3rd Term BTI, 1996

Here we go again! This was a truly great year. Loved every minute of it. :-)

Back before Emilee and I lived in the same town we used to take a self-photo every time we saw each other at Camps and Retreats or whatever. This was her 1st Term of BTI and we were both living in Howard at this time, but it seemed appropriate to continue the tradition. :-)

Always one of my favorite pictures. So much EXPRESSION going on across that couch! Ha!

Twins again...

Can't figure out why this picture is so crooked (who took it, anyway?!), but this was the crowd at Pizza Hut one day. We're all having a grand ole' time, laughing and taking pictures... and there sits Melissa studying, of all things! Where did she get such an idea?! ;-)

Look! It's Sister Tammi! I think this was on her birthday again. She seemed to have those quite often at BTI. :-)

Here are some of us folding tracts for Headquarters. Seems like I remember a crowd getting together and helping out with the Evening Light one year, too. I love it that Sister Brown is sitting at the end of the table, working right along side all of the youngun's. What a neat lady!

One of my all-time favorite pictures. :-) WHAT AN AMAZING MAN!!! I still have several of the letters he wrote to me years ago. When you read through o-o-o-o-o-old Church history it just blows by mind that we actually had the privilege of knowing Brother Staggs.

We three, again.

Weesa! My kids crack up at our glasses. "You look so funny, Mom--your glasses were so big!!!" Ha! Just like the way we talked to our mothers about their pictures from the 70's! It's so crazy!

This was the party at Denny's one night, I think. Looks as if we were having a good time. I'm not sure how that many of us crammed into one booth, though! (That is a booth, isn't it? I think Tim and Karen are the only ones in chairs.)

I always liked this picture because it suited everybody so well. Melissa looking very Melissa-ish with her ankles properly crossed, Mom working on some stitchery of some sort, and Brother Brian looking oh-so-Sanguine. :-)

Ah, yes. Brother Brian. This was his 1st Term as well and he brought a whole new feeling to BTI! He had very adventurous fingers, but for his own sake I decided not to post any of those particular pictures. (I'm not sure why I'm suddenly going soft...) In any case, he provided LOTS of laughs, sometimes literally forcing them... as in this picture when he had tickled Johnny right down to the floor! Ha!

Brother Brian was voted class president that year. Here he is posing for his 1st Term class photo...

Tim Cox reaped the benefits when his brother's girl showed up in her convertable. Not sure how it is that Tim was driving it, but he nabbed quite a load of pretty passengers. Ha!

HA! I don't think I have ever been able to look at this picture and not laugh right out loud! A whole bunch of us girls were staying at the Dobbs' house--an experience that has loaded us with a whole set of memories all of it's own!--and there was stuff everywhere. Lots of girls, lots of luggage, lots of mess. On this particular day, Amanda couldn't find shoes that matched. She looked and looked and looked and simply could not find her missing shoes, so she had to come to school like this! Ha! That was pretty funny in itself, but sooooo much funnier because of how mad she was! HA! I remember laughing sooooo hard!

Hey, speaking of the Dobbs' house... I was thinking today about those great grandfather clocks they had. Remember, Em and Tammy and Cathy??? HA! I actually kind of miss them--would love to hear them chime again, for old times' sake. ;-)

I already posted some pictures from our park outing that year, but here's one more. I have several more as well that aren't making it into this post--pictures of all the guys jumping from the swings to see who could make it the farthest. I have a picture of Tim Cox sailing through the air and another of Jeremiah lying flat on his back as a broken swing sways in the breeze... HA!

Here is our train picture from that year. The crowd had grown considerably!

We also went to this BBQ joint on the last day of BTI for a few years--and took pictures outside.

This was the year that Michael & Amy got engaged!

Look! I really graduated! "Come to my graduatement," right, Em??? ;-)

And our end-of-BTI photo shoot. Tim put some heart into it, but the guys just weren't as much fun in pictures as the girls...


See?


And here's the whole crowd together...


And that's about it. I have so many mixed feelings when I see this year's pictures. Sooooo many great things to remember. This was a great year for me, spiritually--felt like I learned and grew so much. Wonderful things to remember... but I'm so surprised at the number of people who were there that are now backslidden! It's sooooo sad. Jeremiah, Amanda, Tim Wickline, Tony and Mike Johnson, Eric Hodge, and others. How did that happen??? It makes me want to remember to pray, pray, pray for them. Wouldn't it be wonderful for ALL of us to be together again one day? In heaven, of course, although I'd love to see it happen before then, too!