Celebrations and More

As I write this, I'm thinking back 28 years ago to what I was doing on June 29. It was hot here in Nashville - very, very hot. And we had just moved into our first home together the weekend prior. The entire week was spent getting our house in order for the big day - July 4th!!!

You see on July 4, 1981, Charlie Funk and Sherrie Shepherd Haglund were married - in the front yard - of my parents home - with just family and a couple of friends present. What a day that was!!! My dad told Charlie that there was just something wrong with getting married on "Independence Day", but I thought it was a great way for my new husband to never forget our anniversary.

We woke up bright and early to a house full of kids - literally. Two of Charlie's daughters, Karen and Angel, had come over the night before, and my daughter Angela, lived with us. In a small house with 1 1/2 baths and four girls (I'm including myself in the "girl" thing"), there was a lot of scurrying around getting ready for the wedding.

The ceremony actually took place at 11:00 am, but the celebration began at 1:00. About 50 of our closest friends and family came to our house to celebrate this union. Neither of us knew the ride we would be on for the next 28 years, but it's been great!!!

Then, 17 years after we married, my daughter, Angela Haglund and Jim T. Graham, got married on July 3rd - another hot, humid Tennessee day. Their wedding was a true celebration in every aspect of the word. All of their singer/songwriter friends came and "entertained" at the wedding and the dinner to follow. There was lots of barbeque, watermelon, dancing, singing and guitar-playing. Now 11 years and two kids later, Angela and Jim T will celebrate their 11th anniversary on July 3.

On July 17, my dad will be 84. He and my mom have been married 65 years!!! That's hard for anyone to wrap their head around. Hope they can make it to # 75!!! By the way, the picture is of Jim T, Charlie, my dad (Jack Shepherd), and my favorite 6-year-old grandson, Truman.

But, we have another celebration coming up. Angel, Charlie's daughter, is expecting another grandson for us on July 18. This will be her second child, and we are anxiously awaiting meeting this new little guy.

Yep, July is a month for celebrating at our house. One of the biggest fireworks displays in the country is in Nashville. And, while cities all over the country have fireworks displays, we just celebrate! Not only do we celebrate the independence of this great country we live in, but we say Happy Birthday, Gran!!! Happy Anniversary, Angela and Jim T!!! Happy new life, little one to come!!! And especially, Happy Anniversary to the LOML, to my best friend and to my business partner!!! I love you more today than 28 years ago.

Viva Las Vegas!!!

We just returned from the Vacation.com 11th Annual Conference held in Las Vegas. Believe it or not, it wasn't as hot in Vegas as it has been in Nashville. The temperature hovered around 90 or so while we were there, but there was little, if any, humidity. Although we were there for 5-nights, we were very busy with the Conference. Charlie and I spoke at two sessions on Tuesday afternoon. I had an advisory board meeting, and we both had sub-committee meetings and other meetings to attend. But we did get some time to attend some great sessions from Globus, Travel Bound, Central Holidays, Travel Impressions and one Nolan Burris did on social media.

This city - a desert-situated spectacle of neon and non-stop activity - is one of the most unique tourist draws in the country. It's almost impossible to count the number of casino-hotels that line the "Strip" and "Downtown" areas. Vegas is a mecca for gamblers. Ironically, we didn't even put a quarter into a slot machine the whole time we were there.

We stayed at Caesar's Palace, probably our favorite hotel in Las Vegas. This mammoth hotel houses the Colosseum, where Bette Midler and Cher perform. The Forum Shoppes at Caesar's are something else. From Gucci to Versace to FAO Schwartz, there's something for everyone in these magnificent stores.

Our room was in the Palace Tower. Although this is not the newest addition to Caesar's, it is the most convenient if you are attending a Conference, like we were. We could literally ride the elevator down to the meeting rooms and trade show area within our tower. The pool area is easily accessible from the Palace Tower (and we saw many of the guys at our Conference staring out the windows in the hallway onto the topless pool), as are the Forum Shops and restaurants. We have stayed in the new Augustus Tower, and loved our room there. But, for convenience, we'll take the Palace Tower any day.

There are so many incredible restaurants in the Forum Shops and we indulged in Wolfgang Puck's Chinois as well as his Spago's Restaurants. Of course, buffets abound in Vegas, but the inexpensive buffets of the past have given way to more gourmet buffets today.

Dramatic hotels are a trademark of Las Vegas, and several mega-hotels are attractions unto themselves: The Mirage (where you can see the amazing Cirque de Soleil Beatles Love), Treasure Island, the MGM Grand, The Luxor, The Bellagio, and The Venetian, just to name a few.

You can even take a side trip to Hoover Dam or the Grand Canyon, and there's even winter snow skiing close-by.

We worked very hard last week during the Conference, but were fortunate to be in a wonderful hotel with every amenity we could possibly want. If you're interested in a trip to Las Vegas, this is the year to travel there. Hotel rates are at their lowest, and we have some great packages available through Funjet Vacations.

Viva Las Vegas!!! We'll be back again next year. And, by the way, the Elvises (or is it Elvi for the plural?) are alive and well and living in Las Vegas (all 2000 of them)!!!

Old Things Become New

My husband, Charlie, was raised in Greenville, SC. He went to elementary school, junior high and high school through his junior year. And, then, he, his mom and dad moved two weeks after he completed his junior year to Charlotte, NC. Major trauma for a 16-year-old. New school, new friends to make, little connection with the city or the school.

Although I've attended every high school reunion from my class of '65 at Antioch High School, Charlie has never attended any of his at either school. He lost contact with all of his friends with whom he had grown up in Greenville, and didn't have connection with those he graduated with in Charlotte.

However, last year, he began connecting with friends from Greenville on Facebook, and found out that a 50th reunion was being planned for last weekend. He was invited to attend.

As the time grew nearer, he pulled out his yearbook from his junior year and started studying faces and names and relating stories to me about who all of these people were. I felt as if I already knew many of them, especially some of the guys who lived near him. These were kids with whom he had camped out in their back yards and rode bicycles with, girls he had had secret crushes on.

So, last Friday morning, we began our trek to Greenville, SC. I had only been there twice - both times to attend funerals, one for Charlie's cousin's wife, and one for his dad. We were just there for a short time and, of course, had no time to really see the city where he had grown up. This time was for a celebration, and I intended to enjoy finding out more about my husband's childhood.

This is a great link to a story that appeared in the Miami Herald a couple of weeks before we left that will give you an idea of what this wonderful small city, that would remind one of Mayberry on steroids, is like. I had no idea what to expect, but came away absolutely in love with Greenville.

We got to Greenville mid-afternoon and attended the first function for those coming in early at Smoke on the Water, a local restaurant and watering hole. Charlie instantly knew so many of the people there although he had not seen them in 51 years. He constantly had a huge smile on his face. After the late afternoon function, we invited all those staying at the Hyatt with us to come up to our suite for wine and cheese and just to have more time to talk and renew friendships. About 30 people showed up and at 11:30, the last ones left. Lots of memories were shared and friendships were picked up just as if it were 1958 again.

On Saturday morning, we had a tour of Greenville High School. The city has just completed a restoration of this beautiful campus to the tune of $44 million. I was so impressed with the sheer size of the grounds and how beautiful they were. There is a magnolia tree out in front of the school that must be 150 years old. The auditorium has been restored exactly as it was, complete with the same seats that were all taken out and refurbished. Charlie even showed me the stairway where he and his girlfriend and stood and "made out" between classes. This was such an incredible experience for him.

Lunch that day brought back even more memories. One of his friend's family had owned the Pickwick Pharmacy, which was a local hang out. Charlie had worked as a "soda jerk" there while he was in high school. He had told me so many times about the chili dogs they served and how good they were. Well, Annabelle is no longer there to make the chili, but her recipe lives on long after her and is still made every day. I have to say, that was probably the best hot dog I've ever had anywhere. Charlie's friend, Dwight Odom, took over the pharmacy when his dad retired, and now Dwight's sons have taken it over from him. There was even a banner outside welcoming the Greenville Red Raiders, Class of '59, when we drove up.

After lunch, we drove around Greenville and I finally saw the apartments where Charlie first remembered living. We drove from there to his elementary school, Augusta Circle Elementary, just to see how far he actually walked to school. It's hard to comprehend today that a parent would allow a 6-year-old to walk a mile twice a day and cross a main street. But the Greenville then, was much smaller than the Greenville today.

When we drove down into the subdivision where they moved and he lived the rest of his time there, he began immediately pointing out houses and who had lived here. There was Bobby Campbell's house and in his backyard, they would camp out at night. We saw Mary Ellen Simon's house, and Mickey Brown's house. There was Vanda Outlaw's house, where Charlie went to borrow her typewriter to type a term paper. He truly had a trip down memory lane.

On Saturday evening, we attended the BIG function at the Poinsett Club, Greenville's most prestigious private club. There was a memory room with lots of pictures and memorabilia. The music was all 50/60s and everyone danced and just had a wonderful time.

Just watching Charlie was enough for me. To see him relive some wonderful memories with old friends he hadn't seen in half a century, and to watch him continually smile the entire weekend made the trip worthwhile. To see the pictures of this wonderful weekend, click here Greenville High School 50th Reunion.
Because we had such a great time, I've gotten the bug to begin planning my 45th reunion for next year!!! Anyone what to help?