Blessings from Blunders: Part 1

We just got back from what we have tried to make our annual trip to Alabama to see extended family. This year my cousin Michael was getting married near Birmingham. As soon as we found out in the winter the kids all began begging to go. They know how much fun it is to travel to see Granny (my Grandmama and their great-grandmother), all of my aunts and uncles, and my cousins and their children. My parents are both from south Alabama, so their roots are there. Having grown up going to Alabama at least twice a year, I consider it like home. Mom has 6 siblings, and Dad has 2 sisters. When you start adding everyone up, we are abundantly blessed with a big family. They are all “salt of the earth”, as Mark’s Aunt Retta and Uncle Wade used to say.










We had lunch at Cracker Barrel with Mom and Dad before arriving in Atlanta. It was their 44th Wedding Anniversary!







All was well for the first leg of our trip. We spent Friday night in Newnan, Georgia with Mark’s brother Jeff, and his wife Darlene. What a great visit! It was so good to see Darlene doing so well, since she had struggled through completing radiation treatments for cancer. We were thankful to give her hugs. We also enjoyed Hope’s sister Emma, her daughter Hope, and Hope’s baby girl Kyndal. After taking the photo below in Jeff and Darlene’s Georgia Bulldogs room, we said our goodbyes and headed for Birmingham to the wedding.

Alex, Melinda, Samuel, Madeline, Kyndal, Victoria, Mary Liz, Jeff, Jacob, Darlene, Hope, and Mark

Samuel, Jacob, Mary Liz, Madeline, Hope, Kyndal, and Victoria

This is where the blunder comes in- When we were about 2 miles from our destination, we heard strange sounds coming from the Suburban. We tried to figure them out, but they just went away, so we thought all was well.

Meanwhile, back to the wedding- Michael and Chasity’s wedding was elegant and beautiful, just like the bride. The children enjoyed the ceremony, but they had a blast at the reception. Samuel danced the night away, and Victoria played and danced with Belle (my cousin Mandy’s daughter, who was the flower girl). It was special getting to spend such a memorable evening with the Campbells, Mom’s family.

Melinda Madeline Tate Comer, Madeline Campbell Alford( Grandmama), and Madeline Ashley Comer- The Three Madelines

Kaitlyn, Cari, Samuel, Mallory, Madeline, and Alex

Senor Alex

Madeline, Cari, Kaitlyn, and Mallory
Okay, so I know these don’t look like a wedding photos. The bride and groom wanted all of us to pose for silly Polaroid photos with props and sign them. This was a cute idea!

Here Belle and Victoria are looking at all of the silly photos. They were so sweet together!

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Curtis’s First Dance

Samuel and Victoria enjoyed sleeping on a palette on the floor together throughout the week. This was the night after the wedding.

Sunday morning began with hotel breakfast with Una Mae from Hunstville (Mom’s cousin), Ben and Doris from Tullahoma, TN (Mom’s aunt and uncle), and Mom and Dad (aka “Gran and Papa”). We packed up, said our goodbyes, and began what was to be a full day of “visiting” with Dad’s sisters and their families.

We were greeted with big smiles and hugs in Montgomery by Aunt Annette and “Unc” Jeter, and all of their precious, dear children and grandchildren. Aunt Annette and Uncle Ira prepared a delicious “Sunday dinner”, as Grandmama Tate would have wanted us to call it. She was all that was missing, since she’s gone on to be with Jesus, whom she loved with all of her heart, soul and strength. We even got to see my sweet cousin Sheila, who took a break from her heavy law school studies.

Here’s where the blunder comes in again- After our goodbyes to the Jeter family we pulled out of their driveway only to hear a much worse sound from the Suburban. Mark drove around the block, but it could barely go, and we suspected the trouble was the transmission. We decided to put it in the shop in Montgomery Monday morning, not willing to risk breaking down in the extreme heat on I 85 in route to Raleigh. My cousin Kim and her husband Brandt generously loaned us their 8 passenger minivan.

We decided to go ahead with our original plan to drive to Goshen to see Dad’s other sister, Corine, and her husband, my Uncle Elmo, who had recently celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary. The kids just had to visit Aunt Corine and Uncle Elmo! They are such dear family, and they live on the world’s greatest farm! Here’s the sign that Uncle Mo’s children gave him for his 80th birthday this year. As soon as we got there the kids started driving the golf cart and the mule, with Uncle Elmo helping.

Here Biz and Jacob are hugging our sweet Aunt Corine.

All were sad that we had lost so much time figuring out our car repair situation, and we didn’t have time for the much anticipated fishing at the farm. It was time to move on to spend the night outside of Luverne at Grandmama Campbell’s farmhouse, the home where Mom, her 5 sisters & 1 brother were raised. A delicious spaghetti supper was waiting for us, lovingly prepared by my Aunt Liz (from Panama City) and Aunt Kathryn (from there in Luverne) These pictures show the kids eating supper, and then breakfast at Granny’s. Sweet memories…

You Otter See Them Swim!

My parents, my brother, and I were the 16th family to move into Wood Valley, back when it was in the beginnings of the new construction stage. When I was 9, Mary Liz's age, I used to bike down to the future sight of the swim and racquet club, and watch the pool and tennis courts being built. I spent 10 of my summers racing for the Wood Valley Otters. I've been to my own kids' meets there for 5 summers, so far. Tonight we had time trials at the practice swim meet, and I was such a proud otter mama watching my cubs!

Jacob was our new swimmer last year, and now he's a big 7-8 year old boy. He's doing so well. Our newest otter this year is Victoria. She's just the cutest thing! Mary Liz continues to work hard and swim well!

Above- Victoria taking her mark for backstroke at tonight's meet.

Above- Jacob taking his mark, then below, he's swimming freestyle

Here Jacob is swimming backstroke.

Victoria enjoys a well-deserved treat after braving the otter water at her first swim meet!

Learning All About the Old North State

In our homeschool co-op all of the Kindergarten through 6th graders are learning North Carolina History this semester, and I have the privilege of teaching it on Friday afternoons. As a former 4th grade public school teacher, I taught North Carolina in social studies for 5 years in the classroom. I just love it- the history, geography, economics, government...! And it's so conducive to field trips within a close driving distance! Well, I've tried to take full advantage of this opportunity, so we've been field trippin' quite a bit!

With our whole homeschool group (not just our co-op) we went on a great all day field trip to two of our state's historic sites: Bennett Place and Duke Homestead. Bennett Place is the location of the largest Confederate troop surrender of the Civil War. It really has amazing historical significance, but it doesn't get nearly the attention the Appamatox Courthouse does, for some reason. We were able to stand on the very ground where Generals Johnston and Sherman met to negotiate. Confederate and Union soldiers rested on those very lawns. Pictured here is a Union soldier showing us how to load and shoot his rifle. Also, this is a reconstruction of the Bennett Family home.

There was a small museum inside the Visitor's Center. Here Alex and his friend are learning about the War Between the States.

We left Bennett

Place and drove 10 minutes

to Duke Homestead. Both are in Durham.

Our tour guide taught the children about farm life for the Duke family as she took us through the home.

The littlest members of RACCE (Raleigh Association of Classical Christian Educators) Homeschool Group didn't have quite the attention span necessary for the tour through the first home of the Duke family. Here they're chatting with the chickens at the coop. Also, you can see Samuel and his buddy rushing to the tobacco curing barn to be the first to learn all about it!

"I'll race ya!"


Here is the whole group of children in front of the Duke Family's Homestead.

We toured the Duke Homestead Tobacco Museum. It is very well done, and quite interactive. The kids' favorite part was the automated late 1800s tobacco farmer that told us what he did during each season of the year.

After the museum tour we were treated to a fashion show. Learning all about the clothing of farming families in the late 1800s was fun! Jacob modeled attire!

Victoria and her sweet friend took a second to pose for me while they were watching the fashion show!

Spring Break started today. Yesterday was a school day for us, but what a fun school day it was!!! We went to the NC Museum of History and the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. There's a new temporary exhibit at the history museum called "Knights of the Black Flag". We knew it would be good, but as Jacob put it perfectly when as we walked in the dark, intriguing first room he exclaimed, "It's even awesomer than I thought it would be!"

Here is a scary looking crew of pirates!

Mary Liz has always wanted to have her picture made with Sir Walter Raleigh!

"ARGGHH!" Jacob as the most notorious North Carolina pirate, Blackbeard.

"Man the Cannons!" Watch out!

Captured by pirates, Victoria was upset with the enemy! She reminds me of Wendy tied up on Captain Hook's ship! Now free, Victoria and her friend man the cannons!

Samuel was just the right height to navigate the ship!

I'm glad Mary Liz is on my side!

Here's a replica of the beautiful Canova statue of President Washington. It was created for our second capital building, built after moving the capitol from New Bern (Tryon Palace) to Raleigh. Unfortunately it burned down, and the famous statue was destroyed. At fist the kids couldn't figure out how it could be there, so I explained it had been remade.

Stockcar racing began in the NC mountains with running moonshine. I haven't been over that with these younger kids, though.

At the NC Museum of Natural Sciences- the kids posing in front of the Acrocanthosaurus skeleton, which is the most complete specimen of its kind on display in the world.

Have you ever seen a cuter luna moth in all of
North Carolina?

Samuel loved all of the animals at the science museum. He was talking to the turtles here. In the "Meet the Animals" program he got to pet a NC state reptile- an Eastern Box Turtle. Victoria asked for a picture in front of our state bird and state flower- cardinal and dogwood.
Speaking of state symbols, the kids have been studying those, too. Below is Mary Liz's project. She wants me to point out that her Tar Heel State Symbols project is done in NC STATE colors. We Comers are Tar Heels because we're from the Tar Heel state, but we're NOT UNC Tar Heels. : ) This is one page from the booklet. She drew the state insect- the honey bee.

We've been learning about the three geographical regions of NC, too. Here some of my favorite North Carolinians are pointing to the piedmont region, where we live.

This is Mary Liz's salt dough map of the 3 regions. She has marked the locations of her 6 favorite state historic sites. Also, she painted and labeled neighboring states.