A Letter to Remember

"Referenced below is a letter that Frank O. Lee, father of William L. Lee, wrote to Ruth Lyon when he was 14 from summer camp in upstate New York in 1905.  He later married Ruth in 1913 who became our grandmother, great grandmother and in the case of the youngest Lee's today, their great, great grandmother.  As Fate would have it, I discovered this letter in a box from Grandma Lee's effects on July 13, 2011 exactly 106 years after it was written!

I thought everyone would get a few chuckles from this letter that a 14 year old kid wrote to his (new?) girlfriend from summer camp.  And I hope you keep this letter and attached picture for your family heritage.

- Jon Lee (my dad)

YMCA Boy's Camp
Chazy Lake, NY
July 13, 1905

Dear Ruth,

I followed your instructions, in regard to the postal cards, but as you didn't give any directions as to letters, I will take the liberty of sending a few lines to you.  If your folks think entirely unnecessary that I should write to you, show them the enclosed slip of paper, which I received in a letter a short time ago so that they may place the blame on the right person.

Camp is nearly over now, and I think everybody has had a fine time.  When we arrived in Plattsburgh, Mr. Eckersley (the Pittsburgh secretary) had two special trolley cars ready which took us around the city.  When we got to Chazy Lake it was raining a little, so it made it pretty hard to get things arranged. Warner and I "bunked" together in Mr. Clark's tent.  The first night we went to bed at 11:30; went to sleep at 2:55, and was awake and dressed at 3:05.  After that we were not so anxious to get up so early.  We lay in bed now, just as long as we can.  The next night it rained "pitch forks," and flooded our corner of the tent, so Warner and I had to sleep in a mud puddle that night.  We were nearly drowned in the morning, and we made such a kick that they put us in an extra tent, which we occupied alone, until a fellow from Brooklyn came a few days afterward, when he slept with us.

Tuesday, we climbed Lyon Mountain, which is 3,809 ft. high, and I got several souvenirs from the top.

Yesterday was field day in camp.  The athletics were divided into two classes, the seniors, composed of boys 15 yrs of age, or over, and the juniors, composed of boys under 15 yrs.  I entered the junior class, and had the good fortune to win the first prize by one point.  I am to get a small silver shield with my name and number of points engraved upon it when I get to Pittsburgh.  There were eight events, and I got four firsts, one third, and one fourth.  Another fellow got the same number of points, so another event was called and I won by one point.  Warner entered, but did not complete the events, on account of a lame leg.

I received a postal card yesterday without any signature, and from the writing, I think you are the one who I have to thank.  I don't want to strain your reading capacities so will close now.

Your friend,
F.O. Lee

Lee/Galvez/Castro Thanksgiving Photo Session

For the second time, in 4 years, my mother's side of the family all got together for Thanksgiving.  We decided to do a professional shoot; with all the new babies, and fiancés/girlfriends.

I'll add my family's new pictures to my menu button "Family Photos," up top.

Seriously, I think this family likes to reproduce!

We'll start with my family - the Rosses.  

These pictures will look familiar to you, if you got a Christmas card from us! :)

Me, Evie (1 years old), Bob, and Bobby (3 1/2 years old.)

Now, to break it down more easily...

Here's a picture of my grandmother (the matriarch), and her three daughters.

Gloria (the baby), my Abuela, Marilu (middle child), and my mom (the first-born.)
So, the Castro clan is in white, Galvez in red, and Lee in black.  Abuela is sporting all three colors.  I love that!

Up next... the Lee family.

In a nutshell, it's my parents (front and center), my brother Chuck & wife (4 kids), my brother Mike & wife (4 kids), us (2 kids), and my sister and fiance.  Whew...

Here's my parents with their 10 grandchildren:

Top Row:  Andrew (9), Matthew (11), Victoria (14), Meagan (13)
Bottom Row:  Ashley (12), Dad, Mom holding Ava (4), Evie (1), Alexis, (6),  Abby (8), and Bobby (3).

Each family was able to get pictures, just like the Lee's.  

Here's a group shot of Abuela, with all of her great-grandchildren.  All 19 of them!

And, one final shot of EVERYONE!!!

I bet the photographer needed a big glass of wine, when she was done with this session! Ha!

Family Photos

My sweet neighbor and friend, Volree, shot some professional photos of our family in October.  Volree did a beautiful job, and we'll definitely be using her services again!  If you're in the Birmingham area, check out her website, Volree Photography.  

For posterity's sake, here are the lovely photographs!

Aren't they gorgeous?

I can't wait for Evie to get in front of her lens!

Father's Day 2011

(I'll continue our Nashville trip posts soon...)

Bob had a great Father's Day this year. His parents came over for a visit, and we throughly enjoyed their time here. We went to our favorite, brunch establishment, Another Broken Egg for breakfast that morning. After some rest time and naps at home, we all headed to our neighborhood pool. We then cooked out later, for dinner.

Overall, the day was just nice and relaxing. Bob received a new knife (don't ask), and a handmade gift from Bobby. Earlier in the week, we made a concrete, mosaic stone, with Bobby's handprint. The project was a bit more than I thought it would be, but Bob loved it. We also had cake to celebrate!

Here are some pictures from our afternoon at the pool.

Volree and Cooper...

Favorite picture of the day...

The happy dad...

Check out our little fish...

Reflecting

We returned home yesterday, after spending the weekend in Florida for my grandmother's funeral. The funeral and graveside service were emotionally tough. But, I feel like her life was definitely more celebrated than anything else. And, I know that she would have wanted it that way.

I had always dreaded the day of hearing when one of my grandmothers passed away. If the thought came into my mind, I pushed it away. But, when my grandmother died last Tuesday; I had a peace about it. I think most of the family did; because she had lingered on for almost a year. You see, it was almost a full year ago, when things went downhill for her. No one was prepared for her to leave us then. But, she survived, and was even sent home from a hospice facility. How odd that was! She lived the last year of her life in the home of my aunt and uncle, in their care, full-time. During the end, she was really only coherent about an hour a day. The morning she passed away, she had spent the entire previous night mumbling to herself. And, finally fell asleep at 4:30am in the morning. She died in her sleep, sometime between 4:30-7:00am. I wonder what she was mumbling? I think she might have been preparing herself to die. How scary, but remarkable too.

My cousin read the following poem as part of the eulogy. I believe it sums up our feelings quite perfectly.

At a funeral, all the family and friends that are there are paying respects, consoling each other, and are sad because they are missing the person that has just passed away. But, there in Heaven is the same number of people, crowding the gates and saying excitedly, “Here she comes! Here she comes!” Those people are the ones that are going to welcome Grandma and can’t wait to see her again! When we die, Grandma will be one of those people waiting for each of us. She will be excited to see us again!

In Loving Memory

Mary Frances Lee

September 26, 1920 - March 29, 2011

My sweet grandmother, Mary Frances passed away yesterday morning. While I'm not too sure of what I want to write about her (just yet); I found a significant amount of comfort today while praying.

My grandmother lived a long life, and was 90 years old upon her passing. She was a fun spirited woman, and truly an inspiration to all of the lives she touched.

I am so incredibly thankful to know that she is in heaven. She is perfect - truly in her soul, body, and mind. She is renewed - no longer sick, or tired. What an amazing gift from the Lord! Life here is just temporary, and our true reward waits for us in heaven, alongside God. There is nothing more comforting to me right now, than knowing this truth. How can I not be happy for her? Praise God!

"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

Psalm 16:9-11

Grandma and I, "beach bums" - 1980.

Florida Trip

We went down to Florida a couple of weeks ago to visit family. Well, Bob actually had to attend a conference for work, and Bobby and I stayed with my parents. We were there for just three whole days. Because of Bob's work, we couldn't leave Birmingham until 2pm on Wednesday afternoon. We arrived in Orlando around 1am, ready and willing to hit the sack.

Bob didn't have to be at his conference until dinner time on Thursday, so we were able to spend the day together. We visited with my best friend, and her little girl, Bryn. Bryn turned one in December, and is just as cute as can be. This picture of Lisa and I is actually from our visit in January. The one from this actual day turned out hideous (of me), so I'm not posting it!

After our visit, we ran a few errands and headed back to my parents' house. Bob soon left for his conference, and Bobby and I hung out with my dad, and their new dog, May-May. No, my parents did not name their dog that, but she was a rescue lab, so the name sticks. Bobby loved May-May, and said her name all weekend long. It was pretty cute. That night, my sister came over for dinner, and we enjoyed each other's company.

On Friday, my mom took off from work, and we spent the day together. We started off by doing a little shopping in the morning. Each season, my mom has done a pretty good job of starting Bobby's wardrobe. This trip did not fail - we hit up Gymboree and The Children's Place, and walked out with a ton of stuff. Thanks Mom!

I made an appointment with my old stylist before leaving Birmingham, and was able to squeeze in a haircut too. My mom babysat for me. Oh, the simple pleasures!! After the day was done, my parents, Bobby and I, and my sister went out to eat.

Saturday morning came, and we headed out to Oak Haven Farms, in Sorrento. Sorrento is about 45 minutes away from my parents house (which, is actually 20 minutes north of Orlando). Oak Haven is a strawberry picking farm. This little adventure included my mom, sister, Bobby, and my brother's family (wife + 4 kiddos).

My niece Meagan, and my sister Kathy.

My family picking away!

My niece Ava.

Bobby sampling the goods.

My mom and sister took my two younger nieces on a hay ride.

We grilled hot dogs for lunch!

We also did a wine tasting while there, and brought home a couple of bottles to have with dinner that night. Bob's conference ended around noon, and he met us back at my parents' house. We later went to my brother's for a delicious dinner!

We added our picked strawberries to our wine that evening...

Bobby played with his cousins outside, and was in heaven! He loves these little playhouses. He's always in the one at the church nursery, where I go to Bible Study.

Silly boy.

Playing on the swingset in the backyard.

We called it a day, later that evening and crashed. We then headed back home to Birmingham, the next day. I really enjoyed our visit this time (not that I normally don't). I think I felt a little bit more homesick than usual, this time around. I wish so badly that I lived around family, and the weather... Oh, the weather! It was spectacular while we were visiting.

Until next time...

Valentine's Proposal

We had the honor yesterday of witnessing a marriage proposal of one of our best friends!

Bob's friend, Mike (or, as he says "a brother from another mother") proposed to his girlfriend yesterday. In Birmingham, each year, the Mercedes Marathon always falls right around Valentine's Day. Mike, and his girlfriend Brandi ran the race together. The big plan was for Mike to propose to Brandi at the finish line.

Bob received an email from Michael earlier in the week, with very specific plans and details about the proposal. It was a special email, in that he included us with his family (which drove from SC to witness it), and her family. We've known Mike for five years, and it is strange (but cool!) that he is now living in Birmingham. He lived just a few houses down from us in our old house, in Orlando.

Once Bobby was born, Mike became "Uncle Mike." Now, it looks like he'll be welcoming a new aunt into our family. We love you Mike and Brandi! Congratulations!