Don & Susan's Blog

2010-03-21T17:53:00.000-07:00

Wow, did January, February, and most of March really fly by fast. I've been so busy at work I haven't had time to blog. This is my audit time of year at work and I've been working 10 -12 hour days for two months. I'm ready for vacation.

We're off on a cruise during spring break week so I'll have an update on that soon.

OK, so what else is going on around the Heatherly household? Let's get you updated.

We've discovered SKYPE which is so cool. We can call up Tyler anytime we want and there he is on the computer screen. I know web cams have been out for a while but its just know becoming easy to use thanks to this website SKYPE. We can watch Tyler grow up and not miss anything.

Susan got back to work after her surgery. She's doing OK but still has pain. She still has to wear her brace. Hopefully the nerve will regenerate and repair itself within the year.

Mom is still slowly getting worse but is now being treated for her Parkinson's. I have to do all her shopping and driving since she can't drive now nor will she be able to anytime soon, probably never again. Her memory is really getting bad and she just can't comprehend simple concepts anymore.

We've been busy at church also, of course. We have choir, our ensemble group, Empty Nester's, and I'm on church council. The Empty Nester's have had a couple of fun events this year already. We had a "Lost in the 50's and 60's tonight" Karaoke party and I got to be a Beatle. (see photo below). We also had our annual St. Patrick's bunko party.

I guess the biggest and best event of the past two months was Tyler's baptism. We invited the whole family including my Mom, Kelly and Travis, Susan's sister and husband, close friends Johanna, Ryan, Joy and Wayne. We all went out for Sunday lunch afterwards. See photos below...

That about it for now. I'll update you after our vacation. Can't wait to get to some warm tropical weather, steel drum music, crystal clear water, sandy beaches, and great fun, food, and friends.

December 2009

2010-01-15T13:12:00.000-08:00

Wrapping up the great 2009 for the Heatherly family, we are pleased to announce the arrival of our newest family member, Tyler Davis Sullivan. On December 18th he made his presents known although it be reluctant. He was just not in any hurry to get her and, I believe, just wanted to stay inside Mommy all warm and snugly.

The whole birthing event started on Wednesday, December 16th when we got a call from Kristen that she was being admitted to Northside Medical Center for labor. He had stop moving as actively as normal so Kristen went to be checked out. The doctor wasn't happy with the way he was responding to the stress test so they decided to induce labor.

Like I said, this little fellow just wasn't going to be rushed into this birthing thing so he just didn't respond to the drugs that are designed to bring him on out. After two days of inducing, he was still in the same position and there was not progress toward a normal delivery.

On Friday the 18th, it was decided to do the C Section and bring him on out. After, what seemed an entirely in the waiting room, the C section was successful and Ben brought out a picture of Tyler in the delivery room. Susan and I were as proud as two grandparents could possibly be. We started calling everyone and sending the picture by text message and email to even more people. Before you know it, Tyler's image was zooming through cyberspace to email boxes, cell phones, and even Facebook.

What a grand Christmas present we received in 2009. The poor kid can do anything but eat, sleep and poop yet he got enough toys to keep him happy until his first birthday.

Yes we attended a number of Christmas parties and events in December. They were all very nice but none could top the event on the 18th in Atlanta. We've been back twice since the birth including the day after Christmas. Santa delivered a ridiculous load of goodies. We can't wait to get back down there to do some babysitting.

Christmas day was very nice at home. We grilled out steaks with Susan's sister and brother-in-law, Kelly, and my Mom. Travis couldn't join us this year as he had to work. We all got lots of nice gifts this year. It was a very good Christmas day at the Heatherly's but we did miss having Travis, Kristen, Ben, and Tyler there. Maybe we'll have them there next year.

November 2009

2009-12-19T18:17:00.000-08:00

Sorry I got behind on the Heatherly blog. We've been so busy and time just slipped up on me. So here we go:

November 1 we attended the AFL (My Company) picnic and family day. The food was pretty good and the company really went all out for the kids. Susan and I rode the old Cleveland Park train that we use to ride as kids. That old train is still going strong but you could tell it was as old as I am. It was a true sentimental journey remembering my childhood in that park and on that train. And, remembering bringing my own kids to ride the same train. I'll be bringing my grandchild to ride that old train next year. Can't wait.

November 7th was the day of Kristen's third and final baby shower. This took place at our house and all the family and friend attended. Kristen was thrilled and Kelly and Johanna did a great job with all the preparations. Don and Ben took off the Chief's Wings and Firewater for beer and football. The beer and wings were great but the Gamecocks got beat. That's OK, we ended the season good with a bowl bid and a victory over Clemson.

13th - 15th: We took off the Gatlinburg with our good friends the Crouts. We spent Saturday all day in Dollywood. If you haven't been there at Christmas you are missing a treat. You pay one price and see one show after the other. The decorations are the best thing next to Disney and there is a parade and light show. Gatlinburg is very nice at Christmas. It is the only time of year we enjoy going there.

The next week was not too fun as Susan had to undergo her fourth back operation. They removed what was left of her L5/S1 disk. They replaced it with a cadaver knee cap. Weird I know but that's what they do. She is doing good but still will have pain for a year or so until the nerve heals. There will always be some arthritis pain. She has to wear a back brace for three months.

Thanksgiving Day: Kelly, Travis and I had to take care of Thanksgiving this year since Susan was on the mend from surgery. That was quite a challenge but we pulled it off. Boy you just don't realize how much work goes into a Thanksgiving meal until you do it yourself. Travis deep fried a turkey, which was very good, and cooked up a mac and cheese. Kelly and I handled the rest. Dressing really takes a lot of work. My version was different from Susan's but it was pretty good. Mom came over and we had our traditional meal around 1:00 PM. Kristen and Ben couldn't come of course and missed having them here.

That's all for November folks. Thanks for reading the Heatherly family blog. December update coming soon. Big news is in store.

October Highlights

2009-11-08T11:35:00.000-08:00

October was fairly active and fun. Since we're in the heart of football season, most weekends were spent watching a game somewhere, somehow. Let's review what the Heatherlys were up to in October:

We started the month off attending the annual Hanger B Ball with our friends Joy and Wayne. They always get us tickets to this event and have a blast. They had a great band and we just couldn't stay in our seats. Since it was a work night we could stay as long as we wanted to but we had a great time. Thanks J&W for including us in this every year. You guys are the best.

Kristen had the big 30 birthday on the 6th. I just can't believe our youngest daughter is that old. Wow, am I getting that old? Oh well, can't wait until Tyler gets her and we are able to babysit and spoil him rotten.

Susan got a new MRI on her back because her back pain is getting progressively worse. The doctors finally were able to see what is causing her pain. The L5/S1 disk will have to be removed as it appears to be putting pressure on the sciatic nerve. They will do surgery on November 18th and remove this disk. Weird, they will replace the disk with a knee cap from a cadaver. I know she will do great and be pain free soon. She is very nervous and not looking forward to surgery number 4 on her back.

We took off to Atlanta to visit the kids on the 17th. Kristen had a shower and Ben and I went to a beer festival. That was a lot of fun sampling a number of beers I've never heard of. I had everything from amazing to bad. But it was a fun day. We took the MARTA so we didn't have to drive. It was a long ride but worth it. Below is the group I went with. My son-in-law Ben is in the center. The others are friends of him and Kristen.

On the 20th we took friends from Church with us on our annual Spartanburg Ghost Tour. This is a fun thing to do if you are into ghost hunting and stories. This is more Susan's thing than mine but go along and take pictures. We got a picture in the graveyard that had an "Orb" in it. This was verified by the expert when I sent it to him. See photo below. (orb is the white dot between the tree and the tall monument in the back.

We attended a birthday party with friends Joy and Wayne for Joy's dad, Bill Otts, who turned 85 this month. We had fun chowing down on some good home cooking and Wade's. Love their fried chicken.

The month ended with Halloween starting on Friday night with a costume party among our Empty Nester pals. The party was at our friends the Crouts and there were some cool costumes. Susan, myself, Carol and Roy Scheffler went as Dorothy, The Lion, Scarecrow, and The Tin Man respectively. It was great fun and we won the prize for best couple or team costume. See below.

Halloween night was fun this year because we relaxed, stayed home, and gave out candy to the neighborhood kids and kids of friends. It was rainy so the turnout was lite but it was nice to stay home this year. I'm normally helping at the Trunks of Treats event at Church. I missed being there. Pictured below are Susan, Zoey, and me with our friend's child Spenser.

The End

September Fun

2009-09-30T17:59:00.000-07:00

September was party month at the Heatherly's. We started the month out on Labor Day weekend with a cookout with some old friends from our previous neighborhood. The whole family came and we sat outside and talked until late and laughed about old times when the kids were little. Babysitting horror stories came rolling out from Kelly and Kristen while Jack, Sam and I solved all the world's problems. It was ideal weather that night and the food and fellowship was great.

The following Saturday, we hosted the Church Choir party. About 40 people came over for barbecue, beer, and football as most of the men watched a great game between USC and Georgia. I set up the canopy in the yard and we served out there giving us plenty of room to sit and eat on the patio and around the pool. The weather was great and everyone had a wonderful time.

The next Saturday we spent the day with our friends the Crouts at their lake house and on their new pontoon boat. We ate dinner at Shealey's in Batesburg SC where the down home cooking is as good as it gets. Its about a 2 hour drive but it is worth it. I couldn't breath I ate so much.

The next weekend start with dinner at a place we've never even heard of, Minnow Creek, near Gaffney on Hwy 11. This was with our monthly BBT dinner group from Church. On the way home it started raining and poured so hard we could barely see the road to get home. The company and food was great. We enjoyed it a lot. I would go back to this restaurant but it was a bit out of the way.

The next day, Saturday, we went to a friend's house, the Hanson's, for gathering of Susan's work friends and husbands. Wow, the food was flowing again as chowed down an various yummy appetizers, burgers, brats, and desserts. USC played their game on the previous Thursday beating Old Miss so the husbands watched some other games while the work friends talked shop.

Well that about sums up our significant activities in September. Stay tuned for an update after October is over. We are still excited about our new grandson due in December. We bought more cloths and sent a swing to Kristen's show in DC at her in-law's house but we couldn't attend that far away. We will be going to Atlanta in October and having a shower here at our house in November. I don't think baby Ty will be in need of much when he finally gets here. He's moving and kicking and hiccuping like crazy. I felt him move, which was both cool and scary at the same time. Can't wait to see him.

We had dinner with Kelly and Travis at Macaroni Grill on the 18th. That was nice and I ate too much there as well. But Italian is mine and Kelly's favorite food so we were both in heaven.

Summer 2009 Update

2009-08-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

I know, its been a while since I updated our blog. We've been kind of getting into Facebook so that has distracted me from keeping the blog updated.

So here we go. What a summer we've had. Its been very busy but lots of fun.

May:

Our Empty Nester group at Church had a great evening on May 30th. We had a Mystery Dinner where select members played characters in a murder whodunit. The photo below shows the cast of the event. I played the no-good drunken brother of the murdered head of the family. Each character in the play had a motive to commit the dastardly deed. Susan was the narrator. It was great fun. This was our first time doing anything like this so we did know what to expect or how it would turn out. Everyone said they had a great time also.

June:

During the second week in June the whole Heatherly clan spent Wednesday - Sunday together in Hilton Head just veggin' on the beach, eating shrimp, and having a great time. This was the first time we've done this since the kids were young and living at home. We really enjoyed doing this. Susan and I were there the entire week and the kids come down on Wednesday. Here are some photos.

Believe it or not but we not sooner got unpack from the Hilton Head trip when we were of to Disney World. We went with our good friend Maryanne and Jason. Jason work at Disney so we met him there. We had a great time although it was hot as H E double hockey sticks. We managed to keep cool by running from one AC area to the other. Still, we really enjoyed it because it is the happiest place on earth as you've heard. I could just stay at Epcot the whole time while Susan loves the Magic Kingdom. The trill rides at Disney Studios and Animal Kingdom are great too. If you haven't be there in the last three years or more, I would recommend a return visit. There are some cool new rides and shows.

I (Don) went to a conference in San Antonio the last week of June. It was hot there as well. 100+ everyday. The riverwalk is always nice and it did cool down the last day I was there.

July:

IT'S A BOY !!!! Yes, that's right, the new grandbaby will be a boy named Tyler Davis Sullivan AKA, Ty. Can't wait to take him fishing with Papa. Nana can't stop buying little boy clothes, books, etc. Check out the ultrasound:

Our annual Church Beach Retreat was July 16 -19 but Susan and I went down two days early. Our friends Danny and Maryanne come down a day early and we had a great time finding fun places to eat seafood, chillin' on the beach, and siteseeing in Charleston. On Thursday the whole gang come in and we just had a fun on the beach, playing cards and dominos, talking, and dinning out. This was the adults only retreat. We had one grandchild that we all spoiled. Here is a photo of the group taken on the deck at the retreat center. This place is comfortable and feels like home because we go there every year and have since the kids were young. Its not the Hilton but you have a great time anyway because luxury doesn't matter during this type of event. Making friends and becoming closer with old friends is the something you don't get at a fancy hotel.

April 2009

2009-05-11T16:03:00.000-07:00

Well, let's see what the Heatherlys were up to in April:

After the cruise, which ended on April 5th, we settled back into our daily routine. It was so hard to come home and get back into the real world. After the tropical paradise of Roatan, Belize, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman, we just got depressed going back to work. However, it was nice to see the dog again. She missed us and we her.

I took a business trip to Nashville on the 15th but it was very quick so I didn't get to do anything but have a nice meal at a very nice restaurant out near the airport. I can even remember the name of it but it was one of those old house converted into a restaurant. You know the type.

I also got some great barbecue at the airport and heard a couple singing that could make it big on American Idol if they wanted to. Its amazing how much talent is in this town just walking the streets and playing in bars undiscovered.

Easter day was very special for the Heatherly family. Kristen, our daughter, and her husband came to visit for the weekend and announced that we are expecting our first grandchild in December. We were ecstatic, of course, and have already started buying baby stuff. We refer to it as Baby Boo. We've seen two ultra sound images and he/she it growing and doing fine. We can't wait to be grandparents. Happy, happy day.

On the 21st we left for Myrtle Beach. I had to attend a conference and Susan went along for the ride. We had a great time in the evenings during the conference and we stayed over the weekend to enjoy the beach. Saturday was a perfect day weather wise. We spent the whole day by the pool and walking on the beach and the pier.

The day after we arrived at M.B., the forest began to burn. The wind was blowing 50 - 60 miles per hour when we arrived Tuesday night. If was like walking through a hurricane when we got out of the car at the hotel. The next morning, the news was all about the fire which was spreading quickly due to the wind. We could watch it burning from our balcony. See photos below.

We could also watch the helicopters dropping water on the fire from our room. That was very cool. Luckily the smoke was being blown north and away from the section of beach where we were. But, you could see the gray skies over the ocean north of us and it looked erie.

Here are some more M.B. photos I took on the beach:

I won't have much to report for the month of May. Not much going on. But, in June we have to trip planned so I will get you caught up at the end of June.

March 2009

2009-04-13T18:18:00.000-07:00

What have the Heatherly's been up to during the month of March? Well here we go:

March 3rd was our dog Zoey's 7th birthday. Big deal, you're thinking, but it is to a couple of empty nesters. The dog becomes your child. Cute huh?

Zoey says Go Cocks!

On March 7th we attended a party for our neighborhood's HOA board members.

March 14th was our Church's annual Empty Nester group St. Patrick's day Bunco party. If you've never played Bunco, you should try it. It's lots of fun and can get wild and loud. This group of seemingly normal, calm, and collected adults can turn into screaming loonies in about 5 minutes during this fast paced dice game.

Susan (right) with friend Maryanne

Susan and Don at the St. Patrick's Day Bunco Party

Out big event in March was our recent Cruise. We boarded the Carnival Legend in Tampa on March 29th and set sail for Grand Cayman, Cozumel MX, Belize, and Roatan. The weather was perfect and the seas were relatively calm the entire trip. We had a great time and did not want it to be over. Boy, did that 7 days go by fast. Here are some photos of the trip. Almost Paradise as the song goes.

And, Don got his 2 minutes of fame on the last night at the big show in front of the entire ship, when he got up on stage and sang two Motown songs (first verse only), My Girl and Ain't Too Proud To Beg. This was not planned at all but everyone seem to enjoy it, at least they didn't walk out. What a hoot that was. I still don't believe I did it.

We returned on April 5th. Susan had a birthday on board during the cruise on April 4th. We celebrated by having our room decorated and having birthday cake at dinner while the wait staff sang Happy Birthday to her in the dinning room. Red faced and embarrassed, she finished her big day shopping for birthday gifts in the gift shop. Nothing like a little jewelry to make a girl forget how old she is.

January - February 2009

2009-02-28T13:41:00.000-08:00

Well not much has been going on other than the ordinary day in day out work, Church, and life at home for the Heatherly household since Christmas. All is quiet as we weather the winter weather and look forward to spring.

Our BBT adult dinning out group from JOY has had two nice dinners since I last wrote in the blog. We met at Steak and Spirits in Spartanburg which is the old Steak and Ale. Nothing at all has changed. The food was good as usual and we had a big crowd that night. Susan was sick with some kind of crud she no doubt caught from one of her kids in her class at school. So I went stag but I still had an OK time.

Our BBT group met at a new place in Greenville last night, Brick City Grill. The food was very good but the service was a little slow when it got to getting us our checks. But that's no bid deal since we usually sit/stand around after dinner anyway and socialize. We had a great time. We took our good friend Ella Rose with us an we had lots of laughs. She is such a hoot to be with as usual.

I did get to visit Kristen and Ben this month. I had a seminar to attend in Atlanta so I stayed the night with them. We went out to a New Orleans restaurant downtown and had a great time. We got Mardi Gras beads and had the best gumbo I've ever had. The entrees were good but nothing to rave about. But I would go back there again and just order a big bowl of that gumbo. It was so good.

Kelly and Travis came over for dinner and also Kelly and my Mom came over after church last Sunday for homemade vegetable soup and cornbread. It was delicious, probably the best Susan has every made. I ate leftovers all week long.

I guess that's about it for now. I'll update after we return from our cruise, yes I said cruise, the first week of April (spring break week). We are very excited. We depart on Carnival's Legend cruise ship out of Tampa and go to The Caymen Islands, Cozumel, Belize, and Roatan. We'll have lots of photos and stories to tell after that. So check back again after March 5th. So long for now.

A 2008 Heatherly Christmas

2009-01-06T15:34:00.000-08:00

The Heatherly house at Christmas

Well Christmas and New Years have come and gone. I doesn't seem possible that it has already passed by after all the preparation and busy schedules building up to the big day.

The Heatherly Living Room at Christmas

Christmas day was very traditional here this year. All the kids and their hubbies were here on Christmas day. Susan sister and bother-in-law came and we all had a big dinner after opening huge amounts of gifts that morning. Dinner was the same as last year which was a daring departure from the menu of every Christmas the past 33 years. No more turkey, ham, dressing, etc. for the Heatherlys these days. We are now doing Fillet Mignon and grilled shrimp. It was big hit this year and last year.

I (Don) didn't get to attend Christmas Eve church services this year for the first time since becoming Lutheran 35 years ago. That left a big hole in my overall Christmas experience this year. That always make Christmas special. Why didn't I attend this year you ask? Well Murphy's Law decided that Christmas Eve night would be the time when the septic tank would become full. While taking a shower the bathroom floor suddenly became flooded and every drain and toilet in the house was stopped. Nothing was flowing out.

As you can imagine, I had no hope of finding a plumber on Christmas Eve at 4:00 PM and even if I did, I doubted he/she could fix my problem and get things back to normal that night. After three attempts and as many rejections, I called Roto Rooter. They are as nice as could be and were at my house digging up the septic tank within the hour. They had the tank pumped out and everything back in order by 8:30. I really felt blessed. I had imagined us having to spend Christmas at a local hotel this year.

The kids playing Bachi Ball in the front yard Christmas Day

New Years evening we went to a movie with the Crout's. We saw the remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still". The original was a standard SiFi flick from the 50's that Susan and I have seen dozens of time since we were kids. We had to see the remake. I wasn't expecting much and that made the movie not too bad. I actually enjoyed it. The update to modern time as done well. I heard comment about Keono Reeves performance as stoic and dull. Well, you had to have seen the original to know that this is how the character, an alien, was suppose to act. If you go see it, go rent the original movie and see it first.

New Years day we attended a dinner party and some old friends of ours. They do this every year on New Years day and we look forward to seeing them and catching up as don't see them as often as when we were next door neighbors a few years ago.

That's the scope for the Heatherly holidays. Other than the sewage debacle, it was relatively smooth and nice.

November 22 - December 22

2008-12-22T13:19:00.000-08:00

This has been a busy busy month as you can imagine. We've had lots of Christmas parties and events to attend. We also spent a weekend in Gatlinburg and went to Dollywood for a day.

On the Nov 22nd we attended the annual Festival of Trees with our friends Joy and Wayne. We had a great time rubbing elbows with the Whose Who of Spartanburg. They had lots of nice items up for bid as this is one of the Hospital Foundation's main fund raisers. Every bid rose higher than my budget so we just watched the rich and famous bid higher and higher and pay way more than anything was worth. It is fun to watch rich people spend money.

Anyway this was for a good cause and we had a great time. The band was very good. A fellow member of our neighborhood homeowners association was the drummer. They played mostly oldies from the 60's and 70's so we really enjoyed the music.

We left on the 4th for Gatlinburg. We had a great cabin with a great view and all the comforts of a luxury home. We had a hot tub outside on the deck but it was so cold we didn't make it out there. We played pool and Foosball in the basement and enjoyed cuddling by the fire in the living room and watching movies. It was a great weekend and gave Susan and me a chance to unwind, relax, and get ready for the craziness of the coming Christmas season.

Here we are about to enjoy dinner at a restaurant in downtown Gatlinburg after shopping.

Here we are on the deck of our cabin. The view was spectacular.

Dollywood was great. We spent the entire day running from show to show. We especially enjoyed all the Christmas lights. The place is beautiful at Christmas and I highly recommend going if you haven't. We are not mountain people. We prefer the beach. However, if I go to the mountains, and especially Gatlinburg, I only want to go at Christmas. The town is beautiful with all the Christmas lights they put up. We watched the parade and had a great time. We also did some Christmas shopping.

A small sample of the lights at Dollywood.

On the 9th we attended the Spartanburg Christmas Parade downtown. We hooked up with some of Susan co-workers and enjoyed watching the lighted floats and listening to the local high school bands. The parade is allot better than it use to be. It's at night and they have more bands.

On the 12th we went to a pajama party (yes, I said pajama party) but not like what you are thinking. It was just a party at Susan's co-worker's house where we all wore our pajamas. There were 6 couples there and we played games, exchanged gag gifts, and had appetizers and drinks. It was allot of fun.

On the 15th, Susan went to a jewelry making class and I attended a Lutheran Men's Christmas party stag. It wasn't too bad since I did get to eat and I got Susan a nice snowman canister in our Dirty Santa game. She was very pleased even though I sacrificed a bottle of wine for it.

That's about it for now. Christmas is coming Thursday and we are pretty much ready except for the last minute food shopping we have to get done. We'll have Susan's sister and brother-in-law for Christmas dinner along with my Mom, the kids and their husbands. The house will be full and we will exchange gifts and eat like there is no tomorrow.

Church and choir has kept us busy but my Dave Ramsey class finished up Sunday and we also had our Christmas Music program.

We are planning to go out for dinner Tuesday with the kids so I'm looking forward to that.

I'll update the blog after Christmas and post some more photos then.

October 1 - November 8, 2008

2008-11-01T13:36:00.001-07:00

Sorry but I've been so busy lately I haven't had time to update the Heatherly blog in a while. Here is the scoop for the past few weeks.

October was super busy. We had something going on every weekend.

October 2nd:

The annual Hanger B Ball, a charity event for Spartanburg Regional Hospital. Our dear friends Joy and Wayne graciously get us tickets every year. This year was the best ever. One of my favorite bands, The Little River Band, performed and we had a ball they are one of those bands from the 70's that had hit after hit and you can still sing along because you heard them so often you still have the lyrics in your mind. The food was great as usual. Some of our other friends from Church were there so we really enjoyed it.

October 3rd:

Alan Jackson Concert at the BiLo Center in Greenville. Alan put on a terrific concert as usual. He tries to sing as many of his hits as he can but there is no way in a two hour concert. Trace Atkins was there also. We're not fans of his. All in all, it was a great show and we had a great time.

October 4th:

Greer SC Oktoberfest: We had fun listening to Oomph music, drinking German beer and eating brats. It was all great. The funniest thing was a duo (two ladies) who sang and played the keyboard and accordion. It was like watching the Saturday Night Live skit Will Ferrel use to do. But they were serious. What a hoot.

October 6th:

This was our daughter Kristen's birthday. We did the traditional phone calls and send gift cards but since it was a work day, that's about all we could do. She is 29, the age we all want to be and remain at. Sorry daughter, you want be there but a year so hang on to it and enjoy it as much as you can while you're there.

October 11th:

Our Empty Nester Group at Church had their annual Oktoberfest at the home of Donnie and Ed Barnes. We had around 30 there and boy did we chow down on some great German food. This was a fun evening socializing with our Church buds. Never a dull moment with this crowd. Pictured above are friends MaryAnn and Fred in their German attire.

October 13th:

I was summoned for jury duty this week and the next. Luckily I wasn't chosen but it really messed up my week. It was a capital murder trial and I really struggled with the thought of having decide if someone would live or be put to death. Turns out the jury that was chosen did find him guilty and gave him the death penalty.

October 18th:

We had a party at our friends Jim and Mary. We played board games, ate lots of good food, and just laughed and talked while I stepped out every few minute to catch up on the USC (That's the University of South Caroline of course, not Southern Cal) and LSU game. We lost but it was a great game and we played well. Go Gamecocks now 7 and 3.

October 25th:

We attended a party at our friends Danny and MaryAnn. They had a great Halloween party. Susan and I went as a Monk and Nun. I won best male costume. Susan got beat out by a "Death by Chocolate" costume. It was a woman dressed as a Grim Reaper with chocolate bars attached to her. Very original I guess but Susan looked like a real nun. She wore it to work on Halloween day and she had several students and even a staff member asked her to bless them. Too funny.

October 27th:

We, once again, took the Main Street Trolley Ghost tour of Spartanburg. This was a great tour last year and we really enjoyed it so we had to do it again. Well, this year's tour was very different. I enjoyed last year's more but this year was interesting. They had members of the "Upstate Paranormal Society" leading the tour and they were more into bragging about all of there ghost hunting adventures than trying to make the tour exciting. We drove through the old Oakwood Cemetery and turned off all the lights. The guide gets out of the trolley and walks around in the grave yard with a wireless mic. It get very creepy during that part.

October 31st:

We ended October with Halloween of course. Susan stayed home and gave out treats to the neighborhood while I helped with the Trunks of Treats event at Church. The event was well attended. We had about 350 there and everyone had a great time. This is JOY's premier community outreach event each year. Susan said we had lots of cute kids come by and she and Zoey, in her bumble bee costume enjoyed the evening at home. Susan's friend Denise brought by her son Spenser (pictured above). Also, the little girls we babysit for sometimes came by.

November 1st:

We went to a barbecue and concert at the Carolina Country club with our oldest and dearest friends JOY and Wayne and Joy's sister Ann. This was a charity event for the daughter of an employee at the hospital where Wayne works. They had an auction and one of Spartanburg's local bands from the 60's and 70's Rob and the Mob. We had a great night and ate some good food. Thanks, Joy and Wayne, for a fun evening and for our tickets. Can't wait 'til the Gatlinburg weekend coming soon.

November 8th:

Our Empty Nester group from Church had our second annual wine tasting event. This was lots of fun and we got to try some really unusual wines. One of the members of our group is a real wine expert and he does a great job of setting up the event and leading us through the tasting.

Awesome Performance of the National Anthem

2008-09-18T13:45:00.000-07:00

A very old and good friend of mine and Susan's is in the entertainment business and is a naturally gifted musician. He produces CDs and web content for non-profit organizations to use as fund raisers. He also produced a huge selling CD to commemorate 9-11 and the bravery of the fire fighters and rescuers. It raised thousands for the victims of 9-11. His business website is http://www.anythingmultimedia.com/ .

Anyway, the point of this blog post is to point you toward a video performance of an arrangement of the National Anthem which was written by my friend above. This arrangement is brilliant and the performance is spectacular. Here is the link to that video. You'll get cold chills and you might even get tear in your eye listening to this.

Enjoy: http://www.usaforpalin.com/

Homecoming

2008-09-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

Kelly and Travis have moved back home after living in Charleston for three years. While Charleston is a great place to visit and to vacation, its not as much fun when you live there. Many reasons brought them to this decision. Susan and I are just happy to have them closer to home once again. However, we'll need to come up with another excuse to visit Charleston now.

Welcome home Kelly, Travis, the dogs Casey and Griffin, the cats Belle and Alley, and bird.

Summer Fun for Everyone

2008-08-16T10:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I'm a little behind on maintaining the blog. We've been so busy this summer so let me get you caught up on what all we've been up to.

Visit with Daughter and Son-in-law in Atlanta: We had a great weekend visit in Atlanta with Kristen and Ben. As usual Kristen had a great weekend of activities planned. First we had dinner at The Vortex, an Atlanta legend, hamburger dive that looks like a biker hangout. Most everyone there had tattoos but us. The burgers were great and the atmosphere was strange but fun. It definitely one of the those "must do" things in Atlanta.

Next we were off the Georgia Aquarium for some jazz, wine, and fish. But the fish were not on our plate. They were all around us, even swimming over our heads. This is an amazing place and going at night when most of the kids are gone and its just adults listening to great music makes it even better.

The next day we went to a great place for lunch called the Marietta Diner. You've never seen such a menu. And the food is plentiful and delicious. You eat enough in one meal to do you the entire day. In fact, that's what we did. After that meal, we didn't want much else. So, we decided to go work off a little of this feast at Dave and Busters. That was fun, especially for Susan. This is her kind of fun. I enjoyed it but I'm not a gambler even if it is for stuffed animals and carnival prizes.

We had one more stop to make before heading out to Stone Mountain for the famous laser light show. We had to go back to the Marietta Diner for some of their wonderful desserts. Their cakes are gigantic and they looked so good we just had to have some to take with us on our picnic at the park.

Well you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men. We had everything we need to enjoy at great summer evening laser show until, and uninvited guest appeared, the rain. And boy did it pour down.

We tried not to let this dampen our spirits and it did stop before the show started. However the fog and ground clouds made the show not so spectacular. Oh well, we have to try this again some other time.

Our next summer adventure was a visit with our other daughter and son-in-law in Charleston. This was tied to a weekend retreat with our Church friends at the SC Lutheran Retreat Center on the Isles of Palms.

We arrived a day before the others so we could spend some time with Kelly and Travis. We took off, after we arrived, to the beach. We walked on the pier, shopped in the beach shops, and had dinner at a new place in Folly Beach. It was great to have few hours visiting with the kids before they had to leave.

The rest of the weekend was spent in fellowship with our Church friends. As activity directors, Susan and I were busy planning games, movies, and fun things for everyone to do.

The best thing to do, however, on the Isle of Palms is vegging out on the beach. This is the best beach in SC and maybe even the US, as far as I'm concerned.

Our Church, JOY Lutheran, plans retreats at our retreat center every year. It is a great time to get to know those people you see every Sunday in Church but don't know much about. You find yourself in long conversations with casual friends and before you know it, you have made a close friend for life. We do this every year and wouldn't miss it.

Don's Mom's 75th Birthday Party

2008-07-05T18:07:00.000-07:00

July 4th has always been celebrated, at the Heatherly household, in two ways. It's, of course the celebration of the birth of our nation. But the Heatherly's have their very own Yankee Doodle Dandy born on the 4th of July; Don's Mom.

This year was a very special birthday as we celebrate her 75th. Don and Susan invited the closest of our relatives which included our daughters and son-in-laws of course, Don's aunt Mattie, Margaret, and Betty. It also included Don's closest cousins Charlene, Sharon, Jimmy, and Steve with their family and kids.

We had a great time eating Bubba's BBQ, beans, slaw, appetizers, and Bruster Ice Cream Birthday cake. We ending the evening looking at some very old home videos and sitting outside on the patio laughing and remembering old times. It's great to get together with family so you don't forget who you are, where you came from, and the people that will always love you no matter what happens to you in life.

Happy Birthday Momma. I hope you have many many more.

Heatherly's Make Annual Disney Trek

2008-06-21T05:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are terminal Disney freaks. At least Susan is. Don goes along for the ride and is a good sport. Although he enjoys Epcot and Animal Kingdom.

We've been going to Disney annually for the last three years. It appears this will become a Heatherly tradition.

Mickey says Hi to everyone back home.

Hurray for Hollywood - Theme of 2008 Special Ed Prom

2008-05-18T17:52:00.000-07:00

Susan's annual prom for the Special Ed kids in her class, and all the other Special Ed classes in the county high schools, was held Friday night. Susan goes all out trying to make this event, for these kids, as exciting and special as the regular high school prom. This is their prom and they look forward to it all year long. This year was no different. The stars were out and the kids danced the night away from the red carpet to the big screen movie being projected. They will all have a wonderful memory just like all students have this time of year.

Don Graduates from Dave Ramsey - Financial Peace University

2008-05-17T05:24:00.000-07:00

I finished my 13 week Financial Peace class last Sunday. It was a great experience and I highly recommend this class to everyone. Before you take the class, read "The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey. His method of becoming totally debt free and building wealth in order to be able to give more is solid and proven. I'm a big fan.

2008-05-11T06:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers Day to our Mom's

Don With Mom

Susan's Mom
(Deceased - We Love and Miss You!)
with
Daughters: Susan (Far Right), Flicka (Far Left)
Grandaughters: Kelly (right) and Kristen (left)

Our first and only Blog - The Heatherly's Dive Into Cyberspace

2008-05-10T05:02:00.000-07:00

Well, this is something I never thought I'd be doing at age 54. Susan and I love to use the Internet and our daughter is an expert user of the Internet. After she started her blog, I thought, why not.

So, her we go. We are Don and Susan Heathery, married 34 years as of August 17, 2008. What journey we've had. Although we've never left our home town area in Spartanburg SC, we've managed to raise, educate, and marry off two beautiful daughters.

A little bit about us: I'm a Manager in a Manufacturing Operation and Susan is a Special Education Teacher. We plan to retire soon so we can enjoy life a little before we get too old to do so. We love to travel and have fun. We are very active in our Church and we love to socialize with all our church friends.

Our most recent travel adventure was a cruise to the Virgin Islands with a group of church folks.

The Cruisers having our first formal dinner on board. That's us on the left.

Moving along, our most recent family affair was the social event of the year as we married off our youngest daughter Kristen. The wedding was held at our church and was beautiful. We all had a wonderful weekend of parties and celebration. It was bitter sweet for Susan and I as pushed our youngest out of the nest officially.

Although she's been out on her own since age 17 when she first left home for college and hasn't been back since. After college she moved far away to Washington D.C. to live and work with a very close group of college friends who've stayed very close every since.

She now lives in Atlanta with new husband Ben. He's a banker and she is a recruiter for a Bio Tech firm. They are very happy and love to socialize and travel just like their old Mom and Dad. A chip off the old block. Ben and Kristen's Blog.

Our oldest daughter, Kelly, lives in beautiful Charleston SC with her husband Travis. She's a social worker for domestic abuse victims and he is a fire fighter. They are dedicated to their work and service to the community. We admire them allot for their service.

We also envy them for where they live. If you've never visited Charleston, you've missed out on one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The old south charm and sophistication of Charleston will lure you back again and again. We love it down there and would love to retire there.