Grandpa Jack (and an Uncle Gaugh tangent)

I loved visiting my Grandfather Floyd’s TV repair shop when we traveled to Florida.  You could see all the guts from the inside of the TV’s.  As a child, it was beyond cool. . . but it also dispelled the myth that there were people who lived in the TV.

As I began writing this, I realized I had a huge mystery on my hand.  My Grandfather, Francis Blanford Floyd went by the name Jack. . . But where did that come from?  So, I couldn’t finish up this post without calling my mom to solve this little mystery.  Uncle Gaugh and My grandfather were supposedly named after the doctor and the landlord.  Mom said she didn’t think there was much truth to that.  When my grandfather was a kid, he was playing and, of course, hated the name Francis Blanford.    He was playing one day and he told his siblings that they didn’t call him Jack he wasn’t going to play with them.  So, now with that mystery solved, I can get on with my post.

Grandpa was part owner of Wild Woody’s with his friend Eddie Wood.

Then he owned Jack Floyd TV shop.  I remember his shop in Tampa.  I also somehow remember that Dunkin’ Donuts must have been near the store.  And Grandpa always spoiled us.

As I talked to my mom, I remembered how I used to marvel at the pig-latin my grandfather and grandmother would speak. . . and I could never pick it up fast enough.  They were married for over 50 years.

And this story’s going to go in small tangent. . . just for my cousin, because when I was going through old family photos that my mother has shared with me, I came across this picture taken inside my grandfather’s shop.  This is his grandfather, my Uncle Gaugh (AKA Garland Floyd- mom wasn’t sure where the shortened form of his name came from).  His wife’s name was Francis- how ironic is that!

And where I found that picture, I found these.

(This one is my grandfather’s  brother, Uncle Gaugh, and their sisters Mary and Helen)

It is so interesting to me to see these family members in their younger years.

Childhood Favorites

My mom recently discovered my blog through my links on facebook.  She sent me the nicest email yesterday.  I guess we were thinking of each other yesterday. . . . Only I wasn’t at the computer when I was thinking of her.  I was in the kitchen.

My TMJ has been acting up lately and I really wanted some sort of comfort food. . . and dessert.  But, TMJ was really limiting my options.  I decided to make some custard.  It’s been years since I made it. Mom used to make it all the time and I’ve made in on occassion.  Dessert was always something special growing up.  Custard is a wonderfully simple dessert.

It’ll all be gone tonight.  I did offer some to Cody but it’s two plain for him.

(And Dad, don’t think we’ve forgotten you- two weeks ago it was crepes!)

Finding Peace in God’s Will

Today, I read a devotional about God’s Will.  Part of it read, “A major cause of the restless, unsatisfied feeling and the frictions that spoil the soul’s peace is that God wants on ething and we desperately want another.” . . . “This spells civil war within.” 

Been there, done that.  These days I’m awaiting for God’s full will to be revealed to me.  These days I’m at peace with that and really enjoying letting go and letting God.

Flashback Friday: Our Bell Boy

The pictures say May 1999.  While looking for the layouts I posted yesterday, I came across a half finished layout that I had done wanted to do with these pictures.  So, I’ve pulled them into a new document just to show them off.  (Rather than posted them seperately.)

Cody and I were visiting at his house.  Jack took a liking to our suit cases and pushed our suitcase up and down the hallway.  He was really focused to.  Knowing the way I pack, that suticase was probably quite heavy to.  He was so cute.  That was also back when he loved to have his pictures taken.

Actually, in looking at these, I can’t help but wonder if this was the trip with the infamous gum ball.  We went to Casa Ole to eat.  They had one of those jumbo gum ball machines that lights up and really attracts kids- including Jack long before he was old enough for gum.  Being the Aunt and Uncle that like to spoil him, we didn’t turn him down giving him the money to so he could watch gum ball swirl around until it came out.  But, we didn’t tell him it was gum.  He tested it out as a bouncy ball but of course that didn’t work well.  That evening Jack and Cody rolled the gum ball back and forth for hours on the kitchen floor. . . . until the ball wound up underneath the stove.  Needless to say, the gum ball that didn’t bounce that we got for Jack became a little present for his parents down the road.

School Is Back and So are the Memories

The college “kids” are back in town.  And you know what that means- Walmart and the traffic in town are crazy.  But, for Cody and I, it means something else.  Today is the 15 year anniversary of the date we met.  I don’t know if I’ve told you this or not. . . It was Chemistry.  Chemistry was my very first college class and the first of the semester.  Technically, it was after chemistry lab that evening that my lab partner, Lane, introduced Cody and I. 

Five years ago, I did a little album celebrating the 10 year anniversary of this date.  These are a few of the layouts from that album.  The first one features the area where we walked that first night- and many, many other times over the course of our lives.  The second one includes the Chemistry Building and pictures from the Ag Pond when/where Cody proposed.

And looking at these pictures, I realize we were “kids” ourselves.  I also remember all the fun we had in those days and realize we still have a lot of fun.  I’m so glad that God’s plan for me included Cody in my life.

(I can also see the evolution in my scrapbooking over the past five years when I look at these.)