The Blaylock Clan

Here is a picture of the Blaylock family. This shot includes my parents, aunts and uncles, and several cousins. The occasion was my 40th birthday party which we hosted at our house on June 9th. We had a perfect day for the party, and lots of people came by to wish me a happy birthday (actually, most dropped by to give me insulting cards about getting old - especially those over 50...)

The older I get the more I learn to appreciate my family. The Blaylock clan heralds from the hills of Tennessee. Sure, a few of our members do their primary entertaining in the garage and pee in 5-gallon buckets, but once you get to know us you tend to overlook some of the rough edges. As some of our older warriors (like my Dad) begin to mellow with age, there is a kindness and depth of character that comes out. I can honestly say that I am proud to be a "Blaylock" - and I hope that our children can further enhance this name through the quality of their lives.

God has blessed my life through this bunch. They have loved me unconditionally. I have cousins that are like brothers to me, and aunts and uncles that have been people I can rely upon. Of course, we all deeply miss Granny (who died about 11 years ago). She was the one who brought us all together. Some day I will tell you about her.

Congratulations Jay and Nancy!

Here is a picture of my cousin Jay and his beautiful new bride, Nancy, at their reception last weekend. To Jay we say "good job, you have found yourself a wonderful woman". To Nancy we say "welcome to the family, we love you already!". And to both of them we say "may God bless you richly in every way as you begin your life together."

Mom and Dad

Last Friday night we celebrated my cousin's wedding. At one point in the evening I overheard my Mom say to my Dad, "I really like this song, let's dance". (Now, keep in mind that I am 38 years old and have no vivid memory of my parents ever dancing together.) So, you can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when my Dad grabbed her hand and they walked to the dance floor. I immediately found my wife and told her to take this picture. My parents have been married for about 45 years, and like all couples they have had their ups and downs. But as I watched them on the dance floor that night I was reminded of this old saying; "all's well that ends well". And after 45 years I believe they are more committed to one another than ever. I trust that the final chapter of their story will be a happy one.

Mom and Dad, here's to many more years of life together and to a few more good pictures of you on the dance floor.