Good News!!!!

Today was a good day! A year and a half ago I had a corneal transplant. I had cataract surgery several years ago and after the second one contacted herpes simplex in my eye. After several attacks I had lost  almost all my sight in my right eye. Finally I decided it was time for a transplant. I had problems after surgery and almost lost my eye but my doctor in Southaven, MS was able to save both my eye and my transplant. I was in the hospital two times, one time having drops in my eyes four times an hour 24 hours a day for 48 hours. I was so tired when I finally left the hospital I slept all the way home!!! So three weeks ago when I went back for my check up I was surprised to find that  I had a little rejection of my transplant. When I asked my doctor if it was bad, he says, "No, if it was, instead of drops in your eyes I would be giving you a injection."  Needless to say I was thankful for drops! Today when I went back to see him, he gave me the good news that we had dodged another bullet. And for that I thank God!

Marlar Cemetery, Sawyer, Kentucky

Recently I received a friend request on Facebook from a Marlar who lives in Kentucky just across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio. He had decided that he wanted to befriend as many Marlars on facebook as he could, and I am so glad that he did. He is my husband's fourth cousin and is descended from the one brother who stayed in Kentucky while the mother and other children moved to Mississippi in the middle 1800's. I had not been able to prove who the other was but he gave me access to his website which gave me lots of information and I am now in the process of adding it to my website on tribal pages. This was very exciting information but the strange part was that most of the deceased members of the family are buried at Marlar Cemetery near Sawyer, Ky, in the southern most part just north of Knoxville, Tennessee. This cemetery is located in the Cumberland Falls State Park and my husband has vacationed near there twice and did not know it was there. Several years ago we made a trip to Sterns with our friends, Bobby and Judy and last year we spent one night in Somerset, Ky, which is about ten miles from the cemetery!
When I found this out I immediately started planning a trip to go to this cemetery and another one near by. Two weeks ago Jim and I along with our daughter Michelle and her husband James made the trip, combining it with a trip to Gatlinburg.
While there we were able to make pictures at both cemeteries. I am sure we did not get pictures of all the Marlar graves as there were many unmarked graves. Some of the tombstones had deteriorated and some had been replaced with newer ones, leaving the old ones there also.
While we were there we also visited Cumberland Falls. This was the first trip there for Michelle and James. We had such a wonderful time. The leaves were beginning to turn, the weather was beautiful and we enjoyed being with family talking about older family members.
I make a lot of pictures for findagrave.com and I had noticed that there was a request for a picture of a grave that was not one of my husband's relatives. I made sure that I made a picture to post. I received the sweetest thank you. It was from a young man in the service and the grave was his father's. He was so happy to receive the picture and I was happy I could make it for him as he was protecting our freedom!
Hope you enjoy some of the pictures we made!!!