Thursday, May 26, 2011

A loving tribute to Carter William Maynard, a grandson that Nana & Papa love very much and are so proud of him.

Thursday May 26, 2011,




Where has the time gone? Today May 26 is another milestone in Carter's young life. This evening he graduates from kindergarten.



Carter, as you graduate it makes us so happy to recognize all that you have achieved in your young life and to realize what a terrific kid you are. If you continue to be the wonderful person you are already your future is unlimited. So while you are headed to a future of endless possibilities just remember Nana and Papa are two of the proudest grandparents in the world.



The whole world may never be lucky enough to know what a special young lad you are but the people who know you and love you certainly do.



Back in August 2009 I did a BLOG titled what a difference you have made in my life. I took some of the words from a song by Ronnie Milsap and used them to express how you had changed my life so much. Here is some of those words.



What a difference you have made in my life,

You're my sunshine day and night,

Oh what a difference you have made in my life.

What a change you have made in my heart,

Oh what a change you have made in my heart.



You have gave love a new meaning,

So I joined in the singing,

That's why I wanna spread the news.



On February 1, 2005 you was born. I was there about a half hour after your birth and the very first time I held you I felt like a grandfather. I told your parents I wanted to be called Papa so I became Papa to a little guy who made a drastic change in my life. Lucky for me we just bonded from the very beginning and have continued a great relationship. Oh what great times we have had together.



No matter what we have done together I know I have had more fun than you have. We have spent hours at the park,

I loved taking you to one of your favorite places, McDonalds, we have played games together and in the years since you joined the YMCA Nana and I have loved coming to your baseball, soccer, and basketball games. You used to love for me to read to you and lo and behold last Saturday at your house you came and climbed up on my lap and read me a whole book, it was all Papa could do to hold back the tears.



Since you started school I don't get to spend as much time with you as I used to, so the time we do get to spend together I treasure every minute of it.



I could go on and on with this but just let me close with saying how much your Nana and Papa love you and how proud we are of you.



Papa hopes as you get older you will remain the loving and caring person you are now.

Just a small part of the wonderful moments I have shared with Carter.

A Very Happy Day

About an hour after he was born and the day I
finally felt like a Grandpa. Barb & Brett asked me what I
wanted to be called and I said Papa, I still love
hearing him call me Papa.


Just a few pictures over the years, what great
memories from a proud Papa.








Guidepost magazine asked for pictures to
honor the Fourth Of July a couple of years
ago, out of all the pictures they recieved from
all over the country they only used five pictures
and Carter's was one of them. 
The time I spend with Carter and Griffin I think I
have more fun than they do.

An adoring Nana, she is a wonderful
Nana to all three of her grandsons.



Carter performing at his graduation from pre-school
last year. He loves to oreform.

One of this aaaaaaah moments 
A Very Proud Mommy & Daddy




Carter relishes his role  as big brother, loves his brother Griffin very much.
I told Carter I hope he never gets to old
or to big to give his Papa a hug and a kiss.

Loss of first tooth. He called me and said
Papa I lost my first tooth, I said that's great
you will get a visit from the Tooth Fairy, he said
but I swallowed the tooth, but he said not to worry
I left her a note. She must have read the note
because she left him some money.


What more could a Papa hope for?




Thursday, May 19, 2011

A Review and some history of the decade of the 90's

I did my review of the 1980's on May 7. Things have been just a little hectic around the Jackson household since then. LOL




Hopefully things are starting to settle down a little now. Joan is back to work and I have my release from the Doctor's to go back to work next week.



So I decided to continue my review of the decades by doing the 90's. Big changes every decade but the 90's may have been the decade of some of the most drastic changes.



In 1990 a new house cost $123,000 and by 1999 it was $131,700.

The average wage in 1990 was $28,970 and by 1999 it was $40,810

In 1990 a gallon of gas was $1.34, 1999 $1.22

In 1990 average cost of a new car was $16,000, 1999 $21,100



Levi Denim Jeans $34.99





Some interesting facts from the 90's:

1991 collapse of the Soviet Union

Operation Desert Storm was launched



1992:

Official end of the Cold War

Riots in L.A after the Rodney King verdict.



1993:

Cult compound in Waco, Texas was raided.

World Trade Center Bombed

Lorena Bobbit took a knife to her husbands most private part. LOL



1994:

O.J. Simpson arrested for murder



1995: Oklahoma City bombing



1996:

Unabomber arrested



1997:

Princess Diana dies in a car crash

Tiger Woods wins the Masters



1998:

President Clinton impeached

Viagra on the market.



1999:

JFK Jr. dies in plane crash

Killing spree at Columbine High School



1994: Baseball players go on strike again.

Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls win six titles in the 90's



The 90's saw the growth of the World Wide Web and the Personal Computer PC. In 1990 when the WWW first became available for the public it grew dramatically with users multiplying at the rate of about 3500 times a year. By the year 2000 there were an estimated 295 million

users on the Internet.



Some of the TV shows of the 90's:

Married with children

Ally McBeal

Baywatch

Matlock

The X Files

Friends

Columbo

The Cosby Show

Cheers

Will and Grace

That 70's Show



As with every decade a lot of things happened to the Jackson Clan. Some very good things and of course some very bad things. Bubba and I realized a dream of many years when we built and moved into our Dream Log Home in 1994. We sold our Shell Stations in 1997 and Martha, Jimmy, and Jessica moved to Sebring where they still live today. Sadly Bubba's health continued to deteriorate and she passed away in 1998. One of the most loved person's to ever live on this earth was called home to her heavenly home. She was and is still loved and missed very much by so many family and friends.



In 1999 with Bubba's help pulling a few strings for me in heaven I was steered toward Joan. I lost one Angel and lo and behold was led to another one. Joan and I were married in 2001.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Reviewing and remembering the 80's

Things have been a little hectic with the Jackson's lately but after reviewing the 40's, 50's,60's, and 70's finally had a little time to write about the 80's. The drastic ways that things have changed


from decade to decade I just find fascinating.













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Money and Inflation 1980's

To provide an estimate of inflation we have given a guide to the value of $100 US Dollars for the first year in the decade to the equivalent in today's money

If you have $100 Converted from 1980 to 2005 it would be equivalent to $243.45 today



In 1980 a new house cost $68,714.00 and by 1989 was $120,00.00 In 1980 the average income per year was $19,170.00 and by 1989 was $27,210.00



In 1980 a gallon of gas was $1.19 and by 1989 was 97 cents



In 1980 the average cost of new car was $7,210.00 and by 1989 was $15,400.00



A few more prices from the 80's and how much things cost

Camaro Coupe $7,571 Pontiac Grand AM $9,965



Nike Air Force Basketball Shoes $54.90



Tailored Style Silk Blouse $15.99 Amiga 500 with Color Monitor $849 From Our 80s Electrical and Electronic Prices in the 80's



Hands Free Operating Car Phone Leg O Lamb $2.19 per pound



Milk 85 cents 1/2 gallon From Our 80s Price of Food Section



Bunk Beds with Mattress $148



Chrome Sling Chair $76.00 From Our Furniture Prices Section in the 80's



Cheer Laundry Detergent $1.59









Events 1980's

During the 80's we also saw the collapse of the traditional communism and the end of the cold war .The fragmentation of communism included the collapse of the Berlin wall and the breakup up of what was the USSR towards the end of the 80's. and leading to German reunification.





The 80's also signaled a period of the rise of conservatism as the in political and cultural life, caused by Margaret Thatcher in the UK and Ronald Reagan in the USA .





Argentina invaded and occupied the Falkland islands in 1982 but is subsequently defeated by the United Kingdom.





China continued it's growth and liberalization but suffered unrest towards the end of the 80's after student's protested in Tiananmen Square on June 4th 1989 and the authorities used force to quell the protests





Famine in Ethiopia was shown to the world on our television screens in 1984 - 1985 and the pain and suffering caused the western world to find new ways to help including the Live Aid concert and many of the most popular stars contributed their time and performed for free in cities throughout the world , This has to be one of the most successful campaigns ever to create awareness and raise much needed funds by those who have the power to draw TV audiences around the globe.









Many South American Countries return to democracy after a period of dictatorships





The mixing of politics and Sport in both 1980 and 1984 Olympics Boycotts by the worlds major powers









Sporting Changes In The 80's

Baseball

Players go on strike again in 1981 they win but lose fans for the game through their actions for striking and from drugs or alcohol used by the players.



Basketball

During the eighties new stars emerge Larry Bird, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan drawing fans back to the games .



Association Football (Soccer)

24 teams fight for the World Cup in 1982



Soccer Hooliganism and the Heysel Stadium Disaster give English Football a bad name the Hooliganism continues through to the mid 90's



American Football

Miami Hurricanes win college national championships



California Teams The Raiders and San Francisco 49ers Dominate The NFL



The 80's was the decade of the quarterback and the best of them was Joe Montana



The 1985 Chicago Bears with running back Walter Payton considered by many to be one of the greatest teams of all time.



Ice Hockey

New York Islanders Dominate The First Half Of The Decade



The Great One Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier Help Edmonton Oilers Dominate The Second Half Of The Decade











Technology 1980's

The 80's signaled the start of the computer age, following on from the creation of Microsoft and Apple towards the end of the 70's , the technology and the speed of innovation both in Hardware and Software together with the cheapness provided a speed of growth and take up . The birth of the IBM PC signaled the start of Personal Computers first in the Offices and then into peoples homes becoming an integral part of our lives. following on from Micrsofts MSDOS on PC's to the first versions of Windows a GUI Graphical User Interface





As well as the Hardware and Software changes a new technology was evolving starting as Bulletin boards later to become what we now know as the Internet invented by English physicist Tim Berners and the beginnings of the World Wide Web





This was also the Decade that the Post-It was introduced which came from a glue invented in 1968 accidentally while trying to discover a stronger glue at 3M by Spencer Silver





The 80's also signaled the age of the video game in arcades, Games Machines and PC's the most popular games being Space Invaders and Pac Man





Another technology that was also just starting was that of cellular mobile phones , in the beginning the phones were big and heavy and hit and miss for signal strength , but as with the Internet would change our lives .





After many years of ignoring the impact on our environment ,the world also took more notice of the impact that we were having on our planet and more research was done on the effects on global warming through population growth, land clearing of rain forests for agriculture and logging, increased use of fossil fuels for power generation together with our love affair with the car for transport .













Popular Culture 1980's

John Lennon is shot outside his New York apartment

MTV (Music Television) is launched

Floppy shirts, Backcombed hair, Padded shoulders, big hairdoes and white stilettoes

The Simpsons Is First Seen On Tracey Ullman Show April 5th 1987

Michael Jackson releases his second adult solo album, Thriller.

Some of the Most Well Known Movie Stars of the Eighties

Clint Eastwood

Burt Reynolds

Harrison Ford

Michael J Fox

Eddie Murphy

Tom Cruise

Dudley Moore

Arnold Schwarzenegger



Popular Musicians



Bucks Fizz

The Jam

Olivia Newton-John

Chicago

Lionel Richie

ABBA

Black Sabbath

Queen

The Police

Tina Turner

David Bowie

Whitney Houston

Culture Club

Bruce Springsteen

U2

Television During the 1980s



The 1980s was an important decade in the television industry. Not only were great strides made in the way of “pushing the envelope” with shows like Married…With Children, but other programs displayed a stark contrast with family-friendly issues and themes. The Cosby Show began in the mid-1980s and it enjoyed several years as the #1 television program because it was a witty and realistic rendering of family life during the era. It also destroyed the stereotype of poor African-American families that shows in the past only helped to reinforce. Heathcliff Huxtable – the father on The Cosby Show – was an obstetrician while his wife – Claire – was a successful lawyer.





TV Shows 1980s

Married with Children 1987 - 1997.

Baywatch 1989 - 1999.

Chips 1977 - 1983.

Hill Street Blues 1981 - 1987.

Highway to Heaven 1984 - 1989.

Knight Rider 1982 - 1986.

Dukes Of Hazzard 1979 - 1985.

The Benny Hill Show 1969 - 1989.

Fame 1982 - 1987.

Cagney & Lacey 1982 - 1988.

Dallas 1978 - 1991.

Matlock 1986 - 1992.

MacGyver 1985 - 1992.

Little House on the Prairie 1974 - 1983.

Doctor Who 1963 - 1989.

Columbo 1968 - 2003.

The A Team 1983 - 1987.

Laverne & Shirley 1976 - 1983.

The Cosby Show 1984 - 1992.

Happy Days 1974 - 1984.

Cheers 1982 - 1993.

Taxi 1978 - 1983.

Benson 1979 - 1986.

Growing Pains 1985 - 1992.

The 1980s also saw the creation of a number of cable networks that viewers still enjoy today. The Weather Channel – based in Atlanta, GA – premiered in 1982 as a cable network that covered the weather 24 hours a day. The Cable News Network, better known as CNN, was also created as television’s first 24-hour news network. It created a trend and today you have the option of several 24-hour cable news networks to choose from. Rupert Murdoch also created the Fox Network in the 1980s as a challenge to the only three major networks at the time – NBC, CBS, and ABC. Even though many people scoffed at the idea of Fox being a major competitor, it has since created several popular and award-winning shows in its more than 20 year existence. Music Television (MTV) was also a major breakthrough network in the 1980s and today viewers can choose from a large number of music-based television channels.



Other shows that began in the 1980s that are still memorable and popular today include Cheers, The Golden Girls, Miami Vice, and Family Ties. Along with The Simpsons, many of these programs are available as DVD box sets for those who lived through the era and want to experience a feeling of nostalgia by experiencing these shows again.





As is the case of all the decades I have done so far a lot of things happened to the Jackson's, family and friends.



After moving to Florida in 1973 and opening our first Shell Station we opened our second one in 1984.



1984 sadly was the start of a lot of Bubba's health problems. She had her first heart attack in 1984.



The big population growth was really starting in the 80's but from 1973 to almost the end of the 80's Palm Beach County was almost like living in paradise. There was still places where we could ride our four wheelers close to home. Boating was such great fun, room to water ski tie up go swimming, party, just a great time.



Bubba and I celebrated our 25 TH wedding anniversary, any one who was along on that party never forgot it. LOL



Martha and Jimmy were married in the 80's.



All in all the 80's was a very time.