There were bells on a hill...

My sweet cousin Michelle got married last weekend and her recessional was the classic Beatles version of "Till there was you"    My mom leaned over and said - "well, those are your lyrics for the day"  :)  Thanks, Mom. 

p.s. First the song was sung in The Music Man
p.p.s. My friend Mollie and I used to sing this in the stairwell of our freshman dorm!! :)

Everything's coming up Roses

Well, this title just wrote itself as I sat looking at the beautiful Tyler roses my mom brought me when we met for dinner Thursday night.  Two nice things about my new life location: 

           1)  45 minutes gets me half way home so I can occasionally meet my parents just for dinner! 

           2) That half way place is the self-proclaimed "America's Rose Capital"

They come in an amazing variety of colors, but the best part is...you can buy 1 dozen for $2.50!!!  (Of course, they were $1/dozen growing up, stupid inflation.)  My mother has trained me well, get them home and cut the stems diagonally and put a little sprite or just plain sugar into the water.  They start as small buds and the next day they're huge blooms.  I'm not always one for fresh flowers - too much money for too little time to enjoy.  But these are a deal - and a joy!

p.s. Post title from Gypsy (based on the memoirs of a real-life Gypsy Rose Lee.  Ok, she was a strip-tease dancer, but made a powerful musical, if a little depressing.)

I love you a bushel and a peck...

...a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck!
(Did you know this was a Broadway song???  Scroll down if you can't wait to see where it's from :)

Well, Labor Day is almost over but the weekend has been full - of a little boy being showered with bushels of love and lots of hugs around the neck!!   The first Booker grandchild (my brother and sister-in-law's son) journeyed home to visit grandparents and he's just too cute for words.  So here are several pictures from the visit.  He also got to spend time with his namesake (my grandfather) and meet a great-aunt and great-uncle for the first time.  He'll be 5 months old on Wednesday.

Holt (the elder) loves his time with Holt (the younger)!!

Holt with his Great-Grandmother Letitia

We loved seeing Holt in all the green of East Texas!

Not to be outdone - here he's "talking" to his other Great-Grandmother Charlotte!

4 Generations of Holts - Awesome!

Have I mentioned how much fun we had together??

Another happy Booker family picture
(Thanks, Maggie!)

p.s. Song title from "Guys & Dolls"

What a Game

Well, already I'm behind in this world of blogging.  Oh well - some is better than none and late is better than never, right??

So my new school of employment has a football team and a drill team that bring with it some of the thrill of "@Friday Night Lights" - but on Saturday nights!  I grew up going to watch the junior college football games for the school where my parents teach with the Famous @Rangerettes on Saturday nights (highlights included sitting in the pressbox with dad as he called the games - and of course, half time when the band marched and the girls did their high kicks!!)

In the interest of school spirit and trying to get involved I went to the first game last weekend - even before classes started.  The team did a blow out job of clobbering the poor team that drove down from Kansas for the pre-season game.  And the @Cardettes (we're the Cardinals) did a lovely pom and kick routine to start the season as well.  You all know I'm no huge sports fan, but I am a sucker for school spirit.  Turns out, I discovered on Monday I've got several football boys (aka giants!) in my math classes this fall, so I'm glad I could tell them I came out to support the team. 

Also turns out when you go to a football game by yourself, you only know a handful of people in town and you don't see any of them there and you don't really follow the game that closely, you can get a bit bored.  Fortunately for me, I brought my new camera that has some fun settings I was able to play with as the sun set, the lights came on, and the new red and white uniforms shined :)  Oh and the band is pretty decent, too - small but interesting.  They did a tribute to #Cirque du soleil and used electric guitars...hmm.

p.s. Post Title is from one of my favorite - somewhat obscure - musicals "Ragtime" - although I must confess in the musical they are referring to baseball, not football.  I never said I would stay True to the lyrics...