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BIRTHDAYS - TODAY AND UPCOMING:
Happy Birthday today to our Birthday Three-fer!

Marcus C. Higgins ('65) of AZ, Tom Norris (Hampton HS - '73), AND My #2 Daughter-in-Law,

Bethany Winona Harty (Siuslaw HS, OR - '94) of OH are all be having big days! Tomorrow, Kay Davis Smith ('57) will be celebrating, and on Friday, Elizabeth Mitchell Hedgepeth ('57) will as well! Then on Saturday we'll have another Two-Fer! Jewell Hamner Crowe ('57) and Buster Vest ('63) of VA will both be observing their birthdays then!

Hit #68,000 was made by someone sometime on Tuesday, December 11, 2007, probably in the evening as I was returning home from Lexington, VA.

From Christine Hobbs, wife of Bill Hobbs ('66) of Northern VA - 12/10/07 - " Bill's Surgery is Scheduled for Dec 11 at 12 noon":

Bill was admitted to Georgetown University Hospital in DC since Nov 30^th on the advice of his doctor. His pancreatic cyst had grown too big and the attempt at draining it via endoscopic ultrasound failed because the fluid was too thick. Doctor wanted to do surgery last Tuesday, but Bill’s vitals were not good and he was even admitted to the ICU for 2 days. It was a blocked bladder that caused his heartbeat and pressure to go up.

Anyway with 3 blood transfusions and intravenous food and fluids he is no longer dehydrated. The doctor just told him that his surgery is scheduled for tomorrow at 12 noon and we ask for your prayers. I will be with him.

He should be out of surgery late afternoon or in the evening, but if you wish to call or email to know his status, my email is given below. I don’t know how much I will be able to talk on the phone.

I am not sure who to contact about his health and I have got your emails from his address book (just picking your names by guesswork!). He should be back home early next week as soon as he is on his feet. He also is pretty weak and cannot talk for long on the phone.

YOWZERONI-RINI-ROONI!!! As usual, my timing is abysmal. I'm sorry I was unable to post this earlier, Christine, due to being out of town.

Thank you so much for letting us know, and we'll be continuing to pray for Bill's speedy and total recovery! Please pass along our love and best wishes to him!

Carol,

Please add my birthday to your calendar.

11-25-45

Thank you.

Michael Sisk
Class of 1963
Thank you, Michael!

Your birthday is safely posted here:

Hi Carol,

Dimples' (Sepi Dinwiddie Prichard - '58 - of NC) note moved me to send in February 25th as my birthday. Not sure why I haven’t done this before now as I consider birthdays from here on to be personal triumphs! Old age will get me sooner or later but it will have a fight on it’s hands!!

And while I’m sure

Rochelle Spooner ('63 - of NY) has no memory of me (she was a Senior and I a mere Sophomore!), please let her know she does look great. Whatever you’re doing Rochelle, please share!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.

Let’s give that “Peace on Earth, Goodwill towards Men” thing one more try.

Best wishes to all,

Joe
Thank you, Joe Sweetie!

Your birthday, too, is safely posted here:

http://bethanyharty.blogspot.com/2007/12/nativity-song.html

Love,

Shari

Thank you, Shari!

Didn't she

(My #2 Daughter-in-Law, Bethany Winona Harty - Siuslaw HS, OR - '94 - of OH) do an incredible job with that?!?

From one of my Famous Marines, Herb Hice of MI, who served in the Pacific Theater during WWII - 12/09/07 - "Dear Carol / Dimples, Church Signs.":

Dear Carol / Dimples

Very Interesting Church Signs ~~~~~

Herbie

1. There was a church that had problems with outsiders parking in its parking lots, so they put up a sign:
CHURCH CAR PARK - FOR MEMBERS ONLY, TRESPASSERS WILL BE BAPTIZED!
That took care of the problem!

2. "No God - No Peace? Know God - Know Peace."

3. "Free Trip to heaven. Details Inside!"

4. "Try our Sundays. They are better than Baskin-Robbins."

5. "Searching for a new look? Have your faith lifted here!"

6. An ad for one Church has a picture of two hands holding stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments are inscribed and a headline that reads:
"For fast, fast, fast relief, take two tablets."

7. When the restaurant next to another Church put out a sign with big red letters that said, "Open Sundays," the church reciprocated with its own message: "We are open on Sundays, too."

8. "People are like tea bags - you have to put them in hot water before you know how strong they are."

9. "Fight truth decay - study the Bible daily."

10. "How will you spend eternity - Smoking or Non-smoking?"

11. "Dusty Bibles lead to Dirty Lives"

12. "Come work for the Lord. The work is hard, the hours are long and the pay is low. But the retirement benefits are out of this world."

13. "It is unlikely there'll be a reduction in the wages of sin."

14. "Do not wait for the hearse to take you to church."

15. "If you're headed in the wrong direction, God allows U-turns."

16. "If you don't like the way you were born, try being born again."

17. "Looking at the way some people live, they ought to obtain eternal fire insurance soon."

18. "This is a ch_ _ ch. What is missing?" ----- (U R)

19. "In the dark? Follow the Son."

20. "Running low on faith? Step in for a fill-up."

21. "If you can't sleep, don't count sheep. Talk to the Shepherd."

From My Niece, Shari, of VA - 12/09/07 - "humor, did u know & Traveler's Aide":

The manager replied, "Because I can't stand chess nuts boasting in an open foyer."

Melba toast is named after Australian opera singer Dame Nellie Melba (1861-1931).

Elvis' favorite collectibles were official badges. He collected police badges in almost every city he performed in.

Duran Duran took their name from a mad scientists in the movie Barbarella.

The world's largest disco was held at the Buffalo Convention Centre, New York, 1979. 13,000 danced a place into the Guinness Book of World Records.

In August 1983, Peter Stewart of Birmingham, UK set a world record by disco dancing for 408 hours.

The Beatles song "Martha My Dear" was written by Paul McCartney about his sheepdog Martha.

The harmonica is the world's best-selling music instrument.

Themes from movies Unforgiven, A Perfect World, The Bridges of Madison County, Absolute Power and Million Dollar Baby were all written by Clint Eastwood.

The only guy without a beard in ZZTOP surname (last name) is Beard.

The Carpenters signature song, We've Only Just Begun, was originally part of a television commercial for a California bank.

Traveler's Aide Story Editor:
by Barbara Joyce Schowalter
Illinois, USA

Several years ago I did some training which presented the notion of "the magnificence of humanity." Hah! My inner skeptic fought that concept, but then I began noticing all the magnificent little things people do for one another for no apparent reason.

In 2005, I tended a booth at a Florida symposium for our non-profit patient advocacy organization. Departing was simple. I rode the bus 90 minutes to O'Hare, checked in curbside and proceeded with my carry-ons to the gate.

Carrying luggage is painful and awkward for me due to degenerative arthritis in my thumbs, and I'm vision impaired as a result of a disastrous Lasik surgery. Airports are difficult to negotiate with their low fluorescent lighting.

Half an hour into the flight, a gentleman traveling developed appendicitis. The plane landed in Nashville to let him off. The delay caused me to miss my pre-arranged airport transit to the exhibition center. When I arrived the time had passed for exhibitors to enter the hall to set up. However, a lovely woman at the check-in desk took one look at my frazzled appearance, relented and let me in.

I still had to manage the trip home. Returning home from O'Hare is much trickier than departing for me. Baggage claim isn't close to the bus terminal. Typically, I rent a cart, but there wasn't a cart in sight and I couldn't leave my luggage to find one.

My flight arrived late, and my bus departed in under 20 minutes. If I missed the bus, I'd have to wait for another 90 minutes for the next one. It would be dark when I arrived at the bus terminal in my city, and I'd be unable to see to drive myself home.

I began the long, slow, painful process of managing my small-wheeled suitcase and carrying my heavy carry-ons, including symposium materials and my laptop, to the bus terminal. Straining to read directional signs, I made my way to the escalator and stepped on.

Suddenly, a gentleman appeared beside me, asked if I was going to the bus and offered to carry my bags! Though generally skeptical and guarded of strangers, I figured he was on his way to the bus, too, and accepted. We chatted as we walked, and I asked what bus he was taking.

To my surprise, he replied that he wasn't taking a bus anywhere. He lived in Chicago and his car was parked in the lot! He had noticed me squinting and struggling with my bags and offered to help. I made it to the bus with minutes to spare, and arrived home while it was still light.

When I asked if there was something I could do to repay him, he replied, "No, no, just pass it on". I do earnestly try. I will always remember this man's "random act of senseless kindness". Thank you, sir, whoever and wherever you are.

This is a story about a guy, a guy like most of us -- common, questioning his existence, measuring himself to others, never believing in his abilities or his worth.

Watch the faces of the judges as this guy walks out on the stage. You can almost see what they're thinking as they pre-judge this guy based on his looks and the fact that he's a cell phone salesman.

Maybe this guy stopped believing in what people told him for so many years and ultimately started listening to his passion.
http://www.maniacworld.com/Phone-Salesman-Amazes-Crowd.html

WOWZERONI!!! The very shock of this does indeed bring tears to your eyes - not to mention the beauty of it all! Thanks so very much for sharing it with us, Evelyn!

Carol, I want to say the Marine Corps Drill Team (sent by Richard Dawes - NNHS / HHS - '62 - of VA on 12/08/07 - was really good.

Now I must take up for my Brothers of The United States Navy, we also have a drill team. While I was in Radio school in Norfolk I was member of the Radio School Drill Team. We traveled all over the east coast to perform in parades and at football games. These Sailors are not too bad themselves.

www.whc.net/r.jones/USN/USN_team.html

GO NAVY........Jerry Blanchard (class of 62) of Va.

Well, Sweetie, I never knew you were on a Navy Drill Team!!! WOWZERONI!!! And thanks so much for sharing this video with us, Jerry! It too is extraordinarily impressive!

The NNHS Class of 1957 Holiday Party will be held Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at 6:00 PM
at Angelo's (Route 17), Newport News, VA.
CONTACT: Pabletz@aol.com

From Glenn Dye ('60) of TX - 11/28/07 - "Feel good - AAAHHH!" (#7 in a series of 10):

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."

There's much more to come - next time! Meanwhile, Good Yule - and Merry Christmas!

Y'all take care of each other! TYPHOONS FOREVER! We'll Always Have Buckroe!

Frosty The Snowman

Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul
With a corncob pipe and a button nose
and two eyes made out of coal
Frosty the snowman is a fairy tale they say
He was made of snow but the children
know how he came to life one day
There must have been some magic in that
old silk hat they found
For when they placed it on his head
he began to dance around

Frosty the snowman
was alive as he could be
And the children say he could laugh
and play just the same as you and me
Thumpetty thump thump
thumpety thump thump
Look at Frosty go
Thumpetty thump thump
thumpety thump thump
Over the hills of snow

Frosty the snowman knew
the sun was hot that day
So he said
"Let's run and
we'll have some fun
now before I melt away
" Down to the village
with a broomstick in his hand
Running here and there all
around the square saying
Catch me if you can

He led them down the streets of town
right to the traffic cop
And he only paused a moment when
he heard him holler "Stop!"
For Frosty the snow man
had to hurry on his way
But he waved goodbye saying
"Don't you cry
I'll be back again some day

" Thumpetty thump thump
thumpety thump thump
Look at Frosty go
Thumpetty thump thump
thumpety thump thump
Over the hills of snow