GTT

I've run across this common notation in 19th Century documents many times. Especially in the Southern states, this mysterious note may have been the last mention of a person or family in local records. It meant, of course, Gone to Texas, signifying that the person or family had decided to give in to the temptation for adventure, the promise of prosperity, the need of desperation and go to the wide open wilderness of Texas. Although such moved often heralded success for the family, it also signified a separation of the extended that often lasted for the rest of their lives, so mixed in with the excitement of the journey was also mixed with the sadness of parting.

As of Friday, June 26th, I can write GTT for my daughter and her new husband. Of course, they were only going from Oklahoma, where she had gone to school and they had met, and he is a Texas native anyway, but GTT came to my mind. And, of course, they aren't gone, perhaps never to be seen again. It's no longer a long day's drive to see them, but is instead a two hour flight, and we hope to go down in October, so it's not nearly the same as when my great-great grand-father's brother left the family in Kentucky to go to Alabama and then was GTT, but this has made me sympathetic to the brothers who never saw each other again.

For now, we wish them the best, rejoice for their adventures ahead, and are glad they have family and friends already in place.

But, please, no Longhorn tee-shirts!

More about Bea Bea

Bea Bea's fine. She and Mercedes are very friendly, playing and running. They touch noses once in a while. Bea still likes to sleep near her carrier. She stays off of the couch and blue chair (she smells that those are Mercedes) and got a bit hissy when Mercedes started sniffing around the carrier, which was OK. It's hers. Mehitabel is still stand-offish. She comes around and then Bea Bea will show up, hoping. Mehitabel hisses and retreats, but she doesn't retreat very far, so we still have hope.

Bea Bea is so sweet when we come home. She jumps up on the counter or table, stretches out on our newspaper, and rubs our faces. William thinks she's gaining a bit of weight, but says he doesn't have time to regulate her eating habits, as her parents did. We are hoping she will adjust.

Bea misses Mommy & Daddy, and runs to the front door whenever it opens, waiting for them to return. In fact, we were wondering where she was the other day, so I just went and opened and closed (quickly!) the front door. Sure enough, here she comes!

She goes Monday for her surgery, laser de-clawing. Although she doesn't scratch us anymore (much), she is doing a number on our curtains, screens, and various pieces of furniture, plus, eventually she will be around David, so we think this a logical step.

She still plays a lot, with her toys or anything else she can find (like the pear shaped pepper shaker), and loves to get on the counters, behind the small appliances and canisters, although I worry about her wandering around the stove when I am cooking. She enjoys looking out the windows, but I doubt she sees as much interesting stuff in quiet suburbia as she did looking out the windows of her former campus home. We keep telling her that in a few months she'll be at her new digs. But for now, we are certainly enjoying our Grandkitty.

Bea Bea!

So we have a little visitor right now: James and Catherine's Bea Bea (age one year). While they job hunt and until they get settled, they decided that maybe leaving her with us might be a good idea. We first got her in Greenfield, IN, the Sunday before the wedding. They had to go to Ohio and it seemed easier, on them and on Bea Bea to bring her to us sooner rather than later. She travels well, and slept in her carried the whole way back to Fort Wayne, although J&C tell us that she is happy to sit on the seat as well. Our Mehitabel (age 7) and Mercedes (age 8) yowel like we are skinning them if we even take them outside.

Bea's been to our house before, so we showed her food and the litter box and let her go. She cased the house over the next day, getting comfortable, btu was very happy when "the kids" arrived. Lots of upheaval followed as we got ready for the wedding, left, and then returned, but then we had visitors, so all three kitties were skittish.

We have tried to give Bea Bea her space while she adapted. Well, she will TAKE her space most vigorously if we don't! She's discovered several spaces that are "hers," like beside the cabinet in the dining room, and she LOVED to be up on the counters. She wanders behind the small appliances and up on the kitchen sink windowsill. She's started playing with Mercedes, running back and forth through the house, but sometimes when she wants to play, Mercedes just looks at her. Bea Bea's careful to stay away from Mercedes's "places" like the blue chair and our bed. Mehitabel, our extremely shy kitty, has not been around often. Bea Bea tries. We've heard a bit of hissing and Bea Bea's chased Mehitabel under a bed. My hope is that Bea may help Mehitabel play more. But my belief is that Mehitabel just wants to be left alone.

But now we see what Catherine and James about Bea being so loving. When we come home, she jumps on the table or up on the counter to greet us and rub faces, a cat's way of claiming and marking us. She's great and lots of fun, but we remember that we are only caring for her, and that soon she will be back with James and Catherine. We will have fun with her while we can, but we know that she really wants her parents back!

Wedding!

Well, the wedding, so looked forwarded to and planned for, has come and gone, so quickly it seems. It was a great day, a great time all around.

James and Catherine came up the week of the wedding to spend a bit of time with us and do some last minute stuff. Catherine had to get a new license, and she and James allowed me to go along when they purchased more centerpiece makings. Between James's great ideas and Catherine's ability to put those ideas into action, the centerpieces were wonderful: varied shaped glass vases filled with red stones holding various white flowers. Add those to the personalized baseballs and tiny boxes of candies and the tables were beautiful. (Due to a glitch, they didn't get decorated until the last minute, but friends and family stepped up to the plate and took care of it.) We also had a great time on James's birthday, the two of them and the two of us going to see Star Trek and Up.

James and Catherine each had celebrations with their respective wedding parties on Friday night, and William and I went to dinner with his sister and brother-in-law, Patty & Kevin from the Atlanta area, and my cousin and Aunt, now living in the Orlando area, after which we six sat in the lobby and talked and visited with incoming guests.

I could go into GREAT detail about the wedding day itself, so will concentrate on the wedding itself. It was beautiful. Catherine & James had, with the minister’s help, organized a moving service. Before the ceremony, Catherine was a tiny bit stressed. I can’t say “scared,” because she wasn’t. I can’t say “nervous,” because she wasn’t. But I could see the build-up of energy inside of her, but she handled it. When the doors opened, James’s face was transformed: excitement and over-whelming happiness. I was so pleased that such a nice man is so in love with my “little girl.” William said he had to hold Catherine back from galloping towards James (which was short and he wanted to enjoy walking his daughter down the aisle!)

They wrote their own vows, which were beautiful. They didn't try to memorize them, as if they had just thought them up. Catherine even stumbled over a word, correcting, which indicated to me that she knew what she wanted to say and said it. She laughed and apologized that her vows were longer than James's, an dit spoke of how relaxed they are with themselves, each other and their commitment. The exchange of rings was smooth, and they lit the unity candle, which went off without a hitch. I may be getting some of this out of order, but I do recall the kiss, and the pronouncement of them as "Mr. and Mrs. James and Catherine Pickrel!"

The reception at Wrigley Field was really fun, once they got there! They had a table with just two chairs, which was a great idea. They got some time alone and people came up to take photos and chat. William and I ended up sitting at separate tables to eat. When we had arrived the table where we were supposed to sit had been taken over by too much family and there wasn't space for two. My sister helped me drag another table over, but by then William was sitting with friends, and ended up returning there, which was actually nice as we got to talk to lots of people.

The food was great. Catherine and James had selected two great cakes: the wedding cake with a passion fruit filling, lightly decorated with red baseball-like stitching, and a chocolate (which I never got to sample!) groom's cake. The cake cutting was sweet. The DJ's query of a "neat" exchange of cake vs a messy one prompted Catherine's "neat!" So of course, I could see James Pop the cake neatly into her mouth. Lots of dancing and talking. I was very emotional but changeable: Peggy's comments about the wedding elicited a laughing response, but Melissa's same comment two minutes later turned on the waterworks! Catherine and William's bride & father dance also turned on the tears, not form sadness but from happiness that they had that special moment. James's brother Edward was so nice. He noticed my tears and came to give me a hug, saying that I'd really gained TWO sons, not just one!

I really appreciated all of the friends and family that came: the Chapmans, the Culbertsons, the Shimkuses, Colette & Patrick, and of course, Peggy, our sisters and husbands, my cousin and aunt, William's mom and her friend, his aunt, cousin and his wife, Jerry and Elizabeth from SL, and Bobbi & her hubby who "crashed" the party. It was great seeing everyone and having them celebrate this wonderful day with us. It went so fast but I will remember it forever.

Thank you! Now, on with life!