God Bless Texas

""In all of us there is a hunger, marrow-deep, to know our heritage, to know who we are and where we came from."" -- Alex Haley

Hanging out with Aunt Noni and Uncle jim is so much fun. We LOVE family history! It so incredible to hear where your parents and their parents and their parents parents came from, as well as all the trouble they got into and their love stories or mishaps to get them to their one and only. If you haven't asked an older family member lately, your parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, then ask someone- we always have a story to tell, I for one cannot wait to tell my great great grandchildren or whomever all the fun things I did to get there.

Today  we heard stories about Cumberland homestead in TN and how Great grandpa metzger was the mayor there as well as a friend of Eleanor Roosevelt, because the homestead was her pet project. Great grandfather visited Eleanor in Washington DC at least once and gave them a painting of the homestead ( he was a wonderful artist). At least one of his paintings is in the smithsonian or with the roosevelt family. Uncle Tim and Aunt Tracie have at least 3 I think, and I am super jealous.

 Aunt Nonnie told us about setting eyes on uncle jim at age 15 and knowing "this is the man I am going to marry." Three years later they met again and were married.Although on their first date she had another date that evening, after her date with Uncle Jim that he ended up driving her too, love it. You know it was the big guy at work, and Aunt Noni was a total catch since he asked her out again anyway. 4 Kids and 16 grandkids and 1 great grandbaby later. This seems to happen in our family alot, seeing as both my grandmother and grandfather were quasi engaged to other people when they met. Which by the way was also Aunt Nonnie's doing. The man my grandmother was engaged to lived in Misssissippi. He had been a patient of hers, fallen madly in love, bought them a house together yada yada. Aunt Nonie and my grandmother are best friends, she didn't want her to move away and knew my grandmother wasn't head over heals for the guy so she decided Jeanine was going to marry her brother donnie, and as things seem to happen as Nonie decides them they did get married.

Does love like this happen anymore? Is there a instantaneous connection? Or did generations before us just decide to love and go from there? i'm learning more and more that love is a choice not just a feeling.
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We rented Julie and Julia that night which was lovely as well as Angus, thongs and perfect snoggie! Major thumbs up. It is based on the georgia nicholson series that we love and read often.

At this point in our trip we had already blogged to let mom and dad know we were coming and they still had not checked. Again we blogged to them, text them all the blog, called them all to see if they had checked it- all this on christmas day- and they still had not checked. ( they are following now tho- and we are happy for it- especially since mom can get on the blog herself, and mom generally has nothing to do with comps. )

After the movies we headed to bed.. Tomorrow we are heading to meet cousin Eva, wes' mom and have lunch at the Tea Room! Love ya'll faithful followers!