CheriasChatter.com

Rick’s Mom (aka Nanny) absolutely loves her bird feeders and she has to make sure that her squirrel friend gets his share also.  On our visit last week I grabbed the camera and got these neat shots.  Probably no need to explain, but I will anyway…first picture, Mr Squirrel is saying something like “Dear Lord, please help me hang on”…second picture “Dear Lord, I’ve made it this far, please just a little further”…and third picture, “Thank you Lord, this certainly is some good eating”.

Anyone who visits this site already knows that my daughter Amy loves to skydive and does so almost every weekend and any other days she can fit it into her busy schedule.  You also saw that this past weekend I visited her and Gene and we made the usual trip to the DZ (drop zone).  Gene jumps for fun, but he is also making his living by working there…packing ‘chutes’, making tandem jumps and doing repairs, among other tasks.

Amy jumps for fun, but she is also a member of a very special team “Carolina Kaboom”…they competed in the US Nationals last year and will do so again in September 2010.  The first picture shows the team photographer Tommy and Amy along with her team companion Paul as they get ready to board the plane for one of many practice jumps. 

The second picture shows some of the work involved after the landing, which is to pack their ‘chutes’ to get ready to climb back on the plane and jump again.  I am very proud of Amy and her team members and wish safety in jumping and looking forward to September when they come home with smiles for winning (yes…you can and will win).

I had several days off from work, so I decided to make a trip to visit Amy and Gene in Rock Hill, SC and as expected they did their usual skydiving for the week.  With camera in hand I just had to snap away and came away with several great shots. 

Amy had let me know ahead of time that Gene would be making his 5000th jump while I was there and I just had to get some good memories of that moment.  Amy got several of Gene’s ‘jumping’ friends together and they did a big ‘fun’ jump on his special trip thru the clouds and down to earth.

Gene works really hard at the DZ (drop zone) and hardly ever gets to jump ‘just for fun’ and Amy made sure that this special jump would not be work, but a lot of fun. He is either packing ‘chutes’ or making tandem jumps (he is attached to an inexperienced jumper), or sometimes repairing equipment.   Gene was really surprised when it was announced to all folks there and when he landed he and all his friends came down with smiles all around.

Because the jumpers landed scattered in all directions, there was no way to get pictures of them all when landing, but I did get the first picture showing Gene coming ‘down to earth’ and then the second picture is Gene, Amy and their friend Paul.

Congratulations Gene on 5000 and counting safe jumps and I wish you many many more.  I’m really proud of you.

This is Olivia’s final year to attend EB Stanley Middle School and one of my favorite events is the Chorus Concerts.  They had a fantastic performance at Christmas and last night we got to enjoy their final performance “Destination Rock ‘n’ Roll”.  Each and every member of the Chorus should be very proud.  I am very happy to say that Olivia got some of that great ‘Cook” talent and I hope that she continues to participate in the Chorus as she attends ‘high school’.  Great show Olivia  and I love you!!!

Appalachian Trail Days has begun in Damascus, Va and each year they have a Miss Trails Days pageant for girls from birth up to age 18.  This year Madison decided that she wanted to participate and so her Mommy purchased her a beautiful blue dress (to match her eyes) and she practiced waving and smiling and blowing kisses for weeks.  When she got on stage however, her shyness kicked in, but it didn’t keep her from placing 1st runner-up in her age group.

As a proud GranGran I took several pictures but because of the lighting and the camera zoom didn’t work very well, so I got the best pictures afterwards.  The first was on stage and the second was taken outside and I have to say she is so adoreable.  I’m proud of any and everything Madison and Olivia do in life.  Love ya sweety!!!

As you already know, Madison celebrated her 3rd birthday with a family get-to-gather at our home.  Lots of times we get all kinds of pictures but fail to get family pictures…so I made sure that I got at least one of Tami, Rob, Olivia and Madison.  We were all rather tired by the end of the party, but I believe this picture turned out just fine.

Olivia is the typical teen-ager that just wants to avoid cameras, but she was really co-operative in this shot.  Madison still loves to pose for the camera most of the time.  And Tami and Rob just want me to get the pictures and be done with it…I suppose as we get older it gets that way.  As I get older I seem to want to be the photographer and get as many shots as possible.

We had a great day and I have lots of pictures as a reminder and will get plenty more as times goes by.

My granddauhters are growing so very fast, and I am so very proud of both of them.  Just last month Olivia turned 15 years of age and now Madison is having her 3rd birthday today.  Wow…how time flies… I remember holding them both as newbornes.

We gave Madison a party on Saturday and she had so much fun even before the guests arrived.  I made cupcakes and she just had to sample them (several times) way before the party began.  I probably didn’t see all that she ate, but I counted at least 7 of them…that accounts for a lot of that energy she had all day.  The cupcakes that she ate were very small, but they certainly met with her approval.

Madison had been reminding us for several weeks that she needed 3 candles and was constantly singing “Happy Birthday” to herself.  She is sooo very adoreable.  That big smile that she has will just melt your heart, but she also has a temper to go along with the sweetness which she displays just about every day.

Well…the ‘terrible 2s’ are gone….wonder what the ‘amazing 3s’ will bring… lots of smiles, temper fits, and an abundance of love.  Happy Happy Birthday Madison from GranGran Cheria and Papaw Rick…we love you.

Madison is always wanting to be a princess as she calls herself, so she loves to wear dresses, hats and dressy shoes.  Her GranGran Trish bought this hat for her and she loves it.  Most usually when we bring out our camera she is all smiles, but this time she was tired and just wanted to rest, but GranGran Cheria wanted to take pictures.  After lots of patience on my part I finally got this picture, which is not during one of her smiley moods, but I think it turned out very cute anyway, even with that pouty face.

If you read this site you are very familiar with the Cook family and how very special they are and how very proud I am to be a member of that family.  Granny and Granddaddy Cook have been enjoying their Heavenly home for many many years now and Uncle Clayton, Uncle Earnest, and Uncle Herbert joined them over the past few years. 

Well now Uncle Vernon has joined Aunt Helen his loving wife and his mom, dad and three brothers.  Don’t you just know this is the happiest Easter he has ever experienced.  He will be truly missed here on earth, but we can’t be sad for him, only for ourselves, but we will see all of them again someday.

There are so many friends and loved ones he has already met since he made that trip to the other side.  I never heard Uncle Vernon sing like I did the other Cooks, but I’m betting he is joining in and having a great time.  I’m sure he is praising our Lord and thanking Him for dying on the cross, raising again and making a way for us all to get to heaven.

Uncle Vernon was always the quietest one in the family…he probably didn’t get a chance to say much because all the rest were always talking, but when he did speak it was something important.  He was a lot like Granny…she said “if you can’t say anything good about someone, then just don’t say anything”, and she practiced just what she said and so did Uncle Vernon.

Many times I would go to Aunt Eleanor’s and there would be vegetables sitting around for all of us to enjoy and when asked where they came from….guess what?…from Uncle Vernon’s garden.  He loved sharing with his family and his family certainly loved him dearly.

Uncle Vernon….we already miss you….but I’m so happy you are enjoying this Easter with those loved ones and friends that you have missed for so long.  Happy Easter in Heaven and Heaven is a better place since you are now there.

My favorite style of music is Gospel, and that is mainly because that is what I grew up listening to and singing with my Cook family.  I suppose our ‘style’ was ‘country’ because that’s what we were…just plain ole country folk singing plain and simple.  Well…a few years ago, Rick and I had the privilege of meeting Charles Dolinger… better known as “Lightnin’ Charlie’.  He happened to be performing on The Pickin’ Porch at the Bristol Mall in Bristol, VA and at that time we were taking pictures and we have several of him singing.

We heard that Lightnin’ sings the ‘Blues’ style of music and this ole country girl thought…hmmm…that is just not going to be anything I would enjoy.  WOW…was I ever wrong and I do mean BIG TIME WRONG!!!  From the very first time he opened his mouth I was just amazed and that amazement just keeps going each and every time I hear him sing.  I’m here to tell you…that man can sing!!!

A few weeks ago Lightning Charlie sent Rick an email asking if we would like to do a review of his latest CD “TRUST IN GOD” and of course we were thrilled to accept.  Yesterday we received the CD and the first thing I did when I walked into the house was listen to it and once again I was simply amazed.  Beth, Lightnin’ Charlie’s wife joined him on several of the songs, and their sons Sidney and Samuel also joined in on one of them as well   It sure  sounds like they inherited some talent from their parents.

If you have never heard Gospel sung “Blues” style and especially if you haven’t heard Lightnin’ Charlie and his wife, you certainly are missing out on some fantastic music.  They don’t just sing to be singing…they sing to be giving praise to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, from the very first song, “I Trust in God” til the last “How Great Thou Art”.

“God’s Good News” was written by Lightnin’ himself and Brownie McGhee and I know you will enjoy it just as much as I do.  “Walk Dem Golden Stairs” is a song I have heard since I was just a young kid, but never have I heard it sung as only Lightning’ Charlie can do it.   “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, Master’s Call”, and “Rivers of Babylon” will just make you yearn for more.  I have to say as much as I have always enjoyed Hank Williams singing “I Saw The Light”, I do believe Lightning’ Charlie just makes it go straight to my heart.

Dottie Rambo wrote “Remind Me Dear Lord” and this is my favorite song on the CD.  Beth and Charlie have made me appreciate this song even more than I did before hearing them sing it.  “Down by the Riverside”, “Only Believe” and “How About You” are just great also.  Only Lightning’ Charlie can make “America The Beautiful” sound so amazing and no one can bring out the emotions as he does on “How Great Thou Art”.

Beth, Lightning’ Charlie, Sidney and Samuel Dolinger, I just want to say thank you for recording such a great CD and thanks even more for allowing Rick and me the opportunity of listening to some “Gospel” the way it should be heard.  God bless!!!