It's Back Where It Belongs

...third finger, left hand

If you saw my April 29 entry you know that I recently had to have my wedding ring cut off my finger following a hand injury. It took a few weeks to heal and the swelling to go down so I waited til just recently to have the ring repaired.

I'm happy to report that I picked up the ring and took it home to my bride so she could put it back on my finger, just as she did on August 23, 1969. Can't prove it, but I swear I sleep better at night knowing it's back where it belongs.

We're about to celebrate anniversary number 40. Forty years! But then, who else but my bride would put up with me that long?

Blessings,

Ken

Space Camp For Kids

...it's real, and it's NASA


May not have pictures to post for a few days, but grandson #1, Aidan Kenneth, is in Houston this week for NASA Space Camp. Unbelievably exciting! Can't wait to hear about it.


Heather is there with him, but she doesn't attend the camp. It's kind of like school mixed with summer camp. He goes there every morning at 8am and is done by 4pm or so. This gives Heather and her mom free time during the day to explore Houston. Or shop. Or sit by the pool.


Aidan has an unquenchable thirst for learning which is a good thing. But it also means that the word "why?" comes out of his mouth about 8,000 times a day. That's okay. He's happiest when he's being fed a continuous stream of anything to do with science, math and space exploration. He continues to insist that he plans to be the first man to walk on Mars, a goal he started to mention two years ago.


Aidan will be 7 years old in November.


Way to Go, Aidan! And about that Mars thing- take extra undies, it's a long trip. And if you get to Jupiter, make a u-turn. You went too far.


Blessings,
Ken (or as Aidan knows me, Granddaddy)

Taj Mahal

...the perfect setting for a proposal

When the mother of the bride tells me they plan to serve a whole roast pig at the rehearsal, I have to figure this will be an interesting event. Then to find out that the groom proposed to the bride in front of the Taj Mahal in India, well, I just couldn't wait to be involved.

If you're thinking there is big time ethnic diversity going on, you'd be incorrect. Both families are Texans from Wylie, and the bride & groom are in grad school at Texas A&M. They just happen to be well traveled and absolutely thirsty for knowledge and experience.

Richard and Brittany were actually the proverbial high school sweethearts at Wylie High School.

Too bad I don't have pictures of the rehearsal dinner but even a picture wouldn't do justice to the main course. Seis Lagos clubhouse was a wonderful setting and the roast pig was done to perfection in a "Chinese box" by the father of the groom. Nothing says "good time" to a southern boy like me quite as much as roast pork.

Wedding day included the usual pre-ceremony butterflies and tears (from the bride and the groom). A few more tears during the ceremony. The bride was stunning, as you can see in the pictures, and for some reason her dress and hairstyle brought to mind images somewhere between a classic 1940's movie, or maybe my hippie days in Austin in the mid-1960's (cue Scott McKenzie's "San Francisco Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair)

Except that the groom had to respond to certain questions in the ceremony, I'm not sure he heard a word I was saying--he was totally focused on his bride. It's okay, Richard, everyone else was, too.

An interesting element in the ceremony was a "knot tying". Literally. The couple decided to add an interesting twist to an ancient Celtic tradition called handfasting--they tied a figure-eight knot as a symbol of their commitment and unity. When viewed on its side, the knot forms the math & science symbol for infinity. Nice touch and I liked it. The knot is now part of their keepsakes.

I have to give propers to Sharon, mother of the groom, who was my initial contact and the one responsible for much of the planning (since bride and groom were in grad school). Her regular emails and phone calls to me were a blessing and kept me in the loop for planning. When I know someone is handling all the myriad details of a wedding, it allows me to relax a little and just concentrate on bride, groom and ceremony.

Blessings,

Ken

Ease On Down The Road

...a whole new processional idea

If you haven't seen this video, click the link below. It pretty much blows the lid off any wedding processional you've ever seen. I'm not suggesting that this is for everyone, and many will want a more solemn moment.

However, I view a wedding as a celebration and this couple definitely started their marriage with a celebration and a sense of humor.

Dance. Boogie. Get down wit yo bad self. Watch video HERE

Enjoy. InJoy.

Blessings
Ken "Gotta Dance" Byrd

07/24/09 UPDATE: Apparently this video has gone viral and the couple has been on some of the morning tv shows. The first dance at the reception was also choreographed, but I haven't seen it posted anywhere yet.

Boys Will Be Boys

even when they're 34

My daughter-in-law, Heather, recently combined a couple of their family pic sites into one blog. As any grandparent would, I applaud this move because it gives me quicker access to pix of two grandsons in Round Rock.

The latest blog entry covers a recent family outing to Zilker Park in Austin. Adam & Heather took Alexander (4 years old) while Aidan (6 years old) was in a summer school program called Summer Wonders. The school is for kids who--believe it or not--WANT to go to school in the summer.

So while they were at Zilker, they took Alexander (we call him Nander) for a ride on the Zilker Zephyr, a kids train that circles the park. He loved it as you can see from the happy face in the picture. For that matter, how could anyone resist that smooshy face. I can't.

Then there's the third little boy, or as he is sometimes known, father of Aidan and Alexander. Take this picture for what it's worth; just trust me, it's in character, right down to the words on the tee shirt.

If you go visit the blog HERE you'll notice a decidedly German flavor, owing to Heather's German heritage. At home, she speaks English and German to the boys and they're likely to answer in either language. Sometimes they pretend not to understand, unless they're in trouble and are being scolded. Then, amazingly, they speak & understand fluent German. Nothing like a mommy voice to add clarity.


Thanks for the blog, Heather.


Blessings,
Ken

The Comfort

...the indescribable joy of a best friend


My hope is that everyone has a "best friend". My best friend (other than my spouse) is my buddy, Rev. Ken Savage. He and I crossed paths about 1982 or so at our church, now known as The Heights, but originally called Richardson Heights Baptist Church.


He and his wife, I and my wife, watched each other's children grow up. We shared job struggles together, child raising together, and so many other things. Even though my rational brain can put a date on it, I usually can't remember a time when Ken wasn't part of my life. We share so many things: a love of God, love of family, love of music (blues & rock) and so much more. One of my favorite memories was the occasion of mine & Donna's 20th wedding anniversary when the four of us were hosted for a weekend cruise on Lake Texoma on a 57 foot yacht. My other favorite memory is from 2001, when I had surgery, he was kicked out of my hospital room by the nurses because they were afraid our laughter would tear my stitches. Later he brought me videos of old comedy shows to watch while I healed up. As the Bible says, laughter is good medicine. He and I have shared plenty of said medicine.


When I lost my mother in 1998, he was one of my first phone calls. When he lost his brother recently, my phone rang. When my son and his wife lost a baby in 2007, he was my first phone call. When either of us needs to vent over almost anything, our numbers are on each other's speed dial. I know that if I called him in the middle of the night and asked for help, he wouldn't ask what or why, he'd just hang up and start driving towards me. I'd do the same.


There is a joy in feeling comfortable with a close friend, knowing that I can say anything at all to him, yell, vent, cry, whatever--and he'll keep that which is worth keeping, and like a kind wind, blow away and not remember that which should be forgotten.


Friends like that don't come along every day. Dr. Savage, my friend, I love you. Philippians 1:3


Blessings,
Ken

p.s. Given that we're both associated with LoveNotesWeddings, I love it when wedding coordinators and venue folks refer to us as "the Kens".

Seeing Couples In Love

...another joy in my life.

Sometimes at wedding ceremonies I see couples that catch my attention and I just want to know their story. Sometimes, I only find out a little, sometimes nothing at all. However, sometimes the love is obvious and in this case, the picture tells the story.

I only got the guy's name (Christopher) but not his beautiful gf. They were in the foyer trying to take a picture of themselves so I offered to snap a couple of them. I liked this one so much that I asked Christopher to email it to me.

The wedding in question was for Kim and Parrish, and it included the baptism of their 6 month old daughter Peyton. It was my distinct honor and pleasure not only to join the bride and groom in marriage, but to baptise Peyton Julia Mackey in front of about 150 guests.

Soon as I get the wedding pictures, I'll probably put up another entry. It was a wonderful afternoon.

Note to Christopher: you're a lucky guy. If it gets serious, let me know and I'll give you sage advice based on my marriage of 40 years.

Blessings,

Ken

Keeping In Touch

...the joy in what I do

At right is a picture taken on July 4, 2008 just minutes after the ceremony for Sean & Katie. This thoughtful couple sent me a card this week near the first anniversary, just to say hello and tell me a little of how married life has been the first year.

I absolutely love getting these notes from my couples. Makes it more than worth the effort put into every wedding.

You can't tell from the picture but we were all soaking wet with perspiration as the temperature that day at the Dallas Arboretum was in the 90's. At least there was shade to stand in and plenty of bottled water to go around.

I love what I do.

Blessings,

Ken

The Fathers In My Life

...they're also "daddies"!

We've all seen the greeting cards that say "Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a daddy". That pretty much sums up the fathers in my life.

My two sons, Adam and Ian, make me proud when I see the way they've "manned up" to take care of home and family. Adam and Heather have two sons, Aidan and Alexander. Ian and Alyssa have one son, Liam, with another boy on the way by November.

Then there's one of the most amazing men in the world: my own father. He & mom raised three kids, got all three of us through college, and they shared more than 50 years together before mom's death in 1998. He now lives an active life at his home on the shores of Willow Lake in rural Van Zandt County.

Dad planned well for his retirement, and I don't just mean the financial aspect. He thought about what activities would suit him and how he'd spend his time. He also took good care of himself, and at almost 85 years old he can work rings around me when I go to the lake to help out.

The picture is, I think, Dad's high school picture, or maybe just before he went into the Army in the mid-1940's.

Losing his spouse in 1998 was a definite unplanned setback, but he's adjusted well and has done things he probably wouldn't have learned otherwise, such as how to use a computer, send email, program his flat screen tv, and even use a TIVO! Previously, his old VHS player just flashed "12:00" all the time.

Happy father's day, dad. I love you.

Blessings,

Ken