Bentley Family News!!!

THE PROJECTS

2010-11-10T20:50:00.008-06:00

It took all of us working together to make it all happen, but everything came together so well. All the things on display told so many stories from Mammaw's past. I know there are probably some things we "wish" could have been, but we really did put together a great display of projects. Thanks to you all again!

THE PARTY SET UP

2010-11-10T17:58:00.008-06:00

We had to start early to get everything ready. Lots of work went into the "preparation". Thanks to everyone for their enthusiastic help!

And lo and behold we were ready for the party!!

PHOTOS FROM THE PARTY

2010-11-03T20:45:00.011-05:00

Our family....

THE PARTY OF THE CENTURY

2010-11-01T21:47:00.022-05:00

Thanks to all of you sharing your photos,I have about a bazillion pictures from Mammaw B's 100th birthday party, so over the next few weeks I will try to post them in various groupings. For starters: OUR MAMMAW...

They say a picture is worth a thousand words....and this picture says it all!!

A Request from Samantha

2010-02-19T11:35:00.002-06:00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wanted to pass along this request from Samantha as she is trying to help her daughter, Katie, with a school project:

I am helping Kate build a family tree going back as far as we can for her FACS (family and community) class. I have signed up for Ancestry.com I am getting a lot of hits on the Sims and Bentley Side.

I am the point person – where the tree starts.

If you can post on blog that anyone who might be able to confirm information or has researched this previously have them get in touch with me at immomhelpme@comcast.net

And if there is anyone interested in this I was going to try to get a link or blog or something so they can access it as I add to.

Samantha

canvascommunity's Night with the Stars

2009-10-29T20:27:00.021-05:00

Many of you know that I am on the leadership team for a new worship community where Jamey is the Pastor. We started off as a group of about 12 people meeting together to go through a study on Worship...after just a few weeks we realized there was so much more God had in store for this small group. After meeting together for about 2 years now we have a group of about 50 people who meet together every Monday night on 7th Street in downtown Little Rock. On Monday, November 9th canvascommunity will launch as a church with the Central Arkansas District of the United Methodist Church.

A few weeks ago there were a few people who sponsored a benefit night to support canvascommunity. We had our gathering at Star Bar in downtown Little Rock...the special guest DJ of the evening was none other than our very own Wes Bentley.

During Wes' visit here he & Jamey did an interview about the church for local news station.

Please go check out the canvas website & the interview link to find out more about the church but for now enjoy some pictures from the week that Wes & his girlfriend Jacqui were here...

Wes doin a little DJing...

Interview with NBC affiliate...

Me & Wes with some canvascommunity ladies...

Jamey & Wes with a couple canvascommunity guys...

Sheri, our friend Alicia, Jacqui, Wes, Michelle, Gary, me & Jamey

Front of the main room at canvas...

IT REALLY WAS A SURPRISE

2009-10-26T21:18:00.009-05:00

So I got a call from Rob telling me he needed my help. Of course I said I'd be glad to help him and asked what was up. He said he wanted to give Jackie a surprise birthday party.... and so the plans began. Phone calls, emails, facebook messages, all behind Jackie's back. Even Mammaw B was in on the scheme. And we pulled it off.

As you can see by the photos of Jackie when she came into my mom's house, we really got her. Take a look:

Michelle ordered the Birthday Cake. It was supposed to say:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
JACKIE
(Momma, Mamaw, Aunt)

After a conversation with the store manager and almost walking out without a cake, they were offered quite a discount due to the cake decorator's mistake.

Gag gifts were the order of the night.

Here are some more photos from the party:

A special rendition of "Happy Birthday" from a friend.

SEPTEMBER FAMILY REUNION

2009-10-24T15:02:00.022-05:00

Get a cup of coffee, or in my case a Dr. Pepper, it may take you a few minutes to get through all the photos, but that's what it's all about....

On September 16th we gathered at the Hospitality House in Burns Park for a great time with family. If my count is correct there were 67 of us there (though my count could be challenged). Mammaw B looked beautiful, but I think everyone would agree with me that the best news of the day was that Uncle Fred and Aunt Ann were able to join us.

As the pictures will confirm, food was in abundance.

Jackie locked her keys in her car and the "men" of the family quickly came to her rescue!

And there is no better way to spend an afternoon than sharing a great meal with people you love being with.

For now I will let the pictures speak for me.

We do have a good time together!

Thanks so much to Rob and David Bruce for sharing their photos. And just to let you know,this is only a portion of the pictures taken that day. Hope you enjoy. Be sure to leave a comment.

Sandra

2009-09-05T15:50:00.002-05:00

BENTLEY FAMILY REUNION

SEPTEMER 19TH 10:00am - 4:00pm

BURNS PARK HOSPITALITY HOUSE

Bring a dish (or two) and join us.

Reminder to all: We want to celebrate that Mammaw B will have her 99th birthday in October!! We have such a great family. Please come for lunch and plan to stick around for the afternoon and enoy our time together.

So sorry.....I'm behind again.

2009-09-05T14:47:00.004-05:00

I get these bursts of motiviation and inspiration and do good with this blog for a while and then fall into my old ways and don't keep up at all. Please bear with me.

Back in the spring I had an e-mail from Tanya with photos of Jimmy in his senior year and I just never did get them on the blog. For that I offer my apologies. I have since gotten a note from Linda and Bruce with a photo when they were at Mammaw B's this summer. The following are both those entries:

Can you please add these 3 photos of Jimmy to the Bentley Family blog. Jimmy is graduating from South Grand Prairie High School, I just want every one to know how proud of him that I am. Thanks so much.

Tanya
May 19, 2009

Hi Sandra,
Sure missed seeing you when we were there. Wanted to share with you the picture we took on the swing at Mammaw's and maybe you can share on the Blog. Was so glad your Mother was feeling OK to come to lunch with us. We sure enjoyed our visit.
Love to all,
Bruce & Linda

pictured in photo: Linda, Mammaw B, Reana and Blake

An Update on the Dearmond Family

2009-06-03T22:07:00.020-05:00

-We are living in Patuxent River, Maryland where Tony is stationed for the next couple of years. It is about 2 hours from D.C. as well as Baltimore!

-Madison Grace celebrated her 2nd Birthday in March! We were able to throw her a BIG party at her Papa and Nana’s house…it was LOTS of fun! She has lots to say these days and loves to help Mommy cook! She likes to sing and dance and be very LOUD!

-Bentley Alexander will be 6 months old June 8th! He is growing super fast and loves his Oatmeal and Baby food now! He spends a lot of his time in his Jumpy and swing! He also likes to talk a lot and laughs at just about everything! He is a very happy baby!

-Both of the kids LOVE the outdoors, so we spend a lot of time playing outside!

-We recently added a dog to our family! Her name is Abby and she is a 2 ½ year old St. Bernard! We love her very much and she is an AWESOME dog!

-The whole family will be coming to visit at the end of July while Aunt Linda and Uncle Bruce will be in town. Hopefully we will be able to see everyone in NLR!

Lots of thanks to Kristen for this post!!

PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT.....

2009-05-30T20:45:00.004-05:00

Received the following email and for some reason was not able to put Braeden's photo on the Blog. Okay, Okay, I know I have technical limitations. But please go to the website below. Trust me you want to see this beautiful baby!!!

Hey!
I wanted to let you know that the “big blue eyes” black and white photo of Braeden has been posted to Lasting Expression’s website. Go to the website, Click on photo gallery, then infants and she is the very first one!

www.lastingexpressions.com

Kristi & Bobo

Meaghan has blessings to share

2009-05-30T20:27:00.005-05:00

Meaghan and Erik sent the following email to share what's going on in their world.

Great Blog! There are a ton of blessings everywhere! I just wanted to share a few of our blessings with you as well, and some pics!

- Nathan will be 5 months old on the 30th of this month!

- Erik is on Summer Break from Electrician School and will start back in August!

- Nathan can now eat baby food! Ya!

- Erik and I area trying (use that word loosely, LOL) to get back to NLR in the Lakewood area!

- Anyone interested in a home in Cabot bring the offers, LOL!

- Uncle Rob’s Step Daughter, Erica just had a baby girl, he’s a Grandpa again! 5/20/09, Baby Girl Evan Grace Spencer 5lbs 6oz!

- Erik and I just celebrated our 6 year anniversary on 5/24/09!

Kris and Chris.....or Chris with Kris....Hmmmmm

2009-05-27T21:44:00.003-05:00

Do you see who I see???

There he is again!!

GRATEFUL FOR MY BLESSINGS

2009-05-26T21:33:00.016-05:00

Ever had one of those moments that the blessings of your life just overtake you? Well, I seem to be having one of those moments tonight. Let me share some of my thoughts:

-Uncle Fred was doing well enough to make a visit to Mammaw B's so Pat and Amber brought he & Aunt Ann for a visit on Saturday. It was so great to see them and to visit with Pat and Amber.

-Emily's wedding was Saturday at the Old Mill in NLR.
-We had a wonderful reception tonight for Em and Joshua at Uncle David Aunt Geneva's.

Today was Uncle David & Aunt Geneva's 60th wedding anniversary.

-Laura graduated from college on Sunday. What a milestone for her. I am so proud.

-Laura & Dane will be getting married in June. What a family celebration that will be.

-Russ, Katie & El will be returning from a mission trip to Guatemala tomorrow and will be going back on a second mission trip in June. God is truly using their Guatemala experience to further His work in that country. They are having people call on them to organize and accompany their groups for mission trips, and they have the ability to make this happen because of the time they spent there during the adoption process. What a journey this is being for them.

-We got a wonderful report from Freddy regarding his health.(previous post on family blog)
-Bruce and Linda will be coming for a visit in July. We will be trying to plan a get-together while they are here.

Let me assure you that there are definitely some rough spots in the road that Ike and I are dealing with, but I have to tell you I am overwhelmed at the blessings that God has placed in my life. And no matter what life may have dealt you, I want you to know that you are a part of the blessing in my life. Thank you to those of you who are making efforts to stay connected. I am grateful for blogs, emails and facebook where this is concerned. Please keep it up and encourage others in the family to come on board.

Hope you enjoy the photos.

Letter from Freddy

2009-05-19T08:13:00.000-05:00

The Dr. last Thursday told me that there was no sign of Leukemia or cancer cells in my body. When asked what to tell people, he explained that Cured is not the proper word although it is very rare, the leukemia can return, therefore I am in total remission. My blood chemistry will be checked periodically to insure that should a recurrence happen we will be able to address it much quicker than the last time. Thanks for your prayers and concerns.
And don't forget "let everything that hath breath praise the Lord, Praise Ye the Lord".

Wedding Shower for Laura

2009-04-20T22:05:00.014-05:00

On Saturday we had a wedding shower for Laura and her fiance', Dane. We had a great turnout and they got a lot of great gifts. It was Dane's first trip to North Little Rock and I think he handled meeting the family for the first time with great ease.

Laura and Dane will be getting married on June 27th in Columbia, MO. Best wishes to the cute couple. Also want to mention that Laura will be graduating from Greenville College in Greenville, IL in May. Lots going on in the Sims family. Congratulations!!

Photos from the shower:

my personal favorite...

Updates from Pat and Jerry's family...

2009-04-04T08:47:00.004-05:00

Pat emailed me last week and I am now just getting it on the blog. I know you'll enjoy her family news!

Hey there! It was wonderful to see the blog updated again. I know how busy you are, and I also know the “LIFE” happens all the time! Just wanted to give you a couple of quick tidbits about me and mine.

1st – Bentley Alexander DeArmond was born 12-8-08 to Tony and Kristen DeArmond

2nd – Madison Grace DeArmond will turn 2 on Saturday (3-28-09)

3rd – Kristen and Tony moved their family to Pax River, Maryland in September of
2008. Tony is still In the Navy, and Kristen is fortunate enough to stay at home with the babies.

4th - Amber will turn 22 tomorrow (3-27-09) and we will be celebrating at Texas De Brazil. Amber has filed her intent to graduate from the University of Memphis in December 2009. Amber has majored in Psychology and minored in Criminal Justice – her long term plans are to eventually work with the FBI.

5th – We just had Kristen and the babies come for a 3 week visit, and it wasn’t long enough! Madison says “Can you help me” and “Are you ready”. Bentley smiles and coos!

6th – Linda, Bruce, Reana, Blake, and Jason (Reana’s beau) are all coming for a visit the weekend of July 24th. They are flying in and out of Little Rock , so they will be in Little Rock on the 26th to visit with family and friends – maybe you can throw something together?

Enough for now – keep up the good work and thanks again for the update.

Love you guys,

Pat

photos from Uncle David

2009-03-29T11:27:00.017-05:00

I had promised to share with you after I visited Mammaw B this weekend, well Aunt Della came home from the hospital and Mammaw decided to go spend a few days with her so I didn't get that visit in. However, I did receive some photos from Uncle David for the blog and I took the liberty of adding a couple I got from Patrick. I know you'll enjoy seeing them.

Five generations
What a good looking bunch!Too much excitement for Blakely.

Indianna Jones Sr and Jr??

Note from Samantha....

2009-03-26T12:59:00.007-05:00

Samantha sent me the following email to share with you:

I wanted to post a comment to tell you guys that Curt is doing great in school – after a long 4 year battle with the school district they are giving him the help he needs. He is also doing taekwondo and is in the Leadership program (training to be a leader in the community as well as the dojo) and that Kate is approaching her modeling career - we go to Florida in January and will be definitely doing a photo layout for one of the nationwide department store as well as auditioning for a spot on Disney television, a Got Milk commercial, Starbucks, and lots of other places. (Can you post anyone who wants to help in Katie’s endeavor to raise funds for her modeling can get me at immomhelpme@comcast.net for more info.) She plays the flute and placed 5th in region and her choir at school placed 5th in regional Festival.

I am doing well – just workin or runnin to keep up with the kids. I watch Alex and Alicia every other weekend while she works and they are doing sooooo good, too. In June it looks the kids and I will be able travel old Route 66 on the way to New Mexico to see friends and then we will be spending a week with Dad in Nebraska in July.

Oh and tell "Big Katie" I am taking a venture in the world of Arbonne to see where I can go with it.

One other bit of news for those of in the Central AR area – Katie is learning to drive! She will be on the road by November !!!!
BEWARE OF TEENAGER ON ROAD! EEEEKKK!!!!!!

With our love,

Samantha, Katie and Curtis Floyd

Things you might want to know

2009-03-26T09:59:00.010-05:00

I got this photo of Mammaw B from Michelle. I love it!

Life can get so crazy and fast-paced. Trying to keep up with it all can run you ragged. This week Amanda is in New York City, Russ is in Texas today, but headed for Oklahoma on Friday and Arkansas on Saturday, Katie and Eliot are in Michigan, Joy is in Chicago (instead of NYC) with a friend who is visiting from Paris. Laura has just gotten back to college in Illinois after visiting in Missouri (where she is making wedding plans!), but she will be headed to Oklahoma for the weekend. I just found out that Kelly is going to Seattle next week for a conference. Whew! To bring it down to my day, Ike is in Marianna, but is coming to NLR tonight. So, how are you all doing???

Since I was not doing so well at blogging for a while, I thought I would list a few things that have been going on over the last several months, just to offer anything you might not be aware of:

-My mom was in the hospital last fall and has had a really rough winter. She is finally doing well and seems to be almost back to full strength. She is back to work for the tax season and is doing MUCH better.

-I'm sure you know about Freddy's health issues. He did a great job of keeping us up on his journey through quite a scarry time. He visited Mammaw B about a month ago and it seems that things are about to get back on track for him. I will try to get a current report from him to post.

-Aunt Della fell earlier this year and was in the hospital for several days having broken her arm and her hip. She was doing somewhat better at home with home nurses and therapy, but has developed bloodclots in her leg and is back in the hospital again.

Not meaning for all news to be health-related. So here are some other notes:

-Bill and Joanna pulled off one big, beautiful wedding in January for Joanna's youngest, Laura. I think it was an event to be remembered by all.
-Laura (Donny's oldest) will graduate from college in May and is getting married in June. We are having a shower for her here in NLR on April 18th.
-Sarah (Larry's daughter) will graduate from high school in May.
-Russ and Katie have been asked to head-up two mission trips to Guatemala this year, one in May and one in June. And, yes, they will be taking Eliot with them.

-THE MAY FAMILY REUNION IS ON 16TH THIS YEAR.
-THE SEPTEMBER REUNION WILL BE ON THE 19TH AT THE HOSPITALITY HOUSE IN BURNS PARK.

I'm hoping to get with Mammaw B over the weekend and hope to have things to share with you from that visit. I would love to get updates from you to know how things are going with your families. A lot of our family is on facebook and several have blogs of their own. I love having all these ways to keep in touch. Please check on each other and let's keep our close connections.

PLEASE READ DAVID BRUCE'S POST BELOW AND LET'S GET THOSE PHOTOS SENT TO HIM!!

POST SENT TO ME FROM DAVID BRUCE

2009-03-21T22:37:00.003-05:00

Below are photos of Maddy and Gabe, Philip and Stephanie's twins. If that is not enough for you please check out www.bentleybabies.blogspot.com. New photos and videos are posted each week. Philip's bunch is making plans to be in Arkansas for a few days in early June.

2009-03-21T22:37:00.000-05:00

Attached

Let's dig out those old photos...

2009-03-21T22:20:00.005-05:00

Sandy's conversation with Mammaw revived an idea I had several years ago. I imagine that everyone in our family has had their photo taken in Mammaw's swing. I would like to collect as many of those photos as possible. Both her porch swing and her yard swing qualify. It would be great to have photos from across the decades. So warm those scanners up and send them to me. (JPEG files preferred).

Use e-mail or snail mail. Send hard copies or disks. I'll try to work with whatever you send. My contact information:

David Bentley
418 South 20th Street
Rogers, AR 72756

e-mail to: david-bentley@sbcglobal.net

The next family reunion may be too soon. However if everyone reponds quickly and generously I will endeavor to have CDs ready at a family reunion in the near future. Besides celebrating everyone's love for Mammaw this could be a great way of chronically our whole family. That said don't leave out those ex-spouses. They were part of the family too. Don't forget those great black and white shots from long ages ago.

David Bruce

My visit with Mammaw B...

2009-03-15T20:43:00.003-05:00

Without any apologies (which is very hard for me) I wanted to "reactivate" our family blog. Life gets too busy doesn't it?

I read quite a few blogs and though some are amusing and entertaining, some are informative and even insightful. And with e-mails and facebook we all have lots of opportunities to be in touch. But my thought is to pick this project back up and try to do right by it. I have to admit it seems harder to get family news to put on the blog, but I have decided that if I can share how Mammaw B is doing and any news from a visit with her I will have done a good thing... and in the meantime I can take my liberty to write about whatever may come to mind.

Today on my way back from Marianna Mammaw B kept coming to my mind. I stopped by her house to find her home alone. As you know her eyesight is very bad now so I announced who I was as I came in. A big smile came across her face as she greeted me and reached for a hug. Sometimes everything has a way of fading away and you just want to live in the moment. That's what I wanted today. Just to be with Mammaw for a bit. She told me that Jackie had gone to Rob's for a birthday celebration for Joseph who turned 21 this week. We talked about Aunt Della and the healing process she is going through since coming home from the hospital. She told me how proud she is of Uncle David and Aunt Geneva for stepping in and helping her. Uncle David and Duwane had to do some building and repairs at her house to help her get around with her wheelchair and walker.

Mammaw talked about Billy and how happy she was that my mom heard from him. For those who may not know, we found out that Billy, who now lives in Indiana, was in the hospital, but is now doing better and has now gone home. She asked me about Amanda and the mission trip she is going on with Jamey and Sheri to NYC. She talked about Meaghan's baby Nathan, telling me what a cute baby he was and what a good mother Meaghan is. We talked about Joy and Wesley and Patrick.

I've shared this with you for a couple of reasons: first of all to let you know how sharp she is. She doesn't miss a trick. And secondly to assure each of you that you are on her mind and in her prayers. Never think for a moment that you have escaped her thoughts.

After a bit my mom came by before heading to church and Jackie came in. But before they came in Mammaw shared some thoughts with me. Merely thoughts to her, but great words of wisdom to me. During the course of our visit at one point she got very thoughtful and she said, "You know, Sandra, life is too short.(This coming from a woman who is now 98 years plus a few months) We need to love the people in our lives. Sometimes things happen in life that cause problems, and bring us heartache. We don't always understand why things happen, but we can't let those things eat us up. We need to work things out and forgive one another and move on with life."

What more needs to be said. I am so blessed to still have my grandmother in my life. I treasure my time with her and hope somehow that in His great mercy, God has placed some of her in me.

Please take a moment to post a comment just to let me know you have checked in on the blog. I would still love to share news from you and your branch of the family if you want to send an e-mail with your family happenings.

I'm SORRY....so SORRY!!!!

2008-07-16T14:24:00.002-05:00

I know it has been awhile since we have done an update. We are so sorry. We are still in the middle of trying to get things settled at two different houses. We hope to be able to put up some pictures and an update soon.

Sorry it has been so long...

2008-06-20T09:48:00.002-05:00

As you have read in one of the previous blogs...my dad has been appointed to a Full Time Pastor position in Marianna, AR. Sorry that we have not yet posted pictures from the reunion or anything else for that matter.

After the family reunion we hit the ground running...my mom and dad made a trip the end of May to go visit Marianna. They were able to meet about a dozen people from the church. Got to "tour" the church, their home, and the church camp my dad will be running. Since the visit there we have been packing like crazy people!!

I am praying that God would bring a wonderful roommate my way soon...I am going to be staying at the house so mom and dad can have it to come back to come time to retire.

Please be praying with us that EVERYTHING having to do with this change would go smoothly.

Love you all!!!

Next to come-

2008-05-19T23:32:00.001-05:00

As soon as I can I will post a few photos from the Bentley Family Reunion which was last Saturday at Burns Park. Check back in a day or two.....
Sandra

Series....Part 3

2008-05-19T23:09:00.002-05:00

Our grandson, Eliot, has just celebrated his birthday. On May 16th he was 2 years old. Last year he and his mom celebrated birthday #1 while still living in Guatemala. What a wonderful thing that they were able to throw a "very American" Backyardigan Birthday Party at their home in St. Louis. It will be 2 years ago on May 31st that we found out Eliot would be ours, and 1 year ago on May 31st that the courts in Guatemala stamped "completed" on Eliot's file and began to finalize the details to bring him home. That day will be celebrated in our hearts as well. Then July 9th will mark his one year anniversary of coming HOME.
God is so good. To see more of the birthday party, and their story you can go to www.katiemohr.blogspot.com.

Sandra

Series...Part 2

2008-05-19T23:01:00.002-05:00

Somehow I have lost my option of fonts, so please don't let the same format come across as boring....

Just to let you know Uncle Fred has just undergone a procedure to have his pacemaker replaced. Kevin and Teresa tell me that all went well and they expect this new pacemaker to be able to help regulate his heartbeat better and that of course will help improve his overall health. He was in the hospital for a couple of days, but is home now and all seems to be going well.

We love you, Uncle Fred and we really missed you and Aunt Ann at the family reunion last Saturday.

A SERIES OF UPDATES....Part 1

2008-05-19T22:48:00.002-05:00

Many of you know by now, but for those of you who don't, Ike has been assigned to the United Methodist Church of Marianna, AR. This is a full-time charge, and yes, it means we will be moving to Marianna. We are all still in the "thinking it through" stage, but at long last, after 8 years of working toward this goal, Ike has given notice as his job at the Health Dept, and will be officially in full time ministry as of June 25th. We are really sad to leave the wonderful people of Graham Chapel in Conway, and Mt. Carmel in Vilonia, but are very happy to be making that step into a full-time charge.

Details are still in the works, but for now the plan is that we will be moving Ike into the parsonage in Marianna on June 25th, and I will be staying through the weeks at our home in NLR, continuing to work at my job here in Little Rock through the summer, and of course heading to Marianna for the weekends to join Ike in the church services and activities. As I make my move to Marianna, we will be leaving Amanda in charge of things here on Harper Lane. As I said details are still being thought through, but I wanted to share our good news with you all.

Keep us in your prayers as many changes are in store for all of us...

Sandra

Update from Michelle Bentley

2008-03-05T16:21:00.000-06:00

Hello,
So I just wanted to write a note and let you know what is going on with Duwanes family.
Well, the company I work for MEMS had a chili cookoff so I asked my dad to make some chili for me to enter. Long story made short, he made me get up early in the morning at 930am and yes that is early for me who works midnights, to help him. So i did and we won 2nd place in the cookoff and $200.00. Also, We are all going to Disney World in Orlando in just over 2 weeks the count down is on. This should be an exciting time for us Duwane and Emma Lou's whole crew will be there. I am sure we will have pictures to come from the trip when we get back. Well just wanted to say hi to everyone and hope everyone is doing well.

Michelle Bentley

OKC SIMS FAMILY CRUISE

2008-01-29T21:43:00.000-06:00

AFTER THE HOLIDAYS DONNY'S FAMILY WENT ON A CARRIBEAN CRUISE. THE FOLLOWING WAS SENT TO US FROM FROM LAURA. ENJOY!!

Disclaimer: This will be long because it’s hard to sum it all up in one blog post. I apologize in advance, but hope that you still enjoy it! Please leave comments.

As some of you may have heard the OKC Sims’ went on a cruise a few weeks ago. We sailed on the Carnival Conquest for 7 days stopping in Jamaica, Grand Cayman Islands, and Cozumel. We were joined on this fabulous trip by quite a few of our friends from church, which made the vacation even more exciting.
Here she is...the Carnival Conquest. To give you an idea of what our cruise ship was like, let me give you a few specs:
Total Staterooms - 1,487
Private Balcony Staterooms - 556
Decks - 13
Passenger capacity - 2,974
Total crew - 1,150
Ship size - Large
Tonnage - 110,000
Ship length - 953 feet

Our first two days on board were at sea. There were many things for us to do, especially since Carnival is known as the “fun ship” cruise liner. During the day we had mini-golf, volleyball, basketball, shuffleboard, ping-pong, swimming, hot tub, water slide, and sun bathing at our leisure. There were also scheduled activities going on during the two days such as: bingo, trivia games, team contests (which I’ll explain later), and much more. One of our favorite contests, at least to watch on the recap video (according to Jessica and I, and our best friends Jen and Stephanie) would have to be the hairy man competition. It was all thanks to the cute guy who entered and had absolutely no hair on his body, except for the one that his girlfriend drew on his chest with a ballpoint pen. During the evenings there were also many things to do: lose or win money at the casino, dance the night away in the dance club, listen to various bands playing throughout the ship, go to the evening production/show, and our favorite activity—karaoke. We were in there every night.

volleyball on the Lido deck

Danny (Jessica’s boyfriend) and Shawn singing Bohemian Rhapsody at karaoke

One of the major activities throughout the week is team competition. Carnival splits up the guests into three teams: red, white, and the best team, which was our team…blue (even though we lost, but who cares we were winning all week). During the week whenever contests and games were played the goal was to win points for your team and cheer for those on your team. The team at the end of the cruise with the most points would be the winners. The prize: simply the glory of a victorious win…and nothing else. Really there wasn’t much of a point to this “team” thing. We kept saying it felt like we were a part of a cult because you found yourself booing other teams and people that you had never met before and will probably never see again. But, I guess it was all good fun because it gave more excitement to each day.

The massive team cheering competition/dance party. The parents, Donny & Cami, were into it!

At every stop there were options to go on excursions that were approved by Carnival cruise lines. They are basically a way to have fun without having to really plan anything and know that you’re safe with an approved tourist company out in another country. These excursions ranged from a leisurely time at the beach—city tours—water rafting.

The first port stop was Jamaica. Jessica and I went on the horseback-riding excursion with Jessica’s boyfriend Danny and our friend Shawn. It was so fantastic!! And in case you wanted to know my horse’s name was Crystal Light and Jessica’s was Stardust. Our parents went on a shopping tour in the city and had a great time w/ the other people in our group. I hear they had a fantastic tour guide and made a few great purchases.

Jessica & I riding through Jamaica…well at least part of it.

Our second stop was at the Grand Cayman Islands. Here we all decided to have our own beach & shopping day and not go on an excursion. We went to the Seven Mile beach around the Marriot area and spent a few hours playing and laying in the sun. A few people rented snorkel gear and went out to see what sea life they could find. I don’t think there was much out there since the reefs were quite far away. After the beach we went back into town and did some shopping.

Beautiful beach…

Our last stop was Cozumel, Mexico. The excursion here was Passion Island. Most of you have actually seen this island and you probably didn’t know it. It’s pretty famous
thanks to the Corona commercials. Yes…that’s right we were at the “Corona Beach” as we liked to call it. This was a great day of relaxing on the beach and enjoying company. It was a great final stop for our trip. Corona beach…ahhh…so wonderful!

One last day at sea ended our trip. It was still filled with the same activities that we had throughout the trip. We were all pretty exhausted from the week, so we didn’t do much except laze around. The evening, however, was very exciting. It was the final show for our trip, which just happened to be the “Carnival Legends” show. The show featured 10 guests (passengers) impersonating artists who have influenced music (James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Madonna, Britney Spears, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, Garth Brooks, Elvis Presley, and Frank Sinatra). They auditioned during the karaoke activities and were chosen by fellow guests. The reason for mentioning this show and not others is the fact that our very own, Jessica Sims, was chosen to be Britney Spears. She rocked the karaoke audition and had the guests screaming for more. I must say that I’m proud to be her sister!

Were you aware that Britney Spears was in our family??

After a long 7 days we were all glad to be back on land. It was a bittersweet moment for us all. We are now back to reality—work and school. It was a great vacation full of memories that we will never forget. Oh and let me just say that as soon as we stepped off the ship we were all asking when the next one will be.

Family Vacation!

Wish you could’ve been there!

(want to see more go to http://greenville.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2074168&id=44005633 and http://greenville.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2074220&id=44005633 to check out more photos from Cruise 2008)

Patrick Bentley gets screen credit in "Charlie Wilson's War"

2008-01-14T21:20:00.000-06:00

The following post was sent to us from David Bruce:

If you look back in the blog archives to October 24 you will see a note from Patrick about serving as Director Mike Nichols personal driver during the production of "Charlie Wilson's War." What you may not know is that he also appears in a scene that includes Tom Hanks.

Pat appears about one third of the way into the movie. The scene takes place in a public park where a CIA "geek" is playing chess with 4 different persons at once. As you look at the screen Pat is at the back table on the left. If you have the patience to hang around at the end his name appears in the cast credits.

When he was working in the production office he sent Sally and I each some movie swag. We each have a "Charlie Wilson's War" jacket. However, we forgot to wear them when we went to see the film.

For those of you who know Patrick's girlfriend Juliet you will see her in the attached photo. Look just behind Julia Roberts and there strolling past is our Juliet.

Christmas with Pat, Jerry, Amber, Kristen, Tony & Madison

2008-01-13T10:30:00.000-06:00

I have a lot to tell, so you can use whatever you would like. I just did not want to leave anything out, as I thought that you might like to hear it all!!! Wish I was there to tell you in person, and I look forward to reading others as I return to the blog.

As you know, Tony (my son-in-law) has been on deployment since the first of June, and Kristen and Madison have been staying at my house during his deployment. When Tony left Memphis, Madison was only 1 month old. Upon Tony's return to Memphis (12.21.07), Madison was almost 9 months old. When Tony arrived back in Memphis, we were at the airport to meet him, and Kristen handed him Madison, but Madison wasn't too sure about him, so she began to cry and was given back to her mommy. However, after a very short while she was very taken with her daddy, and she watched every move he made. It has been a treat to watch Madison get to know her daddy, and to see the 2 of them interact with one another.

Christmas was at my house this year because we wanted to share the moment with family (16 of us together) for Madison's first visit from Santa!

We began our day with breakfast (Kevin's fabulous omelettes), and then began opening presents. It is our tradition to open presents one at a time so that everyone can see what each one has gotten. Daddy (Uncle Fred) plays Santa each year and calls out each gift and one of the grandkids (Mitchell -this year) will deliver the gift, and we all watch while it is being opened. After the gifts are all opened, we then get our stockings - what fun this is as well. After the stockings are repacked, we then play Dirty Santa! This is so much fun each year, and there is always at least one gift that has a tendency to be "stolen" more than others.

Well, my home is very quiet now. It was really hard the day before they (Tony, Kristen and Madison) left to return to WA, as everything was packed and we were just hanging out at the house. On the way to the airport I sat in the backseat with Madison and held her little hand while she dozed off and on. They flew out on Wed (1.2.08) at 7:10 am, and so we said our goodbyes at the airport at 6:20 am. They had so much to get through security that we didn't delay it any longer. I did really well until I hugged Kristen. However, I regained my composure enough to watch them to the last minute at the end of the ramp. They flew into Dallas and had a layover of 1.5 hours, where they got some breakfast. Then they flew Dallas to Seattle (4 hour trip). Arrived in Seattle at 12:40 and then had to wait about 2 hours on the shuttle. They got to their car at about 6:30 pm (8:30 cst), got all loaded up and it wouldn't start. Madison had been great all day, but now she was tired, and it was cold. They got a friend to come right over and jump them off, so they were actually in their apartment by about 7:15pm (9:15 CST). Made for a really long day, but they are home now and enjoying life as a family.
Madison is very mobile now, and so they are having to keep a very close eye on her. She crawls everywhere. She is trying to pull up some, but mostly crawling. We were beginning to wonder if she was going to crawl at all, and then she just kind of took off. On the day they left, Amber and I went back to the house and went back to bed, then got up and finished packing up some of their stuff so that we could take it to the post office. As of yesterday, everything they wanted sent is now gone. We shipped 11 packages USPS and 4 packages FedEx. One of the USPS boxes had all of her crib bedding in it, and so she was able to sleep in a crib again last night. Needless to say, I am enjoying the webcam. We are not having a lot of luck getting them to view ours, but we are able to view theirs, and that is what counts right now.
Right now we are planning to go to WA this March, as we have 3 very important dates to celebrate, and in this order - Jerry will turn 50 (March 6th), Amber will turn 21 (March 27th), and Madison will turn 1 (March 28th). We are going to try and go the first week of March, as this is when Amber will be out on Spring Break.

Attached is a family photo that Kevin took for us of Tony, Kristen and Madison on 12.30.07. By the way, I have spoken to Kevin and I think he will be sending you some photos from our Christmas together for the blog as well.

Pat

Christmas Blogs...

2008-01-10T22:59:00.000-06:00

WE WOULD LIKE FOR YOU ALL TO TAKE TIME AND LOOK EARLIER ON THE BLOG. WE WROTE A BLOG RIGHT AFTER CHRISTMAS ABOUT THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CAROLING. WELL, IT TOOK US A LITTLE LONGER THAN NORMAL TO ADD PICTURES AND GET IT POSTED. YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS ALL THESE FUN PHOTOS!!! IT IS THE BLOG ENTITLED...CHRISTMAS CAROLING AT MAMMAW B'S (OR AS SOME OF YOU CALL HER...GREAT MAMMAW). IT IS RIGHT BEFORE THE INDIA BLOG.
THANKS!!! AND SORRY AGAIN THAT IT TOOK SO LONG TO GET IT POSTED!!!!

-AMANDA

Reflections.....

2008-01-09T23:20:00.000-06:00

Today is January 9th. Amanda turned 27 today. Circumstances didn't allow us to have a birthday celebration tonight as we had planned, but regardless of any circumstances, my heart and my mind have traveled to the place where I was 27 years ago. There could not have been a happier woman on the face of the earth than I was that day (unless it was my mom). For those of you who may not know it, we had a home birth with Amanda. She was born at my mom and dad's house, the same house my mom lives in now. The night before Amanda was born, ironically I attended a baby shower for a lady in our church. There were two newborns (or close to it) there that night and my arms ached to hold the baby I was carrying. The details of that night are burned into my heart and mind and I will cherish those memories all the days of my life.

I went into labor around 11:00pm and Amanda was born at 6:00am. By 7:00 she was bathed and sleeping in bed beside me. My beautiful baby girl....now a beautiful grown woman. A woman with a passion for God and a deep desire to walk in all He is calling her to. What a wonderful gift to Ike and I. Ike and I have often spoken of the blessing of our children. They were answers to our prayers when we so desperately wanted a family of our own. Now they continue to be answers to prayers as we watch them walk uprightly before the Lord. Again, what a marvelous gift to Ike and I.

There is an awful lot going on in my life right now and it is easy to get side-tracked and miss the point. So tonight I wanted to put my thoughts out and remind myself what really matters in life, and enjoy the moment we are in. Happy Birthday, Amanda.

Attached is a photo of Amanda and I taken last weekend in Dallas where we attended the wedding of Tommie Lee and Margie's son, Randy. We'll put info out about the wedding in the next few days.

....Note from David Bruce....

2008-01-02T23:13:00.000-06:00

I received this note from David Bruce and believe it or not I had just written a blog entry on the same thing!! I'm posting his note and will try to get my photos in order to post tomorrow....

As we have for well over a decade a couple of dozen folks gathered at Mammaw's house in Levy to begin a night of Christmas caroling. We were happy to have Uncle Fred and Aunt Anne there this year. Attached are of couple of photos from that gathering. Also included is a photo of Mammaw looking at pictures from the India trip by David, Sally, Duwane, and Emma.

THE AMAZING CHRISTMAS GIFT!!!

2007-12-30T19:26:00.000-06:00

For Christmas Mammaw Berta gave all of her grandkids this wonderful Christmas Gift. Each of us are now a proud owner of the "Come unto Jesus" record along with a framed photo of Mammaw Berta, Pappaw Elmer and Aunt Geneva. It came as a shock to some of the younger grandkids...some of them did not know that there was such thing as a record made by The Believers!!! Just wanted to share one of the highlights from the Sims Christmas.

Love you guys,
Amanda

Trip to India

2007-12-30T18:02:00.000-06:00

We received the following email from Duwane regarding their trip to India. Just to remind you Peace Home School is the school that David Bentley & the Believers sponsor. There is quite a story about this school. If you would like to hear more about the school you can contact Uncle David, Duwane or David Bruce.

David Bruce, Sally, Emma Lou and I have returned from our trip to Peace Home School in India. Wow, what a trip! David clocked our actual travel time by plane and train at 34 hours and that does not include layovers. Let me tell you it was worth every mile. As we entered the school we were greeted by hundreds of children with glitter, confetti, and flowers. Over the next 3 days we inspected the school, handed out Bibles with the Gideons, fed the children, sampled the food the girls had cooked, awarded medals in sporting events, looked at tents the scouts built, attended the schools Christmas program & gave Christmas presents to the students & teachers. We also had the opportunity to purchase a sewing machine & gave addition funds for computers.

Even with this busy schedule we had the privilege of visiting the homes of some of the students. While visiting one of the homes one man told us that he never felt worthy to visit the school that his children attend. He stated that he was very humbled that we would come to his home. At the Christmas program the next day we were looking around & there he was...for the very first time. What a blessing that was for us! I think this was the highlight of the trip for me.

We scheduled a couple of extra days to site see. During those days we had the chance to visit Buddha's burial place - and guess what??? HE IS STILL THERE!!! Isn't it great that we serve a GOD that is no longer in the grave! Among other things we did get to see the Taj Mahal. Even with all that we experienced nothing can compare to the experience of being with the kids.

Here are 4 pictures of the thousands we took. If you have the time I would be glad to show all of them to you.

We thank God for a family like ours. It is a VERY RARE thing in this world today.

Duwane & Emma Lou

Christmas Caroling at Mammaw B's (or as some of you call her...Great Mammaw)

2007-12-30T15:43:00.000-06:00

I typed this post at the end of December...sorry to be so long getting this out.

For those of you who may not be aware, it has been a long-standing Christmas tradition for Uncle David's family, teamed up with Aunt Geneva's family, along with whoever wants to join in to go Christmas caroling. They always try to plan the event very close to Christmas Day so as to include any who may be coming in town for the holidays. This year, as in most years, Uncle Fred and Aunt Ann were in town for the annual event. I must say that it is just as much a tradition for Mammaw, Jackie, Aunt Ann and my mom who prepare an overflowing table of Christmas treats and holiday goodies for the carolers who always meet a Mammaw B's house, and for the carolers, there is no better place to start.

For those of you who have been a part of this over the years, but were not able to be there this year, you were missed as we looked around at the smiling faces crowded into Mammaw's little home - filling every nook and cranny with love and laughter. Once everyone had arrived (and had their share of the goodies), we all moved out to the front porch and the carolers took their place in the front yard. With song sheets and flash lights in hand, the singing began with David Bruce leading the family choir. Mammaw B, wrapped warmly and sitting in her chair on the front porch was beaming as she listened to the Christmas songs she loves.

There were quite a few of us who joined in the singing at Mammaw's but did not continue on with the group for the evening. They always visit several homes of friends and family and end up at Uncle Donald's (Aunt Geneva's brother) for the "after party" where they again share in Christmas goodies and warm up with hot chocolate.

I will leave you with some photos of the activities at Mammaw's house. And let me say to my family - it doesn't matter who you are, or where you are, you were probably mentioned and definitely missed that night. (I have to enter a special note to Jamey, Bethany, Emily, Patrick, Wes, Philip, Jon and Chris. You guys were among those who started this tradition. We want you to know how much we love you and missed you. Hope your holidays were great!) Enjoy the photos:

Visit from Aunt Amanda! - Letter from Russ

2007-11-22T23:30:00.000-06:00

Last weekend Amanda came up to St. Louis for a weekend with Eliot. On Friday Katie was away for an overnight women's retreat at church and I had a show across town, so Amanda was excited to get there just in time for some quality baby sitting time with Eliot right away. Problem was, here flight was delayed. Laura had come over to spend the night at the house, to, and offered to pick Amanda up from the airport. I tried and tried to keep El awake until she got here, and just as he was dozing off Laura's car rolled up the street. I picked Eliot up and took him outside so Amanda could at least give him a good night kiss. We were all bummed that she wasn't gonna have any time with him on Friday night after all. But the minute she said hello he practically jumped out of my arms, cuddled up on her shoulder in a little ball and held on tight. We made our way into the house, and El slowly fell asleep on her shoulder. So although there wasn't a great amount of playtime on Friday night, it didn't seem to matter, because that was very special. Laura and her roommate spent the night, so it was a good time for them to catch up as well.

The next day was filled with going to the park, having lunch together, playing soccer in the front yard, etc. Eliot was turning on the charm and pulling out all his newest tricks for Aunt Amanda. It was like he knew that she needed to catch up! And of course,
she took TONS of pictures and video to share with everybody at home. So if you'd like to see all of the fun things they got to do together, just ask. She'd be more than happy to show him off!

Saturday evening Katie returned and the two girls did lots more playing and catching up, and then Sunday we all went to church and had a day full of hanging with friends. Amanda was here for the "shower" that Katie threw for her friend Sharon who lived with her in Guatemala. That night Amanda came to Damascus Road, the young adults ministry I lead worship for on Sunday nights. All in all it was a pretty busy weekend, but packed with lots of fun. We had a great time and Eliot LOVES his Aunt Amanda.

Mom comes up this week after Thanksgiving, so I'm sure she'll be ready to share even more photos and stories. Until then, I'm having Amanda post some pics on this blog so you can see how big and cute our boy is! Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

2007-11-07T11:18:00.001-06:00

Well I just couldn't stand it. I had to let everyone know that Christmas is here according to all the stores. With that being said Emma Lou and I have started decorating our house. We spent all afternoon Saturday and most of Sunday morning building our Christmas village. (We went to church Saturday night.) There are piles of wires everywhere that were organized in typical Bentley fashion. David, Sally, Emma Lou and myself are going to be in India The first 10 days of December so I felt like something need to be done.( Emma Lou said no to putting up the tree's).

CALLING ALL FAMILY MEMBERS...FAMILY PROJECT

2007-11-06T09:59:00.000-06:00

I got this email from Laura Sims (Donny's oldest daughter). I think this is a great idea and all of us need to jump on board with this one.

Hello All!

I have an idea. I've been thinking about this for almost a year now. I have mentioned it to a few people already (Mom & Katie) and I really feel like this is something that needs to be done. Last year my roommate, Alyssa, and I got into a conversation about our families. We discussed how things have changed in the world we live in today, compared to what it was when our grandparents and great-grandparents were growing up. In our conversation, Alyssa came up with the idea of sitting down and interviewing both her grandparents and great-grandparents, asking them questions about their lives. I thought that it was such a great idea, but I never made time to put anything together. Today when I went to the Bentley Family News blog, I saw the pictures from Mammaw B's 97th Birthday party. She's 97...HOLY COW!!

When I realized this, it finally hit me. I need to do this interview. I think that getting her story on video would be just an amazing thing for all of us to have and share in (I know I would definitely enjoy having it). I wanted to email everyone and see what you think?! I would like to get the taping done at Christmas time, since that's when I'll be in NLR. I was planning on sending Mammaw B a letter, asking her if it's alright that we do that, once I got some feedback from everyone. In the letter I would probably need to give her a general idea of questions that would be asked. So here's where I need some help. If you have any questions that you think should be in this interview please let me know. I want to get a good number of questions so we can have some sort of direction when we're interviewing. I want this to be somewhat like an interview but also like a documentary style, with pictures and maybe even other people sharing stories of Mammaw B. Once all the video taping was finished I would bring it back to school and edit it together, putting it in a nice DVD format. Then every one can, if they wish, get a copy of it.

I guess just let me know what you all think of this idea? Give me any feedback you want. I will probably need help in arranging questions, getting pictures, etc. so maybe if anyone wants to help me with that, fantastic! I hope that this is something that everyone is interested in doing. I know that I, along with many others, would be blessed to have Mammaw B's story, especially if it's on a sweet DVD! (hehe) So let me know what you think, give me tips and/or ideas! Oh and I think I would eventually like to do it for Mammaw Berta as well, so be thinking on that too!

Love you all! Miss you bunches!!

oh...and if you know of anyone else to send this email to, then by all means...go for it!! (I, for some odd reason, don't have many family email addresses...bummer)

(here's a link I found with some questions. I'll probably use a lot of them, so if any stand out to you, please let me know. http://genealogy.about.com/cs/oralhistory/a/interview.htm)

Thanks everyone!!
Laura

*If you have any questions or ideas to give to Laura you can either leave comments (which are always welcome) or you can send them to bentleyfamilynews@yahoo.com and I will pass them along.

I think this is a great idea Laura!!! We should have a great time pulling together to have something to pass down to the next generations.

You never know who you might run into

2007-11-05T22:47:00.000-06:00

The other night Ike and I had to make a trip to Conway to visit someone in the hospital. Though is was a bit late when we got back to NLR, we had not had dinner yet and after some discussion (if you know what I mean), we decided to go to Applebees. We had just finished dinner and were sipping on our tea/Dr. Pepper when Ike saw Meaghan and Erick being seated across the restaurant. We picked up our drinks and sashayed (who knows if I spelled that one right?) across the room and caught them by surprise. We took a seat at their table and visited for a bit.

Their waiter was most patient as we kept delayed their ordering. It was so good to see them. I love to hear Erick tell a story and he didn't disappoint me!! He told us about one of his friend's wedding that he was to be in last week-end. We laughed and laughed as he told the details. We enjoyed the few minutes we shared with you Meaghan & Erick. You never know who you may run into....

That reminds me of the time we ran into David Bruce's family in Mexico, but that's another story altogether!

Holiday plans....

2007-11-05T22:42:00.000-06:00

Hello to all. The holidays are quickly approaching and for most of us it is our favorite time of the year. We would love some input from you for the blog. Please consider sending some of the following share with the gang:
-your plans for the holidays
-your family traditions
-favorite stories from holidays past
-photos!!!!
We want to hear from all corners of the family. Send us your info for a blog entry to: bentleyfamilynews@yahoo.com

More on Wes...

2007-11-02T11:39:00.000-05:00

Wes actually has two movies coming our right now. You can find trailers for both movies on the internet:

Weirdsville can be found at www.moviefone.com and at many other similar sites.
P2 can be found at www.P2theMovie.com and at other sites.

Weirdsville is a dark comedy. P2 is anything but a comedy.

David Bruce

Getting together with family....

2007-10-30T21:41:00.000-05:00

Sunday was a picture perfect day in my opinion. We were all so sorry to hear about Uncle Fred's illness, but are glad to know he is doing well now. As always with any party we have ever been known to host, there was plenty of food and plenty of good conversation to share in. All in all I think there were 22 of us that got together at my mother's.

As things kicked into gear we still weren't sure if we would get to see Bruce and Linda, knowing they would want to make sure Uncle Fred was OK before they headed to Little Rock. It was around 3:00 when they came rolling in to join us. How good it was to see them.

There was a birthday cake with candles for Mammaw B to blow out, and the singing of "Happy Birthday" as only our family can do, and presents to open. Our topics of conversation stretched from one extreme to another. Let me share a little with you....

-Most of us may not be so well-traveled, but some of us have really gotten around. Linda and Bruce shared about their trip to Alaska - telling fish stories about King Salman some four feet long (pardon me, Bruce, if I don't get all the details right). Linda told about being on the ship on the way home and coming through huge glaciers. She said she heard what sounded like thunder, but there were no storm clouds in the sky. Then as huge pieces of ice came tumbling down, hitting the water, she realized the noice she heard was the cracking of the ice as these huge pieces broke loose. They talked about all the wildlife they saw and just how breathtaking the scenery was.

-At one point during the afternoon Mammaw B spoke up and said that on November 29th she and Pappaw would have been married for 80 years. Well, that's not exactly what she said, but we don't want to upset Uncle Fred at this point. Anyway, we had to do the math to get the number of years right, but can you imagine!!! They would be having an 80th wedding anniversary. How many of you remember the 50th anniversary we celebrated with them? The squares we each embroidered and the secret meetings we had as we put the family quilt together for them.

-As Larry and his family were "trying" to leave, somehow Larry was reminded of an experience he had when he was on a bus in Romania with Uncle David and Aunt Geneva on a mission trip. I'm not real sure about sharing the details of this story.... but... it sure brought laughter to everyone who got to hear this one!!

-Linda talked of how beautiful Madison (Pat's grandbaby) is and how she was happy the entire time she was with them. She and Bruce brought pictures of their grandson, Blake, but none of their daughter, Reanna. Now what does that tell you?

Of course there were a lot more stories as our conversations continued throughout the day, but, as always, I want to take my liberty to share my own thoughts with you:

As we planned this party I kept saying it's not really a birthday party for Mammaw B, it's a party for Bruce and Linda. So that was my mindset. Linda was sitting next to Mammaw B when Macy, Kelly's daughter, came into the living room. Macy, who is almost 5, is all about family. She loves her cousins and loves to spend time with them. Anyway, I introduced her to Linda and told her she was my cousin. I told her that Linda and I were best friends when we were little girls. What an understatment. I told Macy that we spent the night together, played with our Barbie dolls, dressed up and danced. Just like she does with her cousins. I've not been able to get those memories out of my mind since Sunday. I could fill a notebook with memories of time spent with Linda. What friends we were growing up. We shared everything. Some of my favorite "one-liner" memories - just between you and me, Linda:

-you introduced me to cinnamon toast

-long talks as we sat on the steps of the Methodist church

-hanging the laundry out on the clothes line

-walks all across town in J'ville

-street dances, Youth Center dances

-drive-in theaters

-roller skating

-knowing the guys in "the band"

-Steve and Jack Ellis

-What was Freddy's last name?

-late, late, late nights at your house

-board games

-week-ends, turning into weeks together in the summers

Here's to you, Linda. I wish we had had more time to visit. Our lives were totally intertwined as children and moreso as teens. Somewhere along the line we both grew up , fell in love and started our own lives. It was so good to be with you Sunday. I hope you know that we all love you.

Sandra

The Happenings in Hollywood...

2007-10-30T11:40:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of Patrick and his girlfriend Juliet. The picture was taken at a wrap party for the Mike Nichols film Charlie Wilson's War which stars Tom Hanks. Pat was on the production crew but did get a speaking part (one word) in the film. We don't know yet whether he made the final cut.

Here is a picture of Wes on the red carpet at the premiere of his newest movie "Weirdsville".

2007-10-29T22:33:00.000-05:00

Wanted to get the word out that our party on Sunday started with news from Uncle Fred. We got a phone call around 10:30 that they had taken Uncle Fred to the hospital in Memphis during the wee hours of the morning and that they had admitted him with pneumonia.

I talked with Mother tonight and she said he is doing well and will probably be going home in the next day or two.

Will get more news out about the get-together on Sunday and will have pictures to share in the next day or so. In the meantime, please keep Uncle Fred in your prayers.

Philip and Stephanie Bentley

2007-10-24T21:56:00.000-05:00

We are so happy for the two of you!!! STEPHANIE...WELCOME TO THE FAMILY!!!

Email from Patrick Bentley

2007-10-24T21:53:00.000-05:00

Last night, I drove Mike Nichols to a dinner party at David Geffen's Beverly Hills Estate. While waiting in the car, I saw & talked to Jack Nicholson, saw Steven Spielberg & his wife, and Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Yes, Tony Blair. Met a guard from Scotland Yard. The U.S. Secret Service drove Blair around in a souped-up, mean looking Dodge Charger.
I had no idea I'd be just feet from these people. Never thought that combo would have actually crossed my path in one night.

Bragging over. You can roll your eyes now.

Patrick

REMINDER!!!!

2007-10-22T08:38:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder that this Sunday at 1:00 we will be having a party at Roberta's house.
Linda and Bruce (Uncle Fred's daughter and son-in-law)are going to be in town and as you know...the Bentley Crew looks for any reason for a party!!! Please come and join us.

Since it is so close to Mammaw B's (Great Mammaw's...that is for Uncle David's crew)birthday we are going to have a birthday cake and celebrate her 97th birthday!!!!

The latest news from Meaghan and Erik

2007-10-10T09:26:00.000-05:00

Meaghan (Jackie's grand-daughter) and Erik have now been married for 4 years. After a lot of thought and research they have decided to start the process to become foster parents.

They are just at the beginning stages of this process but they do know that the children that will be placed with them will be anywhere from 2 years old to 17 years old. The child will also have to be in their home for atleast 6 months before moving on to another foster home.

Please pray for Meaghan and Erik as they embark on this new journey. I know that God will use them to reach children who need a loving home.

We are very excited for you Meaghan and Erik!!!

WE'RE GOIN' ON OVER TO ROBERTA'S HOUSE...

2007-10-09T23:43:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, October 28th we are having a party at my mom's!!

Linda and Bruce are going to be in town for a few days and they have asked if we could have a get-together while they are here. You know us...any excuse for a party! It's going to be another great family time. So here are the details:

PARTY PLACE - Roberta's house

DATE - Sunday, October 28th

TIME - 1:00

WHAT TO BRING - Snack foods. We are putting sandwiches together, and will probably have a birthday cake for Mammaw B. Just bring your favorite goodies to add to the table. Maybe some can bring 2 liter drinks.

We're hoping for a pretty day, so bring your lawn chairs as well.

"We're goin' on over to Roberta's house...."

the loss of a friend...

2007-10-09T22:06:00.000-05:00

Early this morning Sally Bentley's sister, Susie Morgan, passed away after a long battle with cancer. (Sally is David Bruce's wife.) David and Sally had just returned from Georgia for Philip's wedding last weekend.

Susie was a pharmacist and served most of our family (who live in this area) needs throughout the years. Ike and I had the privilege of knowing her on a more personal basis when we attended Winfield United Methodist Church during the time David Bruce pastored there. Please remember Sally and her family during this time. I know your prayers and words of encouragement will be appreciated.

Sandra

Letter from Joy...hope you can help!!!

2007-10-02T10:04:00.000-05:00

Friends/Family,

This year, hundreds of people (women AND men) will hear the words “You have breast cancer,” and there’s a good chance that some of them will be people we know and love. Because of this I have chosen to step up and help the fight by participating with Team Disney in the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Central Park on October 21st. Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is an opportunity to honor and celebrate breast cancer survivors, educate women about early detection and prevention, and raise money to fund lifesaving research and support programs to help fight breast cancer.

Below is a link to my personal page that I hope you will visit. There you can join my team and walk with Team Disney, start your own walking team, or sign up to walk as an individual. If you are unable or unavailable to walk with me, you can make a donation. Our team's goal is $35,000 and every dollar helps!! Plus it's tax-deductible!

Hope starts with me and it can continue with you. To donate now, use this link to visit my personal page.
http://teamacs.acsevents.org/site/TR?px=3155421&pg=personal&fr_id=3405

Thanks so much!

Joy Sims Brown

Did you know.....

2007-09-25T20:36:00.000-05:00

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

2007-09-20T23:06:00.000-05:00

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

2007-09-19T21:30:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-09-17T08:17:00.000-05:00

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

Antigua, Guatemala

2007-08-28T08:03:00.000-05:00

I thought it would be good to copy a post from Katie and Russell's blog for those of you that don't check theirs on a normal basis. There has been quite a problem in Antigua, the town that Katie and Eliot lived in. I wanted to post this so all of you can be praying for the families that are down there right now.
There is a group of people that are going to be sending a care package (books, puzzels, small toys) down to Guatemala. If you would be interested in sending something with our package please email me at bentleyfamilynews@yahoo.com. We will be getting everything to Katie and she will be mailing everything together.

Please take a few minutes to read Katie's blog below:

A couple weeks ago a "raid" took place at an orphanage in Antigua by government police. Some sources say it was completely illegal and the basis for the police action is unfounded. The police claim the orphanage was illegally getting these babies and do not have the correct documents to prove that all is legit. The overwhelming conclusion is that this has to do with the presidential election in a few weeks. The current president is on his way out and this has caused a bit of instability with Guatemalan adoptions, especially with the Hague just around the corner.

This raid has caused quite a ripple effect for my friends. Antigua was the town that Eliot and I lived in for over 7 months. The reason we all congregate to live there is because of the freedom and safety it provides. A handful of times we got the chance to leave Antigua and take the hour drive to the city, but the majority of those days, we were hanging out in a 9X9 block city. At one point in my early weeks I remember writing to Russ that the 9 blocks get smaller every day. By that I meant that you run out of things to walk to or see pretty quickly. You run out of restaurants to try or places to take your baby. What does this have to do with the raid?

As if the small city didn't already have it's limitations, now fostering moms are being advised to stay at home at all times until the election is over. I can not imagine. There were days when I thought we had cabin fever even when we were safe to roam the streets and now they are being advised to keep the babies behind closed doors? This may be a small inconvenience for those who have infants, but my friends that are still there have toddlers! What does one do with a toddler in prison? Keep in mind these women don't have an overabundance of toys and books like each of our American homes. They brought the minimum, assuming they wouldn't be here during this stage of childhood. They are blessed to have the few things that visitors have brought on trips to see them, which isn't a huge amount.

I really could keep going with this thought pattern but I'll stop and ask you to pray. Pray first for their safety. Then for the heavy hand to be lifted so that they can again return to the carefree days of exploring this tourist town. Then move to praying for creativity for these moms, that they would be able to fill these lock-down days with activities and ideas that would not only amuse their sweet toddlers but also further their development. Lastly, pray for patience and endurance for these fostering parents. They each followed the call to commit to staying in whatever circumstance to take care of their babies.

Greetings from the Memphis Crew!!!!

2007-08-20T22:36:00.000-05:00

Fun day at the pool for Kristen and Madison DeArmond while staying at Grandma Pat and Grandpa Jerry's! (Are Pat and Jerry really Grandparents?) Kristen and Madison came down from Washington State to spend time in Memphis while "daddy" is on Military assignment overseas.

Oh, the days of "BAND CAMP"!!!!

This picture of Spencer, Weston and their girlfriends was taken after a very long week of Band Camp. I wanted to include this picture because they are starting band competition for their high school and will miss the Bentley Reunion.

Kevin says, "We spent our summer vacation in Orlando and went to Disney and Universal Studios. We had a wonderful time, Spencer's girlfriend met us in Orlando and that was fun hanging around with her and her parents. We did avoid emergency room visits but didn't escape the police over a little domestic violence issue which I have signed a "GAG" order not to discuss so lets just leave it at that."

It looks like the Family Blog is catching on!!!

*The more "comments" the more fun...please click on comments and leave your messages!!!

CALLING ALL BENTLEYS!!!

2007-08-16T22:31:00.000-05:00

Reminder that Mammaw B's Family Reunion is September 15th at Burns Park, Pavillion #9. FYI we have the pavillion from 10am until 4pm. Hope to see all of you there!!!

Laura's trip to Africa: Malawi...The Warm Heart of Africa!

2007-08-08T23:55:00.000-05:00

So as you may have heard, I have just returned from a 2 week trip to Malawi. This was definitely a life changing experience. I went with a team of 20 people. From there we split into 5 teams (1 large medical team & 4 smaller teams). I was on a small team of 3 with 2 translators. My team visited 8 villages. We went into these villages and showed the Jesus film, taking breaks to give personal testimonies. After the film we worked with the local pastor and offered a response time where people could come and pray the salvation prayer. The morning after the film we had a follow up service where we taught the people basics of Christianity (praying, Holy Spirit, salvation, etc.). I was in charge of journalism for my team. Basically I took pictures, video, and recorded the numbers from each village we visited.

Our overall group leader said that I have all the good stories from the trip. I might have to agree. Anything that can happen to someone on a mission trip, happened to me! My car got stuck in a ditch. I had to walk 5 mi. in the dark to a village where the girls leading us didn't speak the common language (Chichewa). I ran out of fresh bottled water & had to wait to fill my bottles up at a water well. The first projector we used broke at one of the first villages, so we had to visit 2 others without showing the Jesus film. The car broke down & we had to push it, with the help of villagers, about 6 mi. up & down hills. It took us 3.5 hours in the blazing sun! I got sick for 3 days from some sort of bacteria I picked up in one of the villages. And my bag is still somewhere south of the equator, possibly in South Africa!

Despite all the bad things that happened, this trip was fantastic & life changing! I will admit that there were times I wanted to give up & go home, but God showed me his power & control by coming through for us every time! I think that going through all of those difficult things helped me to see God's love for people & his power to overcome everything that comes up against us. I've heard of his love & power all my life, but actually seeing & experiencing it was amazingly reassuring!! He really is almighty and so powerful! Being a musician myself, I was really amazed by how much the people worshiped. They constantly praised God by singing & dancing, which really blessed me and brought me to tears a few nights. I wish I had a video to put up here for you to hear their beautiful voices, but at this moment I don't. Their songs were perfectly harmonized and the rhythms were incredible! It just amazed me! Most people don't get to experience worship like I experienced in Malawi. These people have nothing in comparison to the material items we have here in the USA. It seemed to me that they worshiped wholeheartedly (which most Americans don't). So many times we take things for granted & get caught up in our daily lives that we don't slow down to soak in the things that God has for us.

I'm not sure what else I can say about the trip. My life was greatly affected and changed through the people I met and the ways they touched my life. I went into the trip thinking I would bless the people of Malawi, which I did. However, I think I was even more blessed by the Malawians! I will never forget the people I met and the villages I visited. I know that I will always carry these memories & experiences with me. I hope to visit Malawi again & I hope that some of you get the chance to experience it as well. It has forever changed my life! The pictures I have posted will not really do any justice to the actual beauty of the country or the people. But hopefully it will give you somewhat of a glimpse into the life I experienced for 2 beautiful weeks! Thank you all for your support in funding & prayers!! I love you all!!

Laura

Joy on Broadway!!!

2007-07-31T08:19:00.000-05:00

Yes, you heard it right...Joy Sims Brown is now working on Broadway!!!
In September of 2006 Joy had one of her biggest dreams come true...she got a job with Disney Theatricals!!! This is the first time she has been able to use both her business degree and theatre degree. The two shows Joy works for is "Mary Poppins" and "Beauty and the Beast".
In November Joy had the opportunity to go to the opening of "Mary Poppins".

Since Joy works for the "Mary Poppins" show she was invited to go to The Tony Awards on June 10th.

Joy said she had a blast going shopping for and outfit and shoes for The Tony's.

There is so much more to The Tony's than anyone would think...every time there was a performance on stage people in the audience could not really see what was going on because of all the camera equipment taping the event.

Not only did Joy get to attend the awards she also got to attend The Disney After Party!!!

Now is the time for my(Amanda's) favorite part of the story.....

After a fun filled evening she decided it was time to head home...since she was in strappy dress shoes she decided to get a cab to take her home. On the way home she realized she made it through the whole evening without any food. She had been so busy/intrigued that she did not eat at the party. So, what does Joy decide to do? She has the cab driver pull over at the neighborhood McDonald's...remember...Joy is in her formal...she said she really got some funny looks from people coming in there to order a cheeseburger meal. ***Next time any of you happen to see Joy you should have her tell you that part of the story because it is so funny coming from her!!!***

Beauty and the Beast Farewell Show

After a 13 and a half year run "Beauty and the Beast" closed making it the 6th longest running show in Broadway history...and Joy and her mom were on the 15th row in the Orchestra section for the whole thing.

<-Donny Osmond came back to perform in the final show!!

Joy is friends with the producer of "Beauty and the Beast" so he introduced Joy to all his B-list celebrity friends which consisted of a bunch of soap opera stars...Mammaw B would have been in HOG HEAVEN!!!

They also got to attend the after party...it was a wonderful night!!!

We wanted to add this wonderful picture from when Joy was home for a visit in July!!!

Just a little update...

2007-07-23T08:53:00.000-05:00

There has been a lot going on with the family right now...here is a small look at what is happening.

I am not going to go into great detail with all of this at this point but here is a little information.

1) Pat and Jerry Lawrence are grandparents...their daughter Kristen gave birth to a sweet little girl. The baby's name is Madison Grace.

2) Jessica Sims graduated from high school and will be attending Oklahoma City University this fall...she will be studying...YOU GUESSED IT...theatre and music. WAY TO GO JO-JESSICA (Jessiewood)!!!

3) Amanda Mohr has moved back home to North Little Rock. She enjoyed her year and a half in Oklahoma City. God really blessed her and transformed her while there.

4) Laura Sims is currently in Malawi, Africa. She is with a group that is going into villages to dig water wells and they are also showing The Jesus film. We can't wait to have her give us an update to post.

5) Russ, Katie and Eliot Mohr are finally together...on Monday, July 9th, Katie and Eliot arrived in St Louis. Eliot is a wonderful little guy and we can't wait for him to make his first appearance to the family. (There is a link on the left side of this page to their blogspot. You can go check it out for more details.)

6) Philip Bentley is getting MARRIED to a beautiful girl named Stephanie. They are getting married in October and will be living in Atlanta.

7) We just got news that Jon Bentley is graduating from college!!! CONGRATS JON!!!

8) Along with all this good news I hate to say that we have one piece of sad news to include. After struggling for several years with Alzheimer's, on Tuesday, July 10th, Aunt Mary passed away. She will certainly be missed!!!

***Please let us know if there is updates on you or your part of the family that you would like us to add to the blog.***

Hello All!!!

2007-07-18T10:27:00.000-05:00

The last few months we have really enjoyed going to the blogspots of different family members and friends. After talking about it we have decided to start a blogspot for The Bentley Family.
We are hoping to pick up right where we left off with the "family newsletters".
This will be a fun way to keep up with family news and events.
Hope you all enjoy this site!!!

We will be posting the first blog soon!!!

Thanks!!!
Amanda Mohr