaned out Mother and Daddy's house and we did exactly what they said we would do , we laughed, we cried and we cussed.
November provided some of us with a road trip to Richmond. It was a fun trip. Thanksgiving was at my house and it was a good one.
December - An exciting thing~Windy graduated from LMU with her masters. Christmas was the challenge. All of us were always at Mother's and Daddy's. We managed to pull it off and even though it was completely different from anything we were ever use to, it was a wonderful time. We look back on the memories Mother and Daddy have left us with and we cherish all the time we got to have them. We know we are lucky and even though it is so painful we do feel truly blessed.

So... can I say that I'm glad this year is over. Who knows what 2012 will bring. I hope some good times and happiness for all.

Daddy you are so missed.

My Great Big Wonderful Family


Mother, you are so missed.

Good-bye 2011.

2011-12-29T14:49:00.001-08:00

Ella and Greg

2011-12-29T14:49:00.000-08:00

Tyler was not at his best!

2011-12-29T14:48:00.000-08:00

good morning happy campers

2011-12-29T14:47:00.000-08:00

Needs no explanation

2011-12-29T14:46:00.000-08:00

NICE PJ's Jr.

2011-12-29T14:45:00.001-08:00

Donald, Ella and Robin

2011-12-29T14:45:00.000-08:00

2011-12-29T14:44:00.000-08:00

Our tree with "story" ornaments

2011-12-29T14:43:00.001-08:00

Christmas Fun

2011-12-29T14:43:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas House

2011-12-29T14:42:00.000-08:00

Amelia meets Bella

2011-12-29T14:41:00.000-08:00

Let's Take a Walk-Hike-Over Norris Lake

2011-12-28T16:00:00.000-08:00

It's always fun to explore your surroundings! So the more "mature" adults decided to just do that.
So, Debbie, Mark, Milburn, Denise, Carolyn, Evelyn and I set out to explore.


Oh~it was a rough climb!

Our House for Christmas.


The over achievers try to get ahead!

It's really not that funny!

OH~it's so very steep (for old people)! Such a good brother!

Denise takes a more "special" approach.

OOPS! It was just a little more mushy than I thought. It is not a fun feeling for your foot to go down and when you lift your foot up your shoe stays. Just sayin I have a very "sweet" brother. Everyone else just looked and laughed!

He even tried to clean them off a little.


Mark and Milburn chasing a waterfall.


We do have such form. We did make it back to the house. My feet were cold and my shoes were ruined. Until---my sweet brother took ALL the shoes to the sink and cleaned them. They looked new. WOW-that is saying alot. Everyone is so very thankful that I taught them how to walk on Norris Lake.

Amelia playing

2011-12-28T06:51:00.001-08:00

Ella playing

2011-12-28T06:51:00.000-08:00

sweet sisters

2011-12-27T19:41:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas in Lenoir City

2011-12-27T19:40:00.000-08:00

the 6

2011-12-27T19:38:00.000-08:00

all the girls

2011-12-27T19:37:00.001-08:00

The Girls

2011-12-27T19:37:00.000-08:00

Jack and boys and Amelia

2011-12-27T19:36:00.000-08:00

Family Time

2011-12-27T19:35:00.000-08:00

Sweet Amelia

2011-12-27T19:34:00.000-08:00

Jon and Amelia

2011-12-27T17:12:00.001-08:00

Greg and Ella

2011-12-27T17:12:00.000-08:00

Sweet Babies

2011-12-27T17:09:00.000-08:00

Elyse Helping One of her students

2011-12-23T09:14:00.000-08:00

2011-12-23T09:12:00.000-08:00

Visiting at School

2011-12-23T09:08:00.000-08:00

Yummy cupcakes!

2011-12-23T09:05:00.000-08:00

Happy 25th Birthday To Elyse

2011-12-23T08:46:00.000-08:00

2011-12-20 (by Eye-Fi)

2011-12-23T08:45:00.002-08:00

2011-12-20 (by Eye-Fi)

2011-12-23T08:45:00.001-08:00

2011-12-20 (by Eye-Fi)

2011-12-23T08:45:00.000-08:00

2011-12-20 (by Eye-Fi)

2011-12-23T08:44:00.001-08:00

2011-12-23T08:44:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to YOU!

2011-12-20T18:34:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to Elyse!
Today Elyse is 25 ~ she is still in school so me, and her 2 Aunts and Forrest went to help her out at school and to take cupcakes to her class. We had dinner and had lots of fun presents.
Pictures will follow when I return home tomorrow.

Congratulations Windy!

2011-12-18T14:42:00.000-08:00

Yeah -- got her Masters!

Heather and Josh came!

Aunt Carolyn and Aunt Evelyn

Forrest

Don't forget the back side.

2011-12-17T10:08:00.001-08:00

2011-12-17T09:15:00.001-08:00

Windy Awarded MBA Degree From LMU

2011-12-17T08:08:00.001-08:00

Christmas Fun

2011-12-16T13:31:00.000-08:00


Yummy Coffee.

Presents wrapped so nicely!

Fun Gingerbread Man.

Watching Christmas Movies

Giving gifts to friends!

Having lunch with a special group of friends!

Forrest Is Ready to hear The Crooked Road

2011-12-11T16:38:00.000-08:00

Icy In Kingsport

2011-12-11T16:32:00.000-08:00

The Water Fountain at the Meadowview Conference Center

Christmas Along the Crooked Road

2011-12-11T15:26:00.000-08:00


Sat. night we met Carolyn and Tom in Marion, VA and we had dinner and then went to the Christmas Bluegrass Concert.

Elyse and Miss America (1979)

Forrest and Miss America.

Where Am I=?UTF-8?B?PyA=?=

2011-12-10T14:06:00.001-08:00

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Bluegrass Night, Marion, Virginia

2011-12-10T14:03:00.000-08:00

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Happy Birthday, Mother.

2011-12-04T07:14:00.000-08:00

So hard to believe what can happen in just a few short months.
Today would have been Mother's 91st birthday. From the picture below you can see her on her 90th. Her health was failing, but she was in wonderful spirits.
Every year, for as long as I can remember, me, Carolyn and Evelyn have always taken December 4th off and went to Bristol. We would never tell Mother, but Daddy always knew -- (so I'm sure Mother did too). She would act surprised when we walked in, but she was always dressed and ready to go out for lunch. We took her wherever she wanted to go. She loved opening presents, and she was so easy to buy for. She loved everything!
Usually on that day, we would start decorating her house for Christmas. Carolyn would sometimes get a head start, because it was an unbelievable job. We would do as much as we could on that day and then the rest was left up to Carolyn to complete.
Mother and Daddy loved their "tacky" Christmas decorations~ the more the merrier.
As my family tries to make it through the holidays, their spirits are alive and well with us.
I miss taking Mother out today, and I miss the "tacky" decorating.

2011-12-04T07:07:00.000-08:00

2011-12-04T07:06:00.001-08:00

2011-12-04T07:06:00.000-08:00

More Thanksgiving Fun!

2011-11-27T08:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-25T06:11:00.000-08:00

Happy Turkey Day!

The BEST potato peeler.


We had "enough" potatoes. Thanks to Forrest.

Father and Son taking a quick snooze!

Sweet Baby Amelia.

Tyler, Milburn and Denise


The 6 of us!

Black Friday!

2011-11-25T05:31:00.001-08:00

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2011-11-25T05:30:00.001-08:00

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The Turkey Trot

2011-11-24T13:31:00.001-08:00

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It Runs In The Family-Richmond, VA

2011-11-19T12:56:00.000-08:00

Weekend in Richmond, VA

2011-11-13T16:05:00.000-08:00

The race started very early and was very chilly.

Robin and Greg


Carolyn and I walked the 8k in 1hour and 38 minutes

Elyse and Bob had great time in the half-marathon - 2 hours and 26 minutes

Forrest and Greg after finishing marathon. Forrest's time was 4 hours and 19 minutes! Her first marathon. Yeah 26.2

My sweet girls!

Our Team

Marilyn's Medal

2011-11-12T12:28:00.001-08:00

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Carolyn Gets A Knee Tune-Up

2011-11-11T09:50:00.001-08:00

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Windy Loves Hats!

2011-11-10T12:25:00.000-08:00

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2011-11-03T16:57:00.001-07:00

Birthday Cupcake

2011-11-03T16:36:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Forrest!

2011-11-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

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2011-11-03T14:04:00.000-07:00

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Amelia Is Ready for Trick or Treat

2011-11-01T06:40:00.001-07:00

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Ella Is Ready For Trick or Treat

2011-11-01T02:32:00.001-07:00

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Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T16:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween from the "Clue" crew at

Marriott Business Services!

Happy Birthday, Amelia!

2011-10-27T15:45:00.000-07:00

Happy 1st Birthday to Amelia!

Race for the cure!

2011-10-27T15:31:00.000-07:00

Saturday our day started out early with a 3.2 mile walk. Erin, Sarah, Edie and I walked and Bob and Elyse ran.

Marathon Training Starts Early For Ella

2011-10-27T15:08:00.001-07:00

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Evelyn Receives Some Special Care

2011-10-27T15:02:00.001-07:00

Evelyn just couldn't let Denise one up her!
Or maybe she is training too much ~~~

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Ella In Her Own Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-25T15:00:00.001-07:00

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Denise Wrestled With A Sharp Knife And Lost

2011-10-23T14:08:00.001-07:00

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Amelia On Her New Excavator

2011-10-23T14:02:00.001-07:00

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Amelia Takes A Birthday Ride

2011-10-22T18:28:00.001-07:00

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Race in Knoxville

2011-10-16T16:38:00.000-07:00


Forrest, Elyse and Bob running up the final hill of the 10 mile run in Knoxville.


great time! Forrest turned around and ran 8 more miles~ She is preparing for her big run in Richmond in November.

Fall Break

2011-10-14T09:19:00.000-07:00


Fall Break started with a concert!		The Avett Brothers were at the Smokies Stadium. A great concert and a little chilly.

Then moving day. Elyse to Kingsport.

She had great help.

I stayed with her for a few days and we manage to get almost everything in order.

Mike and I would like to say "THANK YOU" to all her helpers. It sure did make it a lot easier. So thanks, Bob, Carolyn, Terry, Evelyn and Forrest! Carolyn even brought wonderful food!

Photo Book

2011-10-13T06:11:00.001-07:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly offers exclusive photobook layouts so you can make your book just the way you want.

Elyse Moves Her "Stuff" To Kingsport

2011-10-08T05:52:00.000-07:00

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Sips and Strokes

2011-09-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

Girls night out at Sips and STrokes!

Erin gets the paint ready.

Sarah gets the wine ready.

Hard at work!

Sarah is working so hard!

Edie really concentrates!

Erin just laughs.

I do believe mine looks like a snowman after all.

Erin's does too.

OOPS!!


Beautiful snowmen.

Birthday Fun!

2011-09-25T08:53:00.000-07:00

I had a really nice birthday! The girls at school had me a wonderful lunch and a parent made those amazing bee cupcakes. My class had fun with that.
We went to the "Melting Pot" for dinner. YUMMY!
I got wonderful presents ~ thanks to family and friends.

My Ice Cream cake from Baskins- Robbins.


The Melting Pot sure knows how to do a birthday. They had balloons and even a present for me!

Amazing Chocolate!

A candle in my dessert!

Roses from Mike.

2011-09-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

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Birthday Flowers for Marilyn

2011-09-24T10:39:00.000-07:00

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Happy Birthday Bees

2011-09-23T15:22:00.001-07:00

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A Keurig Birthday Carousel!

2011-09-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

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Happy Birthday Mom!

2011-09-23T14:27:00.001-07:00

Birthday "BEE" Sweets!

2011-09-23T09:46:00.001-07:00

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Bring on the Birthday!

2011-09-22T15:59:00.000-07:00

Love, love, love to get a Crate & Barrel Box

Beautiful bowls!

Thanks Milburn, Denise, Tyler and Lindsey

Fwd: FW: Put on blog

2011-09-22T13:24:00.001-07:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Michael Gregory" <mbgregory@chartertn.net>
Date: Sep 22, 2011 4:13 PM
Subject: FW: Put on blog
To: <michaelgregory1954@gmail.com>

From: Windy Gregory [mailto:windygregory@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2011 6:54 AM
To: Mike Gregory
Subject: Put on blog

Happy Birthday to Emory!

2011-09-10T17:41:00.000-07:00

happy 3rd birthday to Emory!

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-10T15:48:00.000-07:00

Mother always said we would, "Laugh awhile, Cry awhile, and Cuss awhile".

Well she was right. We did all 3 as we started the unbelievable task of

going through 65 years of a life together.

We only touched the surface, but we found some interesting

things. Many letters from Mother to Daddy before they were married.

Every card any of us ever sent to them. Lots and lots of twist ties (just can't

figure out why old people feel the need to keep those).

We found lots of great pictures and lots of items dating back to

the late 1800's.

Every item was carefully examined and then past on to one of us or

past on to the trash.

It was sad to see everything in the house in chaos and to know

that would be our last night we would spend in that house.

A few of the fine items waiting on the trash truck!

Lots of items to look at.

Down time!

Ameila always brightens things up.

This vase of colored glass was always out on some shelf. We all
played and touched it.

Always a party!

2011-09-10T15:35:00.000-07:00

Labor Day Weekend.

Even though it might not all be fun,

we seem to be able to find a reason to celebrate.

It just happened to be Denise's 50th birthday!

Denise and Lindsey

Tyler, Denise and Lindsey