10 on the Tenth, in honor of the 10th

In honor of the 10th anniversary of the tragedy at Wedgwood Baptist Church on September 15, here are 10 of my favorite Wedgwood memories:

1. Sharing an apartment with Susan We shopped, cooked, and ate together, decorated for Christmas, and shared teaching stories with laughter and tears.


2. The first time I visited Wedgwood Susan and I picked it out of the phone book. I walked into the singles’ Sunday School class and sat by Amy, who became a dear friend. She was sitting by David Mikkelson, who taught at my school, and he was by Becca Lechner, Charlie’s sister, whom I had met that summer at Charlie and Angie’s wedding. No wonder I felt at home from the start!
3. Mission trip to Indio, California–visiting the oasis, getting to know Amy and Karry better (didn’t we learn a LOT! Ha!), making lemonade with the biggest lemons I’ve ever seen in my life, pounding nails (including my own), inside jokes like “I’ve been working with clamps all day!” We wrote our names and Bible verses on the boards before we left. (Not-so-favorite memory: I got si-i-i-ick on the way home. Blech.)
{Once again, blogger is messing up the orientation of my pictures. Aargh.}


4. Singing in the choir I always sat with Jaynanne, Sydney, and Glynda, and they always kept me on the right notes, laughing, and in trouble with Sam Jones. I especially loved the night I went in with an engagement ring on my finger, and they all screamed and were excited for me. That was so much fun.
5. The first time I laid eyes on Mike Sandusky I had lived in Fort Worth for two years, and was starting my 3rd year of teaching at Como. Susan had gotten married that summer, so I had moved into a duplex with Karry and Beverly (two more excellent roommates!).

Bro. Al was introducing new members, and he said, “This is Mike Sandusky, and he came a long way to join Wedgwood–all the way from Moscow! Idaho.” I got interested thinking he was Russian, then forgot about him until the next spring.

6. Square dancing Once a year or so the singles would have a hoe-down, with a caller who taught us what to do. I loved it! Once John Espinoza was my partner and I lost him and needed him to “promenade,” so I yelled, “I need a man!” which made everyone laugh. The best one was after Mike and I started dating, and we each won a drawing, separately, with money (like a buck or so) for a date if we asked them out right then. We asked each other...awww. We also used to get groups together and go country/western dancing at Nine Acres. That’s where Mike swept me off my feet. He kept asking me to dance over and over, and I started falling for him. I remember thinking, “Even my brothers would like him.”
7. One Wednesday night, Mike sat by me at prayer meeting When it was over, he asked me on a date!! I casually said sure, but after he walked out I started jumping up and down, and Susan’s brother Richard–or maybe it was his wife–said, “Be careful, that kind of excitement will get you married.” A year later, we were!

8. Sunday School announcements, starring Rob, Sydney, Marcie, Robbie, Paul, Brett–oh, they were all so funny! I remember the Secret Service men guarding the president at a press conference, and football officials using their little belt mikes.


9. Friday morning prayer, and breakfast afterwards at Denny’s or Ihop. I had made a promise to myself that if I didn’t go to Wednesday night church, I had to go on Friday–at 6:00 a.m.!! Funny thing is, it was such a special time I ended up going to both.
10. Vacation Bible School Wedgwood did themes with their VBS before Lifeway thought of it. We decorated the rooms, and had a carnival on the last day. The last one I did, Mike was flirting with me in the break room and in the halls–all my married friends were talking about us. I was in the dunking booth at the carnival, and his ball missed so he cheated and ran up & dunked me!

I hate stopping at 10! I haven’t mentioned SNACs at the Osieks’,

or Howdy Parties, retreats (that would lead to my most embarrassing moment),

hanging out at the office because my roomie was a secretary, Six Flags season passes, picnics at Guy Ranch or Trinity Park or the Botanic Gardens, those nights with set-up dates (what were they called?), Ranger games, the 70's party, the mission trip to Bland, WV,

or the mission stay, when we helped build the new sanctuary, my lingerie party where I got a toaster,

or our amazing year in the young married S.S. class.

We had some good times. And some bad times. But you know what? We were family. And as Bro. Al would say: Once a Wedgie, always a Wedgie!