Alma Lynne Thompson Hayden

Dream and it might come true... something like that... I think someone on annual staff gave us those quotes...I think if I had done it,I would have said something like "Live life to its fullest..and don't sweat the small stuff"...I don't think anyone had said that back then, though.

I moved away from Myrtle Beach to attend Columbia College . Taught school for several years...then moved back and I have been here ever since. My parents were here. I am an only child..so that explains that! I love Myrtle Beach...I always will.
Absolutely "fell" into my own business, Alma Lynne Designs, Inc, a design company that published over 1000 cross stitch and needlework books in its 29 year history. I was also priviledged to travel to many wonderful cities and countries for trade shows and personal appearances. For numerous reasons, I am no longer publishing, but I do independent contractual design work for Cross Stitch and Needlework Magazine and presently am employed at Herrschners, Inc, a 100 year old company out of Wisconsin, which produces every kind of needlework I can think of.I am very thankful to be able to work from home designing and emailing art files to my employer....ahh the beauty of the age of technology!
I have 3 sons(David, Clay, and Seth) and 7 grandchildren.David is a graduate of ECU and further training in the air force. He is a senior systems engineer for the Dept of Defense.
Clay is a Clemson graduate in management and operations. Managed several nightclubs and restaurants.
Seth is a Clemson graduate in Forestry and Resource Management. Employed by Low Country Forest Products as a procuror.
The grandchildren....(Josh, Cheyenne, Gabriel, Hannah, Brooks and Bella). They are all my heart and soul and I am so fortunate.
I am no longer married (unfortunate choices on both sides). I love painting with watercolor, illustrating greeting cards, basic illustration with prisma markers, pencils and pen and ink. I will be working until my toes turn up, but loving every minute of what I do! The saddest thing about Myrtle Beach is the demolished Pavilion and amusement area..My grandchildren will never know the fun we had there. I STILL think something very cool could have been done with that area had there been 1 ounce of vision instead of whatever they were thinking...just sayin'.... A little update...I also work parttime at H. Rubin Vision Center here in MB. AND am currently doing children's and doggie portraits in graphite and charcoal.

At the end of the summers, the cheerleaders would pile into Bunny's white Corvair around 5:30 am or so, and head for the beach down at the boardwalk in front of the Pavilion. We would practice cheers while the sun came up (we all had summer jobs and had to go to work around 8 or 9). In the distance, we could hear the football players cracking their shoulder pads and the band was playing a fight song preparing for the first game of the season.The echo of these sounds bouncing off the water and back was wonderful. Just thinking about it...I can hear it now.. the early morning sounds of the seagulls,us cheering, the band playing, the coach yelling and players heaving from the huddle! After we finished, off to the donut shop we would go...sticky, hot, happy and anxious for those hot Krispy Kremes and a coke. What fun! I absolutely loved my friends at good ole MBHS. To this day, I can see them in my mind, exactly as we were many years ago in this wonderful little "village" by the "ocean blue"...Hail, Myrtle Beach, Hail ! May we each remember the footprints we left in the sand here. I love you guys!
One funny story(at least it is now!).
I am sure both the guys and girls remember petit-pants....sort of a slip that was made into pants to wear underneath, of course, a skirt. They came in all colors..and most of the girls tried to match them to our skirts(just in case we "accidentally" bent over or somebody saw our skirt hiked up)..WE HAD to Match the petit pants to our outfits as closely as possible..especially the cheerleaders on pep rally days. One particular day, I remember my brown and blue plaid fake villager skirt and sweater with my baby blue lace-trimmed petit-pants...I thought I looked so cool..and I KNEW we were doing cartwheels that day during the outdoor pep rally,so I KNEW my skirt was going to fly up and EVERYONE would see my beautiful petit-pants! During the cheering and fanfare and jumping and flipping, I heard "do it again","do it again" from the crowd...So, being a very shy and demure person, I began to do more cartwheels , walk overs, jumps, flips etc...just anything to show my marvelous petit-pants which matched my skirt which matched my sweater and so on...after the rally, a very nice underclassman came shyly up to me and said..."you have a big HOLE in your petit-pants!" and she ran off laughing.. So, instead of showing my petit-pants, I was showing my (a_ _) to the ENTIRE student body...Oh well, things happen....Until later, when I can remember something else! But it was funny even then...to everyone else. I was mortified, believe it or not!!

Josh,21, my oldest, is a rising senior at East Carolina with a major in engineering.(funny, smart, and sweet)

Cheyenne,16, rising junior at Carolina Forest High School(looks like Sandra Bullock, sweet, charming)
Gabriel, 12, is a rising 7th grader at Burgess Elementary.(wonderful heart,very smart, loves me to pieces)
Hannah,7,is beginning 2st grade.(acts like me, looks like her Dad,precious,100 mph 24/7
Brooks,5,is a whopper. (darling, big for his age, sweet)
Bella, Brooks' twin, 5,is very petite(so quiet and shy,beautiful and delightful.

My grandchildren are wonderful. I am so proud of my children and their children.Lucky me!

Elmer or "Whale-tail"...I much prefer Elmer(Mr. Rourk and Dino T. named me Elmer)

Mr.Rourk and Mrs.Marrs(I couldn't pick just one!)

I must say that just being a kid, thinking we were invincible, and not worrying about much.The carefree spirit that all of us shared. The excitement of Friday games, and sitting on the back of someone's car at the Hickory House. So many things are wonderful memories to me.

I will remember you always...the friends we made in our youth are always friends.

Well....let's just say that all that dancing and jumping around PLUS my Mother's genes for arthritis has led me down the replacement road....I have had everything replaced below the waist that I can talk about!! Haha Seriously!!!

Randy Jennings...thank you, Randy!