Jim and Barbara's Wedding

June 1, 2007

Jim, Joni's son, and his beautiful bride, Barbara, got married on June 1, 2007, in New York.


It was the best! Jim and Barbara had been engaged for 1 ½ years. We have all been very excited and couldn’t wait for the big day!

We flew to NYC from Dallas. Delton’s brother Larry and his wife Linda joined us on the plane. Pastor Larry co-officiated at the wedding with Father Tom, Barbara’s family priest.

Pictured are Larry and Jim discussing final details.

Pictured is Joni's son, Chris.


The wedding was held at St. Raphael’s Catholic Church in Long Island City, NY, just outside of NYC.

Many family and friends came from all over the world. Thirty members of Barbara’s family came from Ireland. Jim’s family and friends came from California, Texas, Florida and New Hampshire. And many lived right in NY. Pictured with us are Joni's Mom and Joni's son, Ken.

Also pictured are Linda and Kathy and Joni with Delton and Larry.

It all started on Wednesday, May 30, with the rehearsal and rehearsal diner. We all took a taxi to the church in Long Island City and then proceeded back to NYC for the diner at Nick’s Italian Restaurant. Joni’s son, Chris, and his stepbrother, Alex, and the best man, Paul, didn’t make it to the rehearsal. Their plane was late coming in from DFW due to storms in Dallas, but they made it to the diner. Chris and Alex were groomsmen, along with Joni’s son, Ken, who came in from California, and Matt, a friend of Jim's from NYC. Ken wasn’t feeling well, with a head cold, so the weekend started off a little rough.

Thursday, May 31, was a free day, since the wedding was on Friday, June1. But, Jim had a lot of work to do. Not only was he getting married on June 1, but he and Barbara were moving into their new apartment, which had a move-in date of June 1. Jim spent much of Thursday moving furniture with the help of his brothers and friends.

Pictured is Jim with his Dad.

Our friends, Kathy and Skip McKie, flew in from DFW on Thursday afternoon, for the wedding. We spent a lot of time touring around NYC with them and Larry and Linda. The McKies stayed at the Doubletree Hotel in NYC as did the bridal party. We shared an apartment that we rented with Larry and Linda. We were walking distance from the hotel.

The wedding ceremony was at 2:30 p.m. and the reception didn’t end until 11:00 p.m. It was a long wedding day.

We decided to dress for the wedding at the hotel and used Chris’s room to change. We all took taxis to the church from the hotel. Joni’s Mom, Lee, and brother Rich and his family stayed on Long Island and drove to the church together in Rich and Adele’s car.

The ceremony was beautiful and special. Pastor Larry and Father Tom together officiated to create a very special ceremony for both families. Pictured is Barbara walking down the aisle with her dad, Joe. In the middle of the ceremony, Joni and Barbara’s mom, June, lit candles and gave them to Jim and Barbara, who then lit the Unity Candle. Pictured is Joni being walked down the aisle with her sons, Ken and Chris, with Delton following.

Joni brought a lot of tissues. She had many many happy tears. Jim was her first son to get married and also was her Mom’s first grandchild to get married. It was a very very special day. Joni finally has a daughter (in-law).

On to the reception at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, NY...
The bridal party and parents rode in a Hummer Limo. It sat 18 of us. We were crowded as you can see in the pictures. Since it was Friday afternoon, we hit rush hour traffic. The ride to the reception on Long Island should have taken ½ hour, but with stop and go traffic, it took almost 2 hours. AND because we couldn’t get up a lot of speed, the air conditioner didn’t work well and we were hot!

Jim and Barbara rented 2 school buses to take the guests to the reception. Sorry, I didn't get a picture of the buses, but I got a picture of the groom's cake with a toy school bus on top of it. They were concerned that they would be very hot because school buses in NY don’t have air conditioning. I think they were cooler than we were in the limo because they could open the windows.

We arrived at the reception, first for a large, gourmet cocktail hour and then for a wonderful diner. It was an outstanding spread of many delicious foods. The cocktail hour was originally supposed to be presented outside by the pool and garden, but due to threatening rain, it was moved inside, And it didn’t even rain afterall.

Wedding pictures were taken out in the garden. What a gorgeous setting it was, as you can see.

Pictured are Joni, her brother, Rich, and their Mom. Also pictured are Rich and his wife Adele with their children, Justin and Ryan.


After a grand entrance into the reception, Larry said a blessing for the bride and groom and the party began. Pictured is Larry saying the blessing.





The reception had a multitude of themes, Irish, Texas, and NY. It was such a joy to see all of Barbara’s family enjoying their family from Ireland. Pictured is Barbara being carried around the dance floor by her brothers. We all danced and sang Irish songs, with a mix of country and western, and to finish the night, we all got on the dance floor in a circle, holding hands, and sang NEW YORK, NEW YORK along with Frank Sinatra!



The bouquet was caught by Amanda. Amanda is Joni's nephew's Justin Marone's girlfriend. See Amanda holding the bouquet and waiting for the garter to be placed on her leg.

The reception ended at 11:00. The buses brought everyone back to the hotel, where there was an after party. It was a late night for many.

Jim and Barbara went to Hawaii for their honeymoon, but didn’t leave until Monday morning. They wanted to enjoy all the family and friends who came from so far for their special day.

On Saturday, Jim, Barbara, Ken, Chris, Alex, Larry, Linda, Kathy, Skip, Ron (Jim’s Dad), and his girlfriend, Lyn, joined us for a day in Central Park.

Many left on Sunday, including us. Larry and Linda stayed until Wednesday so they could enjoy more of NYC. Jim and Barbara allowed them to use their apartment after they left for Hawaii. It gave Larry and Linda a real NYC experience. Ken went back to CA on Sunday morning and Chris joined us on our plane back to Texas.

Joni says it was one of the happiest days of her life. The smile never left her face. We pray that Jim and Barbara will have a long, loving and Christ centered life.

Back Home Again in Texas

Back Home Again

April 17 – May 30, 2007

We made it back to Texas again. It’s always good to be “home”. We have to “take care of business” once a year – get all our doctors check ups done and visit family and friends. Visiting our family and friends is the best!

We get back to our everyday life in Texas when we are here, so we forget to take pictures most of the time. But, here are a few we remembered.

Working at the Byron Nelson Golf Tournament was exciting this year. See the story about the Byron.

We got to see old friends Terry and Patsy Carter, and Val and Kandy Franklin. One evening we went on the Carter’s pontoon boat for a ride across Grapevine Lake and diner at Sneaky Pete’s, a water front restaurant. That was great.

We also went kayaking with the Lehrmans and, on another occasion, the Fenoglio’s. Also visiting the McKies and lots of family all over Texas.

Joni’s son, Jim, was getting married on June 1, so we spent a lot of time making final preparations for our trip to New York City – to the wedding.

We loved staying at Grapevine Lake’s Vineyard Campground, then on to the wedding in New York and then on to Colorado.

Byron Nelson Golf Tournament 2007

April 26-29, 2007

This was an exciting year for us as volunteers at the Byron Nelson Golf Tournament. (Pictured is our view of the 17th hole - where we work.)

Joni got her 20 year pin, even though this was her 21^st year. And Delton got a distinguished banner with his name on it, which was flown in the volunteer tent. Pictured we are standing in the volunteer tent under Delton’s banner. We were very surprised when we walked in on the first day of the tournament.

Also pictured are the Laser Volunteer committee chairmen, Charlene and Barbara. They are the best. They make us all feel very special. We look forward to seeing them every year.

Our job is to measure the distance each player hits the ball from the tee box to the hole. The information we gather is transmitted to the media and that is how the announcers know how far the ball has been hit and far they have to go to get it into the hole. We are located in a tower that stands about 10 feel high and use survey equipment to “shoot” the ball.

Pictured are Joni and Ron, Delton’s brother, in our tower. This is Ron’s 2^nd year to work the Byron and we’ve enjoyed having him work with us on our hole in our tower. Next to us is the CBS Sports tent.

Gulf Shores State Park, Alabama

April 12 - 15, 2007

We visited Gulf Shores in 2002, before we started full timing. It was one of the most beautiful parks we visited, with tall pine trees, in a heavily wooded area on a lake, and 1/4 mile from the Gulf of Mexico. It is only 100 miles east of Destin and the beaches are just as nice.

We met Diane and Ken at Top Sail in Destin and they were on their way to Gulf Shores, so we said we'd meet them there. We parked across the street from each other. We were shocked when we pulled into the park and saw the devastation left from Hurricane Ivan. The trees were GONE! It looked like a desert with just sticks for trees. Our BEFORE picture, taken in 2002, is just a few RV sites away from the site where Ken and Diane parked. Notice all the trees in the before picture.

The destruction was caused mostly by the flooding rather than the wind of the hurricane. The water rose about 14 feet and covered the area. The salt water killed all the vegetation and trees. The park only recently reopened and will take a long time to return to the beauty that it once was.

Top Sail State Park - Destin, Florida

April 2 – 12, 2007

On our way back to Texas we decided to stop at TopSail State Park in Destin. We had stayed there on our way to Florida in the fall and loved it. It’s beautiful.

Sue and Fred Beeman are park hosts at Top Sail and we liked each other right away. One of their jobs was to drive the shuttle back and forth from the park to the beach - 7/10s of a mile. Pictured are Sue and Fred in front of their shuttle.

We met Peggy and Marion (and Larry, who is not pictured). They were parked next to us and we enjoyed getting to know each other.

Also, in our backyard, was our friend, the alligator.

It was a cold week, which was disappointing, but we made the best of it. Playing tennis, walking the beach and biking kept us busy.

Ocean Resorts At a Glance

April 1, 2007


We have finally left Ocean Resorts. We have made some very good friends over the last 6 months and will miss them all. Highlights of our winter include: tennis, kayaking, golf, bridge, beach, Bible Study, biking and Mom. Please excuse any repeats from previous stories, but we've tried to summarize our stay in Ocean Resorts.

Our RV site was outstanding. Pictured is our view. Being able to see the ocean from our windows was great. Notice the boardwalk leading to the beach, right across the street from our spot.



Being on the beach for 6 months was like being in paradise, for Joni anyway. Shown are Nancy and Anita playing scrabble while enjoying the sun, surf and sand.


Tennis was a learning experience. Delton took some private lessons from Jean Smith and together we took some doubles lessons. Jean and her husband Emery became good friends. We loved the daily matches and ALL the tournaments.

Nancy White is Joni’s Italian friend. She could “almost” keep up with her energy level, but not quite…… Joni tried to tire her out as best she could!!!!!!!! Nancy's the one in the beach picture - in the chair on the right side.

Delton enjoyed his golf game twice a week, especially getting his first “hole in one”.

Our extended stay allowed Delton to teach his 12 week Bible Class. Everyone learned about the Book of Revelation and now have a deeper understanding of prophesy.

And, most importantly, Mom is feeling better and is getting her life back to normal. Our weekly overnight visits with lots of love and caring mixed in, have allowed Mom to get back on her feet again. It was very very hard for us to leave the area. We will see Mom again real soon through…..at Jim and Barbara’s wedding on June 1…..in New York.

And now….we’re on our way back to Texas.

A Kayakers Paradise

March 28, 2007

One morning a group of us decided to take our kayaks down the river, south of Ocean Resorts, a kayak back. A group of us started together, but then we decided to go in different directions.

So Nancy White and Joni paddled a little further south to the Fort Pierce Inlet, where the river meets the ocean and boats can get into the ocean from their docks on the river. The water was very clean and rough, a little too rough to kayak in. So at that point we started to head back.

We came upon 4 dolphins, being very playful. Actually, Nancy said they were probably mating. They were jumping up high and having a real good time. It was hard to capture pictures, but we did the best we could. They started coming straight towards Joni and actually went right under her, but didn’t even stir the water. It was a neat experience.

As we traveled on down the river, we stopped for lunch on an island with a beautiful sandy beach. As you can see, it was paradise. As we passed some of the islands in the river, we noticed quite a few families camping. They just boat out to the islands and set up camp with their tents. What a way to vacation and have quality time with each other.

Delton and Tom Win 1st Place

March, 2007

What a Tennis Season!

The Ocean Resorts Mens/Womens Doubles Tournament was held in March. Teams were formed by the chairman of the tournament according to abilities. Joni and her partner, Georgia, didn’t do very well, but Delton and his partner, Tom, WON!

It was a 2 day event starting on Saturday, with the finals being held on Sunday.

Also shown are the womens 1st and 2nd place winners.

It was a great day and the crowd got to watch a great match.

A Hole In One

March 12, 2007

Delton Did It!!!! He got his first Hole In One!!!!

He was playing with his regular Monday morning group from Ocean Resorts, Florida. It was the 2nd hole of the morning – hole #11. The Monday morning group plays 9 holes, so they started on #10.

It was a 120 yard par 3 at Fairwinds Golf Course designed by Jim Fazio at Fort Pierce, Florida. Delton hit a solid wedge shot straight to the hole. It landed right in front of the pin and then all of a sudden it disappeared. Was it behind the hole or was it in the hole. IT WAS IN!

Pictured is Delton playing golf in South Fork, Colorado. We did not have a picture of the course in Florida.

Delton had to buy favorite beverages for each person in his foursome. When the word got out at Ocean Resorts, Delton got lots of congratulations! Now he is finally in the “Hole In One Club”.

A Manatee Experience at Ocean Resorts

March 11, 2007

Joni loves to kayak, as you already know. It’s not only fun to paddle around, but there is much to see in the waters – manatee, dolphin, sea gulls, lots of flying fish.

Pictures in this article were taken in Key Largo - February 2006. You can see how gentle the manatees are. They like fresh water from the hose and will roll over to get their bellies rubbed.

One afternoon, while kayaking with Fran Baxter, Joni came upon a sleeping manatee.

She was in very shallow calm water, about thigh deep. The manatee was startled as Joni glided over him. He couldn’t dive down because it was too shallow, so he came up, lifting Joni and her kayak up out of the water onto his back. Fran laughed a lot as Joni was horrified. Fran said the look on Joni’s face was pure horror.

As Joni was lifted up, she tried to paddle but didn’t even reach the water. Then as she slid off the manatee’s back, she almost tipped over. The manatee displaced a lot of water as it rose up and created a huge wave which came up and over Joni and her kayak – drenching Joni. It left Joni “all shook up” and shaking. She felt like the Lock Ness Monster was coming up and was about to gobble her up. But, manatee are very gentle creatures and he was probably as scared as Joni.

It was just another experience in this RVing adventure.

Revelation Bible Study

December 2006 – March 2007

Delton taught a Bible Study class at our home church in Texas, just before we sold our house to go on the road. It was a 12 week study of the Book of Revelation. Delton’s desire was to teach that study while we were on the road, all over the country. We needed to stay in one location long enough in order to have enough time to get through the whole book. WE HAD THE TIME IN OCEAN RESORTS!

The Ocean Resorts Rec Hall would have been the ideal place to hold the class, but we encountered some problems when we found out that the bi-laws of the co-op would not allow the use of the rec hall for religious purposes. Some in the community were very upset about this and controversy was stirred up. Christians continue to be persecuted! We held our study in people’s homes – a different home each week. It worked out great. Our class became very close as each week went by and we all became good friends. We averaged 18 people each week.

Delton studied very hard and used all resources he had to address all questions: the Bible, his brother Larry, our pastor Greg, our education pastor Ken, and many books. Our class consisted of a variety of religious faiths which made for interesting discussions. Delton did a great job of teaching God’s word.