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I met Fred many years ago on a bike ride down in Albany. We were on a club ride and he was new in  town. Clark wasn’t on the ride that Saturday morning when I had a flat tire. Being the nice guy that he is, Fred happily stepped in and changed it for me. I went home talking about this nice fella I met on the ride, how he had helped me out by changing my tire and wouldn’t even take a tube back in return. We started to become friends and Clark started having a little Spidey Sense Tingle going on. Who is this guy Fred and why is he being so nice to my wife?

Suddenly, Clark start riding again. Before long, we were all the best of friends. There were many nights of beef and beer on our back deck with Ri and the greyhounds, long bike rides with Fred’s top secret recipe chocolate chip cookies, general shenanigans and rojos at Harvest Moon. Happy times for The Three Amigos, but never the right lady for Fred.

Duty called and Fred moved south to Florida with his company. He’s such a smart worker (“Work smarter, not Harder”)  and dependable. His bosses knew if they needed him to relocate, he would do it with a smile. We stayed in touch and when we were buying our home in Sautee, Fred, being the Super Nice Guy he is, took time off from his job, drove up from south Florida and helped load and drive a moving truck from Albany to the mountains and unload it. Then got up the next morning and helped us paint the entire inside of the house, all over the course of a weekend. The kicker was, at the end of that weekend, after we dropped the moving truck off in Gainesville on the way back to Albany, he picked up his car at our home there to head back south and thanked US for a good time!

Fast forward a few years. Back down in south Florida, we kept hearing about this Tammy. And then one Thanksgiving, Fred & Tammy and family in tow came to the mountains. We met this super cute Princess and kept our fingers crossed that the stars would align for our friend

When we got the word that he had Asked and she said Yes, we were thrilled and thought May 17th would never arrive.

Their wedding day was perfect. Florida sunshine with a breeze and no humidity. Someone remarked at the wedding, when two people are meant to be together, the weather always shows.

Fred and Tammy will begin the next chapter of their fairy tale in North Carolina and we wish them a lifetime of happiness.

Fried chicken, shrimp & grits, mac & cheese, green beans, tomato slice & cornbread

Somebody has to go first, right Scott?

Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes you just have to just let go and Believe.

Mother’s Day has been bittersweet since my mom’s passing. Growing up, she and I didn’t always get along. I was independent from the time I could dress myself.

Being a child in the 70’s meant that plaid pants & a tie dye body suit was an outfit, at least in my mind. She let me go with it though & throughout my childhood,  was there for me and my siblings. Cupcakes in ice cream cones for the school bake sale, funnel cakes in an electric skillet at  the school fair, potluck dinners at Camp Osborn Boy Scout camp. Too many activities really to mention but she was always ready to go and be there, even if it was outside her comfort zone.

I had a phone call a few weeks ago from a person I hadn’t talked to in quite some time. She told me that she had a very vivid dream I had a given birth to a baby (gasp!) and asked if I had something to tell her. I assured her that Clark and I were still proud parents of the greyhounds, but no, there was no human baby to report. We had a good laugh and caught up on life but wow! Having a baby at my age is not something I’d want.

It hit me after we hung up, though. I actually have had a baby. Clark and I are the proud parents of Unicoi Preserves. Looking at the time we have been working to make a business out of a hobby hasn’t been pain-free but its also a very joyous time.

Stayed tuned and watch our little baby grow. The sun is just starting to rise over the mountains in Sautee