Where were you 25 years ago?.....

Today, November 26th, 2008, is a very special day in our family. It is the date in which our family officially started, with the exchanging of vows by my father and mother. This year is extra special, since they have now been married for 25 years! For most of us, that is quite a long time, but mom says it has gone by amazingly fast.

As a tribute to their 25 years, I would like to take a look back through the mists of time, for a snapshot of what has changed in the last 25 years.....

Ronald Regan is in the third year of his first term as president (with George Bush Sr. as Vice-President), and says in his state of the union address: "As we gather here tonight, the state of our Union is strong, but our economy is troubled...."

The wildly popular album, "Thriller", by a 24 year old Michael Jackson sells 25 million copies. He is propelled to greater success through his MTV video for "Beat It". Some of us wish he had...

The median price for a home is $89,800, the price of a gallon of gas is $1.24, and a first class stamp is 20 cents.

The Cabbage Patch Doll is introduced to the world, and the world can't get enough of them. Parents and grandparents alike line up for hours outside of stores, to purchase these yarn haired toys. One of these lines turns into a riot in a Wilkes-Barre, PA toy store, in which limbs are broken, and teeth knocked out.

6800 bars of solid gold, valued at $39 million are stolen from London's Heathrow Airport. My parents are not suspects, as they are getting married on the day is was stolen.

The worst drought since 1936 hits the nation's farmers. Global warming has not yet been invented to serve as a scapegoat, so they just call it a "dry year".

Soft drink manufacturers begin using aspartame to sweeten their beverages. Who knew.....

One Michael Dell, then 18, begins rebuilding PC computers in his dorm room. Yep, would have loved to have been the roommate on that venture!

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is released. It is the highest grossing movie of that year, and my dad kicks the theater seat in front of him.....

The first Costco is founded in Seattle, WA. They never knew that the Hector family would one day be their biggest purchaser of toilet paper, Kleenex and paper towels.

But, the most important event to occur in 1983 was this:


At 1:00pm my mother walked down the isle, and to the side of my father, so beginning their lifelong journey together. On this day before Thanksgiving, I am ever so thankful that this occurred, and that their marriage has grown, deepened, and matured over these last 25 years. They never knew at the time that in just a mere two decades and a half, they would be in charge of this:


It is probably a good thing they didn't!

Happy Anniversary, Dad and Mom! You have been wonderful parents. 25 years is quite the accomplishment, and I am looking forward to writing the blog posts for the 50th and even the 75th.....

Posted by BFH

Always expect the unexpected....

A very randomly deep thought recently occurred to me, and I thought I would share it with the world:

How many name-tags would a schizophrenic wear?

Speaking of tags and randomness, Miss Tiffany was kind enough to attach one to me, and now seemed like a perfect time for fulfilling her request. However, since this is a family blog, I am going to adjust the rules, since we all know that a rule is for the situation, not the situation for the rule. I am going to complete the tag with six random items for myself, but will also post one random fact about each of my family members. Perhaps I can even find a few random pictures to tack on as well.....

Myself:

1. Before I die, I want to drink a cup of coffee on every continent.

2. I love hats, and my collection includes British caps, a german schiffmutze, and a pith helmet.

3. I cannot arch my eyebrows, in spite of hours spent trying.

4. Because of family tradition, I do not know any of the words to "O Christmas Tree".

5. Always eat my bread and butter with the butter side down.

6. I only set my alarm to odd numbers. (Like 6:01 am)

Dad:

1. Simply adds more pairs of glasses to his nose to increase magnification, and has been known to wear as many as three pairs at a time.

Mom:

1. Had Smurfs on her wedding cake.

Thomas:

1. Puts his pillowcases on his pillow inside out.

Matt:

1. Cannot sleep unless he has at least three pillows.

Nic:

1. Eats his pizza from the crust side first.

Anton:

1. Knows the lyrics to every High School Musical song.

JT:

1. Can fall asleep with his eyes open.

Laura:

1. Sometimes thinks she is a Soprano, when she is really an Alto. (Ouch!)

Bex:

1. Answers to any of her ten nicknames.

Sara:

1. Sara can out-eat me. (This is the truth!)

And since Ashley is spending the day with us, I shall include her in our family list.

Ashley:

1. Ashley, even though she is from another family, does not know the words to "O Christmas
Tree" either.

There, now you know a few random facts about our family. As if the above did not cement the fact that we are completely strange, here are a few random photos....

Which way is up???????


If you look close, you can see the sparkles!


I don't know if this is a picture of Nic, of the boat, or of Nic's knees.



This is about as random as it gets:



One last random thought, what direction do penguins travel for the winter?

From the twisting, turning, knotted synapses of BFH

Be Ye Reformed....

Well, every time I have begun to write this post, my time has been short, and it did not get done. (Sorry Tiffany, I fear I have been trying your unlimited patience again....) I am now sitting down, with the determination that nothing will distract me! Of course, determinations really mean nothing if something comes up, but hope is worth nine tenths of the effort.

Reformation Day 2008!!!!!! I could spend a large amount of time describing all of the various wonderful moments, or I could fall back on the tried and true method of of pictures with captions. I'll choose the latter option...


The forecast of the day was a 50% chance of rain; as you can see, we were on the good side of the 50%!


As director of the event, I spent a large amount of time managing all of the wonderful workers. So, I was often looking over my minions.

Everyone pitched in, even the leadership. Wrapping 200 sets of sliverware is a big job!


My delightfully cute sister, coordinating decor.


I would love to know what this group is looking at!

Three lovely ladies, looking absolutely gorgeous in their gowns.

One of the events consisted of instructional booths, with crafts based on parts of Puritan life. Mrs. Ernst ran the medicinal booth, and looks very fetching in a coif...

A perfect picture of what Sacajawea must have looked like.

"Say what?" (Don't you just love that arched eyebrow?)

Put two boys in the same place with sharpened objects, and there is only one result. Nic and JP are no exception.

Master Walker, looking every bit the English gentleman.

Who said the Indians and the Pilgrims didn't get along?


In addition to the booths, we had the Spectator Sports. This is Brian, I see the Olympics in his future. Just look at that form!


Elder Langley had a grand time cheering on the runners! I can still hear faint echos of his "Huzzah!".

Two pillows, a wooden beam, and a screaming crowd. The men couldn't resist!


Fun with Pringles.

This is hard core costuming. All of the boys in the family grew their hair out and shaved for Indian mohawks.

My boss. Maybe by posting his photo on my blog, I'll get a raise!

"Kilroy was here!"


Got to love the shoes....



Squanto would be proud!


I still can't figure out why this fashion style died out....



How do you say "Three Amigos" in Pilgrim?

The wonderful kitchen crew! We ate really well. Tri-tip, scalloped potatoes, salad, corn on the cob, bread, and pie!!!!! I am salivating just thinking back on it.....

One of the crowning glories of the night was the Dramatic Presentation. Written by Mrs. Walker, it centered around the experiences of the Pilgrims, and their journey to Plimouth (Yes, that is the old style spelling). It was absolutely amazing! We have quite a few talented actors in our church. Kendrick brothers, you better watch your back!


During our Dramatic Presentation, Kev was the barrel boy....

We really had a great time, and are already planning the next one. I have been begged to take the planning of next year, but I found out that this was a lot of work!!!! We shall see....

One last photo to leave you with:

"Y'all come back next year!"

Transcribed by BFH