A Shout-Out to Bohn and Francie

So, I gave a little holla to my dad for Father's Day, and then I missed my parents' anniversary and my mom's birthday, so here's a belated pictorial tribute to the pair of them.


First, this is my mom as a teenager in front of the farmhouse where she lived until she married my dad. The window behind her head is the room where she was born. Nice shorts, Ma.


Standing outside the church with the weirdness on the doors are my grandma, Aunt Donna, and my mom.
Mom and Dad were married in June of 1964. From left to right, we have Pappa, Grandmother Judy, Bohn, Francie, Grandma Kiester, and Uncle Dave. Mom's dad had passed away, so Dave walked her down the aisle. The closest temple to western Pennsylvania was in Utah, which was a little too far to go on Dad's short pass from the Air Force.
After a short stint in Alabama, they moved to Idaho so they could be sealed in the temple a short seven months after they were married. This is the tiny trailer they lived in near the base in Mountain Home. According to their recollection of its tiny-ness, you can almost see the whole thing in this picture. I believe Mom made that skirt.
Picnicking with friends. They still sit that close.

This is at the farmhouse in Pennsylvania. They are on the way to church.

This is sometime in the 1980s. This is the house I grew up in, and the wash stand behind Mom is from the farmhouse she grew up in. I'm not sure where the piano was when this shot was taken, but for most of my childhood, it was on the wall behind Dad.


This last shot is from Thanksgiving 2007. I do believe Dad is preparing the potatoes, as is tradition.
Happy anniversary, you guys.

Now the Waiting Begins

For real, y'all. I don't know what took me so long (finishing school?), but I have finally put in all my papers. Actually, there were some immunization/dental records holdups, and I was pretty particular about crossing all my T's and dotting all my I's. Hoops, hoops, hoops -- it's a little like college.

Anyway, I mailed my complete medical packet today, so now all I can do is wait for my invitation to serve which will include my country and departure date. It's a little like a mission call. It will also tell me what language I'll most likely be speaking. Yikes a little.

I'm pretty excited. It's a little surreal. I am a mix of feelings, but I'm mostly excited and happy ... and excited. More to come. As always: http://www.peacecorps.gov.