Tree of lights text to Lauren

 Jennifer is going with me tonight. I think that shows her courage and maturity. She knew Tess and was close to her, as close as Tess would let her. She tells of when she first met Tess that Tess said, Oh, you’re one of those woo woo people 🤣 which she said in good humor and affection. So Jennifer will be there for Mom as well as in support for me. I made more donations to Hospice in Tess’s name and designated her as a Veteran, which she was. She served in the United States Air Force as a nurse. She never made a big deal about it but she did talk about it sometimes;about going to the officers club and how the pilots were the big wheels that the girls wanted to meet. She also pointed out that these soldiers, real soldiers, were not big talkers or hawks, they were just doing their jobs, as was she. I believe Tess met Rich while in Texas. I think it was a temporary assignment but they met, got married and then discharged when Mom got pregnant. Tess’s best friends were Lou and Pansey when she lived in Wisconsin. They were there for her when she was going through her divorce. It was an extremely tough time for her and she knew that she needed to go home to her family. She did go home to Papa and Lee Lee and got a job at the School for the Deaf and the Blind. She always saw that job as temporary because she wanted to work in a hospital environment. Barry told her that she would be remarried within a year… she went to work, she met me in the first two months and we were married within the year 🤪

Eric was 8 years old, I was 29, Tess was 34. I was very excited and happy to become an overnight Dad. Tess wanted to have another baby. She wanted to have You!!!

We did do a lot of talking about names But I think she probably had yours already picked out… and I remember that moment when she said… We are Not going to call her Christy!!! ( Christina Lauren Tintle ) That was in the delivery room under anesthesia 🤣

She also wanted them to change the music!

In those days the cool ways to have a baby were all natural, without anesthesia and under water (if you were really hip).

We didn’t go for any of that. When Dr. Larry White appeared in the delivery room he might as well have been god all mighty. We had the C Section and an hour later the most beautiful ( picture perfect ) baby in the world was born.

So that was 46 years ago and yes, she probably had a little hypertension 😉