Did you know.....

In getting started with our blog site I want to put entries out at least weekly. Sometimes the news may not be as broad as you would like, but I've made a promise to myself to at least put something out. So here are a few things you may....or may not know:

-Jackie is now an instructor at the very school she attended to become a medical assistant! She works 4 evenings a week teaching classes to eager students who are working their way toward a career in the medical world. Good for you Jackie!! You never know what opportunities lie ahead of us! We really are proud of you.

-Joy, who has been living in New York City for 6 years (I can hardly believe it) has been working for the Disney Corporation in their Theater division for the last year. She is a tax accountant for two Broadway shows. She was handling Beauty and the Beast and Mary Poppins. Since Beauty and the Beast has closed, she still has Mary Poppins and has now added High School Musical On Tour - that's right - High School Musical. When she went to New York she said her goal was to be working somehow within the theater world in 5 years. I wonder what the next 5 years will hold for her. Love you, Joy.

-Some of you will be saying "when will she ever stop" where this subject is concerned, but for those who don't know their whole story, our daughter-in-law lived in Guatemala for eight months while going through the adoption process to get Eliot. Russ made several trips down during that time and he says he spent a total of about 3 months there with them. This story will never get old for me. Their story is an amazing one and if you haven't checked it out we have a link to their blog on the top of this page. Check it out. You will be blessed. Katie and Eliot came home to St. Louis on July 9th. Kisses to Eliot!

-It's been a couple of years now that Duwane and Emma Lou's daughter, Cindy, and her family came to family reunion. Their family has gotten closer and closer with trips being made both ways to and from Texas as often as opportunity allows. Theirs is another truly wonderful story. If you don't know the details and would like to hear more, maybe we can get Emma Lou to write a blog entry. I'm telling you we have an amazing family and yet we don't all know the depth our family's experiences.

-In case you didn't recognize him in the family reunion photos, Kevin has lost over 110 pounds since January of 2006. He has been swimming, walking, running and now we can add mountain climbing to get himself in shape. He looks great and says he feels terrific. Three cheers for Kevin!! I certainly admire your determination.

I've had a suggestion that on a fairly regular basis I should get a story from Mammaw B to share with everyone. I'm wondering how many of us know how she and Pappaw met. There is bound to be a story of interest there. What do you think? Send me your ideas. We have an email address set up for bentleyfamilynews@yahoo.com. You can send your stories and/or photos to us thru this email address.

Thanks for the comments you've been leaving on our entries. It encourages me to write more when I see your comments and know you are taking time to visit the blogsite. And by the way, Kevin, that photo of the grandsons was the best I had. Sorry, Rob. I'd really like to get some of the photos you guys were taking to put on the site.

BLOG QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Do you know which family member studied at Oxford in London, England? Post your answer on the comments....

Love to you all!!
Sandra

REUNION NEWS - PART 2

More on a personal note-

I keep finding myself thinking of the reunion, and family. We have a really large family, and are very spread out, but we really have something special between us. I guess some of us are a little more inclined to the sentimental side, but we all need to stop and think about it. We are very blessed.

Every year we have the same amount of time available to us at the pavilion at Burns Park. The pavilion is ours from about 9:00 am till 4:00 pm. In recent years, for whatever reasons we were all usually gone by 2:00 or 2:30. This year the weather was perfect and the Razorback game didn't start until 6:00, so even though most had gone, there were a few of us who sat down at a picnic table and shared the remaining hours talking until exactly 4:00. Thanks for the extra time, guys. It's hard to put into words, but time like that is what keeps us from growing apart even when we are separated by miles. Thanks for the stories and the laughs. Thanks also for the hugs and kind words as we left each other.

We have an extraordinary grandmother who has set the best example ever for us. Can you think of anything that pleases her more than knowing that her family not only loves her, but loves each other. And we really do. Mammaw B has certainly shown us and taught us love. So allow me just to tell you that I love you. There have been times that I quite literally would have been lost if you hadn't been there for me. It was so good to see those of you who made it to the park Saturday, but to those of you who weren't there, I missed really you.

This blog can be a very special tool that we can use to stay connected. Please take time to send us your news, stories, (serious or funny) comments and photos so that we can put it out for all to share. There are plenty of things we experience that others in the family would love to hear about and this is a terrific way to keep in touch. Use the comments on each blog entry to leave messages that we all can read and respond to. If you don't know how to use the comments let us know so we can help you with it.

That's it. Enough of my sentimental ramblings. Bottom line - if you don't send me info for the family blog, all you'll have to read about will be me and my branch of the family. Hope you enjoy the photos we've attached.

Sandra

REUNION NEWS - Part 1

What a perfect day for a family reunion at Burns Park. When Mammaw B arrived she made her way to a chair in the shade and what fun it was watching each person who arrived make their way over to her. It was so great seeing her respond with smiles and hugs for each one. No matter how large we may grow in number, each one of us has a special place in her heart. What a wonderful feeling!!









At one time Mammaw B motioned me over and told me that for the first time in a really long time all nine of her grandsons would be there with her. I hope all of you guys realize just how special this was to her. OK, there were only two granddaughters there until about 12:30 when we doubled our number!!








If we can trust our memories, those who counted afterward tell us that there were 75 of us there on Saturday coming from all around Arkansas, Tennessee, Nebraska and Oklahoma.

















As family members began to gather, as always, there were a number of "circles" of conversation with people floating out of one group into another to try to catch up with everyone. I noticed that one of these circles was mostly made up of younger ones.......and Kevin. They would be quiet for a moment and then all burst into laughter... then quiet again and laughter again. As I studied this group, I realized they ALL had their cell phones in hand. I finally asked what was going on and one of the more "technical" minded family members told me they were "Blue Toothing". Well, you can only imagine how lost I was with that explanation. Come to find out, they were exchanging ring-tones for their cell phones! I suppose I'll never be able to keep up with the times. This group was quite amused for a good while, but the smiles and laughter told us that they were really enjoying themselves!!

On the table we had everything from dressing, chicken & dumplings, chili-mac and corn, briskett, fried chicken, banana pudding, lemon pie, egg custard pie, even peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and lots more. A little something for everyone! It's a good thing Ike and I had run back home for some extra tables because we filled them all and still had some moving into the children's places as they headed off for the swings and slides.

If you think the food was plentiful, I have to say that I think the number of cameras equaled the number of dishes on the table. Everywhere, cameras!! People taking pictures of people taking pictures of people posing for pictures. Yes, Freddy, I do mean you. So, as I am sharing a number of our photos here I would like to ask you to email, or even send us a disc of the photos you took so we can plaster a few more on the blog for all to see. Those who live far away and missed the reunion would really love to share in the good times.

OK, before I go any further I have to find out, who made the seasoned crackers? I rather love the idea that some think I know everything about our family, but this one I just don't have the answer for. If you can help with this one, please click below on comments, or email us and let us know.

I did discover a few things from various conversations that I think family members should know:
-Freddy and Linda had just returned from a Carribean Cruise.
-Blakely, Gayla's granddaughter, age 11, has recently been the speaker at the Sunday night service at her church, and had just spoken at a ladies breakfast meeting that morning!


-Kristen, Pat's daughter, and more importantly, Madison's mother, is staying with Pat and Jerry at this time while her husband, Tony, is in Iraq. Please pray for his safe return in December. At that time he will get his orders for their next assignment.


-Uncle Fred turned 80 on September 16th.






-Christy, Bill's daughter, and her family have just moved back to Arkansas from Arizona.
-Rob and Michelle are grandparents again, their second. Also, they are planning a trip to Cancun after the first of the year.
-As most of you probably know, Philip, David Bruce's son, is getting married in October. The wedding will be in Georgia where the happy couple are making their home.
-Emily, Gayla's youngest daughter, has just moved back to New Mexico from Washington state.
-Bruce and Linda are coming home for a visit the end of October. There will be more news to come on this because we are trying to put together a big get-together while they are here.
-This year Uncle Fred got enough money to pay for the pavilion on the first try!! No second speeches having to beg for more.
-And in case you didn't know, Ike and I have a new grandson, now 16 months old and finally at home in St. Louis.





Please click on "comments" and leave your notes for all to read.

This Weekend!

This weekend was the annual "Bentley Family Reunion". We had a great time but we certainly missed those of you that didn't make it.

We will be adding some of the pics from the reunion later. If you have any pictures you think would be a good addition to our blog please email them to me at bentleyfamilynews@yahoo.com.



Also, I just got word that Laura Sims has a website that she has posted more pictures from her Africa Mission Trip. Please check it out...she has a bunch of great pictures!!! http://laurainafrica.shutterfly.com