Wedding Information

Kayley dressed in her flower girl present, Steven giving his Mom a kiss.
James and Maggie, taking it easy in the corner.
Rhonda and Steph, picture by Kayley
The happy couple.
Steven and Kayley pose at the rehearsal dinner


Just a bit about the wedding.

The ceremony was held at the Little Chapel in the Woods on the campus of the Texas Woman's University. It was small but very beautiful and historic. It is in a wooded, park like setting on the university grounds. After last minute changes during the rehearsal we all headed to Carino's for dinner. It was amazing to see Steve-O, Chris, Andy, and Joe, now all grown up, some with kids of their own. These were the boys who Steven grew up with and we watched slouch their way through our house in Benbrook. We welcomed them then and it was nice to have them welcome us back to Texas.



On wedding day it was HOT, but then we were in Texas. Everything went according to plan, Rhonda and Jenna's Mom lit candles and neither one fell down the steps. Jenna could not have looked any lovelier as she walked up the isle with her Father on one arm and Step-Father on the other. There was only one moment when tears were about to fall, but with a quick sniff it was diverted. Kayley was the flower girl and did a perfect job. She was so cute!

The wedding reception was at an event venue, it was based on the 1920's with music and decorations from this era. Jenna did the first dance with her Father then with her Step-Father, then Steven and Rhonda danced to "Time in a Bottle." There was a lot of good food and much fun. They had dance instructors to help us all learn how to dance 20's style. We were shocked when Steven and Jenna came out and did a Swing Dance, including Jenna being thrown in the air, sliding across the dance floor and jumping over Steven's head, it was amazing. I knew my kids had talent, but this was really something.

The wedding was perfect, the food was excellent, and Jenna's family were very open and friendly. There were only the few of us Long's, but we were right at home. I am very pleased to welcome Jenna to the family and expect great things from these two.

LongLando '09 - Off to Walt Disney World

Greetings,

OK, so our annual Long vacation was Orlando this year. We try to go to Orlando every other year and this was our year. We decided to take the Auto Train instead of driving. The cost was about the same as flying and we did not have to get a rental car on the other end. Check out the Auto Train at www.amtrak.com. It is the longest passenger train in the world and the only train in the US that hauls your car along at the same time. We got a first class sleeper and really had a great trip. We pulled out at 4:00PM and arrived the next morning at 8:00 in Orlando. Had a good nights sleep and some great meals.




We are just waiting on the platform for the conductors to open the doors. We get on early and get settled then head down to the lounge for a cheese and wine tasting. There are also snacks so we grab a pepsi and relax down there for a while. We were sampling a great Virginia wine from a winery only a few miles from our house.


Here are the car haulers, our car is in there somewhere.


Rhonda gets settled into our sleeper to watch the Virginia countryside go by.


Our first stop was Cocoa Beach, lots of shells and sand. Kayley did not know what to think of it.
It was a pretty day, but kind of cold. Kayley quickly found out what it felt like to be both cold and wet, a different thing for an Arizona girl.

I will add some Disney pictures over the next day or so, so stay tuned.

August Day Trip - Point Lookout Maryland

We decided since we live in one of the most historic areas in the world, we might as well get out and see it. This weekend we drove to Point Lookout Maryland, at the very southern tip of Maryland, a damp, swampy area where the Union built a Confederate POW camp. I urge you to Google Point Lookout and learn about a time and place where we did not treat our Confederate brothers very well. This should be a lesson learned for our country.


The descendants of Confederate soldiers did not feel like the Veteran's Administration did them justice (below) so they bought this piece or land (above) to build a memorial and be able to fly the Confederate flag at half staff all the time. Inside the rock structure is a big cauldron, the Bean Pot, which they cooked the daily meal.
Under this monument (above and below) is buried an uncounted and unaccounted number of Confederate soldiers. The plaque lists who is buried there, but a book in a box (full of wasps) includes many names not accounted for on the plaques. It is a quiet and peaceful place, but hardly worthy the many men who rest here.
OK, following that we got just a bit turned around and found this, the first road in Maryland, it was in better condition than most roads in Maryland.
We got a bit turned around again, which I am famous for, and found an Amish Farmers Market. The next couple pictures kind of show the place. We bought pickles, beets, and bread. Really fun and very interesting. It was a great stop along a road I should not have been on to start with. I was not lost, I was just exploring.

Time to start the countdown to the next Long Family Adventure. LongLando '09 is only 108 days away. Don't wait until the last minute, buy that sunscreen now!

Trip to Phoenix

Four random pictures from our trip. The Buckner family standing in the rain waiting for us to catch up. We walked down into the canyon to see some cliff dwellings. It was like 300 steps down and around a thousand back up. It was hot and a little higher altitude than we are used to. Kayley did just fine, but the rest of us needed a break at the top.




Both Birthday girls. We went to Chuck E. Cheese and had a blast. We had pizza and played many games. Kayley got a cake and and a song, but then Steph got her own cake and a song as well. It was a special time.



Kayley was very glad to see her Gramma, Gramma was very glad to see Kayley.


Kayley helped PaPa pull his heavy suit case. Pretty soon she said it was too heavy and handed it back. We had a lot of fun, but were really glad to be out of the heat.

Happy Birthday James!

We wish you a happy Birthday,
We wish you a happy Birthday,
We wish you a happy Birthday,
and a happy New Year.


Hey, what can I say, it was easier than trying to come up with a totally new song.


Happy Day to our favorite Son-in-Law!

Goodbye to our Ben Franklin Store

So, been to a Ben Franklin store recently? Well Fredericksburg Virginia does, but only for one more week. For some 30 years this store has stood on the corner being the "dime store" for the area. To enter the store is to flashback many years to the crowded, high shelf variety stores. We are sad to see it go, but time rolls on and while we watch Wal-Mart fight to build a super store right beside to major Civil War battlefields we also watch another downtown icon fall.



Thought I would throw in Crismond's Shoe Store, open for around a hundred years.




Fredericksburg was in the middle of the Civil War, most buildings on main street are on the national register and were here well before the start of the war. We have four major battlefields as well as several cemetaries dedicated to the civil war dead. Fredericksburg is a beautyful town and well worth checking out should you be in the Washington DC area.