Gosh! It took me a while to catch up with all the posts! My computer had been running so slow for the past few days that I haven't been on line. I THINK I got caught up tonight tho! I was so glad to see some new names too!
Mandi-you want stories? Well, let me tell you, Dad, (Grandpa Jim) and Uncle Pete were the story tellers of the family. Sure wish I had written some of them down. It's too late for me to think "funny" tonight, but I do have something I want to say about Gabbey.
***POST CONTINUED IN COMMENTS (COMMENT #17)...
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I called Mom because I didn't remember this stuff and she said the song was IF YOU REALLY WANT ME TO I'LL GO and the Rondell's put it out about a month after it was sent in.
Sandi, you sure remember things I had forgotten and had to really tax my memory, but I do remember that claim he (Gabby) used to tell it. Also many THANKS for sharing some of the positive things about him. I sure wish he would communicate and come see us sometime. Man (dreaming) suppose he would consider just popping on the cousins re-union????
Lova ya, aint sud
Aint Aud, yeah, that WOULD be a miracle. But miracles DO happen. And Debbey.....you think I make these things up? You gotta check with MOM??? Sheez! Any way, I remember the words now that you wrote the title down.
here's the chorus:
If you really want me to I'll go...
It's not that I want to but I'll go...Don't tell me that it's over, don't tell me that we're thru, cuz if you really want me to I'll go.
I neeeeed you more than you knoooow..oh, ask me to do any thing but go.
I can hardly talk afraid I'll cry,
I can hardly .......????
Then it gets into the mushy part. Maybe I can get it out of my "save" drawer. We had the words, and Jack played the guitar to the tune, (best I could relate it) and Lori sang it when she was 14. I'm pretty sure Jimmie has sang it too. I think I still have the tape. Wouldn't it be a hoot if one of his kids got it, re-played it and it made millions on the music charts? LOL! That would be cool!
Sandi
Wow, it was nice to read what you had to say about Gabbey. I (we) havent heard many stories like that.
I am hoping that he finds a way to come to the reunion. It would be wonderful to see him again.
Are you reading these Dad?
Love,
Orrin
wow that was a cool story :) thanks for sharing. :) Talking about Grandpa made me remember a little story that I remember different than Mom told me (hehe). I remember it as Grandpa was watching me and Teddi (lil' sis) and he layed down on the floor, (I think we was trying to tickle him?)- when his change spilled everywhere...wow so much change!!! and Grandpa always had those half-dollars! We scrambled for it and made it our own, we thought Grandpa was so wonderful to make this game and give us money! hehehehehe then I was visiting Mom (Deb) one night and she was asking if I remember the time Grandpa watched us and we got him down and took his money and wouldn't give it back (hehehehehe!)...she said he was so mad he brought us back to the cafe to her... not same as my own memory of 'wow after giving us money he took us to the cafe and we got ice cream!' hahahaha I love that memory...no matter which way it happened!.......also remember one time when me and Teddi were in the back seat of the car with him he would pop out his teeth in a scary way and "booga-booga!" us making us scream in bloody horror! aiiiiiiiii! I also remember when Grandpa and Grandma EArnie would take us for a long ride out in the country to that place to get catfish...it was the most awesome field trip for me! I could see the fish swimming beneath the ground through the ...for lack of better word.. cage thing... :) I know you guys are probably like ...'ummmm huh?' but i'm just daydreaming and writing... get used to it.. "itz what i do"... :D
umm... want an Aunt Sandi story? hehe... she took me to church here in Bay when I was little... and left me there! :O !! haha but it was still nice that she took me ... doesn't mean i won't let her forget it though hehehehehehe
Mandi is telling the truth. I took her, and left her there! I was relaxing at home when her Mom (Debbey) called, and said "Did you forget anything?" I said "noooooo don't think so". Come to find out, a women from the church noticed Mandi sitting on the church porch crying....and took her home. Gotta tell you, I DID feel bad about that! Honest!
Sandi
Well Orrin, you know yourself....as we get older, we look back and regret a lot of decisions or choices that we have made. I think if he knew he wouldn't have to wear a scarlet letter there may be a chance we can get him there. I don't know how everyone else feels about it, but I would love to see you all together. It would be the right thing to do. I'm glad you liked hearing some of my memories. That made it worth digging in the old memory bank. I DO hope he is reading the blog. All you all seem to have survived, and seem like really great "cuzins", despite what did or didn't happen. I'm proud of you ALL. And I'm so glad to have the opportunity to connect. You know Sarah tried her best to make a connection years ago. He talked so much about all you all....and it was all good stuff! He even tried to take Ruby's daughter under wing. ...just think...called out of the blue trying to find my Dad, and then showed up at our door --from Michigan to Arkansas! That would be a hard thing to do. (you never know what you might find behind those doors!). She tried to keep up with ALL her siblings....and THAT was a BIG job! Any way, like I said, Gabbey had his faults, but thank God he picked good solid mothers for his children! Speaking of which, wonder when Arlene's girls will join us???? I'd love to hear from them, wouldn't you? Jodi stays in touch with Gail because they (Jodi and Gail) married brothers. What's the odd's of THAT happening???!!!
derrr... well he doesn't have to worry bout me seeing scarlet letter cuz i'm in the dark about whatever you guyz are talking about. and...well... cuz i like everyone.. even a**holes and sourpusses cuz ... just cuz... you never know whatz underneath. absolutely i prefer ppl to be not a**holes and sourpusses but anywayz now im getting sidetracked. it is after midnight, im allowed. goodnight.
Hell yeah! More stories Sandi! We done a lot more than survived... heck we been multiplying like crazy up here.... gettin to be a whole passle of us.......... As for Pops, he aint got no scarlet letters that I know of! Didnt they quit doing that, like.... couple hundred years ago? Besides, if and when he shows up, we can arm wrestle again, I'd love to hear him sing and tell stories some more.
Does he know about the blog, the upcoming reunion, how much we would all like to see him?
.... and Mandster... im only a sourputz when enjoying them sour skittles! yummy ^__*
Orrin
I too appreciated the story Sandi! Here's another story about our Dad (Gabbey). When I was little, I would play with this kid named Charlie. Well one day, Charlie had a friend over and they wouldn't play with me. So I was just kind of sulking, in front of my house, when those two decided to ride by and throw rocks at me! I go in the house crying, and my Mom, being the nurturer she was, proceeded to drag me, down to Charlie's house, as I'm crying, and made me beat him up! So I'm in this kids yard crying -- and beating Charlie up, as his mom is yelling at MY Mom, from their door! MY Mom is dropping F-bombs and every other obsentity, known to man, PLEADING with her to just step out of that door! Seems my Mom felt ole' Charlie's Mom was in need of an "attitude" adjustment as well.
I thought that was it. We went back home, where my Dad was watching the World Series -- I still remember the A's were playing. Suddenly there's a knock at the door -- it's Charlie's Dad and to me, he seemed HUGE! So my Dad goes out, and the words start flying! Here I go crying again (I'm starting to see a pattern here!). The last thing I remember was my Dad getting right up in his face & the yelling getting worse. Eventually my Dad came in, looked just like he did when he went out, and I was happy again......until ONE more knock at the door: it's the POLICE!! All I remember from there was my Dad being REALLY pissed as he explained this guy interupted his BASEBALL game! Now that I've told that one -- it seems to me he made my Grandmother move back to Hawaii because of interupting a World Series game!
The moral of the story: don't interupt my Dad during the World Series!
too phunnie! MORE MORE MORE
Orrin
Not really a story, BUT....I swear my Dad told me cousin Jim (who doesn't know this but was my IDOL when I was a kid!)fought Chuck Norris not once, but TWICE! I've had to have told no fewer than 50 people that, over the course of my lifetime. Well, Miss Jodi-kins informed me that it wasn't Chuck, it was someone Chuck TRAINED! I felt like that kid, in Eight Men Out, "Say it ain't so, Jo"!
Doesn't change a thing about a 9-10 year old kid thinking his cousin, "Little" Jim, was the coolest! Now that I'm older, and gotten to know my cousin / sister / new girlfriend Jodi, it seems he's done some way cooler things than whup (is that how you say it, Jodi?)up on old Chuck!
BTW -- does Little Jim have a computer or what??? Just a askin'!
(I think I'ma gettin' the hang of this!)
The origin of "Gabbey".
I visited Uncle Pete and Aunt Tressie about 1993 and stayed for a week or two. We had a great visit and I have very fond memories of my time with them. Uncle Pete was quite a bit older than my father, Gabbey. Evidently he and the other siblings would have to baby sit him when he was a snot nosed kid. Uncle Pete's version of baby sitting was to put him in a movie theater and tell him not to leave the theater until Uncle Pete got back. The best way to do that was to take him when there was a Gabbey Hayes western, which he loved. He would sit there for hours and watch the same movie over and over. He loved Gabbey Hayes so much it became his nickname. Incidentally, that must have been a great bargain for Uncle Pete because I think movies in those days were like a penny or a nickel.
Cory--you and Jodi have that kindred spirit thing going on--don't ya! She's a real nut once she gets comfortable around ya. You know she was so much younger than us (her siblings), that her nieces were more like cousins cuz her cousins were all so much older...cept for you and Gail #2. She always says telling family stories aren't fair to her because we all know more about her as a kid. We need to get her daughter Brennah on here too! She's a real sweet heart.
As for Jimmie...yeah, he is a pretty neat guy. Gabbey had a lot of influence on him because they were so competitive. I think Jimmie worked so hard on playing the guitar and singing because of it. He is REALLY good. He has really done a lot with his life and we are all so proud of him. His son Asa is a great kid too. Jimmie's son Asa and Jodi's daughter Brennah are both seniors in High School this year. Really smart kids. Jimmie has a grandson named Ransom ....seems like the family names are running backwards! (Ransom was Asa's Dad..the Asa from the civil war). Which I'm sure Sarah gave everyone the story of the civil war Asa, right????
I never knew that! That's too funny! I have a similar story.
When Dad (Gabby) & my Mom were still married, they were musicians. One night, they had a gig and left me with a baby sitter. When they came to pick me up, the sitter was like, "Your son Mark was very good" -- or something of that nature. I LOVED the "Rifleman" - whose son was named, you guessed it...MARK!
Hey -- I didn't say it was a great story....
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I don't know what happened to his life, but I know that when Debbey, Jimmie and I were young, (pre-Jodi era)and he first got home from the army, he stayed with us for a while. (well, actually we stayed with us "several" whiles!) I have to tell you that he was very good to us kids at that time. He made us feel like grown ups....either that, or he just acted like a kid (I'll leave that to ya'll to decide!) Any way, I remember he was really proud of himself for learning how to "bake" in the army and the first thing he did was make us a chocolate cake. Mom and Dad worked around the clock and we didn't get to see them very often. Gabbey would take us to town on the weekends and let each of us pick out a toy. I don't know if Mom and Dad gave him the money or what...didn't care at the time--all I wanted was a new toy. Jimmie and I always got a TOY...Debbey always got a "Nancy Drew" book. He also took us horse back riding, but the best thing was that he would take us to the restaurant to see Mom and Dad.
I remember very well Jimmie getting a race car set for Christmas. He and Gabbey raced all the time. They were VERY competitive. Jimmie seemed to be winning all the races, and one day while we were at school, Gabbey took the motor out of Jimmie's car and put it in his. Naturally as soon as we got home from school, Jimmie couldn't wait to race cars again. He was totally dumb-founded when Gabbey won the race. Well, I don't remember how, but it didn't take long before Jimmie busted Gabbey about the motor. Whew! he was MAD!!!
Gabbey also taught us how to play cards, and how to cheat at cards. Actually, I don't think he taught us to cheat, I think we figured out HE was cheating, and Jimmie and I began to do the same. We would pass each other cards under the table with our toes! (and still do it).
I also remember Gabbey trying to write some songs, and he and Mom were sitting in the floor in the living room and Mom helped him write words to a song. Can't think of the name right now, but I've got it on tape some where. Gabbey sent it in to see if it was good enough to get a record, and before long.....we heard it playing on the radio! Come to find out it WAS good enough.....but the record company gave it to a new band to produce since there was no copy right on it! Boy.....EVERYONE was mad about that.
Now, here's the craziest thing....every time Gabbey had a new gig at a night club, Mom and Dad would take us along to here him sing. Didn't seem strange then, but looking back now I have to wonder HOW and WHY we were "kids" in a night club! LOL! But we thought it was great. Gabbey used to end his gig with a song put out by Elvis Presley...."My Way", and I remember Gabbey would introduce the song as, "I'm going to sing "My Way....MY WAY". I always thought that was pretty cool. I really think he was good enough to go pro, just never got the break he needed. Life in night clubs are tough. I think it took it's toll on him.
I have no idea why his life turned out the way it did, but I do know that he had some very special children. I'm very anxious to meet you all (even tho I've met all of ya'll at least once....but most when you all were very young (and by the way, I was "kinda" young too! ) Any way can't wait to see the grown up versions of ya'll. So if he didn't do too many things right, at least he gave us cousins! Hope everyone gets to come!
And for the rest of my cousins,aunts, uncles, and of course my siblings and Mom, you all know you are special to me to0! We really do have a great family .....so let's all make it to this reunion and leave no doubt! And if you are reading the posts but haven't joined in yet, please get aboard! We'd love to hear from you.
Love, Sandi
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