It has been just over 200 days now since Hurricane Michael visited our area.  There have been some good days and bad days since then.  Progress has been slow but steady.  Changes are starting to become the new normal.  However, I do not think that I have such a good week since October 10th of last year. 

I am defining a good week as a string of days when good things were continuously happening to me and my family.  Everyone around me seemed to be happy, including me.  It was a week of lifetime events, especially for the six nieces and nephews that Mary Lou and I are blessed to have.

You have to start with the wedding of my niece, Addison Ponder, who married Jay Fields.  They have dated for four years and truly seem like a perfect match for each other.  The wedding was beautiful as was the bride.

It was a touching and meaningful ceremony, followed by dinner and dancing.  Everyone was having a great time, including Henry, Laura and Will, my three oldest grandchildren.  They apparently inherited some dancing genes that must have skipped my genetic makeup.

My oldest grandson, Henry, danced with his Great-Grandmother Jobie.  We have a great video of that occasion which I am sure he will appreciate more and more over the years.  My youngest grandson, Will, received the sticks from the drummer after the music ended in recognition of him dancing every dance of the night.  Laura hung in there also, dancing all night at her cousin’s wedding.   

My only other niece, Bailey, was the Maid of Honor and looked stunning as well.  She headed back the next day to Western Carolina University where she will graduate with a Masters’ Degree in Speech Pathology in a few days. 

My nephew, Davis, who is Addison’s twin brother, stood out during the wedding in his dress military uniform.  He is about to move to his new assignment at Fort Drum, New York where he will be stationed for a couple of years.

Mary Lou and I had an unexpected visit this week from yet another nephew, Stephen, who also recently got married.  He was enjoying a long planned and delayed vacation with his lovely new wife, Mandi.

Yet another nephew, Joe, and his wife Lindsay welcomed their second daughter to the world this week.  Audrey Elizabeth joined her beautiful sister, Rachael Lucy, the day before Addison’s wedding.

We were able to watch our youngest nephew, Thomas, and his golf team from Providence Christian win the Alabama Class 4A Sectional Golf Tournament this week.  Thomas shot a 68 at the Dothan Country Club and was the low medalist in the 4A bracket.  Thomas heads to Alabama this fall to play golf for the Crimson Tide. 

Finally, we got to visit with four of my six first cousins.  They flew in from Washington, Oregon, Utah and Chicago for the wedding festivities. 

Think about it.  A wedding, a new grandniece, an unexpected visit, a golf tournament win, a pending graduation from graduate school, the first posting to duty following the completion of Ranger and Airborne Schools, and catching up with most of your own cousins at one time.    

All in all, a pretty special week by any standard.