GIVING books

i spent a very nice although quite hot and humid time in oxford, mississipi. for those of you who have not visited the home of "ole miss," it is a small southern town with a well maintained town square. although there is a law office on every corner, there are quite a few great restaurants and at least 4 wonderful bookstores. certainly william faulkner is well represented as is grisham, but the catalog goes well beyond those hometown favorites. there is no shortage of signed first edition books for the collectors in your group. square books is my favorite. i especially liked the second floor with its ice cream and expresso bar.

if you have kids (or you're traveling with brent or linda) don't miss story-time at square books jr.

GIVING tribute

AIKEN, SC – SONJA MICHELLE BEACHUM, 39, of Woodbridge Dr., died Thursday, June 29, 2006 at her residence.
Sonja was born in Roanoke, VA. She had lived most of her life in Aiken, and graduated from Aiken High School in 1984. She was a graduate of Clemson University with a degree in zoology and USC – Aiken with a degree in nursing. She was a certified oncology nurse and had worked at the Carolina Cancer Center for 12 years before becoming an ICU nurse at Aiken Regional Medical Centers. She was a member of St. John’s United Methodist Church and loved to cook.
Survivors include her husband, Mark C. Beachum, a son, Jackson Conner Beachum of Aiken, her parents, Dr.’s Jack and Brenda Ratliff of Aiken and Doug and Jan Lemon of Florence, MS, ten sisters and brothers, Sabrina Cline, Aiken, Camille Ratliff, Philadelphia, PA, Whitney Ratliff, New York, NY, Sandy Johnson, Columbia, Barbara Keene, Chattanooga, TN, Becky Ratliff, Richmond, VA, Jennifer Collins, Pearl, MS, Jay Ratliff, Jackson, MS, Jessye Wilkinson, Richland, MS and Jake Lemon, Oxford, MS, and five nieces and nephews, Jordan, Lawson, Katie, Emma and Belle Grace.
Funeral services will be held Sunday at 2:00 PM at Shellhouse – Rivers Funeral Home, 715 East Pine Log Rd. with Rev. Phillip Lee officiating. Interment will follow in Southlawn Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Brent Cline, Mikael Eriksson, Doug Beachum, Bobby Burch, Todd Johnson and Gerald Beachum. Honorary pallbearers will be Aiken Regional Medical Center’s ICU nurses.

And a piece of the pictures bitten right out of the middle 
I'm alone and thinner I feel ...
And did you know that everything you touch is blessed and all the richer 
For your love a better being 
And if I display just a fraction of the soul you showed in this world 
Then I know I'll see you again
(excerpt from "music for a nurse" by oceansize)

we will miss you sonja...

GIVING hellos from chicago

love from the chicago apple store. 3 of 3. we wish you were here, too, brent... we'll photoshop you in. wink.