January 28 – James had gall bladder surgery at SE Medical Center in Dothan. This was the day the workers came and poured cement to enlarge our front driveway. Also on that day Gappa Wise came and started removing the bricks from the back of our bedroom wall to add a bathroom. We were surprised when we got home from the hospital on Jan. 31 to see the new driveway turn-around and a tarpaulin covering the back of our bedroom.
February 2 - James was taken to the ER in Opp due to complications following surgery and he died at 8:30 pm that night. He had multiple problems and his system just shut down and he stopped breathing.
February 5 – funeral at 2 p.m. for James at Elba United Methodist Church. The church was filled with friends and family on that very, very cold day (in the 20’s). James did not like cold weather and I had problem sleeping that night because I kept thinking he was freezing out in the cold cemetery.
March - Jim spent most of March getting physical therapy for sciatic nerve pain in his hip and leg.
March 11-12 - Jim went with me to Auburn to the annual state DAR meeting.
March 27-30 – Jim’s brother Larry and wife Suzi came from Virginia Beach for a week-end with us. We met them at airport in Montgomery. Jim and Larry spent the week-end reminiscing about their mother who passed away in Sept. 2008, and of course talking about James. Weather was so bad they couldn’t come to his funeral.
April 12 – Easter Sunday and spring break for Bill’s girls. He took Katie and Caroline on a cruise for a week. Nerissa had her spring break earlier.
April 30 – we took a road trip to Austin, TX to see Ron and Cindy and granddaughters Liz and Ally, and their new home. Had planned the trip in April for about a year, to see the bluebonnets and there weren’t many last year, and they were all gone.
May 3 – Dedication day for Habitat for Humanity home in Elba. I wasn’t present but was recognized for landscaping the home as a Master Gardening project.
May - our new bathroom was completed and furnished and clothes moved into the “his and hers” walk-in closets.
June 6 – Granddaughter Katie graduated from West Florence (SC) High School. We
gave her a bicycle to have for transportation when she went to College of Charleston that fall. Couldn’t have a car on campus due to lack of parking spaces.June 8-17 - long road trip from Florence to Charlotte to Greensboro, NC and then sisters got together at Cyndi’s (niece) in Emporia, VA on Sun. June 14 to celebrate Jake’s graduation from high school. On to Nanticoke, MD for a couple of days visiting Chris and Al. We got back to Elba on Wednesday, June 18.
July 14-21 - vacation time.
July 15 – celebrated Bill’s 51st and Jim’s 75th birthdays with a cookout at Alice and Jerry’s house in Charlotte, SC.
July 16 - Jim’s 1952 high school class reunion in Harrisburg, NC – Jim was one
of the organizers and worked long and hard on getting this together and everybody had a great time.Jul 18-20 – traveled to Olive Hill, KY to the Logan family reunion. The cousins got together on Sat. night and then the big covered dish luncheon was on Sunday in Vanceburg, KY.
Jul 20 – spent the night at Black Mountain, NC with Nell’s sister Carolyn and husband Dave and stayed at their B&B. Returned to Elba on July 21.
August 7-15 – Grandma Camp: just Caroline this year. We had fun doing this with her for a week.
Aug 21 – Nell had surgery on her eyelids at Eye South, Dr. Bryant. She spent the week-end putting ice packs on her eyes and wondered why she ever decided to have that surgery. But later it paid off since her eyesight improved so much.
August 11- went to Florence, SC to help Katie move to her dorm at College of Charleston.
Sept 26 - helped our pastor and his wife move into an apartment and store most of their furniture. The parsonage had to be abandoned due to black mold coming in from underneath the house. Did not know that they would be in that apartment for almost 2 months!
October 3 – Our 56th wedding anniversary. Also Grimes family reunion. Our family was hostess this year. Good attendance. Reunion was held at picnic pavilion at Curtis (New Ebenezer Baptist Church).
October 10 – 24th Curtis School Reunion – Judy and Guy spent the week-end with us.
October 23 – Nell went with Master Gardeners on a trip to Birmingham to Aldridge Botanical Gardens and stopped over at Petals from the Past in Jamison, AL.
November 11th – Debbie Davidson, James’ friend in Winston-Salem, died.
November 20-28 - Florence, SC. Attended Caroline’s Mock Trial competition in Lexington, NC on Sat., Nov. 21. She was awarded “Most effective Attorney” in the SC State Middle Schools
competion.Nov 25 – Nell turned 75 and celebrated with a party at Bill’s house in SC.
Nov 26 – spent the day at Sunset Beach, NC for Thanksgiving Day with lots of relatives attending.
December 3-9 – another road trip!! Austin, TX to attend Liz’s graduation from University of TX on Sunday, Dec. 6th.Dec 8 – James’ birthday. We left Austin at 9 am that day to start home (2 day trip)
Dec 18 – had a Christmas luncheon for Nell’s cousins.
Dec. 25 - spent Christmas alone, just the 2 of us, for the first time in 55 years!
Went to several Christmas gatherings at Nell’s cousins. Ate Christmas dinner with cousin Tom and wife Sharon.Dec 27 – Aunt Ida turned 90. Went to visit her at her home in Brewton on our way home from TX earlier in Dec.
Getting ready for a new and better year – 2010.
