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A Baby Boomer's Scrapbook

MaryLou made the following entry in my yearbook:

"Maxie,

You're real cute and

a real sweet kid! Remember

when you tried to steal my

$10.00? (Didn't get away with

it, did ya?)

Good luck when you're out of

school! With your personality,

you'll go far!

Love & luck

Mary Lou"

I think I got a ride from Ruth Bailey to a Meridian basketball game along with Kay Carrigan and Mary Lou Woodruff. I don't remember the name of the school we were playing that night but I'm pretty sure it was somewhere south of Midland. As for the $10 she mentioned, Mary Lou could be right and I tried to steal it and got caught. The way I remember it though was that Mary Lou had 10 bucks but no pocket to put it in so she gave it to me to hold for her. She forgot about it until the next week when we were back at school and I had to give it back. At least that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. And yeah, in addition to my losing out on Mary Lou's money, we lost the game.

The following is an edited email from MaryLou Woodruff Pyle to Max Bishop in June of 1999:

…Bob works at Pendell Printing in Midland and has been there 18 1/2 years. He works 3rd shift, which we both absolutely hate, but you gotta do what you gotta do. I worked at a plastics factory in Coleman for 15 years until they decided they no longer needed my expertise. I was payroll/personnel/benefits. Since then I have worked part time. It works out a lot better for me.

We are far from living in the lap of luxury, but did manage a cruise on our 25th and 30th anniversaries. When you look back at the list, I think it's quite an ac com plishment today for anyone to stay married that long. I guess you just need to be willing to work at it. Who'd want to start over at this stage in the game? Not me, for sure.

We lived next to the Tiz-It for 5 years, moving to Hope in 73. We bought Bob's folks old place when they moved to Florida. In 77 we sold off the house and built a new one on the remaining 9 acres. Then in 80, I think my Mom built a small house over here on the corner of our property and sold her house in Mills. She needed to. It was getting pretty bad. Anyway, we sold our house again in 89 and built a new one, which we moved into in 91. Our first house was a bi-level and Bob has had knee surgery twice on one knee and once on the other, so we wanted to get away from steps. You know how it is when a 40 year old has to prove he still has it and slides into 3rd base?

Well, someone lands on you, jumps and lands on you again, disaster strikes and you end up in the hospital waiting for an operating room for. Then 5 years later had to have the worse one redone. Next step will be a replacement, I imagine. That's one game he wishes he hadn't played. and Yada Yada Yada

Write again, please and I'll fill you in if I can.

Take care

MaryLou

Here is an update from MaryLou as of January 14, 2009:

Bob is now officially retired after having knee replacement surgery in August of '07. Retirement wasn't actually planned, but "suggested" by his surgeon. He has gone on to have two back surgeries since that time, but is doing well with that. I am still working part time. I have a home-based business doing chiropractic billing. I really don't like working from home, it feels as if I'm playing school or something. I'll be old enough to draw social security in November (GAWD, where has the time gone), so I may give up the job then and pass it on to one of my former coworkers.

Bob and I will be celebrating our 40th anniversary on May 23 of this year. (And we've never had a fight!) My granddaughter will be 16 in June and her baby sister will be 3 in September. They are both a lot of fun.

Guess that's about it.

MaryLou