The word "selfie" is a somewhat new edition to our language, and designates a photo one takes of themSELF, usually with their "mobile electronic device". However, because my son married a beautiful lady named Stacy SELF, pictured here with her daughter Kaylee SELF, I am calling ALL of the photos in this article "selfies", because ALL of the photos relate to the wedding of Kaylee SELF to Dean Johnson!
I am always thankful for happy occasions where I get to spend time with my son, pictured with me in this photo.
Before the ceremony, there was one section of the wedding venue that was just for the females, as preparations were made to get the bride looking gorgeous for her big day. Kaylee was glowing, as we had our picture taken together, shortly before the festivities began.
I call this the "Pink Ladies" photo! My cousin Debbie was my guest to the wedding, and she wore the solid color pink dress. Kaylee's grandmother Jan wore the floral pink dress, and I wore the pink jacket. Although we did not plan this color palette in advance, it made for nice photos!
Our rooms at Callahan's Lodge in Ashland, Oregon, (
www.callahanslodge.com ) had balconies that overlooked the patio and lawn, which gave us a "bird's eye" view of the guests, as they started arriving,
At the guest sign-in table, there was a military flag, medals, and photo tribute to Kaylee's late father, TSgt Shawn W. Self, USAF. This photo shows Shawn's sister, April (along with her daughter), signing the guest book. And this was no ordinary guest book! It was a custom-designed, coffeetable sized book, full of photos of the bride and groom, along with large blank spaces for the guest to write a comment or memory for the couple to read later. This was also the location of baskets of fans for the guests to pick up, to keep themselves cool during the evening, as well as tell the names of the bridal party.
One side told the names of the Wedding Party , and the other side told the order of service, along with a personal note from Kaylee and Dean welcoming the guests to their special occasion.
The couple had sent out a "Save the Date" announcement months ago, that resembled a NY Yankees baseball game ticket. This was a clue for the uninitiated, that Dean is a HUGE New York Yankees fan! The baseball theme continued with a tree full of baseball souvenir ornaments that also told the seating location of the guests for the post-wedding feast. Likewise, there was a glass cylinder of baseballs beside the photo of Dean and Kaylee wearing NY Yankees baseball jerseys. The groom is an NBC News broadcaster in Wyoming (
www.kcwy13.com ), but I don't think he would turn down a job to be the sports broadcaster for the NY Yankees! ( Considering the bride is completing her training this year to be a Licensed Respiratory Therapist, she will have no trouble finding employment in about any city with a hospital!)
There were SO MANY memorable details about the wedding, that it is impossible to list them all, but since the groom is a graduate of the university that boasts the "Oregon Ducks", along with their famous green and yellow colors, it is not surprising that Oregon-logo socks were on the groomsmen. Also, the groomsmen had ties on that included the embroidered initials of the bride and groom, along with their wedding date. In addition, the groom gave each of the groomsmen, custom made cufflinks, that were fashioned from actual baseballs from New York Yankees games!
Everyone at the wedding turned their bodies, so they could see the bride as she made the long journey from inside the lodge, across the patio, down the stone steps, across the lawn, through the topiary-lined aisles between the dozens of guests, and ultimately into the arms of her husband-to-be!
My son was very honored to be the one who walked her down the aisle!
When they arrived at the gazebo, they were joined by Kaylee's mom, plus Dean's mom and her husband, for the traditional question "Who gives this woman to be wed to this man?"
The next part of the ceremony was especially meaningful to me, because the bride chose a passage from "The Love Chapter", to be read by one of her bridesmaids, from a Bible I had given her for high school graduation: "Love is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." I Corinthians 13:4-7
It was also especially meaningful that Pastor Ray performed the wedding ceremony for Kaylee and Dean, because Pastor Ray was also the one who performed the wedding ceremony for my son and Kaylee's mom several years ago.
I was giving thanks to God that there was no rain on this outdoor celebration! There were some large forest fires in some of the adjacent counties, that made their presence known by a gentle sprinkling of ashes on the all-white tablecloths. Considering the venue was in a town named "ASHland", it all seemed very appropriate! The cloth napkins were kept free of ashes, however, because they were each covered with a clear glass, monogrammed coaster, that the guest could take home with them as a souvenir! (Thank you for such a nice gift that will be a reminder of this fun day!)
The official wedding photographer was a friend of Kaylee and Dean's named Justin, and I had strict orders to stay out of his way! ( All of the wedding party was aware of my reputation as a "photoholic"!)
After the wedding ceremony and photo sessions, we all enjoyed a delicious buffet. I especially liked their menu choices, because there were giant bowls of green vegetable salads!
A fun activity the couple planned to get the most out of the dance floor, involved forming a "tunnel of love", made up of the groomsmen and bridesmaids joining their hands high in the air, forming a covered passageway, for the bride and groom to run through, as they stepped onto the dance floor. Not surprisingly, the Oregon fight song, could be heard echoing through the Ashland mountains as they skipped, trotted, ran, sprinted, and waltzed onto the portable dance floor!
The first dance of the bride and groom after the ceremony is always a highlight, and this was no exception. They moved together flawlessly!
The bride and groom enjoyed sharing a bite of the GORGEOUS wedding cake, that was topped with their initials. They are smiling, as was EVERYONE who attended this heart-warming celebration of such a great couple! As they start their lives together as husband and wife, I am praying they will have "MILES OF SMILES"!!
It was mid July in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, and I had the wonderful blessing of spending a day outdoors! Three other ladies and I had planned for the last two weeks, that July 19 would be our day to float a section of the White River that starts at Rim Shoals. The morning of our departure, we could barely see the river, because the fog was so thick, but we had faith it was out there somewhere!
The Rim Shoals access point to the White River is maintained by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Besides the concrete loading ramp, there is paved parking, picnic tables, portable potties, and a wheelchair accessible fishing pier. 
Adjacent to the public area, you will find Rim Shoals Resort ( 
While my fellow kayakers were completing the car shuttle, my job was to stay and watch our kayaks and gear. That task was made quite enjoyable when these three guys backed down the loading ramp, and started the seemingly unending process of unloading their kayaks and filling them with every kind of fishing gear imaginable!
They definitely did not have Southern accents, and they told me they were originally from the Czech Republic, and were currently living in Missouri. They said they LOVED fishing in the White River, and I could not only quote them on that endorsement, but take their picture as well!
Shortly after they made their entrance into the water, my companions returned, and we too, launched into the gently flowing river.
As we paddled into the low lying fog, we could hear rushing water ahead of us, but because the fog was so thick, we could not see what it was we were about to encounter! That is enough to make my heart beat rapidly, regardless of how rapidly the rapids in front of us turned out to be!
In a short time, the summer fog had melted under the sun's heat, and we once again could see the beautiful scenery around us, as well as the other folks out enjoying a day on the river!
When we stopped for our lunch break, one of the ladies used the opportunity to take a "power nap" in her kayak, snuggled under the warmth of her beach towel. One has to remember that the air directly above the White River is somewhat cooler, and dress accordingly---especially at the beginning of a trip!
We passed dozens of beautiful homes along the river, and some of them even had "For Sale" signs! My advice to someone interested in owning a home on the river, is to take a real estate tour by boat, as well as by car, to get the full effect of your future purchase!
Besides the private residences, we passed several commercial properties that rent overnight lodging, watercraft, fishing supplies, snacks and beverages.
We 
In "kayaking courtesy school", we are taught to not get too close to fishermen along the river. In a wide river like the White River, this is usually easy to do.
After we passed the Ranchette area, we began to see very tall, limestone bluffs in the distance. They were a different geological feature from the wooded shorelines that we had encountered for most of the trip, up to that point. 
The 
The tall limestone bluffs like the ones in the photo are prevalent along the Buffalo River, and so it is not surprising that we were approaching the area where the Buffalo River runs into the White River.
Hence, the access area at this location is called "Buffalo City", and is a popular place for swimming, fishing, picnicking, photography, and river strolls. The location includes paved parking and portable potties. It took our group about 5.5 hours to make the trip from Rim Shoals, down to Buffalo City, with the current defined as "Minimum Flow". Your trip could vary, however, depending on how much water is being released from the dam. 
Our group started seeing more kayakers as we approached Buffalo City, as the river here is so wide, that some people bring their kayaks just to paddle around from this one location, instead of floating to a different takeout point.
I am thankful to be able to say that none of our group turned over during our day on the river! However, we went through a few rapids that had such high waves, that we got lots of water inside our kayaks, but nothing that was unmanageable. Also, some of the river guides based out of the Cotter Trout Dock ( 
The theme for this year's Grandma/Grandkid outing was "ART", and the first stop was to see the CREATION ART of God, by visiting the Arkansas Champion Sugar Maple tree, which is located in the Confederate Cemetery in Fayetteville, Arkansas The Arkansas Forestry Commission has designated the champion tree of each species of tree throughout Arkansas, and the location of these trees can be found on their website at 
The grandkids are standing at the base of the champion, with its stone and bronze marker in front of them. The sugar maple tree is the species from which maple syrup is made, so it is a great illustration of the verse in Genesis 1:29 that declares: And God said, "See I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food." 
Our next stop to view art, was in the home of former President Bill Clinton, and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton ( 
The art begins in the front lawn, with one of the painted Razorback hogs on display there. Various renditions of these "painted pigs" can be found throughout the Fayetteville area, each one a reflection of the imagination of the artists involved. For locations of these colorful characters contact the Fayetteville CVB at 1-800-766-4626. 
Inside the museum, we were able to see examples of photographic art, as the kids had their picture taken with these photo cut-outs of Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Examples of landscape art are on view in the First Lady's Garden, that has been developed in the back yard of the Clinton House Museum. The garden contains markers that show the favorite flower of various "First Ladies" throughout history. The markers include a portrait of the First Lady, her favorite flower, and a bit of history about her time of living at the White House. Jacob is pointing out a hydrangea, which was said to be one of the favorite flowers of Hillary Rodham Clinton. There are English garden benches, where the visitor can sit and enjoy the lovely flowers, or simply pose for a photo!
Our next stop was Lake Wedington, just outside Fayetteville. This wasn't a "planned" part of our tour, but Jacob read on his smart phone that there was another Arkansas Champion Tree out on Wedington Drive, so we started on a quest to find it. Alas, we could not find the correct address, but what we DID find, was a place that we want to return to, with the appropriate attire to go kayaking! The folks there that rent kayaks (and a host of other types of water craft!) are called "Love To Float Outfitters", and you can contact them at 
Since it was lunch time, we decided this would be a good spot for our picnic. The time at Lake Wedington brought back memories of a time I was there during the spring of my freshman year of college. My roommate and I had gone to the lake to sunbathe, while we studied for final exams. While there, a beautiful young woman who was an OSU student on a mission trip with Campus Crusade for Christ ( 
Lake Wedington has a swim area, volleyball courts, picnic tables, cafe, and playground. We had a great time being "Swingers" on some of their equipment!
Our next stop was the Walmart Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas ( 
Sam Walton's actual truck is parked inside the museum, as shown in this photo. In keeping with the "Art Theme Day", we saw how skilled museum curators can take an artifact, and make it stand out, by the use of lighting and interactive components with the viewer.
We had fun using their machine to spell out our name in the "bar code" language that is seen on every Walmart product.
The museum also has a large, touchscreen, interactive Google Earth map, that shows the location of Walmart Stores around the world. If you know where you live from the closest Walmart store, you can find your home on the map, which the kids were able to do in a snap!
From the Walmart Museum, we walked across the Bentonville square to the new 21C Museum Hotel ( 
I told
One of the exhibit rooms had a continuous feed of a video of people in ostrich costumes. Since the room contained this very comfortable ottoman to stretch out on, while watching the video, we decided to watch the video SEVERAL times, as we rested from our busy day!
Kaitlyn and Jacob also enjoyed sitting on this very artistic couch, that is in the lobby of the 21cMuseum Hotel.
Next I told the kids we could see an example of a type of Mural Art that was used during the Great Depression of the 1930's, to provide work for various artisans across the USA. This type of art was found in public places like post offices, train stations, and government buildings. In this photo, Kaitlyn and Jacob are looking at a mural that was originally in the U.S. Post Office in Springdale, Arkansas. The mural is entitled "City of Industry", and shows that the strong connection Springdale has with the poultry industry, was evident even back in 1939, when it was painted. It is now on display at the Shiloh Museum in Springdale.
The campus of the Shiloh Museum ( 
This collage is an example of some "Do It Yourself" Art, by some very famous Americans. The tile the kids are pointing to in the upper left, was laid by the hands of Bill and Hillary Clinton, in their Fayetteville home. The tile shown on the lower right was laid by Sam Walton himself, in his original 5 and 10 store in Bentonville. The museum worker smiled when she told us that it was not a solid color, because Sam Walton was able to get a better price, by buying the contrasting colors that were "odd lot" pieces from other installations. I am hoping that the grandkids enjoyed out "Art Day Expedition" as much as I did, because it gave me "MILES OF SMILES" that I will cherish for a lifetime! Tricia
