Tag: Van Vleck TX | Nancy Lou Henderson

Our Love Begins

Posted by Nancy Lou Henderson in Love Letters | 5 comments

My family, The Blakley’s, moved to Van Vleck, Texas, in the Summer of 1966. My parents, Jim and Mary Blakley, were teachers. I was one of five children, the only girl, and if you were going according to the pecking order, number two. I would be a Junior in High School in the Fall of 1966. Frank had lived in Van Vleck, Texas, and in Sugar Valley, a little community about three miles outside of Van Vleck, for all but a couple of years of his life. Frank was the son of Loren and Peggy Henderson. Frank was the oldest of three children. He had one brother and one sister. Although we were...

A Long Way Home, Chapter Four

Posted by Nancy Lou Henderson in Love Letters | 4 comments

One night after Frank and I left Cains where we had sat and visited with our friends, he asked me if I wanted to take a different road on our way back to Van Vleck to take me home. Frank told me it was a shell road and it was a nice scenic drive which would take us a back way into Van Vleck. Something told me that maybe Frank had something more on his mind than looking at the scenery, especially since it had been raining and there was a creepy fog hugging the ground which made it hard to see anything. I told Frank, “I don’t think we will be able to see anything with the...

Rabbit Hunting, Chapter Six

Posted by Nancy Lou Henderson in Love Letters | 5 comments

Time was moving very fast for us now, and we had so much to do before Frank would leave for Army Basic Training. We only had eleven more days to spend together before Frank would go. I knew some of Frank’s family from the church, but others who lived in close nearby towns wanted to meet me and were inviting us to their homes for supper. An Aunt and Uncle of Frank’s who lived in Sweeny, Texas, were the first to invite us to supper. Frank and I had a great time at his Uncle and Aunt’s home in Sweeny, and after it got dark, we left their home then headed back to Van Vleck....

Leaving the Army Behind Us

Posted by Nancy Lou Henderson in Letters After R&R | 6 comments

Frank processed out of Fort Lewis in Washington state then called me on the telephone. After we talked, he got on an airplane which flew him to Houston Intercontinental Airport. After talking with Frank then hanging up the telephone, I could not quit smiling. We were actually out of the Army. I was no longer a soldier’s wife and there would be no more war and separation. I was now Frank’s wife for the first time without the Army hovering over us. It is a strange feeling to go from the emotions of terrible fear and worry to those of excitement and happiness. I was so thankful...

Deciding Our Future

Posted by Nancy Lou Henderson in Letters After R&R | 8 comments

Upon waking the next morning, I reached behind me for Frank, but he was not there. I felt a deep panic inside me as my eyes searched the room for Frank. Had this all been some dream, and he was not home yet? Jumping out of bed, I grabbed my robe and put it on, and then I could smell the aroma of bacon cooking. Frank was not only home but in our kitchen cooking bacon. I happy-danced down the hall to the kitchen, and when I entered the room, Frank said, “Good Morning, wife. How do you want your eggs?” With a smile as big as Texas on my face, I answered, “Over easy with lots...