Congrats to the Sheppards and the Winwards!

Since my writings have inspired very few comments, I have to believe that no one reads my blog or, if people are reading it, they don't like it. Have you seen Leslie's blog? She has received dozens of comments from her friends. Does she have a better blog, or just better friends? I guess I shouldn't be asking you that if my goal is to become the most popular blogger in the universe, assuming you are a friend.

Now I will agree that the Number 7 stuff got out of hand, and I won't be discussing that any more. Except to inform you that, per Kent Winward - Julie's husband, of whom we shall speak later on in this blog - the combination of Kent, Julie and their offspring produces a Family of 7even persons (some of this 7 stuff is unavoidable and, as Mark Twain said [or was it Sindbad?], facts is facts).

So, going forward, I'm going to become more 'newsy' and write cute, current stuff about friends and family. I'm still not a blogger as much as a story teller (or 'Tory Teller, as Taylor used to say when she was a very young [genius] little girl). So let's get right it for, today, I am a Born Again Blogger.

First off, congratulations to our youngest daughter Jenny and her husband Lucas Sheppard! Lucas took the DAT and did extremely well (I'll leave the bragging particulars to other people, including the 95-97 out of 100 test-takers who proved to be intellectually, morally and socially inferior to Our Magnificent Son-In-Law). Such bragging would be untoward so I'll just say that he did very well, and this is raising our hopes that he might be able to find 'the school of his choice' not only in the continental United States, but also perhaps in the Western States.

The thought of our adorable twin granddaughters, Ava and Brynlee, leaving Arizona - maybe forever, but at least for 6-8 years including Air Force time (their chosen dental school 'financing plan') - is killing Queen Mimi and yours truly, Papa Linus. Now if Lucas were to end up going to a Phoenix area dental school then this would reduce the twins' time away to a still unbearable, but shorter, 4 years. And that would be nice, but they need to select the best school from a training perspective and that may not be one of the two in Arizona.

But doing so well on the DAT was a great achievement for Lucas who studied his butt off in the semi-peaceful confines of our home for a few weeks. We are proud of him and happy they are one step closer to achieving their goal. I keep telling them that if they go away to dental school it they are really going to miss the twins - but that quip is getting old and even a little painful as we realize their departure at some point for several years is a given.

Lastly, congratulations to my littlest sister, Julie Ann, who married Kent Winward in Salt Lake City on 8/2/08. It was a beautiful wedding - nice and short. There was great food and a terrific jazz band, but the most important and impressive aspect of attending the wedding was having the chance to meet Kent and his family.

I was blown away. They are, top to bottom, as nice and cool as any family you could ever imagine. After the ceremony and food, Kent announced that the Winward family tradition at such events was to have a roast. Now, my immediate family has had that tradition, though this practice has, for some reason, fallen out of favor. So this was a cool thing to do at a wedding - the problem is, the Carter side of the house had no idea this was the plan and was not prepared for this activity.

We enjoyed hearing the things that Kent's siblings had to say about him but, at the same time, we were mentally scrambling to think of something semi-intelligent and possibly funny to say that would be on a par with the very prepared Winwards.

I played guitar briefly during the wedding processional and, as a result, we had my brother Stephen's old guitar in our clammy hands (perish the thought he would let us use his brand new Taylor 814CE). I suggested to Steve that he sing "Just the Way You Look Tonight", and he did a great job. Then he announced my offering, telling the story of the song Deborah that I wrote in 1974. Now, with the exception of my sweet wife Vickie, this is pretty much a beloved song (for the 15-17 people in the world who have actually heard it.....distribution has always been a problem for me....). For my wife, the song is fighting words but, in this instance, with sweet Vickie nearly 700 miles away, I decided to go ahead and sing The Forbidden Song.

Many of you know the story: I wrote Deborah for a young girl named Debbie Gray. How young I didn't realize but when I realized she was too young I for an RM I got out of dodge. The irony is that everyone assumes this is a love song when, in fact, it is a song that speaks to the potential of youth. For the record:

Deborah, why do the stars shine so tonight?
Might be a dream, oh yes it might.
And Deborah, the song I sing is just for you -
If not who am I singing to?
It's for you.

Deborah, when have the mountains seemed so high?
Can't you just feel them touch the sky.
And Deborah, can you sense the endlessness
Of what life can offer you?
Yes, it's true.

Deborah, when you stand against the moon
Can you see what's coming soon?
What you see - was once also a dream in me,
Why doesn't it dwell in me?
Someday I hope I'll see.

Thus freed from a monumentally embarrassing situation, I put this song to good use by, on occasion, substituting a different girl's name for 'Deborah' when I thought it would be, well, advantageous. I didn't change it for anyone and everyone and, in particular, I didn't change it to "Vickie" when I met my wife-to-be, instead composing a much better song "I'm Learning to Love You More" for her. This was the first love song I ever wrote because, quite obviously - beyond the comfort of being politically correct - Vickie was and is my first and only true love.

But I digress. In a feeble attempt to be clever, I changed 'Deborah' to "Julie Ann" and we had a little fun with it. Then David did what has (or soon will) become known as the "PhD Shuffle" and carried Steve's guitar up to the front of the room, making everyone think he was going to sing "Today" (the Only Socially Relevant Song© he will sing in public or at least outside of a karaoke bar. He faked everyone out and didn't sing "Today," but did make some great comments that were enjoyed by all. Debra Sue, my younger and Julie's elder (not 'older') sister then finished up with some great thoughts that can only come from a close sister-to-sister relationship.

So it all went very well. Unfortunately I only have just this one picture, which I had to buy from the LitziPizzaratti, a renowned yet very unreliable source. Couple that with my deteriorating by the minute eye sight and, well, let's just say it is the only photo I could secure. If nothing else I hope it helps you to capture the spirit of the occasion (if it inspires you to consult with a fertility specialist in hopes of conceiving twins, or instills within your buttocks [or bosoms....bosoms works too] a yearning to adopt children whom you will eventually christen with names such as Apple Dumpling and Megasapien then that, my friends, is on you).

But in all sincerity it was a joy to be there and to see Julie be married to such a charming, wonderful guy. If you don't believe me that he is a great guy just ask his siblings. What they all said during the roasting made it obvious how much they love, appreciate and admire Kent, their oldest brother.

Well, that's it! Wasn't that nice and newsy and Number-Free? Now maybe I'll will see 6 or 7 comments on my blog like Leslie gets (rather than between zero and one) and, if not, I suspect the numbers of comments will eventually be divisible by 7 (sorry, couldn't resist).