~Brittany's Jr. Recital & GG's 95th Birthday!~

Warning: VERY LONG post...showing some VERY special events we were HAPPY to get to attend!

We were privileged to attend Brittany's Jr. Violin Recital.  It was Beautiful and Jesus really helped her. Her reception was beautiful and yummy!

 

 ~Her reception~

 ~A sister Hug!~

 ~Gram and Gram with Brittany.~

 ~Abigail~

~After church Wednesday night we took the Carters out and enjoyed hearing their neat stories and seeing their pretty pictures.~

 ~Sis. Carter and I in front of IHOP!~

 ~Our dear friends the Carters and Phillip, Abigail and I.~

 ~Our sweet friend Janie sent us this beautiful white pitcher with flowers.  I love white pitchers.~

~GG'S 95th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!!!~ 

 

~On Thursday evening we packed up and drove to TN.  My Grandmother was turning 95 on Saturday and we were having a party for her.  Our family went early to help A. Carole and Moma get ready.
And Sunday night our family was to have a missionary service at the Friendsville Bible Methodist church.

~These are pics that Sarah took on the way down to TN.~

 ~When Elijah finished 1st grade a few weeks ago, Gramp and Gram sent him a gift card to take his family out to eat.  We used it on the way to TN! :-) ~

 ~This is the house where I grew up in Friendsville.  My parents and Grandparents (GG and Pop Pop) started a Christian school and church on this campus in Friendsville, TN when I was 18 months old.  My Daddy called himself the "Associate Director" and GOD the "Director! of the church and school"~

 ~GG...the LADY we came to celebrate...and Sarah and Kimberly~

 ~L to R: A. Carole, GG, Gram, Pop Pop and U. Carson.~

 ~Pop Pop~

 ~GG and Pop Pop ... before I was born.~

 ~When you get to eat GG's famous Macaroni and Cheese!!!~

 ~Heidi And Mary are the 2nd to oldest and 2nd to youngest grandchildren.~

 ~Heidi and Gram~

 ~Heidi surprised most of us by flying in from AK!!!!~

 ~Katie and Abigail.
Abigail had been into a sand box full of water...and had ruined her clothes, so she was wearing Gramp's T-shirt. :-0 ~

 ~GG and Abigail~

 ~Sarah, Noah, Elijah, and Mary helped weed GG's flower bed.~

 ~Our children playing on the playground in Friendsville, TN, on which I grew up playing.~

 ~Gramp and U. Dan donated the money for new chains for the swings.  U. Dan, Pastor Bentz, and Phillip hung them.~

 ~Elijah acting like he was falling.~

 ~Jane surprised us by coming!!~

 ~Sweet GG.  She is the sweetest, orneri-est, most LOVED Grandmother in the world!!!  She makes us laugh, then she makes us cry.
She is a DEAR GODLY lady who loves JESUS and Pop Pop, and all of us ...her family, and everyone she knows with all of her heart!~

My Daddy Edgar A. Bryan... wrote this about GG's 95th birthday gathering...
"Just returned from celebrating Moma Stel’s (Martha’s mom) 95th Birthday - April 29. Can’t prove it but suspicion she set a record. She had 3 of her 3 children there and all 3 mates. She had 10 of her 10 grandchildren there and 6 of their mates - other 4 are alive but didn’t make it. She had 3 of 3 Roush g.g. (great-grandchildren), 2 of 3 Vernon g.g., 2 of 2 Hunt g.g., 3 of 4 Sams g.g. 3 of 3 Fulton g.g., 6 of 6 E.A.Bryan g.g., 2 of 2 L.S.Bryan g.g., 4 of 4 Hausman g.g., and 6 of 6 Dickinson g.g. Her only great, great-grand, Carson made it - sorry his mom couldn’t. (The above represents 16 weddings and 0 divorces - Praise the Lord.) There were 5 niece/nephews from her siblings, & 14 from her husband’s siblings. Friends, old & new, and church connections filled the number to at least 110. - eab, 5/3/17"

 ~There was a money tree to raise money for the scholarship at GBS in honor of our Pop Pop~

 ~I love this pic of GG and Abigail~

 ~Sis. Bentz did a great job doing the board being where GG sat.~

 ~Pop Pop and GG.~

 ~The Pop Pop GBS scholarship tree.~

 ~Abigail and Mary.~

 ~A. Carole, Moma, and U. Carson presenting their gift to GG.~

 ~U. Carson telling GG that 50 years ago he and Aunt Linda got engaged or married...and that GG was near the age of Susan...45 years old when that happened.~

 ~All of us starting to gather.~

 ~A cousin picture while waiting for the others to arrive.  Poor Cheryl...due to something in bloom around there...all she did that day was sneeze, so I left this picture on for memory sake.  :-( ~

 ~Tyler and Noah~

 ~Our Mary Grace, Marty's Emma Grace, and Cheryl's Shiloh.~

 ~Little Carson.~

 ~Gramp taking little Carson for a ride.~

 ~Ms. Hackney and Laura.  I think she used to be Laura's teacher.~

 ~Big Carson (uncle) and little Carson playing ball together.~

 ~All the kids enjoyed the ball field.~

 ~I love Drew's cowboy boots laying there, while he played in his socks.~

 ~U. Carson, GG, Moma, and A. Carole.  Pop Pop passed away of a heart attack at 79...when I was expecting our Kimberly.~

 ~Her cakes were yummy~

 ~U. Carson and A. Linda, GG, Moma and Daddy, and A. Carole and U. Dan.~

 ~It is amazing that all of GG's children and their mates are alive and still together.~

 ~Moma thanking A. Carole for allll her work putting GG's 95th birthday party together.~

 ~The Great Grandchildren helped serve.  Heidi and Kimberly.~

 ~Natasha and Sarah.~

 ~Derek (Esther's husband) did an amazing job smoking the DELICIOUS pulled pork and making the YUMMY baked beans.
Here his son Aric is serving the pulled pork.~

 ~My girlhood friend Melinda.  It was sooo nice to see her and her sweet family and have them join us for the weekend.~

 ~Kimberly, Darla, and Brittany played some beautiful music for us.~

 ~GG's Great Grandchildren...and the one GREAT GREAT grandson...little Carson. (We were only missing Stephen, Ethan, Daniel, Thomas, Austin and Alyssa (which were able to show up later), Keith's Natalie, and Katie's Matt. ~

 ~Lincoln's family, minus sweet Natalie and baby bump.~

 ~GG and all of her GRAND children...us!!~

 A "CARSON PHOTO"

~GG...holding a picture of the original CARSON (Pop Pop,) then U. Carson, his Grandson Carson, my nephew Grant Carson holding my Great nephew Carson.~

 ~Our family with GG.~

 ~Our whole Bryan family and GG. (Minus Laura's Daryl, Keith's Natalie, and Katie's Matt.)~

 ~U. Carson and A. Linda and family...minus Chery's David and Ethan, Marty's Stephen, and Christa's David.~

 ~Marty's family minus Stephen.~

 ~Christa's family minus her David.~

 ~Cheryl minus her David and Ethan.~

 ~Susan and her family.~

 ~One tired little Abigail.~

 ~Laura's family minus her Daryl who had to be at a graduation where he teaches.~

 ~The annual Laura, Cheryl, and Jane picture.~

 ~These 3 cousins were all born in 2000.  Sarah, Grant, and Darla~

 ~GG didn't want a lot of gifts, but she got some nice things.~

 ~Jane ...using GG's walker.~

 ~U. Dan and A. Carole's family except for Jane's Phil, Daniel and Thomas.~

 ~Happy 95th Birthday Sis Scarbrough...on the church sign.~

 ~Saturday evening my brother Andrew and his family and our family went to the Smoky mountains and enjoyed Cades Cove together.~

 ~Crossing the creek for a picture.~

 ~Vonnie and I did NOT like Crossing this log...so we decided to WADE back across.
My nephew videoed it...so this is a pic taken from that video.  It was hilarious.  Vonnie lost her flip flop in the middle of crossing the creek, and Andrew and Phillip tried to rescue it but Grant succeeded.~

 ~Andrew's children and ours...minus Katie's Matt.~

 ~Cades Cove Loop.~

 ~Abigail sitting on Drew's lap around the cove.~

 ~The Lord was so sweet to let us see a Moma Bear and 2 of the tinest baby cubs my brother Andrew has ever seen.  (And he's been to the Cades Cove loop NUMEROUS times...and lived in AK.)
One cub is in the tree to your left.

 ~The Moma Bear and her 2 little cubs crossed the road in front of 

Heidi, Katie, Kimberly, Sarah and Mary's car.~

 ~LOVE those Smoky Mountains!!~

 ~Elijah sticking his head out of the sun roof in A. Vonnie's car talking to Abigail who was sticking her head out of our sunroof.  (you drive VERY SLOWLY when you are in Cades Cove loop.)~

 ~We saw about 24 deer and 8 turkey too.~

 ~Kimberly took these pics of the beautiful sunset in the Cades Cove.~

  ~In the Cove ...Heidi let Mary sit on her lap and "drive" a little. :-) ~

 

 ~Afterwards we ate at Subway.~

 ~Elijah telling U. Andrew and family a story.~

 ~On Sunday morning at Friendsville Bible Methodist (the church that my Daddy started with God's help) Daddy preached and our family sang.~

 ~Afterwards it was enjoyable listening to Daddy and Andrew talked history of the school with Pastor Bentz.~

 ~GG telling Drew about Pop Pop!~

 ~Abigail "making herself right at home" and putting her feet on Tyler. :-D ~

 ~The boys and Abigail got the privilege to hang out with DEAR GG.~

~My sweet friend Melinda's girls and our smaller kids.  Elijah told them that they were their 4th cousins. :-) ~

 ~Andrew and his family, minus Katie's Matt.~

 ~Sunday evening our family had a mission service at Friendsville Bible Methodist church.~

 ~My sweet cousins Jane and Esther and I.~

 ~GG visiting with one of her FAVORITE Grandsons...Andrew.  (She only had 2. :-) ~

 ~Snack at GG's after church Sunday night.~

 ~Abigail all tuckered out.~

 ~Praying for the snack...

 ~On Monday, GG is giving the kids money for pulling weeds for her.~

 ~My sweet friend Melinda's daughters shared some fun toys with Mary and Abigail.~

 ~Been enjoying my Vanilla Bean candle from my sweet friend Lila Kemp...on these chilly May days.~

 ~Our sweet niece Kelsea (Lincoln's girl) got engaged to Gary Deeter.
Isn't this an adorable picture of them?

~It is in Washington DC ... but looks like Avonlea. :-) ~

THANK YOU, DEAR JESUS, FOR ALLOWING GG TO LIVE TO BE 95...

FOR ALLOWING US THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING HER FAMILY...

AND FOR ALLOWING ALL OF US TO GO TO HER BIRTHDAY GATHERING!!

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

The kids are working HARD on schoolwork so these days are BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

~HEATHER~