Happy Birthday, Dominick

Dominick Joseph was born eleven years ago today. Where does this young man fit in our Cooley line-up? He's the great-great-great-great grandson of Lacy and Aggie Cooley; the great-great-great grandson of George and Mary Cooley; the great-great grandson of Edward and Ethyl Cooley and the great grandson of Eugene "Eckie Bud" and Helen Cooley.

Dominick and his cousin Cheryl (the UNRULEY one) share a common interest, music. He is taking lessons and playing the cello. His grandma Lucy says he's, "the next Yo-Yo Ma." Quite an accomplishment for the young hockey player. Whether it's music, sports or cars, Dominick puts his all into whatever interests him.


His parents Maria and Tom are quite proud of their son, today and everyday. When we visited Des Moines a few years back for the family reunion, "Dom" was doing what so many of us have done in the past, "taking a ride" with Grandpa Larry. It's nice to know that family tradition continues.

Happy Birthday, DOMINATOR - or as I like to call him, DOMINATION!

The Way I See It...

In a little more than a week I will be 44 years old. Do I feel older? No, not so much. I can't say that I feel older. Do I look older? I'd like to think I don't, but this damn gray hair says I do. Life is good and I am most certainly enjoying it! I quit smoking cigarettes nine months ago. I haven't had a drink in two and a half months. I working on getting rid of the extra pounds that appeared overnight. Okay, overnight was a period of about five years, two months and three days. Still, I am determined to do it. I mean honestly, if my family survived living in Alabama in the 1800's, I most certainly can drop a few pounds without whining and sniveling my way thru it. Each day I'm making progress towards the end result - living and looking good. I'm not sure what this new year will bring me, but I am ready to receive my bountiful blessings.

Grandpa

Grandpa has been in my thoughts lately. I guess that means it's time to share a story about him. Grandpa loved and spoiled me greatly. If there was something I THOUGHT I wanted, he made certain I had it. I always enjoyed spending time with him when I was a little boy. I recall a time my grandmother asked my grandfather to go to the store to get a couple of things. Grandpa went to Tom Thumb and I tagged right along. He got the bread and half & half grandma wanted him to get and I got a Suzy-Q and cherry slush. When we completed our purchases, I got to sit on his lap and drive the red Chevy Impala home. I didn't pay attention to where we were heading, I watched his foot pressing the gas and brake pedals. Grandpa told me it was more important to pay attention to the road and less to his foot. I quickly looked ahead and steered the big red car down the street. We took pictures when we got home from the store. I'm using some those pictures in this post. They remind me of that fun day with Grandpa.

A Special Day

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY
MOM

GRANDMA

GREAT-GRANDMA

I had this brilliant idea to put together a slide show to honor all the mothers in the family. Last month I created a folder to place the pics I planned to use. After a little time and delay, I started working on the project yesterday. Yep, yesterday. I spent a few hours working on this. Well, I JUST finished it. It turned into a ten minute (YES, 10 MINUTES) presentation. As far as I'm concerned, it's a done deal. I see several MORE things I could add (visual effects, etc), but this will become a mini-series if I don't put a stop to it. If there is a person missing, it's simply because I don't have a picture. Knowing how much effort this takes, I'm going to begin work on the FATHER'S DAY slide show A.S.A.P.

Press the play button to view the slide show.

I Rise, I Rise, I Rise!

The "Unruley" one is back! She's still just as funky as ever, but she's busted out with a new band and a new look. Unruley will always put some STANK on whatever she plays. If there are any questions about what's REALLY going on here, KLYMAXX recently performed to a sold out house in Tucson, Arizona. Several reliable sources have revealed to me the folks are still talking about the great performance. "Nobody can touch Klymaxx featuring Cheryl Cooley, they brought down the house here at the Desert Diamond Casino and Hotel last week, April 23, 2010. Thank you Cheryl, your show was over the top. Tucson is still talking about the Klymaxx Show! Please send my best regards to your ladies as well, you will be coming back soon! Great job....." Bruce McClure. Someone told her to BRANG IT and she did - with her bad self!

STANK!!! nuff said.

Nevaeh Grace Is Here!

We welcome this new addition to our family. This is the great-great-great-great granddaughter of Lacey and Aggie (Lewis) Cooley. Nevaeh Grace was born on the morning of Tuesday, April 27th. Little Miss Nevaeh and her mother Keyaria are doing just fine. Jadein is now a big sister and Larry is a proud grandfather.

Happy Birthday, Larry - Don't be stuck on stupid!

When you woke up this morning, you instinctively KNEW it was a special day. On this day, Lawrence DeForrest was born to Eugene Lawrence "Eckie Bud" and Helen Louise (Anderson) Cooley in 1946! Helen used the middle names of her husband and his brother as the first and middle names for her son.
Larry is one of my favorite cousins. My earliest memory of Larry would be his invitation to "take a ride." I can't recall all the times or the places, but I've been "rollin with Mr C" for a very long time. One thing is certain, you will have an adventure with Larry. It's safe to say a fun time will be had by all when this man is around. Happy Birthday, Larry. I love ya like collard greens and cornbread.

Well...

Sometimes it's better to say nothing. Today, I have nothing to say. Nuff said.

Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough!

I was checking out one of my favorite sites, YOUTUBE. I came across this song by the favorite musical group of the family and I wanted to share it with everyone. Go on, Cheryl - play your guitar! One thing we all know, this woman is TALENTED.



So I kept looking and I came across this other song. I have always liked Cheryl's version of the Bobby Caldwell classic, "What You Won't Do For Love." Here it is! I tell you, this woman has some talent.


"...and the passion for the music continues!"

Some Cooleys Are Coming!

They're coming, that's what I've been told. Some Cooleys will drive from Iowa and some from North Dakota. I don't know the exact number coming and I can't say how long they'll stay. My rough guess places the number between ten and fifteen. I know I'll have some tales to tell at the end of this weekend. We shall see what it will be.

Happy Easter

I'm sure I should be asleep, but I'm not ready to lay it down. My thoughts have been of the dinner I'm cooking later. This is my last official family/holiday dinner until Thanksgiving. Well, I'll help with a dish here and there. Planning the menu and preparing the majority of the food is now in the hands of Miss Toyia. She takes over all main meals from this point on. The "Barbeque Queen" fired up the grill a few weeks back and barbequed a few slabs of perfectly seasoned, moist, tender, delicious ribs. Finger licking good. So the family will be in good hands. By the way, Miss Toyia is serving pineapple upside down cake. Call ahead to ensure there's a piece for you.

Happy Birthday, Harry

I don't know the exact date, but "Uncle Harry" will celebrate his birthday this month. Harry isn't my real uncle. He is in fact my cousin-in-law. Let's see, that makes Harry the great-great-grandson-in-law of Lacy Cooley. Notice the common thread here -- it all goes back to Lacy Cooley.

When Harry is around, you know you'll have a good time. Time spent with Harry ensures non-stop laughter. Harry has a story for every occasion, every subject at any time! He's always ready to share one or seven with you. I think that's rather impressive. There's another thing about Harry that makes me a fan. If you happen to drop in at the right time, Harry will serve you some of the BEST greens this side of the Mississippi. It's enough to make you want to slap your momma and throw your pocketbook at the preacher. I ain't lying - his greens are THE BOMB! So I'm always pleased to walk into Harry's house, take off my shoes, pull up a chair, have a plate of greens with a little vinegar, a couple of table onions, some cornbread and a few funny stories served on the side. Have you ever tried to eat greens and laugh at the same time? It ain't easy - pot liquor goes everywhere!