A Weird Dream

                  Now, I can have me some weird dreams!! And, usually I remember what I have dreamed. 

I had the wildest dream last night. It must have been because of the recent wedding of my grandson and his beautiful bride but believe me, there is no comparison. His wedding went so smoothly, was so touching, just perfect. This dream wedding however was a riot. 

                         

               Let me tell you about my dream:

I have an acquaintance who says she's getting married and she tells me the time and date. How I got so involved, the dream never revealed! But, here I am in the middle of everything and the day of the wedding arrives and there have been no plans made, no venue, no gown, no preacher, no cake... nothing. It's 10 a.m. and the wedding is at 2 so my husband (God rest his soul) and I start to pull together this wedding. We find a church we can use, a friend loans a white dress and my husband and I head to Wal-Mart to buy a cake to serve. It's just a plain white layer cake but it has purple flowers all around it. That'll have to do. I get them to sell me a bag of icing so I can decorate it up a bit. Oh we need some drinks. The salesperson suggests Gaterade! Then we discuss Sprite or Coke. I don't think we ever decided. We still don't have a person to perform the wedding and then it hit's me... 'Honey, you are a preacher,' I say to my husband (which was true in real life) 'you do it'. 

Well, the bride drags in at last minute fully unprepared and we surprise her with having everything ready. It's 2 and time..... for me to wake up.

I woke up just chuckling... what a time I'd had in my dream. Now it was time to get up and get real! 

Do you have crazy dreams? Do you remember what you dream? What do you think a dream means or does it at all?

                                           Happy Dreams!!

Final post on Susan's modeling Adventure

 The final post on Susan's modeling adventure:

After coming back to New York from Europe, Susan picked up right where she left off, but now her portifolio was much more impressive. At one point she changed agencies.. that probably helped some but who knows. Modeling is a very difficult career in that if you don't have a stiff backbone and a drive that's top-notch it's hard. Susan is that gentle, kind-hearted, do anything for you southern lady. Being that kind of gal made it hard to make her mark over more aggresive girls.

a photo shoot done in 1987

But, she worked. She did modeling for Macy's Department Store,  runway for fashion week, catolog photos for several companies, was in Glamour magazine as well as Cosmopolitan mag. Women's World and several others. 

She had a national commerical for Ban deodorant and a whiskey company of which I can not recall right now.

A snapshot taken when the commercial was playing on tv. 

 She was on the cover of some books that were published. This one is my favorite. 

She shot in St. Croix, Chicago, New York and several other places. It was all exciting for her and her family was so proud of her. 

She got engaged to that boyfriend I told you about... they were married at Old First Church in Bennington, Vermont in 1989. It was a gorgeous wedding. 

Susan and her Dad entering the church

They had their first son in 1991, moved to the suburbs. Didn't want to raise a family in the city. Fourteen months later another son joined them. Susan was still working even though she was now a wife and mom. But, then everything changed.

The youngest baby was diagnosed with autism at age 18 months. We all were devastated. He needed constant care, 24/7 and still does to this day. He will celebrate his 32nd birthday in April. 

So much of Susan's time and energy has gone into O's care. On top of that she and her husband started a small organization out of their home to help educate, give resources to and fight for better legistation for autism on the national level. As you might assume, it grew out of their house and eventually joined with a couple other groups and formed what is known as Autism Speaks. The two of them over the years have raised around 20 million dollars for Autism Speaks through golf tournaments held each year. 

Yes, my little teenager with a big dream of being a model got to live that dream for awhile. But, her purpose in life paints such a bigger picture. She is still that gentle, kind-hearted woman, full of patience and grace. I couldn't be more proud.

Susan and Owen

How it All Began!

 I've had requests for more on a couple things that I have posted.... one was my daughter as a model and the other one was more about my Paris adventures. 

So, here goes.

As soon as Susan got to be a teenager, she started talking about wanting to be a model. Here we were living out in the country on a farm in north/central Alabama. Where did she get that notion? But, she was sure that is what she wanted to do. 

Her first model card

By the time she graduated from high school we had found a model agency in Birmingham, 40 miles from us and so we went over to see if she might stand a chance at being a model. They signed her and soon she was doing newspaper ads for a big department store there, some magazine work etc.

Newspaper Ad

Alabama Monthly magazine

a store catalog

 Eventually she started getting work in Atlanta. 

John Casablancas Model Agency in New York send a representive down to check out the girls in Bham and Susan along with 4, I think it was, other girls were chosen to fly to New York for try outs. We were so thrilled. 

                    The girls in their New York hotel room

When the girls flew out of Bham, a crew from the local tv station went with them, filming their adventure. They were featured on the local 'news magazine' program. 

At the airport

Susan and one other girl was signed with John Casablancas and then they came home. Susan was to go back to New York to start her career as soon as Christmas was over. 

But.............

We attended a wedding on Dec. 23rd. Susan and her best friend wanted to go to the mall instead of doing the reception so Elbert and I said yes. That's just what teenagers do. 

A short time later a man in jeans and corduroy jacket walks into the reception hall and calls out, 'is there a Mr. and Mrs. Barton here?'

Down the road our daughter sat in her car, blood everywhere.

Her car before it was hit.

 A drunk driver had hit her. Her head had crashed through the windshield. This was in the early 1980s so things were different then like seat belts etc. Glass shards were embedded in her scalp and forehead, a cut above one eye and a broken ankle. It could have been worse! 

with Mom in the hospital... it was Christmas Day

Months followed with surgeries, daily trips to the gym to build up strength in her leg, scarring to deal with on her face. Would she ever fulfill her dream? Her Dad and I didn't think so but that girl never gave up.

I had given her a music box that played 'New York, New York' and for months it had remained silent. finally one day I heard that music coming from her bedroom. I knew that she had faith in herself. Dad and I had to get onboard as well. 

Continued in next post. 

Setting Sail at Last

 I'm in a bragging mood this morning. What Mother doesn't love to brag on her kids!!! 

My son's passion is sailing. Back in the '80s he bought a 27' sailboat and spent many happy hours on it. Moved to a new location and the sailboat went, too. 

As the months go on, he's noticing this beautiful 35' sailboat at the pier near his... never been in the water! Months, then years go by... boat still sitting there. 

So, he and the owner start talking and seems the owner doesn't know how to sail. I bet you are asking yourself right now 'what the heck is he doing with a sailboat then?'  Seems he has this dream of sailing down the Tombigee River, around the coast of Florida and over to the Bahamas.... but the boat needs work and he still can't sail. 

Michael has retired by now, so he says he'll help him repair the boat. 

Long story short....

Owner says if Michael will help him repair the boat and take him on his longed for cruise to the Bahamas he'll make it worth his while. 

Eleven months, later the  boat, which had been pulled to my son's yard, was completely overhauled and yesterday it was transported back to the river. 

Now Michael will teach his buddy how to sail and when next seasons hurricanes are out of the way they'll take off on their adventure.

Michael has worked so hard, almost every day, making changes, painting, learning to work with fiberglass, making a new rudder and the work went on and on. They've completely redone that boat and she looks fabulous and Michael couldn't be happier.  

The Arrival of the Solar Arch

                              Happy Halloween, you goblins! 

My son lives on a narrow lane. Not much turning around places.                                      Definately not 18-wheelers! 

The Solar Arch for the boat arrived... so Michael and I met the 18-wheeler at the beginning of his lane so that the driver would have a place to turn around. The package weighed 190 lbs. and was lifted onto Michael's trailer to be driven down to his yard. 

So, are you scratching your head over what a Solar Arch is... or are you much more 'up' on things than I am. It is a frame that will be attached to the stern of his boat and will hold 4-6 solar panels so that they will have electricity when they need it. And the arch will have a pulley to bring the dingy on board. 

picture not ours and it's a smaller boat but shows the arch.

this is Michael's boat, the Kira

 I tell you this boat is getting pretty fancy... all sorts of gadgets installed to make he and Roy's sail to the Caribbean much easier. Still lots of work to do yet so that journey won't be anytime soon. 

It was fun... having such a big truck come bringing supplies. Something like that doesn't happen every day. All I get are UPS trucks at my house!! 

My Bucket List

                             Do any of you have a BUCKET LIST? 

Well, I do. But, it changes from time to time as my needs, desires and ability change. Oh, there's lots of things I want to do that I know I will never get to accomplish. That's alright. Looking at my list, I see that I have already done some of them. Maybe time to start a new one!!

I'd love to hear about some things from your bucket list, if you have one? If not, what's something you'd love to do? 

Dreaming about Dill Pickles

 Oh my gosh...

I dreamed last night that my daughter and I were on a bus and I was going to give her my credit card so she could buy something. I open up my little black wallet and pull out a small piece of waxed paper. In the paper.... two slices of dill pickles! Then I woke up.

No, I am not pregnant. No, I had not been drinking before bed. No, I was not hungry. You figure it out. 

But, I was in the mood to cook yesterday. I made pineapple-cheese casserole and saved most of it for the crockpot chicken and dumplings I am making today. I get these crazy urges ever so often.

It is getting more fall like... it is just around the corner and I love fall. I wish I could go to the apple orchard and pick some apples. Then I would make me some Cracker Barrel style fried apples. That would go great with my chicken and dumplings. 

                            There is the recipe in case you get hungry for fried apples.