Little Bonnalou turns 84!

My mom...turns 84 years young today! April 12, 1927 Lil Bonnalou came into this world... On April 12, 1928, her first birthday, she was given this rocking chair...which had been given to her father, my grandfather, on his first birthday in 1902! I have this chair now...never refinished...by choice. I look at all the worn places and know my mom and my grandfather wore that paint off...
Mom and Bear... Um? Does this have something to do with why Lindsey and Donnie call each other 'Bear'?
The King Family! I think this was in 1944, sitting on Mimi and Granddad's back porch in Texas. That's my Aunt Jane sitting next to my mom... I didn't know they ever had a cat? Mom, what's the story with the cat????
Lil Bonnalou grew up and married one of the best men on the planet, my dad...John R. My dad had the patience of Job...which, I might whisper, he needed since the grown up Bonnie Lou didn't have an abundance of. Actually, even at 84, she still a might bit impatient!
Little Jane Lee always loved John R...who was going to become my Daddy! He loved 'Slim' too...
This has always been one of my favorite pictures of my parents...only they weren't my parents - yet.
Married life brought dreams of being a cowboy and a cowgirl...just kidding. I have no idea. But they both loved westerns. My dad even wrote a book, which was rejected at the time, and now I'm starting to re-type it so we can resubmit it ... to see if it can be published.
I came along in 1954...

John David came along 5 1/2 years later...

In 1976, Joshua came into his Saddie's life as her first grandchild. She was so happy to have a grandson, but she did NOT want to be called 'Grandma', 'Grandmother', or anything of the sort. She said it sounded too old? She decided to be Sad Sack, which was her CB handle. Along the way, Sad Sack got shortened to Saddie by her granddaughter, Lindsey!

You readers of the JohnstonChronicles may notice that Saddie is trying to fit into the rocking chair she received as a 1 year old. I didn't have the heart to tell her she didn't fit. But...take note of how strong the little rocking chair is!
This would probably be in the summer of 1981. Lindsey was born in February of 1981. Here are 4 generations... Mimi, Saddie, Me (the new Mimi), and Lindsey!
Gabrial came along in 1978... He was Saddie's second grandchild and her second grandson.
Even when they had chicken-pox, she loved to hold them and play games with them...
You can really see Gabe's chicken-pox here!
I'm not sure when this was...or even if I was there... Did I take this picture? Here's Uncle Charlie, Saddie, Aunt Jane, John David...and on the floor is Becky and Patti!
Time passed and Saddie entered the computer age... especially loving to play games....
She came to visit when we had our foreign exchange student from Japan, Misuzu. Misuzu was a beautiful singer and pianist...and Saddie and I met in southern California to hear Misuzu sing in a choir.
Saddie came with her little sister, my Aunt Jane....We went to San Francisco and played the part of some great tourists!
Fast forward... 2003...Lindsey and Donnie got married in January... Gabrial and Emily got married in March...and Saddie made them both. In 2005, Joshua and Erica got married...and, of course, Saddie was there. Thalia became Saddie's first great-grandchild....her first great-granddaughter! "Mercy!"
Ahhh... Saddie the drill sergeant! Just kidding! She was supervising wood-splitting, I think.
On this trip to California, all the ladies went out one day for Japanese food. Now, Saddie is a...well, she's a creature of habit to the nth degree...so I was proud of her for trying Japanese food. She decided to show Thalia how she could use chop sticks...only she had to have a little 'do-hickey' to hold them together.

"Oh, mercy!" thought Thalia.
A group shot of the ladies :)
I don't remember when this was...must be Christmas since I have on a sweater...and Saddie, a sweatshirt... She always loves it when she has my brother and I together... I totally understand!
Fast forward to this Christmas....Christmas, 2010. John David and Becky surprised her...and everyone else (except for my guy and I) by flying in to join the gang.
Now that she's the proud great grandmother of 3, she enjoyed watching her little men run around...play... and have a squabble or two!
Benjamin was eager to give her kisses...
and let her rock him to sleep...

84 years young!

I love you!

Happy Birthday, Mom!