Author: David

My Last 60th Birthday Party

69 On Door

When I turned 60, I had a family and friends gathering at the Marietta Fish Market and brought along my cell phone to record some of the thoughts. I asked those who hadn't hit that mark to tell me what 60 meant to them. Predictably, the consensus was that it meant you were old as sh**.

Now, at 69, I had the chance to invite close family members for another intimate evening at our house. There was me, Diane, my brother Don and his wife Beth, my brother Richard and his wife Jill, and remotely we had my dad and brother Dan from Tallahasse, and Diane's sister Donna in Tennessee.

The birthday cake was Betty Crocker's pineapple upside down cake like my Nana used to make. We had an iPad set up for Dad and Dan and a laptop for Donna. But before the cake and blowing out the one humongous candle in the middle, everyone gathered in the kitchen for the debut performance of a song I had written the night before for the occasion.

After the performance, everyone began sharing what 69 meant to them. Mostly it was about the year 1969, and Diane recorded the video on her phone. It was a very special evening for me and through the magic of YouTube (llinks below) you can all enjoy the song and the conversation.

Post Vax Celebration Tour

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Jab #1

David was alerted in early January that appointments were available. He had his first COVID-19 vaccination on January 25, 2021 - the Moderna vaccine. The second shot was February 23.

Jab #2

It took a while longer for Diane to get scheduled, but she finally got her first Pfizer shot March 23, 2021 and her second on April 14.

That meant that starting on May 1, 2021, we would both be considered fully vaccinated and able to interact with people again without fear of getting sick from that stuff. Hugs again! So we started making plans..

 

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Kickoff!

First up was a trip to Tallahassee to see dad and Dan. We brought Opie along to meet Baxter.

Dan broke out the French champagne for happy hour on Saturday. Dinner was fresh Florida seafood take out from The Fisherman's Wife - catfish, shrimp, oysters, hush puppies. cole slaw, and steamed veggies.

Sparring.. like cats and dogs

At first, Baxter didn't know what to make of Opie. The kitty kind of took over for a while. Then, after getting used to the idea of some creature swatting at him with his front paws, Baxter imitated Opie. in the video at this point, Opie was comfortable enough to play with Baxter while laying on his back.

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Time Spent

The retired life at 90. Dad is too weak nowadays to even go out to the mailbox, so he spends most of his time curled up with his iPad reading mystery novels.

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Meeting in the Middle

On the way back to Atlanta, we met up with Terry Wells in Havana at a small sandwich shop. Pandemic rules in Florida were very relaxed, so we went in without masks, carrying Opie in a little snuggie bag. It felt good to catch up.

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The Grillers

The following weekend, we got together with our culinary peeps, Gary Attanasio/Donna Matthews and Deborah Calvert/Marshall Choka. Usually, we would have some fancy theme that we would cook for. This time, we were just glad to be together, so it was "bring something to grill and a side."

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Live Show!

And for our third weekend of fun, we were invited to join Mark and Lisa Robison for a live music concert at Mad Life in Woodstock, just up the road from us. The band was Chi-Town Transit Authority - a Chicago tribute band. The music, food, drinks and camaraderie were great!  So, to keep that vibe going, Mark and Lisa joined us back at the play-house for some after-concert fruit, brie cheese, Nutella, and much needed alone time conversation.  Thank you, again, to Mark and Lisa for treating us to a perfect night out!

Christmas Day, 2019

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We gathered at Richard and Jill's as a family on Christmas Day. Dan and Dad had planned to come up on the 28th, and the Don Leonard family had other plans, but the rest of us enjoyed getting together over a special dinner prepared by chef Chuck.

Clockwise from the front: Chuck, Leslie, Jill, Jaiden, Diane, David, Richard, Jackie, Matt, Joanna, Phyllis, Jim. Standing on the right are Melissa and John. Will was sound asleep, but we look forward to greeting him some time on the 28th.

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Face Time

I made a call to Dad and Dan earlier in the day to wish them a Merry Christmas and have a chat. Dad's health has improved. He doesn't need the oxygen tank, gets around without a walker, and at least once last week walked to the end of the street and back. I'll get to catch up with Dan about his Portugal trip later.

Smart Watch

For Christmas I got Diane a watch that we had looked at earlier in the year - a Samsung Active 2. It will help her keep better track of what is going on with her heart. Just so happened that John also got the very same watch just this morning. He was able to help Diane set hers up after dinner.

If you click on the picture, it will open up a YouTube video of the scavenger hunt I put her through to find it on Christmas morning. Fun stuff!

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Master Chef Chuck Hou

Chuck made the meal, and let me tell you, there's not a restaurant in the city that can touch what he put out for us.

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For the Meat Lovers..

Presenting Beef Wellington with a red wine sauce! I wish I had gotten a picture of the entree before it was carved up. The puff pastry was perfectly golden.

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The Spread

Beef Wellington with red wine sauce (not vegan at all), endive citrus salad, baked cauliflower casserole, real-deal mashed potatoes. For us, he created a Mushroom Thyme Tart. OMG.

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For the Veggie Lovers..

Presenting the Mushroom Thyme Tart! I did not miss the beef at all. He gave me the recipe off the top of his head - a pound of mushrooms, a couple of cloves of garlic, a couple of shallots, some thyme, and puff pastry. You know. Just something you can just throw together.

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Feeling Lucky!

John and I both got white elephant gifts of two lottery cards and a banana. John actually won $5. I got zip. The banana, however, is going towards my next pancake.

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After Dinner Games

With the table cleared, Leslie and Chuck set about putting together the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle they had begun earlier.

Testing, Testing

The evening before, Diane set up the Window Wonderland gift we took home from the Misfits party and projected it onto the sliding glass door on our front porch. It kind of looks like Santa made a home movie with an old 8mm film camera.

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Die Hard!

Did you know that Die Hard is the second most popular Christmas film in the nation? Richard and Melissa were the couch potatoes of the evening. I confess to joining them for most of the movie. Yippee-ki-yay, and Merry Christmas!

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The Celebration Continues..

Dan and Dad arrived in the afternoon on the 28th and that evening the family went out to eat at On North on the Marietta square.

L-R: John, Jill, Richard, Dan, Dad.

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Around the table, first stop

David, Diane and Hannah

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Around the table, second stop

Melissa, Will, and John (with a photo bomber).

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Along the wall (1)

Hanna, Kiki, and Don

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Along the wall (2)

Chuck and Leslie

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Little Will

This was my first time to actually hold the little man. He didn't cry, but he didn't smile either.

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Great Auntie

Diane got her turn holding Will. Again, he didn't cry but.. I can just imagine what it might sound like! He was ready for nap time.

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How it's done..

Aunt Leslie has a soothing effect on babies.

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Silent Night

The photo doesn't do justice to the bright festive lights hanging from the trees all along Maple Avenue. It's almost a magical scene at night.

Misfits Christmas Eve Party 2019

Candy Tree

The annual Misfits Christmas Eve Party was again hosted by Dean and Julie Taylor at their Loch Highland home. We can always look forward to an evening of catching up with friends and playing silly games.

01 Deborah_Dee

First Stop - the kitchen!

This year the table was filled with good stuff to eat and drink. Deborah and Diane pose for my first shot of the night.

03 Tomato-Herb-Cheesecake

Tasty Dishes

At the top is Deborah's tomato-herb-cheesecake. In the lower right corner is the green apple slaw that we brought. Gary Askenas made meatballs and pasta. Steve Rosen made a corn casserole. There was also cornbread, beans, ham, chips, spinach dip, cheeses, and the last batch of our vodka tomatoes (thanks Myra Jones for the vegan cookbook with that recipe!).

04 Rich JackFromChicago

College Buddies

Rich brought his college friend Jack from Chicago.

02 Marshall and the Grinch

Who's the real Grinch?

The resemblance is uncanny. Marshall poses with his Grinch tie.

05 Donna Jana

Girlfriends!

Donna and Jana kindly pose for me.

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The Christmas Spirit

There was a lot of red worn this evening. The reindeer antlers were especially cute!
L-R: Tehwan, Dale, Kim, Julie.

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Full-on Santa

Jason (L) had the hat and a short-sleeved version of the Santa coat. Josh (R) donned grinch black.

Deborah Betty Jason

Snellville Fam

Deborah brought her mother, Betty, and son Jason to the party. Everyone was fashionably red!

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Couch Potatoes

Relaxing L-R are Tehwan, Dale, and Steve.

06b ChristmasScramble

Let the games begin!

The game portion of the evening started with this crazy Christmas word scramble. Maybe it was one too many egg nogs, but I got stumped on tomrnaen, and I never got a solid answer for spnetre.

BTW, if you look at this with Google Lens it will actually manufacture words for this nonsense.

08 TomPresent

Gift Exchange

Call it white elephant, call it what you want. This year we had 19 gifts to be exchanged. Tom picked a nice white box containing a multi-pocket holder, which he went home with.

10 Steve_Poop

The Poo-fect Gift

December 24 is also Steve Rosen's birthday so we always sing Happy Birthday. Poor Steve got sh** for Christmas. Yes, that's green Christmas poo. I wonder if it's scented?

11 Gary WhatsThis

What the...?

Gary seems to be trying to figure out which end is up with his tree gift.

L-R: Betty, Jason, Dean, Lee, Gary.

12 Jason PorcupineCDHolder

What do you give the guy who's got everything?

You give him a porcupine CD holder, of course! Unzip this little guy and you can put your CDs (if you still have any) inside. You can wipe them clean on his quills.

L-R: Julie, Jason, Diane

13 Jana_Peter Bear

Cuddle Time

Jana and Peter closely guard their cuddly bear.

14 Tim Piggie

Please do not steal!

Tim unwraps the little piggie gift. He pled for it not to be stolen since he was going to give it to his grand daughter on Christmas day. Awww...  Well, it worked!

15 Flo NapkinRings

Wait a sec..

Flo proudly shows of the napkin rings she got. Three rounds later, Betty stole them and took them home. Oh well, you can't win 'em all.

16 DL WindowWonderland

Movies in your Window!

Originally I unwrapped a pretty lighted red wine bottle. But.. it was taken away from me. My next choice was to steal this away from Donna Nash because I knew Diane would get a kick out of projecting Santa's image on our big windows that face the street. I'll try to get a shot when we put it to use!

17 DL

Selfie

So this is me. It helps me remember that I was really there.

18 Dee Outfit

That Girl!

Diane shows off the hat and scarf she opened. She makes it look beautiful.

September 2019 Dinner Club

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About once a quarter, Diane and I, Marshall Choka and Deborah Calvert, along with Gary Attanasio and Donna Matthews get together for an evening feast.

It began a few years back when we learned that Deborah used to own her own restaurant and catering service and would bring these lovely dishes to our pot luck get togethers. That led to her and Gary joining forces to cook a beef Wellington meal, followed by these regular get togethers where one of us hosts the others for a special evening. This was our night to host and it coincided with Gary's 64th birthday!

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Main Dish

Since we have adopted a plant-based lifestyle, David made one of our favorite dishes - Baked Balsamic Lentil Stew with Mushrooms and Rosemary Potatoes. Deborah brought a salad with romaine lettuce, brussels sprouts, cucumbers, radishes, basil, pumpkin seeds with olive oil and balsamic glaze for dressing. By the time these pictures were taken, the meal had been served, but you get the idea.

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Starters

For appetizers, Gary and Donna brought some spanikopita and Deborah and Marshall came with some lemon zest Stilton cheese spread. All were so yummy!

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Healthy Sweets

For dessert, David made an Apple Raspberry Crumble. Since it was Gary's birthday, we took a spoonful and put a big ol' candle in the middle for him to blow out.

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After Dinner Entertainment

Marshall tries his hand (literally) at Diane's theremin. As a matter of fact, despite the fact that it was the end of the evening, nearly everyone took a turn making their own eerie sounds.

Happy Birthday!

We placed a giant candle into the dessert and sang as Gary blew it out. The big 64!

Experimental Music

Marshall's turn at the theremin. He chose a preset that kind of sounded like a motorcycle winding up.

Dad Turns 89

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Today was dad's 89th birthday! We came down to help him celebrate. It was another work day for Dan, so while he was away, Dad and David had a couple of long recorded chats, a couple of naps, and when Dan came home we all went out to The Fisherman's Wife seafood restaurant for some good eats, then back home for some Mennonite-made carrot cake dessert.

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Having a wonderful time.. wish you were here.

This is the picture and the caption that Diane sent to Dan while he was at work.

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The Fisherman's Wife

Our restaurant was located not more than two miles away. It was a small informal cafe style restaurant with really good food. Even Diane had some catfish!

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Some birthday cards..

This was the card we picked out from both of us. It felt like we could have written it.

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But this one..

It really made us laugh, and dad got a kick out of it, too!

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Reading Dan's card

Dan always finds the perfect card for every occasion.

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Don't worry..

OK, here it comes..

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I SAID..

Yup. Perfect.

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And there it is!

There's that laugh. That's our dad. We love you so much.

Anniversary Weekend at the Lake!

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It was a happy coincidence that this weekend came together this way. Originally, the lake getaway was scheduled for a weekend in June that looked like it would be rained out. So it was rescheduled for the weekend of July 12, which just happened to be the weekend after our 21st wedding anniversary. Cool. 12 is the inverse of 21 and all of that numerology.

We got all excited about the new date and then hurricane Barry showed up as a category 1 storm bringing slow moving rain up from the New Orleans area. Despite a few moments of wetness, we had a great weekend.

Our host was Dale Oscarson along with his gal and our friend, Tehwan Tso. We were joined by Dean and Julie Taylor and Debbie Fisher.

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Tehwan and Dale

Dale and Tehwan made sure everyone had a great time.

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David & Diane

We look all relaxed, while Dale was working his butt off setting things up.

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Dean & Julie

Nice shot off the stern of the boat.

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Debbie

Debbie says hey, y'all.

The Guys

At least one of us works out. Guess who?

Click the picture to see how we do a foot massage on the lake.

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Stand On It!

Diane and I look on while Julie stands on the raft. For at least a few seconds!

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Sunset on the Water

Nothing like it.

Shake It!

Debbie and Julie let the spirit move them on the dock, listening to the great oldies from Dale's iPod.

Click the picture to see how Dale and Tehwan do it!

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Summer Salad

Dinner on night one was delicious. T-bone steaks, baked potatoes, and this beautiful salad with strawberries.

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Glamor Shot

Diane had to get a fashion shot of Julie in this great outfit.

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Walk On Down

Dale built this walkway himself. It goes maybe 200 feet or so down to the lake and has a lookout deck off to the side.

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The Last Step is the Hardest

Unfortunately, the bottom portion of the walkway was taken by erosion, so the last part was a kind of Indiana Jones adventure, navigating the steep hillside by holding on to the guide rope that Dale had put up.

The easy way was to just let Dale ride us down on his 4-wheeler. Tons of fun!

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Cap'n Dale

I want that poster! I bet Tehwan does, too!

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Swimming in the Rain

Luckily, we only had a few minutes of rain all weekend. When it did come down, it was relatively cold - like little icicles. The best place to be was in the warm lake water.

First Ski Run

There were plenty of water sports. On the first day, Dale steered us to an outcropping where someone had put up a swing. Dale, Tehwan, David and Dean all took turns running off the cliff and swinging out into the lake. Dale and Dean looked very graceful. Tehwan and David - not so much.

In this picture Tehwan puts on water skis for the first time. Click the picture for our adventures in skiing!

Big Mable

Dale had a large cushioned two-seater raft that we all took turns riding in, named Big Mable. Click the picture to see how much fun Diane and I had.

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Co-Cap'n Julie

When it was Dale's turn to ski, Julie took the helm and did a great job!

Jetski Rodeo

In this shot, Tehwan is holding on for dear life to Dale, who is trying his best to twist and turn the jetski like a bucking bronco. Click the picture to see the action!

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Paddleboard

Dean, Julie Dale and Tehwan went out on the paddleboards for a little relaxation.

The Manly Man

Dean lets his inner Adonis show.

Later Dean and Julie tried a wrestling match on the raft. Click the picture to see the winner!

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Low Country Boil

Debbie brought the makings for dinner on night two - a low country boil with corn, finger potatoes, shrimp, and hot and mild sausage. Diane and I brought our kickin' collards as a side.

Ping Pong

After dinner it was down to the basement for rounds of doubles ping pong. It was the first time playing doubles for most of us.

Click the picture for the action of Diane playing single against Tehwan and Julie.

Oscaritaville

The last morning we spent playing cornhole with these custome built pieces hand painted by Dale's daughter. Interesting point - in his warm up, David threw two ringers right off the bat.

Tehwan was the first to get a ringer, though. Click the picture to see it!

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Thanks!

Thank you, Dale and Tehwan, for a truly great weekend. Sorry to know that the house will probably be selling soon, but it was fun while it lasted!

Leslie and Chuck Wedding

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Our niece, Leslie Leonard, tied the knot with Chuck Hou on Saturday, May 18, 2019 on the terrace of the Peachtree Club in Atlanta.

They had been dating for years and we all felt like Chuck was family even before he proposed this past Christmas. He is a serious tech expert, a great cook, a formidable ping pong player, and a kind hearted person on top of all that.

Since Chuck's family is still in China, most of the attendees were either friends and family of the Leonards and/or Waugamans. However, because there is a 12 hour time zone difference between Atlanta and China, the Hou family celebrated the wedding locally at 6 a.m. - basically in real time with us.

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You Are Invited

The invitation was a little work of art - a pencil sketch of a photograph that perfectly captured the joy of the occasion.

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Signing In

Continuing the motif, everyone could write their well wishes on the enlarged picture at the front desk on the way in.

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Terrace View

This was the view from the terrace of the Atlanta skyline. I don't know the names of the buildings, but it was a wonderful view.

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Melissa, Maid of Honor

Melissa waits for the rest of the bridal party to enter. She was maid of honor. Jerry Watts was best man. Abby Martin and Simone Watts were flower girls. Melissa's husband, John Muñoz, and George Verano were the ushers.

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Tears of Joy

As Leslie and Richard were walking in, there was a moment that made her laugh and cry at the same time.  We all felt it, too.

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First Kiss

I just happened to take this shot of their first kiss, with the two of them framed by the backs of the heads of Chuck's father Mao Lin Hou and Leslie's grandpa (our dad) Jerry Leonard.

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Mr and Mrs Hou

Fresh off their first kiss, the couple turns to begin the first walk of their life as a married couple. Congratulations!!!

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Family Photo

Our new family. L-R: Jill Leonard, Richard Leonard, Jaiden Stafford-Muñoz, Leslie Hou, Chuck Hou, Mr. Mao Lin Hou, John Muñoz, and Melissa Muñoz.

Cool Shot

I think Dan took this shot. Diane and the people in the foreground are looking at the bride and groom, Richard looks at the camera, and we see the first dance in the window reflection.

Click the picture to hear Richard's toast and words of wisdom for the newlyweds.

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Elegance

Jill raises her champagne glass with the others in a toast.

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Father Daughter

She's the last daughter to get married. I know this must have felt like one of the shortest dances in his life.

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What's the Opposite of Father Daughter?

Whatever you call it, Jill and Chuck flowed beautifully together on the dance floor.

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OK, enough about them..

THIS is why we came! To dress up and have a good shot for Facebook! Ha!

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The Dress

The back looks as good as the front. Well, at least one of us does!

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Julie and John

The Eidsons came up along with Jacke Wilder and Lena Montgomery to represent our Tallahassee friends and family. Julie wore our Mother's turquoise studded watch with matching accessories to the wedding.

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Karen and Fred

It just wouldn't feel like a Leonard gathering without our unofficial family members - Fred and Karen Baumbach.

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Celebrate!

Phyllis and Jim Waugaman get right into the spirit of things with their flashy glasses!

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Cheeze!

Great shot of our other unofficial brother, Joe Baker, with Dan and Hannah!

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Tampa in da house!

Matt and Joanna Waugaman pose alongside Leslie and Chuck. They drove up the day before from Tampa.

I said, "Look important"

Dad rests for a spell after the ceremony.

Next stop was the bar which featured, among other things, servers walking around with Nova Scotia oysters that they prepared on the half shell "on the spot" with a toolbelt of four sauces - cocktail, hot, horseradish, and mango pepper.

Click the pic for the experience.

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Facebook Cover

See how awesome that looks? Two beautiful faces in front of a sprawling Atlanta skyline? Kiki and Blake show how it's done.

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Decisions, Decisions

Which to drink next? The champagne or the wine? And speaking of wine, that's a Caymus that Beth's holding in her left hand. Delicious!

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Paparazzi

I guess Don had had enough cameras in his face for one night.

Rock It!

And THAT'S how you dance cheek to cheek! Leslie and Chuck do a dip for the lens.

Click the pic for a taste of the party.

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Cupcakes!

Not wedding cake! The flavors were amazing! Margarita, Raspberry Lemon.. I wish I could remember more.

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G'night y'all

Chuck and Leslie have a relaxing moment together before they dash off under a canopy of sparklers.

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The Last Shot

You know it's a good party when the last shot you take is with people you have just met, and it looks like you've known them all your life. And we even got a photo bomb from Joe!

Megan and Mack Wedding

Billy and Dawn's daughter Megan married her love, Mack Peeples, on Saturday, March 30 in Hilton Head, SC.

We arrived in time for the rehearsal dinner on Friday.  Low country boil - yum!  oysters on the half shell, steamed crab, shrimp, potatoes, corn, along with slaw. There was live music with a local singer/guitarist who did a great job covering the country hits from the 80's we grew up with.

Next day was the ceremony, which is when David began snapping photos, so we will let them speak for us.

PS: Click the big picture for a surprise!

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Paul & Renee

We were so happy they could make it. It's about a 12 hour drive from North Canton, OH, down to Hilton Head. They ran a little late and got caught up the Charlotte rush hour, which make it even longer! Ugh!

Anyway, we got to catch up with them and the news on their kids.

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Cheryl and Mike

We hadn't seen them since Colleen passed away in 2014. It was like we had never missed a day. Both are retired now - sort of. At least they get the time to make visits to Nick and Loree in Washington state on a semi regular basis. Nice!

Taylor and Tara

They flew in to Atlanta from Colorado then drove over to Hilton Head. Imagine - 5 hours on the plane, get the car then driving 5 more hours to the wedding. Interstate 16 is nothing but asphalt.

Again, it was so nice to see them! Hadn't visited like this since their wedding in Denver in 2015.

They are raising English Bulldogs now. One in particular had a bit of trouble this weekend - little pup got into a scrap with another dog and it needed to be taken to the emergency room. She recovered by the end of the weekend, so all is well.

Click the pic for some Denver dancing.

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Tommy and Donna

The Westin had this great wall of hostas in the lobby, so we thought it might be nice to have a semi pro picture. Little did we know how harsh the lighting would be, but sissy and Tommy never take a bad picture, do they?

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Our Glamor Shot

Yes, we had to have one, too.

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Dan and Liz

Dan and Liz drove in from Norch Carolina, David missed the photo op in the lobby, so he had to settle for the shot  from the seat across the aisle on the bus.

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Gary

Gary came with Scooter and Trey on Saturday in time for the ceremony. That's Gary smiling, right there.

Trey and Scooter

David caught Gary Lynn Murphy II and Gary Lynn Murphy III at the wedding reception. Trey already had his shirt tail out, so in the interest of feng shui, Scooter untucked his, too.

Click the pic to hear Trey say his full name.

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Nick and Lorree

Nick and Lorree took their seats at the ceremony looking like rock stars.

David asked Nick what he liked so much about Seattle. Well, there's the food. But there's also a sort of anything goes way of life there, too, that people who don't live there never get to see. Feel like getting some lunch, but you're still in your pajamas? No problem!

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The Wedding Express

The Trolley took the whole group from the hotel to the wedding and then took us back after the wedding was over. Loved it!

Class

This was the sign that greeted everyone as we walked down the aisle to our seats. There were little touches like this everywhere. The seating chart was just as clean and informative. The personalized envelopes in the table place settings.

Click the pic to see the first dance.

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Chloe, the Artist

She is more or less a landscape artist, and she was the first thing we saw when we walked over to the wedding site. I can't wait to see the finished portrait.

Where's the Steel Guitar?

Like I said, classy. Harpist who played everything from the traditional things to Celine Dion ballads. Sorry Tommy. We know it would've sounded better with steel guitar.

Click the pic to hear what we heard.

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Hold the Rice

No rice this time. White rose petals instead. Inside a clear plastic pouch with an "I Love You" button on the outside. White rose petals also lined both sides of the aisle.

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The Hubb

2018 marked 20 years of marriage for us.

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The Waiting Game

Dawn looks over her shoulder as Megan and Billy approach from the rear.

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Here Comes The Bride

Billy walks Megan down the aisle. Proud papa and beautiful bride.

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The Family That Prays Together

During the ceremony, the members of the family gathered as a group and said a prayer together.

Diane and Mercedes

Diane poses with Dawn's mother, Mercedes, at the wedding reception.

Click the pic to see Kelly and Carla kickin' it on the last song of the night!

Mr Dangerous

Blake does his best "Elvis as a martial artist" look.

Click the pic to see some of his dance moves!

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The Peeples

John and Nancy Peeples, father and mother of the groom, take a minute to chat with David at the end of the evening.

Web Group looking at pix

The Morning After

The next day, Tommy & Donna, Paul & Renee, Taylor, Danny & Liz, and us went to breakfast together in the Carolina Room before checkout. We got together in the lobby and shared some pictures and then we said goodbye.

Yeah, right.

We went out by the pool and had a round of drinks and a walk by the ocean first!

Web Liz photobomb

The PhotoBomber

Who knew Liz was so good at it? She stole the show from Maya!

IMG_0364 Father Daughter (Megan)_edited

Father Daughter dance

That about says it all.

The Whole Fam Damily

David gave the photographer his camera to get a shot of the whole family together. There is another shot taken later that includes Megan and Mack.

L-R: Blake, Gary, Loree, Scooter with Trey, Nick, Lauren, Cheryl, Mike, Billy, Dawn, Davis, Lilly, Grant, Kelly, Renee, Carla, Paul, Tommy, Mercedes, Donna, Diane, and David (kneeling).

Click the pic for the glow stick farewell and send off kiss!

New Years Eve 2018

Web David and Diane (Sharpened)

We spent New Years' Eve with the Lochies at the party hosted by Donna Matthews and Gary Attanasio.

I'm sorry I didn't get a lot of pictures - I just took a few of the members of the band just before we started playing at the beginning of the evening. As time went on, we were joined by Tom Nash on drums and keyboards, Donna Nash on drums, Gary Askenas on vocals, and Bob Forbes' daughter on vocals.

We were joined this year by our friends Clint and Becky Armstrong. It was their first time to meet our other fabulous friends!

Web Dee and Maya2 (cropped)

After the party ended we arrived back home around 5:00 am. I took a few pictures of Diane with her NYE outfit and then a few more of her and the wonder dog, Maya.

Web Bryan on Drums

We couldn't have done it without Bryan Brownlow. It was his first time playing with everybody and he just rocked it. His girlfriend, Angela, unfortunately was home resting in order to beat the infection she caught while they were out of town last week.

Web Gary the Leader

Our host and fearless leader, Gary Attanasio, gives me "that" look. Too late. The picture got took!

Web Dean Shirt

Dean Taylor was the spiffiest guy there, IMO. Check out the "young" Elvis shirt.

Web Dean Shirt Cuffs

It doesn't stop with the front of the shirt, either. The cuffs spell out the name of the legend.

Pro guitarist Nick Moroch came down from New York again. It's always a blast to hear him rip it up. Click the picture for a link to probably the musical highlight of the night. He was soloing over a Fleetwood Mac song and his energy just took over the room.

Web Jan and Nick

A nice shot of Nick with girlfriend Jan Smith, our mainstay female vocal gal in the group. Cuties!

Web Tim and Neil

Guitarist Tim Butler and bassist Neil Mison pose for the camera. Solid playing all night long.

Web Sharkey

Sharkey brought all the harps! Blowin' with feelin'.

Web Valerie on Keys

Valerie Waters took turns with me on keyboards. I actually got to sing Auld Lang Syne and kiss my bride in the audience this time! Thanks, Val!

There were some cool touches at the party this year that I didn't pick up on. One of them was that all of the name tags were special. Here's the description from "Who's My Match."

As the host of the party, prepare a name-tag for each guest at your party by writing the names of famous figures from famous partnership on each name-tag. Both halves of the partnership should be represented on a name-tag. For example, you might have these eight name-tags: “Pinky," (and his match) “The Brain," “Beyonce," (and her match) “Jay Z," “Peanut butter,” (and its match) “Jelly,” “Romeo," (and his match) “Juliet."

The other cool thing was that there was a card reading fortune teller at the party. I didn't get a reading but some of us did, and others got her card for a reading in the future. Perfect party for that kind of thing. Hope she comes back next year.