This week in Vineville’s Spotlight are
Mamie, Thomas & Emma Simmons
Which worship service and Sunday school class do you attend? 9:00 Modern Service, Disciples Sunday School Class and
Emma is in the 2-3K SS Class.
How long have you been a member of the church? Mamie has been a member for two years and Thomas for 17 years.
What are some things your family likes to do together? We like to be outside, playing and exercising. We like to travel so we can learn about new places, cultures and people. We love to swim and go to the beach, and usually spend time at the beach each summer with both of our extended
families.
Tell us a little about your family. We got married in June 2010 at Summerall
Chapel in Charleston, SC, where we also met. Thomas grew up in Macon, and I grew up in Lancaster, SC. Thomas works in medical sales, and I teach iStroll exercise classes for new parents and do private speech therapy. Emma reads, helps cook, packs purses with all the small things she can find in the house and takes care of her baby dolls, Willard, CiCi and Simmons. We have an 8 month old Boykin Spaniel, Sully, named after Sullivan’s Island, SC.
What’s the best vacation you’ve been on? Our favorite family trip so far was a trip to Portugal and Spain, along with Thomas’s mom, Iris Simmons, when Emma was about 14 months. It was so fun to experience a new city and country as a family. We spent time exploring the city and coast of Lisbon, spent time in Barcelona. In Madrid, we visited my youngest brother, who was teaching English at the time, and were also able to visit family friends who live in Trujillo, a small, very old town south of Madrid. Thomas and I agree that we want to show Emma as much of the world outside of where she lives so we can make her perception of people and community as big as possible. So our trip to Spain was the beginning of a vision we have for
our family.
What attracted you to Vineville or what is your favorite thing about Vineville? Our favorite things about Vineville are our small group Bible Study and our connections to other members of all ages that we’ve forged through missions trips together and Men’s Softball Team/Games.
Do you have any good family traditions? It is our family tradition that we all eat together at the table on nights we are home and the “rule” is “No phones while we eat,” which Emma likes to remind us of in a loud voice with a pointing finger if we forget. Last Christmas we spent our first Christmas Eve in our house as a family—we are normally in SC with Mamie’s family on Christmas Eve—and are working on
making some new traditions for our family!