In my genealogical research, I have learned that my family is a typical American melting pot of ethnic origins! Our ancestors hail from Denmark, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, and Switzerland—at least. As we are preparing for our own Easter celebration, I was wondering how similar or how different some of my ancestor’s traditions might have been.
Our own traditions include attending church as we were raised Protestant and believe that Easter represents the death and the rising of Jesus Christ, Son of God, to save us all from our sins and to give us eternal life. It is basically, the basis of our Faith, and, is such an important time in the life of Christians. We celebrate Easter with a long season of Lent. However, Holy Week is marked with Maundy Thursday Communion in church on the Thursday before Easter Sunday. This communion celebrates the Lord’s last supper with his disciples. On Good Friday, we gather at church to mourn the death of Christ upon the cross. Our own church holds a “Tenebrae service of Shadows”. One of our daughters will sing special music with the choir, “One Sacrifice”. The service itself begins with 14 lighted candles in the sanctuary, and as Christ walks his final passion, each candle is extinguished to signify his abandonment. Easter Sunday, we gather to celebrate the joy of Christ’s resurrection and His salvation for each of us individually throughout the whole world. This is an astounding day for many of us faith wise!
Part of the joy of Easter at our house is gathering with family and friends for dinner. Many in the United States serve ham for this dinner with other spring vegetables especially like asparagus and carrots for the Easter bunny. Surely you see turkey and beef as well. My own sister, however, serves a Crown Roast of Lamb every Easter without fail! Bunny rabbit salads made of half pears are a treat for our family.
Since our family includes young grandchildren, an Easter egg hunt is in order for the day! Of course, we give the children Easter baskets full of trinkets, chocolate, and other candy. We hard boil and decorate Easter eggs as well. In our own family, we often hide the baskets and the children have to follow clues to find them!
This is one way to hunt eggs! -grandchildren of author, personal library, HY Holshouser.
Grandchildren visiting the Easter Bunny—from the personal library of this author, H Y Holshouser.
What about our Hogue ancestors from Scotland? I understand that they especially were sheepherders and that their and most Scottish Easter dinners include roasted lamb! As with us in America, chocolate is the taste of the day! Dessert might be chocolate cake and coffee! Chocolate eggs and bunnies are ever present for both! Easter egg hunts, horse displays, and battle reenactments make for fun and festive occasions. Of course, churches throughout Scotland hold special Easter services like ours, to celebrate Christ’s rising from death and giving us the grace of salvation. We had many ministers, mainly Presbyterian, in our Hogue family. In fact, we are told that our first immigrant from Scotland was a Covenanter. A covenanter was one of the many Scottish people who fought against the Catholics for the right to have their own personal covenant with God. In fact, his persecution by the Catholics apparently led to his flight to America.
Our Kearse family from Ireland and the same ancient family, the Des Cearsais of France, how did they celebrate Easter? The French word for Easter is Pâques. To say Happy Easter, you can say “Joyeuses Pâques“ or “Bonnes Pâques.” According to my general research, Easter is an important holiday in France also. It is a religious one, and a lively, fun time with Easter egg hunts to honor the coming of Spring. Like Ireland, roast lamb is the choice for a large family meal. In Ireland, it is also an important religious holiday as well, with many traditions. Confession on Good Friday, silence on the Saturday before Easter lends to a meditative state. Eggs take center stage on Easter as they are given up for the forty days of lent by many. Chocolate eggs, decorated eggs—all symbolizing Spring, new beginnings, renewal and joy!
What about the Langhornes and others from England? Among many lovely and fun Easter traditions, Easter parades are one of the greatest. Children and adults don new clothes for good luck, and often children make elaborate paper hats to wear as they march in their local town parades! Fun! Egg rolling, hot cross buns, Simnel cake, Morris dancing, and so much more contradicts the vision of the staid Englishmen and women!
Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancing Princess Royal
Our marvelous Italian ancestors and relatives add so much spirit to our family. The Bottos, Raffos, Rivaros, Costas, DeSantos, and more, mostly originate in the coastal area of northwestern Italy, near Genoa. Italy of course, is home to the Vatican, and the place for the pilgrimage of so many Catholics on Easter. My mother’s Italian ancestors were Catholic as well. Mass on Good Friday in St. Peter’s Basilica is followed by the Pope leading a candlelight procession on a walk symbolizing Christ’s walk to the cross. Our own church reenacts this walk to the cross, and we are protestants.
St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City, – Own work, Permission details Quote of http://fam-tille.de/italien/rom/2004_030.html – Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this images under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or any later version published
As I understand it from relatives, northern Italian Easter feasts often feature ham, like us! Interesting. Of course, salami is a big choice as well. Colomba, a dove shaped cake, made of almonds, egg whites, and sugar, is probably the most famous cake and available worldwide these days.
Colomba Pasquale, An Italian Sweet bread J.P.Lon~commonswiki
What about our German Jungbluts—Youngbloods? And my husband’s Haulzhausen—Holshouser family? According to a wonderful article from DW –Deutsche Welle — http://www.dw.com/en/german-easter-traditions/a-1520904 — the Germans of course, also celebrate a religious holiday like most Christians.
“Although mainly a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, Easter also marks the beginning of spring. The Germans, of course, have a whole range of customs and traditions to celebrate the change of seasons in proper fashion.
A time for eggs and bunnies
Eggs and bunnies are two of the oldest symbols of Easter in Germany and every spring shops boom with eggs and bunnies made of chocolate, cardboard or flowers in different sizes and wrappings.
The tradition for using eggs and bunnies for Easter originates from pagan worshipping where they were symbols of fertility and new birth and traditionally used for celebrations of the coming of the spring.
The Germans have a number of egg games which the children play over the holidays. One tradition is to blow eggs and paint them in multiple colours and patterns on Good Friday. The eggs are then put in a basket for the Easter bunny — Osterhase— to hide around the house on the night leading up to Easter Sunday. On the morning of Easter Sunday, the children go hunting for the eggs and often find that the Easter bunny has also left chocolate eggs and Easter presents for them to find.
It is also a custom that friends exchange the painted eggs as gifts or that young people in love paint eggs for their sweetheart.” Now that is a different tradition, which I find so special and romantic!
For the Netherlands and our Van Vreeland, Van Swol, Voorhees, and Banta families, what was Easter like for them? According to many articles, they celebrate much the way we do…. or we celebrate much the way they do! One of our favorite meals is a festive brunch and apparently, it is theirs as well: eggs, cheese, ham, rolls…and did I say eggs? The Dutch also take great pride in providing the thousands of tulips to decorate St. Peter’s in Rome for the Pope’s Easter service. Wow! Back home, they are also known for their beautiful painted eggs. However, they do not have the Easter bunny, but the “Paashaas“, the Easter hare!
Our ancestors represent many more countries and traditions from around the world, but as you and I can readily see, we are more alike than different. This Easter, as I pray, and as I play, I will have a keener sense of connectedness due to my genealogical research, and our worldwide collaboration.
Until we meet again, Helen Youngblood Holshouser
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In this the second part of honoring the high school teachers in our family, I have some more very interesting people to introduce to you! One is a retired English teacher so that I’d better watch my dangling participles! Continuing in alphabetical order by last name we’ll be saluting a science teacher first.
Martha Powell Beck Holshouser, wife of my husband Max’s first cousin, John Alton Holshouser, is a retired Science teacher who was married to a farmer. She worked on the farm and helped raise prize-winning show cattle, as well as reared three wonderful, smart and kind sons– all married, some with children of their own! Besides her busy schedule and teaching responsibilities, Martha has helped organize the Holshouser family reunion for 4o years!
In 1973, Martha graduated from Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, North Carolina. She then taught for 30 years! Fifteen of those years were spent teaching science at Erwin Junior High School, and 15 at East Rowan High School. Both schools are located in Salisbury, North Carolina. Martha taught science all of those years! She taught Physical Science, Earth Science, Environmental Science, and Chemistry! I know Martha well, and she is a doer, a go getter. I bet those students who had her for a teacher knew they were blessed to have such a knowledgeable teacher. She is an enthusiastic person whose positive spirit is catching! Congratulations on a wonderful career and family and thank you for teaching our leaders of tomorrow how to problem solve!
Sharon Lynn was my friend first, we were neighbors and 
gardeners together when we discovered our kinship though my genealogical research! We are cousins through my mother’s family, Beard, Reynolds, and Pierce through the Houchins, and the Clements all the way back to Jamestown! Sharon is a retired English teacher married to a retired Woodworking teacher. However, although they are retired from teaching, both of them work full time. Sharon went back to school after retirement and earned her CNA so that she could work with seniors, helping them remain in their homes. Sharon is a force to be reckoned with! Intelligent, creative, energetic even driven at times, she is dedicated to her clients and works diligently to make them happy and comfortable. It is easy to see why she still has former students who call her and ask for her advice. She lives here in North Carolina, taught in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, and has students calling her from California! She is a strong advocate who goes the extra mile to help students and friends through life, as well as school. Sharon is a talented craftsperson also, making wreaths, cloth flowers, quilts, and costumes among other things. She and her husband facilitated the staging of plays and events for their church for many years. Over the years, they have kept a sick parent in their home and have helped support and care for their chronically ill adult son . The old adage, “ask a busy person” comes to mind when I think of my dynamic cousin Sharon!
My younger cousin Stephanie Williamson Nicklin is the next teacher I want to honor. Stephanie is my first cousin once removed through the Kearse, Houchins, Langhorne family lines. Her Mom Claudia was my first cousin with her mother and my mother being Kearse sisters. Stephanie comes from a family of educators with her father a teacher and principal, and her sister plus many cousins and Aunts and Uncles being teachers. Stephanie lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia which is where she teaches Biology in the High Schools. She is assigned to different schools as a part-time instructor. Just think of all the more students whose lives she touches that way! She has two teenagers at home, and a husband who is a leader and instructor on the SWAT team of the police force.
–source, depositphotos.com
I know Stephanie well, and I take my hat off to her every day! She is a friendly, strong, smart, and kind individual whose enthusiasm and energetic approach to life never seem to wane! The students of Virginia Beach are so lucky to have her influence in their lives, although they may not realize that until later in life. I stand in awe of her ability to organize so well and cope with the dangers of her husband’s career while coping with teens and her own career. Way to go Stephanie, you rock! The sign below is one she loves, and that tells us just about all we need to know about the positive person she is–one who builds people up, doesn’t tear them down!
Betty Spangler Smith is the first of two Spanger/Langhorne family member cousins I want to acknowledge. Betty is a retired Latin and Spanish teacher in High School who taught full time 33 years, and has been substituting for the last seven! She taught Latin levels 1-5, and AP Latin as well as Spanish levels 1 and 2. She also taught an Introduction to Foreign Languages class. What a rigorous career! What a great opportunity to expand the minds, abilities, even the worlds of so many students! Research shows that learning a foreign language is good for our brains–creating new learning pathways. We also know it allows us to communicate with many other cultures at home and around the world. Thank you Betty for giving our children this opportunity–for training our leaders of tomorrow!
Betty is also an excellent genealogical researcher. I had the opportunity to hear her speak at a family reunion last year and loved it! She told of the history of the family, and anecdotal stories for all of us to enjoy. It was so great to see this dedicated teacher in action!
Betty is also the supervisor of the Credit Union at her old high school, a job she really loves! She explains, “We are the only high school in our district that has a credit union! I work with 4 students who get community service time for helping me, and they get banking experience, so it’s a win-win situation for all! The kids I have are juniors or seniors and since we have some days of no customers, it really gives me a chance to get to know the 4 who work with me.” You know she is a genuine, caring teacher when you hear her say, as I did the other day, that it almost makes her cry to think of not interacting with students everyday when she truly retires again- possibly next year! Your influence will go on forever dear Betty.
My own mother required me to take Latin in High School. She impressed upon me the importance and helpfulness of learning this classical language in developing my vocabulary and knowledge of words. I have Mom and my Latin teachers to thank that I now know these Latin phrases and enjoy using them!
One thing anyone who knows our family, from one end to another, has to admit is that we have incredibly talented, intelligent, and dedicated people in our group. The fact that many have chosen education for their careers, only speaks more highly of our values. Epitomizing those character traits is 
Harriet Ann Caldwell Spangler who retired after 35 years of teaching all levels of High School Mathematics! She taught 7 years in Kentucky, and 28 years in Florida! Harriet actually taught Physics as well, but her favorite was always geometry with algebra running a close second! Harriet’s leadership skills were well recognized as she served as the Math Department Chairperson for many years at Newberry High School in Alachua County just west of Gainesville, Florida. What a career! When I look back at my own High School career, geometry was one of my favorite subjects as well, and I loved my math teachers all the way through school. I have no doubt that Harriet Spangler inspired many, many students to make the most of their lives. Teachers are our first line counselors, guidance counselors, and instructors–when are we going to let them know how strongly we value them!
When I asked Harriet about how she and Otto met, she told me such a sweet and touching story, that I thought I’d share her words with you!
“Otto and I were high school sweethearts. We met on the tennis courts near my home when I was 13 and he was 14. He was there playing with a friend and I too was there with my girl friend. It started pouring down rain, and his friend offered my friend a ride home, and Otto offered to take me home on his motor bike. He sat up on the tank and I sat behind him. By the time we got home, his shirt was soaked, so I invited him in and mother dried his shirt by hanging it in front of the oven. We listened to 45 RPM records, and talked while it dried. Otto tells that when he went home to eat lunch, he told his parents that he met the girl today that he wanted to marry. It took a few more years to convince me. We were married when I was 19 and he was 20, and had been married for 57 years when he passed away. Fifty-seven wonderful years.”
Harriet and Otto attended Carson-Newman University near Knoxville, Tennessee. Since her husband was a year ahead of her, Harriet decided to quit college–NOT! She decided she needed to finish college in three years so that she could go with him when he attended seminary in Louisville, Ky! She went to summer school and carried some heavy loads of classwork–they both graduated in 1958! Harriet graduated with honors! That same drive and determination carried her though life in raising her family, teaching her classes, and in helping Otto with his ministry to their community. What a wonderful woman and a wonderful teacher—whose life sets an example for us all!
Together she and Otto raised three children, Chuck (Otto Jr.), Elizabeth, and Victor, who have become the kindest, most considerate adults who could ever make a parent proud! Otto was the Baptist Campus Minister at the University of Florida. When he died recently, there was an outpouring of love for him and for Harriet that was awe inspiring and let us know just how much this couple has touched their whole community. Harriet continues to lead her family through their grief, and to keep the faith she and her husband believed in so strongly! Harriet shared this video with us recently via facebook, and I thought it a blessing to share with all of you as she has blessed so many.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of our high school teachers! It is surely not enough, but please know it is worth more than diamonds to our youth and our society! We are thankful to God for your gifts and your talents and for placing you with us and in our world! As we honor more educators, we will turn the spotlight on our Principals and on our Professors and Instructors in our colleges and universities. How exciting!
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High School is a whole different world from Elementary and Middle School. Students– some, are thinking about careers and college. Some are thinking about girls…or boys! Hormones are raging, anger spills over easily, there’s driving, dancing, and football! There are the shy introverts, and the wide open extroverts –and then there are teachers and principals! Bravest of all souls on earth! We have at least twelve high school teachers in our family and two principals, plus one assistant principal already recognized!
I have to start with my most favorite high school teacher in the world of course–my husband, Max Holshouser. After teaching for twelve years, Max retired almost two years ago now. Max earned a BA in Industrial Arts Education at North Carolina State University and has taught woodworking as well as his other subjects. Although trained as a teacher, Max spent 25 years as a mechanical designer in industry. He designed things like the mechanical components for uninterruptible power supply sources, and million dollar pharmaceutical bottle filling 
machines! When he decided to teach, he brought all of that experience into his classroom. He taught drafting, Computer Assisted Drafting to be exact. He also taught Architecture and Engineering honors classes at Wakefield High School in Wake County, NC. Max taught woodworking in a community college setting and to middle schoolers along the way. It was always interesting for me to visit his school and classroom and see the high esteem his peers and his students had for him. Everywhere we went were students speaking to him, “Hi Mr. H.! What do you think of this! Look what I did!” After they graduated, several students got in touch to let him know how things were going in college. Recognizing my bias on his behalf, I wrote an in-depth blog post about Max previously, so if you’d like to see some of his woodworking you can at this 3 part post: Max Alexander Holshouser, Family Man and Extraordinary Craftsman.
Architectural model built from CAD design in classroom of Max Holshouser, abt. 2012
I think it is so great to find out what family has been doing and to learn more about them! With that in mind, I want to tell you about more of the high school teachers in our family both past and present! I will present them in alphabetical order according to their surnames!
A cousin through my Scottish Hogue family, Claire Fallon is a young woman I have known all of her life! Her mother and I were college roommates discovering we were cousins after I got involved in genealogical research in my 60’s. I have had the honor of watching Claire grow up and become this amazing teacher! From childhood on, Claire was very independent and creative. She developed into a strong individual with philosophies of life well-defined. She was blessed in my opinion, to grow up in Hawaii having been born in Pennsylvania, and to have spent her early childhood in North Carolina. In Hawaii I believe, she embraced a healthy lifestyle, danced and became interested in theatre and yoga. She earned a BA from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. She also took extensive training in yoga at the Yandara Yoga Institute on the Baja Peninsula in Mexico.
In 2010, this courageous young woman opened and taught in a school for yoga and meditation. The school was named The Culebra Institute of Yoga and was located on the beautiful island of Culebra, Puerto Rico. Amazingly, when Claire moved back to Hawaii in 2014, she opened a branch of this school in Honolulu! She then became a business tycoon as well as a teacher at heart. Loving theatre and dance still, Claire took a position teaching both of these at St. Andrew’s Priory School in 
Honolulu, Hawaii which includes grades K-12! Claire teaches music and movement to K-5, and directs theater productions in 6-12. She is currently directing an all female Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, and she and the students are very excited about it! Just look at a typical day in the life of this dynamic young educator:
“Started off my morning with some meditation and yoga, taught 4 classes of music and movement for young children, led a status acting workshop for older kids, went snorkeling and saw a school of unicorn fish, watched a sunset on the beach, got take out from Shaloha, and in bed before 9pm! That’s a day well lived!”
Last year Claire taught a sunset yoga class at the Yoga School of Kailua, in Kailua, Honolulu County, Hawaii. In October, 2015, Claire will start teaching a new yoga class through her new endeavor called Clarity Yoga. You can find information about Clarity Yoga on facebook , just click on the name.
Just in case you were hoping Claire would do more for you and our world, she does! Claire is the owner/consultant of Hawaii Green Living. Through her efforts there she teaches people to live a healthier life and to decrease their footprint on our earth. You rock Claire! We are so proud of you and your efforts to make the world a better place.
Susan Elswick Ferrell is part of our extended Spangler family. She is officially retired from teaching in high school, but like many teachers, continues because she loves the students and the job. Susan has had an amazing career. She started college herself at Southern West Virginia Community College then finished at West Virginia University Institute of Technology with a degree in Mathematics Education in 1977. In 2004 Susan earned her Masters Degree from University of Phoenix in Technology and Curriculum.
Susan’s career varied as well from beginning to end with some amazing peaks and valleys of course. Just after finishing college, Susan taught remedial classes for college students at her alma mater. After that she taught 7th grade Math and coached cheerleading at Summerville Junior High School. Then she taught Special Education on the Junior High level for three years. She began to teach in high school and loved it. Moving to Montgomery, WV. and Valley High School, she taught every 
Math course offered there and some computer programming for the rest of her high school career, retiring in 2011. However, that is not all she did–she was the advisor for the yearbook most of her time at Valley High School and loved it. She coached cheerleaders for a few years. As well as all of that, on a county-wide level, she piloted the computer grading system and taught it in the different schools. Awesome!
Even while teaching in high school, Susan also taught part-time at West Virginia Tech. During eight summers Susan taught “Upward Bound” programs which encourage children from low-income or low opportunity situations to learn that they can succeed in college and beyond. Since retiring she has continued to teach part-time, two courses a semester where she has generally taught developmental math, or Finite Math.
What an amazing career with many mixed experiences as well. We know that Susan was an extraordinary teacher also, because in 2006, she was chosen Secondary Teacher of the Year not only from her own school, but also from the whole of Fayette County, West Virginia! I am not surprised that they were as proud of her as her extended family is! You know Susan was an excellent teacher when she states emphatically that “It’s all about the kids!” and says she misses them since retirement! That’s a teacher to love!
We have many more high school teachers in our family tree, some who came before us and laid the groundwork for our family. I will have the joy of telling their stories in the next post. I can hardly wait to hear what some of you think of these three incredible teachers! We are blessed with talent in our families!
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Helen with grandchildren Liam 7, and Katy 3, being silly.
I love life! I am at such an interesting stage in my life right now, (retired, disabled, too dependant for my liking) that it’s fun to stand back and analyze a bit. As a teen and young adult college student I was busy achieving and playing…like most of us at that age. Fun was my middle name.
Then I married and became a responsible adult with children of my own and a profession. I taught community seminars on parenting for heaven’s sake, who does that who actually has children! LOL I lived in fear of my children throwing a temper tantrum at the grocery store! LOL Not my kids, they were perfect! LOL My husband and I were active in church, PTA, Band Boosters…Scouts…you name it, we did it! LOL We lived through, and lived with dying parents, such a sad time for all of us.
Then we lived through Max and I turning 50 and falling apart, so young! His open heart surgery was a fix and he has remained the rock and engine of our family with his mechanical heart valve! Mine however, was experimental because I couldn’t be fixed, and yet, although predicted to die in five years, here I am 17 years later–looking forward to more! Everyday, I am thankful that I married Max who cares for me and opens my world. Our kids are grown and add joy to our lives in different ways.
Annie learned well from her Dad all about baking…but she went further as kids are wont to do…and is an amateur pastry chef now.
Ali, our musician, is a mother of three kids from 17 months to 7! Can you say BUSY?! 
Still, with life and sickness…comes hobbies and interests that make our lives thrive. Max’s woodworking, my Red Hatters, genealogy and our gardening more often fill our days. 
But then there are the surprises…
Six weeks or so ago a good friend and I piled into her car and joined my sister on a garden tour in Virginia! On this tour, I got to see the church my grandparents met in just after the Civil War! Can you believe it! Wheelchair dependant, there I was, having a fancy lunch at the premier Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia with my sister, friend, and reuniting with old highschool friends, an unexpected blessing. 
Last week we were in the midst of a hot-air balloon festival! So beautiful, so majestic, so peaceful!
Last night, I was at Falls Lake State Park here in Raleigh, NC with all of our immediate family and extended family from South Carolina. My grandkids, ages 7, 3, and 17 months, provide unbounded joy in their enthusiastic enjoyment of the moment! Sticks become swords or magic wands, sand and water become a huge playground of exuberance! Showers of sand, splashes of water, running, jumping, tumbling…oh to be a child with this kind of freedom on a summer evening again! Fireflies…lightening bugs…oh my gracious..they are magical for a child and adults! Campfires, hamburgers and hot dogs, roasting marshmallows! We met other campers also, hiking/rolling trails, and just enjoying the weather….campers are generally friendly, helpful people with interesting lives of their own of course. How much fun to meet strangers who are living next door or across the way in that tent or RV.
Last week, my last beautiful Iris bloomed, this week the daylilies are opening their cheerful colors to our days! The morning glories are singing, and yesterday, my first magnolia blossom opened! Tonight it looks like I’ll get to watch the first moonflower of this season quiver its way open and perfume the night!
Life….it is….enjoy! Thank you God.
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Helen with grandchildren Liam and Katy
I’ll never forget the high school orchestra concert when I first heard my daughter Ali play the xylophone in concert. We were used to seeing her play the marching bells in the Marching Band, and used to hearing her playing piano at home, while she played timpani and other percussion instruments in the orchestra. But this night was special, as they spotlighted her solo on the xylophone! She played the Flight of the Bumble Bees! If you have never heard this song, give a listen to the recording below. It is so fast, oh my gracious, you could hardly see the mallets moving they were flying so fast as she struck the keys! As a mother, I’m pretty sure, my mouth fell open, LOL, and I sat up a bit straighter–why are we so often the least prepared to know how talented our children are? Perhaps because to us they are children, our children forever. When they excel, its like…”My child, when, how, what?” I have been extremely blessed in that I have two daughters, Ali and Annie, who play multiple instruments and both sing! Music has always been a large part of our lives and a joy for our family. (I’m sure you noticed, but just in case, this is not a video tape of our daughter playing the xylophone, but somone else from youtube. We do have a vhs recording, but we have yet to get it changed to a more usuable format, so sad! Hope you enjoy the above.)
What brings you and your family joy?
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Goggle Earth view of Cinderella’s Castle at Disney World, 2015
Walt Disney World in Florida, USA–is there a more magical place on earth?! We don’t think so, and our family has had some very special adventures there over the last 45 years! Yes! I said 45 years, Max and I got to go to Disney World for a preview in December, 1970, a full ten months before they officially opened in October, 1971! We had gone down to visit his cousin Ronnie Kennerly who was a police officer in Jacksonville, Florida. Disney had invited the law enforcement officers to come visit, and Max and I got to go also! We had no idea the magnitude of what we were seeing, nor of how privileged we were to see it before it opened to the public! All we knew was that our 21 year-old selves loved it and thought it was magical for sure!
By 1989, Max and I realized our first child, Ali was 15 and our second child Annie was 7, and we had not taken them to Disney World yet! How had we let this happen! Off we went for our great adventure! Then in 2005, our daughter Annie did an internship at Disney World for her Hospitality and Tourism Degree at Appalachian State University. While she lived at Disney for eight months, we went down to visit her during the Christmas holidays that year. The family now included Greg Orcutt as Ali had gotten married in 2001. Max and I have not been to Disney World since that 2005 trip, but in nine days, our daughter Ali and her family, Greg and three kids 7, 3, and 15 months are taking the plunge and touring the wonderful world of Disney, I can hardly wait to see pictures!
Look at the difference in tickets alone between when we went in 1989, and for Ali and her family to go now in 2015! While we used paper tickets, treasures in our family scrap books, Ali and her family will wear electronic bracelets, called Magic Bands, which they will scan to get in, proving they have previously bought their admission tickets. The bands not only replace the tickets to the parks, but also room keys, charges to the room, and fast passes for rides. How cool is that!
In 1989, Max and I stayed off campus in a condominium. It was lovely, but we decided it would be easier to stay in a Disney Resort if you had kids. When our children and grandchildren go next week, they will be staying on Disney. To this day, I remember how lovely it was to visit Disney World. From the moment we parked and entered Disney, we were met and catered to by Disney cast members who saw to our every whim–with a smile! If that alone didn’t put a smile on your face, surely the parades, the Castle, the riverboat where we had breakfast with Mickey, Minnie and all the characters–to the Broadway play we saw in the Contemporary Resort, every moment was awesome, for us adults and the kids! We rode rides, and visited backstage at Disney MGM Studios to see how movies were made. Back at Magic Kingdom, we actually had lunch with Cinderella in the Castle, an event we had signed up for six months ahead of time! To this day, Annie remembers seeing her favorite Princess and that when lunch was over, Cinderella said, “I have to go now, because I have to go feed the Prince!” That amazed 7-year-old Annie! The days and nights were filled with parades, fireworks, oh my, and we shopped ’til we dropped! We left Disney thinking what a fabulous trip we had.
In May 2005 through January 2006, our daughter Annie completed the Disney College Program (an internship) at Walt Disney World! During that time she took classes at Disney College, became a cast member and worked at Pop Century Resort in retail and in the food court. She also had the opportunity to work special events like the Food and Wine Festival and Star Wars Weekends. She even joined the cast choir which allowed us to hear her sing along with celebrities on Christmas Eve in Epcot Center! We had never been to Disney at Christmas time, and the sight took my breath away! Luxurious greenery and decorations covered every door, arch, and window! By then, I was sick and using a wheelchair. Getting on and off the monorail, getting in and out of plays, restaurants, stores–always, ALWAYS there was someone to lend a hand and see that my needs were met! My life might have been stressful for me and my family at home, but at Disney World, being handicapped brought support beyond belief, so that only joy remained! Annie learned the ins and outs of Disney, including the underground, cast only, tunnels to get them from one place to another. With all the normal trials of working at a place that large and busy, Annie finished still loving Disney, and having made a lifelong friend. A sick Mom, and the eminent birth of her nephew, persuaded Annie to come home, but she has always considered returning for a career at Disney. She is a family person, true, but she is a Disney girl as well. One of our cousins calls her “Disney Girl” in fact–a nickname she loves!
I want to share with you some pictures and a video from the Candlelight Processional which they have at Epcot Center every Christmas season. If you are ever at Disney during the Christmas season, you might find this as awe-inspiring as I did. I will never forget the trumpets, the candlelight procession, and the beautiful voices raised in praise that night in 2005, including our daughter Annie’s voice.
Being the amateur genealogist that I am , I cannot close this post without sharing with you that I discovered that my husband and children are actually related to Walt Disney himself! The relationship chart, showing that they are 9th cousins, 3x removed looks like this:
Forty-five years of trips to Walt Disney World includes my daughter Ali and her family’s trip this coming week. I can hardly wait to hear about my grandchildren’s first trip to Disney and to add some of their pictures to our collection.
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© April 22, 2015
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I have been blogging for a couple years now, mostly genealogical in nature. A couple weeks ago, my 7 year old, first grader, grandson Liam and his class at school started blogging! I was very surprised, and thrilled! Another writer in the family! Of couse, don’t tell him that, he’ll tell you quickly he’s going to be a State Park Ranger like his Papa!
Liam is the son of my daughter Ali and her husband Greg Orcutt. Liam is a nickname, named for his Great-Grandfather William Donald Brown, and his Great- Uncle William Donald Brown II, called Bill (Greg’s mother–Kaysie Brown’s father and brother). So three in a row we have William, Bill, now Liam, all from the same name! I think that is very cool! A wonderful tribute to beloved family members as well.
Liam does so many wonderful and fun things, as you can see from above, but today, I wanted to share his blog with you. It is on a site for his school, not available to the general public. However, he was kind enough to let me repost his blog posts!
Liam’s Blog Thursday night, me and my sister got new shoes. I thought mine were best!
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March 30, 2015, 4:05 pm
“My Base”
I built a new base on “Disney Infinity.” It has a hiding place. I made a world for it myself.
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April 7, 2015, 4:50pm
Walt Disney World
My family is going to Disney World. We are so, so , SO excited. I ‘m really excited to go to Star Tours and Animal Kingdom.
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Katy turned 3 on January 21, 2015, Princess cupcake cake made by Aunt Annie Holshouser was a hit!
Kathryn Marie Orcutt, called Katy, my precious granddaughter, lights up our lives with her sweetness and joy. She is the daughter of Gregory Orcutt and Alexandra Kathryn Orcutt, my daughter.
When she is sitting calmly by herself –sometimes, you can hear her singing her current favorite song–“Everything is Awesome!”
“Look at me! First I pulled all the videos off the shelf, then I climbed right up and leaned, fell, jumped over to the back of the chair! Now, how am I going to get down?! Help, Mommy! “
Katy is a daredevil too, however, so she keeps us on the edge of our seats! She loves to climb and nothing is too daunting for her! She once tried to climb the long chain hanging down from a stained glass lamp and pulled the treasured lamp, made by her Granddaddy, right out of the ceiling! Thank heavens, she wasn’t hurt, nor was the lamp, miraculously!
Graceful flower girl in her Aunt Amy Orcutt Pickering’s wedding.
Katy is named after several beloved family members– first and foremost, her mother Ali, Alexandra Kathryn Holshouser Orcutt. We also have my beloved cousin Kathryn Youngblood Fuller, and my mother’s sister Katherine named after her mother–my maternal grandmother Katherine Steptoe Houchins Kearse/Kerse (called Kate) . These are some of the treasured family members her parents were thinking of when they named her Katy.
Her middle name Marie, is just as, or even more prevalent in our family. Max Holshouser, my husband, Ali’s father, Katy’s granddaddy–his mother was Helen Marie Wagner Holshouser. Helen Marie named her daughter Brenda Marie, Max’s sister. Brenda named one of her three daughters Patrice Marie, Patrice had Amanda Marie, who has Paisley Marie! That’s five generations of Marie’s in Ali’s father’s family!
I also had an Aunt Helen Marie Youngblood Webb, who had a daughter Grace Marie Webb Wingo , and a granddaughter through her son Philip named Maria Webb. In the South, we love family legacies, and family names, it makes genealogy harder, but it is a loving tribute.
Katy pretends she can fly as she jumps off the sofa, fairy wings held high!
Katy was a premature baby like both of her siblings. She was 6 weeks early, and had to be in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for about three weeks. That was an extremely stressful time! Every developmental milestone she reaches, counting, recognizing letters, talking– is duly noted by her mom, and her psychologist grandmother! We are very aware of the concerns–possible leaning difficulties. So far she is meeting or exceeding every developmental milestone, counts and knows all her letters, and even laughs at her grandmother’s jokes!
Katy’s current favorite joke is this one which sends her off into peals of laughter!
Knock Knock
Who’s there
Banana 
Banana who…
Knock Knock
Who’s there
Banana
Banana who…
Knock Knock
Who’s there
Banana
Banana who…
(This bit can go on for some time!!)
Knock Knock
Who’s there
Orange
Orange who…
Orange you glad I didn’t say banana again!! 
She even likes to tell it herself, dress herself, walk by herself, eat by herself, and just do everything–“by myself!” Miss Independent! I love it and her. (Sorry if it doesn’t show, LOL) I’d love to hear about the special kids in your own life! Thanks for sharing with me. Helen
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Heart of a Southern Woman 