more family

this is my dad and his parents. they're awesome. grandma and grandpa are both 86 and still independent and still spoiling their grandkids (that includes me) and great-grandkids. my grandfather, Donald R. Beatty, was an Army sergeant in WWII and was part of the forces that set up the beachheads before the Allied armies invaded Italy. he saw some pretty hellish stuff. when he got back, he worked for bethlehem steel as a photographer. now that he's retired, he's a gadget geek and loves his computer.

grandma, Millie L. Beatty, grew up in middle-of-nowhere Oklahoma and survived the great depression. she and her parents and two brothers lived in a tent for a good long while. she's great because she has taught me so much about my family. her maternal grandmother (my great-great-grandmother) was a Cherokee named Six Killer. she also helped my grandfather write a history of the beatty family, and while we don't have anything more than oral evidence to corroborate (sp?) it, we have reason to believe that our line of beattys has been in the U.S. since Revolutionary times.

and then there's my dad, Donald E. Beatty. none of this junior or beatty II stuff for him. he's retired army national guard, having been a helicopter pilot for YEARS. he's a vietnam vet, and i've been privileged to share some of his stories and ceremonies and everything. at this point, he's loving his roles as church trustee president, air museum docent, and grandpa and dad. he also gets his honey-do list and helps mom out a lot.

it's one of those situations where i love my family and absolutely am so lucky to have them.