| Biographical Non-Fiction posted November 28, 2020 | Chapters: |
...80 81 -82- 83... 
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All of our children will change schools in the fall.
A chapter in the book Remembering Yesterday
Changes in Store For the Four
by BethShelby
For new readers, who may not have read my author notes, this is written in a conversational way as I talk to my deceased husband. When I refer to someone just as "you" this means I am addressing my husband, Evan.
Shortly after Christmas in 1981, we bought another car. It was a Ford with low mileage, and it had an automatic transmission, unlike the Dodge Charger. I would be using this one for work. The kids wanted to come home for Spring break, so we told them to find a ride back to New Orleans, and we would let them take the van back. In the end, we checked around and found a bargain on airline tickets and decided to drive back with them and leave the van. That way we could see how well Don and Carol did driving on a long trip. You and Connie and I would fly home.
On the break, we talked to Carol again about choosing a major. Since Carol already had a year and a half of college, she needed to decide what she was working toward, else, she might be taking classes that she didn’t need and would take longer to graduate. She had taken Anatomy and Physiology to check off the science course she would need for a BS degree. Since nothing else appealed to her, I suggested nursing. She was reluctant, and said those classes would be hard. I told her she just passed the hardest nursing course she would be required to take, with the Anatomy and Physiology. She decided to rethink nursing as a possible career.
You and I had talked about it, and decided we would like the three kids to change colleges next semester. There was another college supported by our church near Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was more convenient for us, being a little nearer and with a really beautiful campus. Part of the reason we wanted Carol to change schools was because we were concerned about the group she was involved with. It sounded like some kind of offshoot from the church, and that bothered us. She was so impressionable. What I hadn’t realized was that Mac, who was the leader of this group, actually lived near the Tennessee College and had a group there as well.
We used the fact that the Tennessee school had an outstanding nursing program to try to convince Carol that it was in her best interest. She was reluctant to change. I know she didn’t want to leave Tommy, her Korean friend, but I guess she realized that she didn’t really have a choice. The kids were dependent on us to help pay for college.
When we drove back with them to the campus, we got a chance to meet her friend, Tommy. I liked him immediately. He was polite and nice looking, and I could understand why Carol had been attracted to him. He was serious enough to talk about deep subjects. Carol was not a person to enjoy small talk. She had told him already that she wouldn’t be coming back there for school. He seemed pretty upset about that. He told me he really cared about Carol, and he wanted her to come back. I felt bad for both of them.
Don and Carol dropped us off at the air terminal at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. The weather was threatening. It didn’t take long for us to learn the flight was overbooked. This would be Connie’s first time to fly. I hadn’t flown that much either, and I didn’t enjoy flying. When they offered free flights to those who wanted to postpone, you and I thought it would be best to wait for a later flight. We were too late. A lot of people lined up to postpone their flight.
The plane took off in the middle of horrible weather. You and I were on edge during the whole flight. The turbulence was frightening. We were sitting over a wing, and it reminded me of a bird’s wing by the way it kept moving up and down. We had to keep our seat belts on for the whole flight. The pilot kept changing altitudes, trying to get out of the turbulence, but nothing helped. I’m sure without meaning to, we communicated our fear to Connie. I was so relieved to be on the ground again once we landed.
******
When the semester ended, Christi had the nose surgery that Carol and Don had gotten. She had a different doctor from the one we had used before. I think Christi must have indicated to him she wanted an upward tilt to her nose, because instead of the straight nose the other two got, her nose turned out slightly different. Even though she didn’t really need it, it was a cute nose.
*******
In May, news of the discovery of an AIDS virus was on TV. It was alarming, because there wasn’t much known about how it was spread, and there was talk of a coming epidemic from other countries. Christi, who was a bit `ditzy’ when it came to understanding things, freaked out, because I was using a diet product which was on the market at that time which was named Ayds. It was a caramel like cube that you ate with your coffee, and it helped with appetite control. She was sure that meant that I would get the disease.
*******
Don and Christi had both signed up to work in Summer camps. Both were accepted at Camp Kulaqua in Florida. They would be there most of the Summer since different age groups would arrive at two week intervals. We planned to go down and pick them up at the end of the summer.
*******
That summer, my friend Diane became interested in the difference in our Christian beliefs. She and her family had always been Catholic, as most people in New Orleans were. A Baptist friend had caused her to doubt some of her earlier convictions. She wanted to know what you and I believed. We were having a series of Evangelist meetings going on at our church, so I invited her to attend. She went every night, and at the end of the Summer, she and her daughter, Lesley, started attending our church regularly.
We had about decided to take Connie out of public school, and let her have a year or so in a school where she could get some spiritual training. Connie wasn’t thrilled with the idea of changing schools. This would be her fourth year. In spite of going to church all her life, Connie didn’t seem at all spiritually inclined.
This school was much smaller and she could get more individual attention in all of her classes. She was the most socially inclined of all our children and wasn’t very concerned about studying. She had been dubbed class-clown by her third grade teacher. We loved her sense of humor, but we wanted her to have a serious side as well. It wasn't like she would be going to school with people she didn't know. She knew most of the kids from going to Pathfinder outings and some she knew from church.
*******
Some of the other things that happened during the year 1981 included the wedding of Diana to Prince Charles. Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court. There were assassination attempts on the life of both Pope Paul II, and also on our new president, Ronald Reagan. Neither attempt was successful.
In the case of Reagan, the attempt in March was for a ridiculous reason. The young man, John Hinckley, Jr., who fired a bullet into Reagan’s lung, was obsessed with the movie star, Jodie Foster. It was an attempt to impress her. The first shot he fired hit the Press Secretary and left him paralyzed. Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was sent to a psychiatric facility.
For new readers, who may not have read my author notes, this is written in a conversational way as I talk to my deceased husband. When I refer to someone just as "you" this means I am addressing my husband, Evan.
Shortly after Christmas in 1981, we bought another car. It was a Ford with low mileage, and it had an automatic transmission, unlike the Dodge Charger. I would be using this one for work. The kids wanted to come home for Spring break, so we told them to find a ride back to New Orleans, and we would let them take the van back. In the end, we checked around and found a bargain on airline tickets and decided to drive back with them and leave the van. That way we could see how well Don and Carol did driving on a long trip. You and Connie and I would fly home.
On the break, we talked to Carol again about choosing a major. Since Carol already had a year and a half of college, she needed to decide what she was working toward, else, she might be taking classes that she didn’t need and would take longer to graduate. She had taken Anatomy and Physiology to check off the science course she would need for a BS degree. Since nothing else appealed to her, I suggested nursing. She was reluctant, and said those classes would be hard. I told her she just passed the hardest nursing course she would be required to take, with the Anatomy and Physiology. She decided to rethink nursing as a possible career.
You and I had talked about it, and decided we would like the three kids to change colleges next semester. There was another college supported by our church near Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was more convenient for us, being a little nearer and with a really beautiful campus. Part of the reason we wanted Carol to change schools was because we were concerned about the group she was involved with. It sounded like some kind of offshoot from the church, and that bothered us. She was so impressionable. What I hadn’t realized was that Mac, who was the leader of this group, actually lived near the Tennessee College and had a group there as well.
We used the fact that the Tennessee school had an outstanding nursing program to try to convince Carol that it was in her best interest. She was reluctant to change. I know she didn’t want to leave Tommy, her Korean friend, but I guess she realized that she didn’t really have a choice. The kids were dependent on us to help pay for college.
When we drove back with them to the campus, we got a chance to meet her friend, Tommy. I liked him immediately. He was polite and nice looking, and I could understand why Carol had been attracted to him. He was serious enough to talk about deep subjects. Carol was not a person to enjoy small talk. She had told him already that she wouldn’t be coming back there for school. He seemed pretty upset about that. He told me he really cared about Carol, and he wanted her to come back. I felt bad for both of them.
Don and Carol dropped us off at the air terminal at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. The weather was threatening. It didn’t take long for us to learn the flight was overbooked. This would be Connie’s first time to fly. I hadn’t flown that much either, and I didn’t enjoy flying. When they offered free flights to those who wanted to postpone, you and I thought it would be best to wait for a later flight. We were too late. A lot of people lined up to postpone their flight.
The plane took off in the middle of horrible weather. You and I were on edge during the whole flight. The turbulence was frightening. We were sitting over a wing, and it reminded me of a bird’s wing by the way it kept moving up and down. We had to keep our seat belts on for the whole flight. The pilot kept changing altitudes, trying to get out of the turbulence, but nothing helped. I’m sure without meaning to, we communicated our fear to Connie. I was so relieved to be on the ground again once we landed.
******
When the semester ended, Christi had the nose surgery that Carol and Don had gotten. She had a different doctor from the one we had used before. I think Christi must have indicated to him she wanted an upward tilt to her nose, because instead of the straight nose the other two got, her nose turned out slightly different. Even though she didn’t really need it, it was a cute nose.
*******
In May, news of the discovery of an AIDS virus was on TV. It was alarming, because there wasn’t much known about how it was spread, and there was talk of a coming epidemic from other countries. Christi, who was a bit `ditzy’ when it came to understanding things, freaked out, because I was using a diet product which was on the market at that time which was named Ayds. It was a caramel like cube that you ate with your coffee, and it helped with appetite control. She was sure that meant that I would get the disease.
*******
Don and Christi had both signed up to work in Summer camps. Both were accepted at Camp Kulaqua in Florida. They would be there most of the Summer since different age groups would arrive at two week intervals. We planned to go down and pick them up at the end of the summer.
*******
That summer, my friend Diane became interested in the difference in our Christian beliefs. She and her family had always been Catholic, as most people in New Orleans were. A Baptist friend had caused her to doubt some of her earlier convictions. She wanted to know what you and I believed. We were having a series of Evangelist meetings going on at our church, so I invited her to attend. She went every night, and at the end of the Summer, she and her daughter, Lesley, started attending our church regularly.
We had about decided to take Connie out of public school, and let her have a year or so in a school where she could get some spiritual training. Connie wasn’t thrilled with the idea of changing schools. This would be her fourth year. In spite of going to church all her life, Connie didn’t seem at all spiritually inclined.
This school was much smaller and she could get more individual attention in all of her classes. She was the most socially inclined of all our children and wasn’t very concerned about studying. She had been dubbed class-clown by her third grade teacher. We loved her sense of humor, but we wanted her to have a serious side as well. It wasn't like she would be going to school with people she didn't know. She knew most of the kids from going to Pathfinder outings and some she knew from church.
*******
Some of the other things that happened during the year 1981 included the wedding of Diana to Prince Charles. Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court. There were assassination attempts on the life of both Pope Paul II, and also on our new president, Ronald Reagan. Neither attempt was successful.
In the case of Reagan, the attempt in March was for a ridiculous reason. The young man, John Hinckley, Jr., who fired a bullet into Reagan’s lung, was obsessed with the movie star, Jodie Foster. It was an attempt to impress her. The first shot he fired hit the Press Secretary and left him paralyzed. Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was sent to a psychiatric facility.
Shortly after Christmas in 1981, we bought another car. It was a Ford with low mileage, and it had an automatic transmission, unlike the Dodge Charger. I would be using this one for work. The kids wanted to come home for Spring break, so we told them to find a ride back to New Orleans, and we would let them take the van back. In the end, we checked around and found a bargain on airline tickets and decided to drive back with them and leave the van. That way we could see how well Don and Carol did driving on a long trip. You and Connie and I would fly home.
On the break, we talked to Carol again about choosing a major. Since Carol already had a year and a half of college, she needed to decide what she was working toward, else, she might be taking classes that she didn’t need and would take longer to graduate. She had taken Anatomy and Physiology to check off the science course she would need for a BS degree. Since nothing else appealed to her, I suggested nursing. She was reluctant, and said those classes would be hard. I told her she just passed the hardest nursing course she would be required to take, with the Anatomy and Physiology. She decided to rethink nursing as a possible career.
You and I had talked about it, and decided we would like the three kids to change colleges next semester. There was another college supported by our church near Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was more convenient for us, being a little nearer and with a really beautiful campus. Part of the reason we wanted Carol to change schools was because we were concerned about the group she was involved with. It sounded like some kind of offshoot from the church, and that bothered us. She was so impressionable. What I hadn’t realized was that Mac, who was the leader of this group, actually lived near the Tennessee College and had a group there as well.
We used the fact that the Tennessee school had an outstanding nursing program to try to convince Carol that it was in her best interest. She was reluctant to change. I know she didn’t want to leave Tommy, her Korean friend, but I guess she realized that she didn’t really have a choice. The kids were dependent on us to help pay for college.
When we drove back with them to the campus, we got a chance to meet her friend, Tommy. I liked him immediately. He was polite and nice looking, and I could understand why Carol had been attracted to him. He was serious enough to talk about deep subjects. Carol was not a person to enjoy small talk. She had told him already that she wouldn’t be coming back there for school. He seemed pretty upset about that. He told me he really cared about Carol, and he wanted her to come back. I felt bad for both of them.
Don and Carol dropped us off at the air terminal at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. The weather was threatening. It didn’t take long for us to learn the flight was overbooked. This would be Connie’s first time to fly. I hadn’t flown that much either, and I didn’t enjoy flying. When they offered free flights to those who wanted to postpone, you and I thought it would be best to wait for a later flight. We were too late. A lot of people lined up to postpone their flight.
The plane took off in the middle of horrible weather. You and I were on edge during the whole flight. The turbulence was frightening. We were sitting over a wing, and it reminded me of a bird’s wing by the way it kept moving up and down. We had to keep our seat belts on for the whole flight. The pilot kept changing altitudes, trying to get out of the turbulence, but nothing helped. I’m sure without meaning to, we communicated our fear to Connie. I was so relieved to be on the ground again once we landed.
******
When the semester ended, Christi had the nose surgery that Carol and Don had gotten. She had a different doctor from the one we had used before. I think Christi must have indicated to him she wanted an upward tilt to her nose, because instead of the straight nose the other two got, her nose turned out slightly different. Even though she didn’t really need it, it was a cute nose.
*******
In May, news of the discovery of an AIDS virus was on TV. It was alarming, because there wasn’t much known about how it was spread, and there was talk of a coming epidemic from other countries. Christi, who was a bit `ditzy’ when it came to understanding things, freaked out, because I was using a diet product which was on the market at that time which was named Ayds. It was a caramel like cube that you ate with your coffee, and it helped with appetite control. She was sure that meant that I would get the disease.
*******
Don and Christi had both signed up to work in Summer camps. Both were accepted at Camp Kulaqua in Florida. They would be there most of the Summer since different age groups would arrive at two week intervals. We planned to go down and pick them up at the end of the summer.
*******
That summer, my friend Diane became interested in the difference in our Christian beliefs. She and her family had always been Catholic, as most people in New Orleans were. A Baptist friend had caused her to doubt some of her earlier convictions. She wanted to know what you and I believed. We were having a series of Evangelist meetings going on at our church, so I invited her to attend. She went every night, and at the end of the Summer, she and her daughter, Lesley, started attending our church regularly.
We had about decided to take Connie out of public school, and let her have a year or so in a school where she could get some spiritual training. Connie wasn’t thrilled with the idea of changing schools. This would be her fourth year. In spite of going to church all her life, Connie didn’t seem at all spiritually inclined.
This school was much smaller and she could get more individual attention in all of her classes. She was the most socially inclined of all our children and wasn’t very concerned about studying. She had been dubbed class-clown by her third grade teacher. We loved her sense of humor, but we wanted her to have a serious side as well. It wasn't like she would be going to school with people she didn't know. She knew most of the kids from going to Pathfinder outings and some she knew from church.
*******
Some of the other things that happened during the year 1981 included the wedding of Diana to Prince Charles. Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court. There were assassination attempts on the life of both Pope Paul II, and also on our new president, Ronald Reagan. Neither attempt was successful.
In the case of Reagan, the attempt in March was for a ridiculous reason. The young man, John Hinckley, Jr., who fired a bullet into Reagan’s lung, was obsessed with the movie star, Jodie Foster. It was an attempt to impress her. The first shot he fired hit the Press Secretary and left him paralyzed. Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was sent to a psychiatric facility.
 Recognized |
I'm continuing to recall memories of life with my deceased husband, Evan, as if I am talking aloud to him. I'm doing this because I want my children to know us as we knew each other and not just as their parents.
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