Our Fortenberry Family

It’s Mother’s Day, and I was driving in the car thinking about my girls and all the happiness they bring to me. I photograph a lot and journalize periodically but really want to to capture more moments of joy.  I have been writing for years and wanted to start blogging long ago, but it seems time runs faster than I can keep up!  I recently got re-inspired by my dear friend, Donna, who has blogged for years. Donna is a very talented and comical writer, always posting life stories with unexpected twists. I love to read her blog. So I thought my first blog entry should be dedicated to her. 

Donna is so wonderfully sweet, a dedicated friend and an even better Mother, wife, daughter and Lord’s servant.  She has an infectious smile and an awesome laugh. You can’t help but laugh when she laughs or when you think about her laughing. Her husband, Fred, I’ve known since he was in high school (can’t believe I can say that)! I worked with his mother when I was in my late 20s. He too is a wonderful person with an infectious smile and laugh, and is always helping others. Their children, Jessica and Jonathan, bring so much joy to us, too! Jessica is so creative, thoughtful and giving and Jonathan, well he’s the bomb…a gamer and quite the dancer.  All my family loves the Fortenberry Four! They are family to all of us:  the Garstka-Turner-Miller clans.
  
My mind wanders through years of memories. What good times we’ve all had together including weddings, births, birthday parties, camping trips, house moves, muddy Air-it-Out football games, dinners, karaoke, and movies, Mountasia and D&B fun, cookouts, swimming  and more.  I always look forward to the next get-together.  Life gets busy, and it can certainly bring ups and downs, but we are all here for each other and that makes life better.  I’m so blessed and happy that the Fortenberry Four are a part of me and my family’s lives.  Knowing them has enriched my life and so many others' lives.  I hope they know how special they are to us.