SAYING GOOD-BYE

IN NOVEMBER GRANNY MOVED TO TEXAS SO WE COULD HELP TAKE CARE OF HER. AMY GOT HER A SPOT IN HER NURSING HOME AND SAW HER DAILEY. MOM AND CALEB WERE UP THERE EVERYDAY TOO. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND DAD AND RICKY MADE THERE WAY UP THERE FOR LUNCH EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. CALEB AND I DROPPED IN EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE FOR A LITTLE VISIT AFTER B-BALL PRACTICE. SHE LOVED THAT BOY. HE WAS GETTING SO BIG HE WAS HARD FOR HER TO HOLD BUT WHEN SHE DID HOLD HIM SHE HAD A GRIN ON HER FACE.

THIS IS GRANNY AND PAW PAW OR AS THE OTHER ADULTS IN THIS WORLD KNEW THEM: HELEN & RALLS NEILL. IN 2005 WE LOST PAW PAW AND JUST LAST WEEK GRANNY WENT TO JOIN HIM.

THEY WERE TWO OF THE MOST LOVING PEOPLE I KNEW. THEY SPOILED US KIDS ROTTON. I SNUGGLED UP TO GRANNY EVERY CHANCE I GOT, BUT ESPECIALLY DURING CHURCH. AND I SAT ON PAW PAW'S LAP AND RUBBED THAT LONG EARLOBE WHILE I SUCKED MY THUMB.

THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN IN THEIR KITCHEN ON 609 LEE RD. THAT TABLE WAS A PINE TABLE THAT HAD A TECTURE TO IT THAT WAS AWESOME. THE MATCHING CHAIRS WERE STRAIGHT AND UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT THAT WAS THE KITCHEN TABLE WE SAT AT AND ATE A QUART OF GRITS THAT GRANNY MADE.

THIS HOUSE WAS THE PLACE THAT ALL THE "BIG" CHRISTMAS' WERE SPENT WITH OUR FAMILY DURING OUR FURLOUGHS. WE WOULD COME BACK TO THE STATES AND LIVE WITH THEM FOR 3 MONTHS. GRANNY WOULD READ TO US, WRESTLE WITH RICKY, WATCH MOVIES WITH US - FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. SHE HAD THE ORIGINAL VIDEOGAMES PONG AND BOWLING. IT WOULD SNOW AND WE WOULD SLED DOWN THOSE HUGE HILLS, PLAY IN THE SNOW AND SHE WOULD BRING US IN AND WARM US UP BY THE FIRE.
THEY HAD A LITTLE CRAZY SIDE TO THEM. THIS IS AT A COSTUME PARTY WHEN THEY WERE IN THEIR 60'S.
THIS IS GRANNY AND MY COUSIN SARA IN PANAMA CITY. THIS WAS SOMEWHERE IN THE 90'S GRANNY'S STILL 60'S. SHE WAS ADVENTURAS AND CRAZY SOMETIMES. THE IDEA OF PARASAILING WAS SOOOOO EXCITING FOR HER.
GRANNY AND PAW PAW WERE SUCH A GOOD MATCH. THEY WORKED SO WELL TOGETHER. GRANNY WOULD LOAD THE DISH WASHER, PAW PAW WOULD UN-LOAD IT. GRANNY WOULD WASH THE CLOTHES, PAW PAW WOULD FOLD THEM. PAW PAW WOULD DIG UP AND TILL FOR A GARDEN, GRANNY WOULD POINT WHERE TO PLANT THE TOMATOES. THEY WERE FUN TO BE AROUND.

I THOUGHT I HAD A PICTURE OF GRANNY HOLDING HER TOMATOES SHE WAS SO PROUD OF THEM. THEY WERE USUALLY THE SIZE OF HER HANDS. SHE DEFINITLY HAD A GREEN THUMB AND AMY INHERITED IT. HERE ARE A FEW PICS OF CALEB ON THE WAY OVER TO BIRMINGHAM, AL. TO BURY GRANNY. HE WAS TRAPED IN THAT CAR SEAT FOR 12 HOURS! CRAZY LONG TRIP. MOM, DAD, CHRIPY, CALEB AND I RODE IN ONE CAR. RICKY, CINDY, AMY, AUBREY, LOLO & COOPER WERE IN THE OTHER CAR.
CALEB LIKES WEARING GRANDADDY'S HAT.
UNCLE DAVID HOSTED US IN GRANNY & PAW PAW'S OLD APARTMENT. KIND OF WEIRD TO BE THERE WITHOUT THEM. GRANNY'S BIRDHOUSES WERE STILL UP IN THE KITCHEN, MARA HAD FIXED IT UP REALLY NICE.
I KNOW, HOW CAN I TAKE A PICTURE OF THEM IN FRONT OF THE CASKET. WELL, THEY WERE ALL LOOKING SO GOOD THE DAY OF GRANNY'S PROMOTION CELEBRATION.
RICKY AND AMY WERE THERE FOR THE CELEBRATION. WE SAW TONS OF PEOPLE FROM CENTER POINT CHURCH OF CHRIST. GRANNY AND PAW PAW WERE MEMBERS OF A LITTLE CHURCH THAT TOOK INTEREST IN EACHOTHER'S LIVES. THIS LITTLE CHURCH (THAT INCLUDES MY GRANNY & PAW PAW) TOOK TWO KIDS IN THEIR 20'S SENT THEM AND THEIR FAMILY TO TWO DIFFERENT PREACHING SCHOOLS AND TO A FOREIGN COUNTRY TO SPREAD THE WORD OF GOD. IT WAS A PACKED HOUSE. ALL THESE PEOPLE WHO LOVED MY GRANNY LIKE WE DID. WE ALL CELEBRATED HER CHRISTIAN LIFE AND HER FRIENDSHIP.
I CELEBRATED MY GRANNY, WHOM I LOVED SO MUCH. SHE WAS FAITHFUL TO THE LORD & HER HUSBAND. SHE LOVED US KIDS AND SPOILED US ROTTEN. SHE WAS A GREAT WOMAN. I GOT MY LOVE FOR THE BEACH FROM HER. SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN A BEACH BUM HER WHOLE LIFE AND I WOULD HAVE GLADLY GONE WITH HER! CALEB DID JUST FINE DURING THE CEREMONY. HE LAUGHED AND WAS SO EXCITED WHEN HE SAW HIS GRANDADDY UP THERE. THE ENTHUSIASTIC TALKING AND SINGING GOT HIM ALL EXCITED.
THE FINAL GOOD BYE AT THE GRAVESIDE. WE ARE COMFORTED IN THE FACT THAT WE'LL SEE GRANNY AND PAW PAW IN HEAVEN. BUT WE ARE GOING TO MISS THEM WHILE WE'RE STILL HERE.
AFTER THE FUNERAL WE ALL WENT BACK TO A CHURCH WHERE WE ATE A WONDERFUL LUNCH. WE CAUGHT UP ON EACH OTHERS LIVES.

FRONT ROW: LARRY, VICKY AND DAVID NEILL

NEXT ROW: AMY, CHRISPY, CALEB, BECKY, LENNA, CHRISTY, LOLO, CINDY, RICKY & COOPER, AUBREY, DAD, LENNA & PAUL.

WELL, WRAPPING UP CHILDHOOD MEMORIES, COLLEGE MEMORIES, MEMORIES OF MY 20'S AND 30'S IS HARD TO DO. I'VE LOVED MY GRANNY AND PAW PAW ALL MY LIFE, IT'LL BE WEIRD NOT HAVING THEM TO LOOK FOWARD TO SEEING THEM. I HAVE A LOT OF MEMORIES AND LOVE WRAPED UP IN THOSE TWO WORDS: GRANNY AND PAW PAW. I THANK THE LORD FOR THE BLESSING OF HAVING THEM IN MY LIFE.