Tag Archives: Siblings

Meals with the Family-Part 2

15 Oct

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

  As the children got older, schedules were more difficult to manage for family dinners, so it has essentially dwindled down to just once-a-month with Bill, DiVoran, Fred and me.  We take turns where to meet:  one month Fred and I go to Titusville, and the next month Bill and DiVoran come to Orlando.  We usually meet about 10:00 a.m. at the house for some time to just visit and chat – catch up on our lives.  About 11:30 we head to a restaurant for a lunch meal together.

Bill and DiVoran’s house

Our house

In Titusville, that usually means Dixie Crossroads.  YAY!  Love that place and the Rock Shrimp they serve! 

Credit photo Google Search and Dixie Crossroads website; Steve Hunsader

There used to be a restaurant in Titusville called Portofino’s that we enjoyed, but they aren’t in business any more.  Another was Pumpernickle’s, which served authentic German food.  Fred and I really loved that restaurant, since we lived in Germany for six years.  But, unfortunately, they aren’t in business any more, either.  Shucks!  There is still a good Mexican/Cuban restaurant where we go occasionally called El Leoncito which is excellent.

Photo credit Google Search, El Leoncito website; Herve Andrieu

When Bill and DiVoran come to Orlando, we have quite a wide variety of restaurants to pick from.  Recently we went to Cracker Barrel, since they have such a wide variety on their menu.

Photo credit Google Search and Cracker Barrel Website

We described the salmon at Longhorn Steakhouse, and DiVoran decided the next time they come here she would like to try that! 

Another time they came over to Orlando, we all met at Columbia House in Celebration.  It is a “traditional Spanish” restaurant, and the food is excellent. 

Photo credit Google Search and Columbia House website

For those who don’t know, Celebration is a housing development built by Disney, located not too far from Disney World. 

This is the symbol of Celebration

Photo credit Google Search and Celebration website

It is essentially a self-contained community which includes shopping, schools (reported to be state-of-the-art), and a hospital (also reported to be state-of-the-art).  I’ve been a patient in that hospital, and it is quite good.

We’ve eaten at Azteca Mexican Restaurant, Cheddar’s Home Kitchen.  We’ve taken them to 4 Rivers BBQ, and The Catfish Place in St. Cloud.  We’ve eaten at IHOP as well as Red Lobser and Olive Garden.  So we really have our choice of eateries here.  That keeps it interesting.

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Meals with the Family-Part 1

8 Oct

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

                             

As I think back to the meals Fred and I have had with Bill and DiVoran (brother and sister-in-law), I am reminded of some great times.

The first meal we shared together after Fred and I moved to Florida was on the north side of Orlando, in a fun little restaurant called the Bombay Bicycle Club.  Interesting name and place.  I honestly don’t remember what either of us ate there.  The main thing I remember is that a horrific storm blew through while we were eating, and the power went out.  The credit card machines and cash registers were not working (all electric), and we had to pay with cash.  This is a picture I gleaned from the Bombay Bicycle Club website that is in San Antonio, Texas.  The one in Orlando is no more.

Photo credit Google Search and Jane C.

I can’t remember just where we met Bill and DiVoran the next time, but it was storming, as well – that I do remember!  I was afraid it was to be the hallmark of our meetings!  Fortunately, that has not been the case.

For a few years after we moved here, we would all gather together in any month where someone in the family had a birthday – and celebrate all together.  For instance, in Bill’s family there were three family members who had January birthdays – so we all gathered together one Saturday evening for a dinner along with cake and ice cream.  February was similar, so a repeat.  March held Bill’s birthday, then there was a dry spell until July, which held my birthday.  And so on.  It was a lot of fun, and we were able to see both of Bill and DiVoran’s children and their spouses and children. 

As a side note – Bill said that he was glad we had moved here, since when our girls and their families came for a visit – Bill and DiVoran and their families got to visit with them, as well.  Kept up the connection with cousins.  I remember once when we all gathered together at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill near DeLeon Springs for breakfast, because Karen, Brian, Forrest and Katie (along with Forrest’s girlfriend at the time) were in town.  It was summer, and hot, and that griddle in the middle of the table was REALLY hot, but it was still fun.

Photo credit Google Search and Patty Gibson

In the year 2001, while my hair was still growing back from my time with chemo, Bill and DiVoran’s grandchildren were still quite young, and we all gathered one evening at a resort near SeaWorld, where Bill’s daughter and her husband were “on vacation.”  I mention that because I was wearing a hair wig, but had taken a different one with me (don’t remember why).  During the course of the afternoon/evening I took off the wig to show the kids.

Jacob tried to pull his hair off like I had just done – but we told him it wouldn’t work.  His sister, Lacey asked if I had cancer.  She was a sharp little girl.  The kids were not upset or disturbed by my lack of hair.  Amazing.

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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MY BIG BROTHER – Part 2

17 Feb

SUNDAY MEMORIES
Judy Wills

Judy

 

There’s a lot I don’t remember about growing up in New Mexico. I remember my best girlfriend (down the street….through the neighbors yard….down the alley to her back yard) and some of the good times we had. She now lives just an hour-and-a-half away from me, and we see each other occasionally. She tells me that she probably wouldn’t be a believer today if it weren’t for my parents picking her up every Sunday morning to take her to church with us. I have no memory of her in our car. I remember her at the church and at the functions we did together. But not picking her up. Very selective brain I have, don’t I?

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I do remember that Bill and I used to fight like the proverbial cats and dogs. Nearly drove our mother to distraction sometimes. I’m sure he didn’t care to have his bratty little sister trying to tag along very often.

Of course, all that changed when he grew into the age that – all of a sudden, GIRLS were a VERY interesting phenomenon to him! He would ask me what I knew or had heard about that particular girl. And what about this particular girl – what do I know or have heard about her. I really don’t remember many of his “girlfriends” until DiVoran came along. But that’s another story unto itself.

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I have a couple of pictures that still make me chuckle every time I see them. We were both a couple of cut-ups in our day, and these pictures prove it. Weren’t we cute? I came upon these pictures many years ago, and had them blown up and sent them to Bill as a Christmas present one year. I think I heard him laughing all the way from Florida to Virginia!

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I have a couple of pictures taken at Bill’s 10th birthday party – and once again, I wormed my way into the festivities. Looks like none of the boys were paying any attention to me. But then, what 10-year-old boy pays attention to a 6-year-old girl? Some of these boys were neighborhood friends, some were school friends, and some were church friends. And Bill still keeps in touch with some of them. Those life-time friendships are treasured.

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I still adore my big brother.

Philippians 4:4-8

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My Big Brother

10 Feb

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

Judy

 I hope you are enjoying reading my big brother’s stories as much as I am.  I am learning things that I was too young to know or remember about us growing up.

One of the things that I really don’t remember – but have been told about many times – is the airplane trip when we moved from Dallas, Texas to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1945.  Bill can tell you that it was an American Airlines DC-3 plane.

 

Plane

Plane

What I remember our Mother telling me is that she made the flight without our Dad (he was already in NM), and with us two small children.  She said a military man asked if she would like some “help” with us, and she handed me over.  After a bit, she looked back, just as he was pointing out the window, with me looking out, as well.  I came running back to her and said, “Mommy!  Did you know there is an ANGEL sitting on that wing outside???!!!”

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Mother said that she was reassured that he really was a good guy.  In Bill’s words about the flight:  “My memories of the plane are limited to how steep an incline the aisle was from the rear door to the front seats, that there were only two seats on each side of the aisle, and at some point during the flight (I did not have my seatbelt fastened) the plane hit a fairly good-sized downdraft (air pocket) and I hit my head on the overhead.  The whole trip was quite an adventure for a six-year-old boy.”  And by-the-way – I still have the airline ticket from that trip!

 

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I do remember Bill’s obsession with airplanes – especially model airplanes.  I remember him in his bedroom, putting together small airplanes.  I remember the smell of the airplane glue.  I remember him taking the airplane (frequently with me in tow) to the park across the street, and flying it around until either he brought it down, or it crashed.  If it crashed, then he bundled it up and took it home for repair.  Those were the days of rubber bands and small gasoline engines attached to the plane.  He’s just grown up a bit since then, as has his taste in model airplanes.  He now builds radio-controlled model airplanes, and flies them as often as he can.  He goes to the airfield and watches others fly their planes.  He has built himself a workshop in their backyard, and spends a lot of time out there, building his planes.  He’s really quite good at it, too.

I adore my big brother.

 

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