White Christmas

Look what fell out of the sky today!! SNOW!! Snow is just as much an oddity here in Brandon as it is in Tucson. Of course, the school district didn't want to cancel school in case the weather moved north...but it hit us dead on (with about 2-3") and with 1300 students just arriving, it was NOT good!! Teachers tried to keep some type of order until the principal came on over the intercom and told the teachers to "take your babies outside and let them play in the snow". The kids had a ball! I'm sure today is one of those days they'll always remember!! Finally the district called to close school and it took us two hours to get all the kids on their way home. All these southern teachers were in a panic about having to drive home in the "slush"...so I gave them 'snow' driving advice, trying to calm them! Hopefully they'll cancel school in the morning BEFORE the kids arrive tomorrow cause it's supposed to freeze and ice over tonight and a repeat of today would NOT be good. In the meantime, we've been enjoying our snow day...putting together a puzzle, drinking hot chocolate and watching TV.

Glimpses of HAWAII

The week before Thanksgiving, Ken, the girls and I went to HAWAII. This was more than likely our last vacation as a family...and only the second vacation we've taken where we didn't go specifically to see family...the first being when we went to Nauvoo when our family was "new". We used flight miles (saved up for years) and Mom's timeshare (booked 14 months in advance) and off we went! I planned the trip to include a stop in Phoenix both going and coming so we were able to have 'early' Thanksgiving with all the family the Saturday after we returned from Hawaii. It felt a little odd not going through all the "Black Friday" adds with my sister and sister-in-laws after dinner (as that has been the tradition) but other than that...it was great to be able to have that short visit.

We spent our first vacation day in the Phoenix airport with a 'broken' plane and didn't arrive in Honolulu until nearly midnight. It was sad not being able to see the islands from the air, but we arrived without incident! The condo was amazing, a little 'village' of condos and hotels actually with shops and restaurants...right ON Waikiki beach. We loved sitting out on the balcony with the warm breeze, looking out at the ocean. WONDERFUL!

"The Arizona Memorial"
What a sobering place. We took the audio tour that explained the displays in the museum (a must do), saw the movie and took the boat ride to the Memorial. The greatest sacrifice was made by so many that day almost 67 years ago.

Scenic Drive

We took the scenic drive to the Northeast part of the island...it was BEAUTIFUL! I couldn't believe how, at one point, the ocean came right up to the highway. That day was a gorgeous one!! We passed banana tree fields, the macadamia nut farm and saw some strange looking trees with a bazillion roots growing above ground.

Laie Temple

Before we went to the PCC, we stopped at the Hawaii Temple. We were greeted by sweet sister missionaries who gave us girls fresh plumeria blossoms. Although the temple is smaller than you would think, it's a beautiful place. We got a chance to see one of maybe 4 surviving 1st editions of the Book of Mormon in the Hawaiian language and met a missionary couple from Lehi UT.

The Polynesian Cultural Center

I think a highlight of the trip was our time at the PCC. We got a chance to learn about the culture of the islands and enjoy their dances and traditions. We couldn't help but think of our Tucson friends, the Hauk's...and the rich heritage they carry in their family. We LOVED the Luau and shared dinner with a couple from Hong Kong. The Night show was amazing!! Students from BYU Hawaii made up the performers...what talent! (even the caucasian kids did pretty good jobs) Fun, fun, fun!

Lanikai

Of all the beaches, I wanted to go to Lanikai. It's one of the most photographed and beautiful beaches. It's an out of the way beach with access from a small, alley type walkway on a little neighborhood street. I never would have found it without Mapquest!! We didn't stay long as it was overcast and raining off and on. We were hoping it had snorkeling potential...it didn't. So we just enjoyed the scenery and soft sugary sand.

Sandy Beach
We stopped here on our way back from Lanikai Beach. The waves were pretty rough since there were no reefs to block them and there were several surfers out.Waikiki Beach
We loved being able to walk out of the condo, around the Lagoon and right to the beach. I was surprised at how small Waikiki beach is compared to the beaches of San Diego...guess I wasn't taking into consideration that this IS a small island! It was a surreal experience to look out of the condo and see Diamondhead...such a world known landmark!

Snorkeling

The one thing Ken really wanted to do was snorkel. The girls and I had never done such a thing and were a bit concerned about breathing ability! Suprisingly, the water is VERY salty and we literally floated around, making snorkeling easy. We were amazed at all the colorful fish we found in the reef just a little way off from shore. Puffer fish, angel fish, blue fish, yellow fish (I sound like Dr. Seuss). Ken saw some large squid, a trigger fish and an eel (he was more adventurous than we were and went out around the sea wall). He ended up taking nearly two cameras full of underwater pictures (which will probably take us forever to develop) and came out of the water with "little boy" excitement. It was great fun!

We were sad to leave but left with plans to come back...to a different island next time. I think the girls enjoyed their final "Hoorah" with Mom and Dad!

Things I like about Mississippi

Fall

The weather turned cold a bit ago with a couple of mornings of frost. That frost triggered the turning of the leaves. It's been quite a change to have all the color around...instead of all the 'plain' green! I took a drive and tried to catch the beauty of the colors but I don't think my pictures do it justice. I loved the Fall in Utah, but most of the real color was up on the mountain, and that didn't last very long. There were some trees in the valley that turned but nothing like out here. Mom called the other day and asked if we had "color"...YEP! The weather didn't stay cold, it was just a cold snap and we've been enjoying absolutely wonderful "Fall" weather.

Houses

Everywhere I drive I find houses that I LOVE. Most of the time I find it hard to keep my eyes on the road because I want to look at the houses. One of my favorite things to do, even now, is to go out for a drive to "look at houses". We're forever finding new neighborhoods filled with darling ones. I love the country feel of living here, houses that sit on several well kept acres, ponds and the occasional horse or two.
Gas Prices

Need I say more?

Rewind

Finally downloaded pictures from Chelsey's camera onto my computer so I can "rewind" and catch you all up on past happenings. So here goes.
Clint's visit
Clint flew in for Chelsey's birthday back in October and we picked him up on a beautiful Saturday afternoon down in New Orleans. Naturally we went to the French Quarter, then walked over to the Mississippi River, drove by the 'above ground' cemetaries, showed him the big old oak trees at City Park and drove around the still devastated areas from Katrina. We stopped for seafood on the way home. I think it was a lot for him to take in all at once...he was a good sport..."hey, look at that cool house, look over here at this cool architecture, look at this, look at that". We were so anxious to show him all sorts of stuff that we were amazed with when we first moved here. I think he was mostly just looking at Chelsey!!! Anyway, I think they had a good time roaming around town and seeing all the places that Chelsey's been talking about. He got a chance to meet a pair of our ward missionaries, which was cool...since that's what he's gonna be pretty soon!! He and Chelsey went on a double date with Natalie and Rob to the Mississippi State Fair, which the girls said was a 'blast'. Chelsey said it was the best birthday EVER. I'm so glad!! We really enjoyed having Clint here and wished his visit could have been longer.

Halloween

Since this was the last Halloween the girls planned on having at home, we had to get real pumpkins to carve. They went out late the afternoon of Halloween and bought probably the last two 'good' pumpkins around. Then they set up and started carving! I was anxious that no one cut off their finger...so I supervised!! They had a great time deciding their faces, looking on the internet for inspiration. Nattie saved the seeds for Ken to roast (the whole time Chelsey kept saying "Riley loved to save the seeds" "Riley loved eating pumpkin seeds"). We missed you Riley!!! The girls answered the door for all the Trick-or-treaters because I teach most of the kids around here and I just didn't want them to know where I lived!! We bought 4 huge bags of candy thinking that would be enough...well, we didn't know that we live in "THE" neighborhood for trick or treating cause we ran out in less than an hour and a half! Oh, because of all the High School football games on Friday night, the community changed Halloween to Thursday...Yes, they CHANGED Halloween because of football!! Southerners LOVE their football!!!

He's BAAACCCKKK!!

Who would have believed it??? Gus is BACK!!! There'd been sightings by neighbors but we'd never actually seen him. Once when mom and dad were here we thought we caught a glimpse of him...but nothing. Then the other day, on my way home from work, an orange cat ran across the road ahead of my car...and it had a crooked tail...it was GUS! I stopped and jumped out, he ran under a parked truck. I called his name, knelt down and talked to him. Then he came out meowing and walked right up to me. He was very skittish, but eventually rubbed up against my leg and actually let me pick him up and hold him. I started to put him in the car when another cat ran out from under my car and they started hissing at each other and Gus went nuts and jumped out of my arms. I called the girls to hurry and bring food and help me 'capture' him. Well, after about an hour of coaxing, feeding, petting etc...we couldn't grab hold of him to get him into the car to get him home. So we left. The very next day, Chelsey was driving through the neighborhood and saw Gus sitting out in the same area he'd been the day before. She got out, he came up to her, she grabbed him and put him in the car. Natalie joined her and they were able to get him in the house!! It was surreal. He acts like he remembers stuff...like napping on Natalie's bed, sitting on top of the boxes, and right where to get food. Amazing!! He's been gone exactly 5 months!!! He's very skinny, but other than that...the same ole Gus. Gracie is NOT happy he's back and hisses at him but we're hoping they'll get accustomed to each other. So far, no cat fights!

New Car!!!

FINALLY, Chelsey got her new car. She's been saving for years, and years to buy a car when she was 16. Well, she inherited the truck instead...why buy another car when you can use a family one. Then when she turned 17 we looked and looked. Found the perfect, Honda Civic, silver, two door, sunroof and spoiler (her dream car since age 13) but literally as we were walking out the door to drive to Phoenix to buy it we got a call saying the guy had just sold it!! Then came the move issues and so the car was put on hold. She really wanted a car for her 18th birthday, with the red bow and all...but it didn't happen. We found a wholesale dealer here and have visited his lot about every week or so for months now. Twice we came so close to getting a silver Honda...but it never worked out. Once we had the keys in our hands and were walking out to drive the car home to meet Ken (for the 'dad' inspection) and some girl drove up with her mom waving a check saying she had the money to buy the car...so Chelsey quietly handed the keys over to the "new owner". Anyway...a couple of weeks ago we drove by. He had a new silver Honda on the lot and Chelsey was anxious to see it. While she was looking at it out back, I saw this cute little white Accord and told her to take a look. She did and fell in LOVE! It isn't silver, or a Civic or a two door and it doesn't have a sunroof or a spoiler...but she LOVES it!! The best part of all....she paid for it all herself!!!! It's in great shape, well taken care of with a fairly new paint job. We bought her new tires and put her birthday stickers from Clint on the back window, she bought a dangly peace sign to hang from the rearview mirrow and now it doesn't look like a "mom" car!! The lady at the DMV dug through different license plates to find one with her favorite number "13", just to make it more personal without costing anymore money! She's worked hard to save for her car, was patient (most of the time) about not having her "own" car and now her waiting is over. Everytime she comes home from work or driving around she comes into the house with a smile and says, "I LOVE my car!" Congratulations Chelsey!!!

Chelsey is 18!!!!

On October 8th, Chelsey turned 18!! I can't believe that my baby is 18 years old! I'm not ready for that!! Where has the time gone? She was pretty anxious for the day to come...mainly because Clint was coming out for a visit but even still, she was counting down the days weeks ahead of time. I took the day off from work, slept in and then the girls and I went out shopping for the "birthday outfit" including accessories (which is a rare thing that I purchase). She didn't find anything!! We did go to Olive Garden for lunch and celebrated her 'time of birth' there. Later that evening (after a pop-in at YW) we had brownies and played UNO (I won). We read off the birthday game answers, laughed and got homesick for everyone. There were calls from family all day long, which was a treat...especially the call from Jake and Emily right at singing and candle time!! Made it feel like you were all here with us!!! She said she had the best birthday ever...but honestly, the visit from Clint made it so. She didn't get her Honda Civic, silver, sunroof and a spoiler but we did test drive an Accord with no sunroof or spoiler but too many miles. I know she wanted the car with a big red bow on it...but it didn't happen...but it will...someday!!! She's grown into a beautiful young woman, hard-working, dedicated and thoughtful with a testimony of Christ. We couldn't ask for more!

Back in school...

As much as I hate to post without a picture, I felt that if I didn't 'check in' ya'll would think I'd disappeared amongst all the greenery here in Mississippi. Actually, I started working and until lately, have come home completely exhausted and brain dead. I guess I'm building up some stamina because I don't fall into bed for a nap as soon as I get home any more...only sometimes!! I keep forgetting to bring my camera to school with me so I can give you a glimpse of my new home away from home. It's an older school, two stories, with many outdoor portable classrooms. We're very overcrowded...just waiting for the new elementary school to open next year. (1300 students in grades 3-5) My job, for this year, is an Enrichment teacher. I float from classroom to classroom teaching study skills, thinking skills, just about anything that could help the kids do well on their state standardized testing. So far, the feedback from the teachers is positive. I enjoy what I'm doing...it's the 'fun' part of teaching without all the grading and housekeeping mess. It would be perfect if school started at 9 instead of 7:30 (meaning I have to be there at 7, ugh!). Oh well!! In many ways they are 'behind the times' here...the public library has something to be desired (I couldn't believe the audio book section...maybe 30 items), the technology in the classrooms is PITIFUL as well as the support for teachers' rights to a duty free lunch...they have to eat WITH their kids in the cafeteria in only 20 minutes and there's NO lunch recess...they go right back to class...who knows when the teachers go potty??? Oh, and they only get $100 for the year for supplies, they have to buy their own copy paper and there's no district graphics and printing available for anything out of the ordinary. NO ONE has a class set of dictionaries, not even the school library...try giving a lesson on dictionary skills without dictionaries and thesauruses have to be checked out from the library cause no one has any of those either!! On the upside...there are only 15 ELL students (out of 1300) with none being NES and based on last years state tests, the 3rd graders scored #1st in the district with 4th and 5th grade placing #3rd. This places the school at a 5A rating (top) which is a big deal here. Enough of my ramblin'...

Girls are doing well, Nattie has a fun, cute Mississippi boyfriend named Rob and Chelsey is looking forward to a visit from Clint, who is coming the first of October for her 18th birthday!!! We're busy in the ward...Ken is serving in the YM Pres. and I'm 1st counselor in Primary as well as the Sacrament organist (pianist). For a while, I was playing in Sacrament meeting, running to Primary to play and during sharing time, I would run into Relief Society to play. I REALLY miss my non-complicated Primary pianist job in Tucson!! Even still...we're still praying that the house in Tucson sells before our year move benefit is up. As much as I miss all my family and friends and my job at Prince, I really like the environment/atmosphere here. I love the green, the beautiful homes and the history...just wish there was a Panda Express and that Riley and Alexis were 1300 miles closer!!

Know that I miss everyone as much as ever.

Virginia Reunion

So much has happened in the past month that I've just not sat down to update my blog. Mom and Dad came to Mississippi about two weeks after Chelsey got home from AZ...just around Ken's birthday. They were here a couple of days before we (Ken, Chelsey, Mom, Dad and I) headed to Radford VA for mom's paternal side's family reunion. Chelsey wasn't thrilled with the 11 hour, scrunched in the middle of the back seat drive with four old people but she survived with minimal complaint...what a trooper! Natalie "lucked out" and stayed in Louisiana an extra week until we got home. Virginia spoils us all for living anywhere else. The beauty needs to be experienced. What makes this area even more meaningful is my family's rich heritage there. Mom was always pointing to something and saying, "My daddy helped build that building", or "My granddaddy delivered the mail to this area". Generations of family members have lived in this small corner of Virginia. Mom's Uncle Wylie is still around, as well as her three aunts..what a HOOT! That makes four generations in one of these pictures. These same aunts are Chelsey's great-great aunts!!They remind me of actually living in a real life Steel Magnolias. They are the most amazing ladies and I enjoyed each one of them immensely. One of the traditions is that on Monday morning, after the big gathering of the reunion, the oldsters and out of towners all drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway to Mabry's Mill for breakfast. We had such a good time. Ken was charming all the aunts, which they loved, and playing photographer. He took some great pictures. FYI: The mill is the most photographed building in VA. Other states even try to claim it as their own but I can vouch that it's in Virginia!One tidbit of cool information that we learned on this trip is that my great-aunt Ilene's husband's (Uncle Bill) granddaddy was a captain in the Confederate army and was with General Lee at Appomatox for the surrender to Grant. Uncle Bill is nearly 90 years old and remembers his granddaddy, who died at the age of 92. We noticed a picture of a younger man in uniform and got the story. His granddaddy even kept the front page of the newspaper detailing the surrender...which Uncle Bill now has. Anyway...we shook Uncle Bill's hand, who had shook his granddaddy's hand who shook the hand of General Lee. So only two people stood between us and General Lee...way cool! The trip was memorable...we ate good food, enjoyed wonderful company and hated to leave!! I LOVE my family!!!

Clint was Baptized!!

Clint was baptized July 6th and confirmed a member of the church on the 13th!!! What an amazing young man!

Here's the history: Moving away from Tucson was hard for Chelsey who was leaving her guy behind. Before leaving we had already bought two different plane trips back for her...one by herself and the other for Riley's wedding. That helped the separation blues a bit. While she was here in MS, Clint and Chelsey spent many hours on the phone. You would think that after a while you would run out of things to talk about (what do you talk about if it's not your children's drama, financial drama, or your family drama?) Anyway, they talked about the church and started reading and sharing scriptures together. Clint has a Mormon heritage of his own...on his father's side, but he wasn't raised in the church and knew little of the doctrine. During Chelsey's first visit back, Clint had his first missionary discussion at our old ward's bishop's home (who happened to be Clint's orthopedic doctor). Things went really well, so they scheduled more and more appointments, some with Chelsey, others without. Well, a truly amazing thing happened. The Spirit got a hold of Clint and he decided to be baptized. We always liked Clint, he was a good friend to Chelsey even before they started dating, but his countenance changed once he started learning about the gospel. Like Riley, he stood a little taller, smiled a little more and his eyes were a little brighter. He seemed happier. He announced his desire to be baptized the Monday morning after Riley's wedding. (I took this picture to document the event!) The visit to the temple visitor's center, viewing the display on Christ and the movie on the prophet Joseph helped with his desire, but ultimately it was the Spirit testifying to his open heart that the church was true. Well, needless to say, Chelsey changed her plans to leave with me the next morning and stayed another two weeks so she could attend his baptism. No one in Clint's family knew that he was seriously investigating the church...they just knew he had a "cute little Mormon girlfriend". After telling his parents, Clint called his grandfather who lives in Show Low. Imagine his surprise when Clint asked if he would baptize him!! 'Tons' of people were in attendance at the baptism. The singles ward there is AMAZING and many came to support Clint. (This was the same ward Riley attended before he got married.) Clint had many family members coming from all over as well. One of the jokes between Clint and Chelsey was that because she was Mormon and he had Mormon relatives...that maybe they might be related somehow and "wouldn't that be weird/disgusting??!!" Well, at the baptism, they found out that...Chelsey is a second cousin to Clint's aunt, through marriage! My Uncle George's step-daughter is Clint's aunt. There isn't any blood relation involved but goes to show that it's a small world in the church!! With his new found faith and surrounded by supportive friends and family...Clint will be able to accomplish great things! Congratulations, Clint!! Your life will never be the same...it'll just get better!

Wedding Events continued...

Chelsey finally returned from Arizona and brought her camera full of pictures! yeah! So I'm going to try and do some recapping of the wedding events.

Riley's Temple Session
Our arrival from Miss. was timed to barely get us to the temple for Riley's session...IF nothing went wrong. Well...for the first time EVER, Southwest was late!! About 2 hours late. There went any 'wiggle' room we might have had and so Riley enlisted the help of his 'soon to be' brother-in-law, Jeremy, to stand in with him. We were heartbroken. I was so upset that I actually had an honest to goodness melt down in the rental car line. Chelsey called Natalie at that exact time and wanted to talk to me. Natalie told Chelsey, "I don't think now is a good time. You REALLY don't want to talk to her now." It was BAD! However, the drive to the temple helped calm me, and the fact that my mother was able to have everything moved back so we could at least be there for the session...so I arrived without 'melt-down' residual. It was an amazing feeling to be greeted by Riley, all dressed in white, who was waiting for us in the foyer. He seemed right at home. And it just got better from there!!! We were in the temple with Riley, Chelsey was in Tucson with her boyfriend Clint who was having another missionary discussion and Natalie was with the sister missionaries in the visitor's center having a wonderful experience. All at the same time!!!

Bridal Shower

Alexis had a bridal shower at the home of one of her dear friends. It took us FOREVER to get to the shower because it was clear over at the other end of civilization. I had NO idea people lived out that far! When our carpool of family showed up, several young ladies were leaving. We knew we were a tad bit late but started to be concerned that the shower might already be ending. Anyway, we found out later that we were only invited to the Nice shower...that the Naughty shower was held earlier!! Hmmm, a Naughty and Nice shower!! Anyway, it was fun to visit and eat the good food and watch Alexis open presents! I also had my first "shocking" introduction as the..."Mother-in-law"!!

The Wedding Day
After all the wonderful events of a temple session, bridal shower and reception, it was time for the wedding!! The day was sunny and beautiful...and warm. While everyone waited for 'our' bride and groom to appear, any amount of shade was utilized...even the shade from a skinny palm tree! I about died when I saw this 'line-up' and had to have a picture!! Honestly...it was soooo hot. Poor Ken in his dark suit.

The girls, along with Clint toured the temple grounds and visitor's center while they waited.
The bride and groom finally appeared and were hurried off for pictures. Handsome couple!
The 'wedding line'. Can you even believe Riley is a husband in this picture!! He looks so handsome and HAPPY! Thank you Alexis!!! Isn't she beautiful?! We LOVE her!!
The Luncheon

We hurried off after pictures at the temple and headed over to the luncheon. The Roussel family had a long drive over to the church...sorry guys! Thank heavens for my family. They jumped in and got everything set up...yeah for Relief Society training. Thanks everyone for all your help.

And...off they went, to live Happily Ever After...

The Wedding Events

The "Pre"ception
Riley and Alexis choose to have the reception the night before their wedding... setting their marriage day apart from the traditional festivities. This was nice for all of us, but I'm sure especially for the bride and groom who had the stress of preparing for the reception over and done with and could then relax and enjoy their wedding day. Plus they could just leave from the luncheon afterwards and head off on their honeymoon without having to stand for hours greeting well-wishers. Smart idea!!

The reception was a warm and wonderful event. Everything was decorated beautifully in a beach cottage theme. Amazingly, Alexis's mother did most everything herself including, making the bride's dress and the wedding cake to name a few!! There were multiple comments that the cake was the "best I've ever eaten" and Ken wants the recipe for the chicken salad. Family, neighbors and friends came from all over, including Bishop and Sister Whitaker from Tucson, our Tucson hometeacher Bro. Andrews and wife Debbie (our Relief Society Pres.) and dear friend Holly with Garrett and company. Aunt Judy and family came all the way down from Utah. Thanks everyone for supporting Riley!! Our visit was short, but it was so good to see you all. But the biggest surprise of the night was the appearance of Daniel Nelson. Daniel lived across the street from us in Orem and just so happened to be visiting his sister just a few miles away from the reception. So he came!! Daniel was always such a good friend to Riley, even during some tough times. What a great kid!!! Anyway, I cornered him and made him tell me all the happenings in the old Orem ward. He represented all our Utah friends noblely, bringing their faces to mind and making me so homesick. Thanks for coming Daniel!!!

Overall it was a wonderful evening, one that I will cherish. How grateful I am to the Roussel family and the spirit they all carry with them. For their acceptance and love of Riley and for their beautiful daughter Alexis...who I now call 'daughter' as well!!

They're Married!!!

Riley and Alexis are MARRIED!!! What a wonderful day today has been! Riley was beaming, Alexis was beautiful...it was a perfect day!!! Actually the past few days have been filled with such amazing happenings...events that we have longed for and prayed for. How grateful I am for a loving Heavenly Father who hears and answers prayers.

Last minute count-down

We're counting the days until Alexis and Riley's June 21st wedding. Because we're so far away, I can't be in the middle of all the running around preparing for the festivities surrounding a wedding. So, my 'stress level' has been relatively low. With the exception of finding appropriate dresses for the girls, it's been pretty easy! Also, I sent Natalie off to Utah and Chelsey off to Tucson early last week for "friend visits", so I've been an empty nester. I don't think I like it! Anyway, things seem to be moving smoothly thanks to my mom and sister-in-law Pam. They've organized an airconditioned place for the wedding luncheon, tables, chairs and table cloths and food!! My sister Jenn had offered her beautiful yard and pool but it's just too hot in late June at noon to eat outside! Once Ken and I get to Phoenix we will hit the ground running. But so far, it's been the calm before the storm!!

Mississippi Family

This past week, Cousin Katie moved back to Hattiesburg from Gilbert AZ so she could attend the University of Southern Mississippi for her masters. Cousin Leigh from Littleton CO came along to help with the move. Cousin Dave and wife Kim (from the Canton Flea Market post) and their four children already live in Hattiesburg close to Uncle Ken. So this past weekend, I joined up with my Mississippi family at Uncle Ken's house for some shopping, antiquing, eating and lots of visiting. It was a familiar family gathering...only it was happening in Mississippi and not Utah...such a STRANGE feeling!!

Baby Lilly

Jason and Hannah had their first baby...Lilly Evangeline. She arrived on May 28th at 9:38 am weighing 6 lbs. 15 oz. We had been anxiously awaiting her birth and are thrilled that all went well. She joins two big sisters, Alivia and Audrey...a houseful of ladies!! Jason is still deployed in Iraq but has been able to arrange a short leave to the states in the middle of June. He'll only be 'stateside' for 18 days, not long to get to know your newborn and reaquaint yourself with your new wife and daughters. (Jason was deployed about 9 weeks after he and Hannah were married) He is scheduled to be home for good in March. I'm sure it'll be a long winter for Hannah with three little ones and all that Colorado snow. For now, her mother is with her helping out. Yeah for moms!! Wish we could be closer. Just when things were getting exciting we had to go and move across the country! First Riley's wedding and now this little grandbaby. Honestly, I should have bought stock in Southwest Airlines years ago!!!