Love Is In The Air. . . .Sweet, Sweet, Love. . . .#7

The new Mr. and Mrs. George Paul Wimsatt

The bride, still not sure about those "Ginger Rogers" bangs

Delores, the most beautiful Maid of Honor

It's time to get dressed, Ina", Mother said softly and I heard a

wistful hint of sadness in her voice. Then she smiled at me and

I could see those wonderful eyes dancing with joy, excitement

and a mother's love and pride.

Soon, our little home was abuzz with activity. Mother and

Theresa helped into my beautiful wedding dress. I fastened the

locket Leo had sent me for my birthday several years ago while

he was serving as a pilot in the Air Force. I had put a picture of

George in one side and a cameo made from the first picture taken

of George and I when we started dating. I slipped the locket

inside the neck of my dress and felt it laying cool against my

skin. It was my "something old". Martha handed me a pair of

beautiful pearl earrings to wear. They would be lovely with the

pearls on my veil. They were my "something new". Mother

pressed a white handkerchief with a delicate crocheted edging

into my hand. It was the one she carried when she married my

father. It was my "something borrowed" and she said I would

carry it again when George and I were sealed in the temple. I

had found a lacy blue garter the day that Theresa and I were

shopping for my dress in Salt Lake City. For some reason,

Delores thought it was hilarious when I had to go under all of

the material of my slip and dress to put it on. "You did that

backwards, Ina, I think it was supposed to go on before your

dress and slip." It was my "something blue".

I was dressed and Martha was fussing with my hair, no thanks

to those two pesky little clouds that had rained on me, and me

alone. I was still not sure about my new, short, "Ginger

Rogers" bangs but everyone assured me that my hair looked

very nice. The sun was shining, the air was clear, and as I

stepped outside to walk the short distance to Mrs. Free's, it

seemed that I could already smell the flowers that covered

the yard in a riot of beautiful color.

Delores looked beautiful in the lovely pink lace dress I had

chosen for her to wear as my Maid of Honor. Lois Marie and

Todd Ann looked like little angels and were already taking

their role as Flower Girls very seriously. Gino, as Best Man

looked. . . .well. . . .he looked like Gino and I admit that as I

saw him standing there, I was praying that he wouldn't act

like Gino. . . .the unpredictable prankster. . . .and ruin my

wedding.

With "butterflies in my stomach", I took my father's arm as

he walked me to my place and put my hand into George's.

He gave me a hug as he returned to his place and my heart

jumped as I saw the sweet and loving smile on Georges

face. Bishop Horlacher said some wonderful spiritual

things to us, gave us good advice, and injected a bit of

loving humor. It had all gone so beautifully, I had to

admit that when Bishop Horlacher asked Gino if he had

the ring to give to George, I had a moment of panic.

Having been on the receiving end of Gino's pranks over

the years, this seemed like the ultimate opportunity for

the "prank of all pranks", but Gino just smiled and handed

George the ring. Right then I could have hugged him but

instead I held out my hand and George slipped on my ring.

I put his on and suddenly it was all over, he pronounced

us man and wife ending with these words to George, "You

may now kiss your bride"! After all of those weeks of

preparation and anticipation, it was over. . . .or I guess

it would be more apt to say that is was just beginning,

I was married! As unreal as it seemed, I was a wife.

We had a short amount of time to stand amid the flowers

as family and friends congratulated us and then, with

Delores carrying my train and the little flower girls

scattering flowers petals ahead of us, we walked the

short distance to the church for the reception.

In Panaca, as in most of the small Mormon towns of that

time, wedding receptions followed a distinct pattern. The

receiving line formed in the spacious foyer. Relief Society

sisters took the gifts from the guests before they advanced

down the line and placed them on a nearby table. There

were guests from all of the little towns in Lincoln County.

The receiving line was a joyous reunion of our families and

friends with lots of laughter, a few tears, and many great

stories from those who had known me since I was an infant

and whose ancestors, like mine, had helped to settle the

beautiful little town of Panaca. George's family, not being

a part of this Mormon lore and heritage, must have been

overwhelmed by some of this but they took it all very

graciously and even tut tutted and laughed in all of the

right places.

No LDS wedding reception in Panaca was complete with

out the traditional program that began with a hilarious

parody of married life. Karma Hollingshead from Panaca

was well known throughout the county for her readings.

Whether spiritual, serious, or pure comedy, she was a

master storyteller with all of the theatrics to go with her

script. The reading she gave for us was a masterpiece

about marriage; the trials, pitfalls, and joys that we would

encounter throughout our life together as husband and

wife.

The highlight of our program was the performance of my

two little nieces, my sister Edna's daughters, Marsha and

Thea Ann. These little girls had always been one of my

dearest joys. While my other sisters had been helping

me get ready, Edna had been with Marsha and Ann as

they dressed and practiced for their part on the program.

Marsha was eleven and Ann was eight. Even as young as

they were, they were the ultimate performers. For little

girls they had polished singing voices that were way beyond

their years. They stood fearless and belted out rousing

renditions of two "Hit Parade" songs of the day; "Abba

Dabba Honeymoon" and "Side By Side". The guests

loved it and they were called back twice to sing

another chorus of the songs.

From Abba Dabba Honeymoon:

"Abba dabba dabba dabba dabba dabba dabba"

said the chimp, "I love but you.'

Abba dabba dabba in monkey talk means

"Chimp, I love you too."

Then the ol' baboon, one night in June,

married them and very soon,

they sailed away on an Abba Dabba Honeymoon!"

(Eat your heart out, Debbie Reynolds!)

And, from Side By Side:

Through all kinds of weather, what if the sky should fall?

As long as we're together,

it really doesn't matter at all.

When they've all had their troubles and parted,

we'll be the same as we started,

just travelin' along singing a song, Side By Side.

(as I post this story, it is just several months from

59 years of being side by side, that's not too bad!)

Before the reception was over, they were asked to sing at

two other wedding receptions that were taking place soon.

They were the "Belles of the Ball!"

Refreshments were served during the program and then

there was dancing to the music of the Lincoln County

orchestra/band. I tossed my boquet (to Delores) but

was too timid to let George retrieve and toss the garter.

It was a perfect day, well almost, there were those two

little clouds that cried, a perfect wedding and a perfect

reception.

Next up. . . .Our Honeymoon. . . .

George's Hobby. . . .MACFest Update. . . .

George tooling a picture at MACFest

Some completed projects he has for sale

He is loving his new set up. It is very efficient and can be closed in if it
rains or is windy. Also, it has great sun protection.
Wallets and Scripture Carriers are two of his most popular items

At his demonstration at the Arizona State Fair

Some pictures he displayed at his demonstration

Wallets, purses, totes and Scripture Carriers for display

MACFest this year has been a lot of fun for George. It has been a

lot of fun for all of us.

He is proud of his new set up; cabana, awnings, display racks and

more efficient workspace. It compares in a good light with any of

the vendor's booths at MACFest.

Interest in his work continues to grow and he has had more sales

this year. There are people who took his card last year who are

calling him and coming in this year. Being assigned by the Mesa

Art Guild to do a demonstration at the Arizona State Fair in

November and December, generated some new interest and new

customers. Rhonda and I were able to go to the fair and check out

his demonstration. It was very well done.

Muggles and I love to visit him at MACFest. We look forward to

Saturday when we join him for lunch and get to talk to the people

who stop by his booth. Muggles is a good ambassador, everyone

loves her, especially the children, and she loves them. Our

children and grandchildren, even those from out of town, often

drop in to say hello, check out what is happening, and eat lunch

with us. Old downtown Mesa is fun and interesting. MACFest

has definitely become a family fun time.

This is what George says about his leather work hobby: "This is

what an old man can do with all of the time he has on hand now

that he is too old to be in the work space."

He goes on to say, "I don't expect to make much money from

doing this but it gives me a great deal of pleasure to meet

people each Saturday and talk with them. When they purchase

a piece of my work, it is just an added bonus of my love for my

leather art. Leather work gives me something to look forward

to and it challenges me to improve, be creative, and definitely

to improve my painting skills. For an old man who lived to work

with his hands, this is what I love to do."

I am very proud of George and appreciate his talent and his

desire to keep improving and to share it with people.

Thanks For The Memories. . . .

George and I had a very special Christmas this year thanks to our
wonderful family.

Christmas morning dawned bright and clear but with a definite
winter chill in the air. We went to Steve and Rhonda's for breakfast.
There was quite a group there, Steve and Rhonda, George and I,
Brinton and Charlotte, Cote, Brexton, and Nixon, Trey, Jenna and
Spur, Paul and Joanne, Scotty and Keri, Martin and Miller, Ryan
and Julie, Crew, Cole, Cash, and Brannon and Amanda.

Rhonda and Steve with Trey and Jenna's help, really prepared a
breakfast feast fit for royalty, which of course we are! George
made his traditional cinnamon rolls and we took eggnog to go with
them.

It was a blast watching seven little boys and one little princess
opening their gifts. They were loving every minute of it. Order
quickly went out the door as they got into the spirit of Christmas.
The little children are what makes Christmas so much fun. To see
the excitement and wonder on their little faces brings a sense of
awe into my life.

It was a special treat that Paul and Joanne were here in Mesa and
were able to join us at Rhonda's. They said they had a lot of fun.
Before the day was over, we also had calls from Jeni, Justin, Craig,
Miranda, Hannah, and Josh. I went to bed knowing that we had
shared our Christmas joy with all of our children, grandchildren,
and great grandchildren. We didn't talk to Ethan, but Jeni, Paul,
Joanne, and Justin all shared his Christmas fun with us. It was
truly a perfect day!

Muggles didn't get to go to Rhonda's with us, but when we got
home, she opened her gift and she was as joyous and excited as
all of the little kids. Her tail didn't stop wagging the rest of the day
and she slept with her head resting on her new hedgehog toy and
with her new ball tucked between her paws.

Thank you to each member of our family for being the special
people you are, for loving us, supporting us, and putting up with
us as we have grown older and passed the baton to you. We love
you all so much!

Gingerbread Houses. . . .A Christmas Tradition. . . .

Sunday afternoon George and I went to Steve and Rhonda's for

their traditional monthly family dinner. It was a night to observe

family traditions with Mable Burgers, a Gunnell family tradition

being served for dinner and after we ate, helping the little kids

build gingerbread houses. My role was more to watch than to

help. After many years of being in charge of "Gingerbread House

Building", I have been more than happy to pass that role on to my

grandchildren's parents, who just happen to be my kids. It has

been gratifying to know that this family tradition has now been

extended to include Steve and Rhonda's blended family and they

love it, too.

When Paul, Rhonda, and Craig were growing up, part of our

celebration was building gingerbread and candy houses and

decorating sugar and gingerbread cookies that had been cut

into angels, Santa and Mrs. Claus, Christmas trees, stars, and

other Christmas characters.

When my first grandchild, Justin was three, I wanted to start

a Christmas Tradition of building gingerbread houses with my

grandchildren. We have continued this tradition each year since

and my grandchildren have loved it as they passed from child-

hood into their teens, young adults, newly weds, and parents.

Rhonda and Charlotte have posted pictures of this years fun

on their blogs and I have decided that for my Christmas story

on "Growing Up Ina", I will post some random gingerbread

house pictures from past years. I do not have the very early

pictures of Justin and Jeni as I left the picture taking up to

Joanne. Jeni tells me she does have some. I do not have any

of Joshua building a house as from the time he was old

enough to do it, they have lived away from us, even as far

away as Puerto Rico and India. He has built houses, though.

That is one thing that has been so wonderful about this

tradition, if we can not be together, we know that wherever

our family members are, they will be building their ginger-

bread houses at Christmas time. This year, while Miranda

was building hers with us at Rhonda and Steve's, Hannah

was building hers, with her friend Courtney, in Arkansas.

I hope you enjoy this glimpse of my family enjoying a

beloved family tradition through the years.

All Things Zoo. . . .

Aldabra Tortoise

Grevys Zebra - The Grevys is the largest of the Zebra species

Reticulated Giraffes feeding near the observation tower

The Petting Zoo on The Childrens Trail

Asian Elephants - Reba and Indu - Sanctuary Animals

More of Reba and Indu

The new Komodo Exhibit - the female dragon

The Orangutan family - Duchess, the Matriarch, is the

oldest living Orangutan in any Zoo world wide. She will be 50 in March

Three Ring Tailed Lemurs sitting in a row

One of the islands for our apes - these are Gibbons

The Cheetah - The Phoenix Zoo belongs to the SSP for

this animal and has bred many to go to other zoos

The Mhorr Gazelle - This beautiful animal is the largest

of the Gazelles and is extinct in the wild

Spock, the Mandrill

Ken - The Hamadryas Baboon with one of his girls

White Rhinos - Notch and Half Ear - Sanctuary animals

African Lions - Brother and Sister

Jai the Sumatran Tiger

A female Ostrich on the African Savannah

Prairie Dogs enjoying the sunshine

Gila Monsters and a Speckled Rattlesnake

A Golden Eagle and two Ravens

Two Mexican Grey Wolves - severly endangered they are

part of the zoos SSP - the zoo breeds them and they have
been successfully released into the wild

It has been 72 years since my sister, Theresa, and brother-in-law,

LeGrande, took an excited little girl to the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake

City. It was my first visit to a zoo. I had always loved animals and

to be able to actually see these beautiful wild animals in reality

instead of in the National Geographic and Readers Digest magazines

that I studied voraciously each month, was a dream come true. Each

time I visited Theresa and LeGrande, they made sure I was able to

visit the zoo.

When I went to live with them in 1949 after graduating from high

school, Shasta, the Hogle Zoo's famous liger, was just a year old.

She had been born at the zoo. Her parents were a male African Lion

and an Asian Tiger. I was fascinated with her. She was beautiful. I

visited her as often as I could while I was living there and several

times I took my two little nephews, Jim and Karl, with me so they

could see Shasta and the other animals. Shasta died in 1972 at the

age of 24. I was able to see her shortly before she died.

That first trip to the Hogle Zoo was the beginning of my life long

love affair with zoos. When George and I were married, he was in

the navy stationed in San Diego, California. Our first home there

was a lovely apartment in Hillcrest, a suburb of San Diego. We had

no car and little money, but our apartment was located just a block

from beautiful Balboa Park and we could walk through the park to

the San Diego Zoo. As a member of the Armed Forces, George and

I paid a bargain 25 cents admission to enter the zoo. Almost every

Saturday that he did not have duty, we would spend the day at

the zoo and the park. We had our favorite tree at the park. We

would spread a blanket under it and play games, read, eat, and

just relax. George usually took a nap and I watched people.

Paul, Rhonda, and Craig grew up with the San Diego Zoo as one of

their favorite places to go. They loved to ride the carousel just

outside of the zoo entrance. They would ride it over and over again

as they tried to grab the brass ring to earn a free ride. I'm not

sure that always ended up being a bargain, but they sure had fun.

Later, when we would go to the zoo with Justin and Jeni, they too

loved trying to grab the brass ring. They loved to celebrate their

birthdays at Balboa Park and we looked forward to joining them

for the fun at our favorite park.

We have been to the San Diego Zoo with Brinton and Trey many

times and have watched them laugh with excitement as they. too,

tried to capture the brass ring for their free ride. We have also

been there with Miranda and Hannah. I am not sure if we have

been there with Josh, but we have been to zoos with him and

his sisters in Kansas, Texas, and Phoenix. When we moved to

Mesa, I knew one of the things I would miss the most would be

the beautiful San Diego Zoo. Rhonda and Ken had moved to

Mesa. We followed a few years later. One of the first things

Rhonda and I did after we got settled was to take Brinton and

Trey to the Phoenix Zoo. Just as their mother had grown up

with the San Diego Zoo, so they grew up with the Phoenix Zoo

as one of their favorite places. It is a beautiful zoo and I fell in

love with it on that first visit.

One morning in 1991, as I read the Phoenix Republic newspaper,

I saw an add that the Phoenix Zoo was recruiting volunteers to

serve at the zoo. I applied and was accepted. I just recently

marked my 18th year as a Phoenix Zoo Volunteer. I have loved

my service there and consider it one of the most rewarding

things I have done. Now, in addition to my grandchildren, it

has given me the opportunity to be involved with my great

grandchildren, Cote, Brexton, and Nixon at many special

occasions at the zoo. Their parents and G Mama take them

often. Zoo lights has become a Christmas Tradition that our

family looks forward to each year. I have not yet visited a

zoo with our other little great grandson, Ethan, but have seen

pictures of a recent trip he had to the San Diego Zoo with his

mother, Jeni, and grandmother, Joanne. I look forward to

a trip to the zoo with him. It will be fun in the future to

watch his first attempt at capturing the brass ring on the

Carousel after a visit to the zoo, just as I watched his Grand-

dad, mother, and Uncle Justin do when they were children.

So, that first visit by a wide eyed little girl to the Hogle Zoo

in Salt Lake City those many years ago, has come full

circle as I extend my love of zoos to yet another generation.

When I worked my shift at the zoo last week, I chose to

serve as a roving Trail Host so I could take pictures of the

animals and their habitats as I moved from one stop to

another. The animals are not all close ups as I wanted

the pictures to also show the beauty of "my" zoo to post on

Growing Up Ina and The James Wadsworth blogs.