Family Happenings

Merry Christmas

2009-12-22T08:23:00.000-08:00

To all my family and friends...Merry Christmas!! I didn't get many greetings sent off in the mail, so I wanted to let you all know that I'm thinking of you and wishing you the best this holiday season. I've finally begun my Christmas break, yee haw! Ken and I have braved the crowds and cold to do some last minute shopping and are preparing for our trip south to spend Christmas with family. Can't wait to be warm! I guess after not really having a winter in 9 years your blood thins out...getting older doesn't help...so now I carry my bean bag (portable heater) everywhere. We also had to buy a whole new set of clothes...coats, shoes etc. Chelsey commented that now, when we have the opportunity to have a 'white' christmas, we decide to go back to Arizona! Go figure! Anyway...I love hearing from all of you, reading your blogs and chatting on facebook...keeping in touch the technology way!! Know that my thoughts and prayers are with you at this special time of year. May God bless and keep you!

A "Sweet" Suite

2009-08-02T09:49:00.001-07:00

Well...we're finally done!! Chelsey moved into her room and is happy to "have her space". We couldn't have done it without Dad, THANKS!! It started off like this...Then looked like this for a while...
And finally, this...
Chelsey's so happy to have her things in one place (hasn't had everything since Tucson) and looks forward to decorating. We're pretty glad she has her own bathroom! She loves the turquoise color!! We still have carpet to lay but we're gonna do that once the family room and stairway are completed. Yep, more sheetrock dust and paint! But it's gonna be a while before that gets done since I start back to school with new teacher meetings this week. ugh...summer's over for me!!

Changes

2009-07-05T20:04:00.000-07:00

OK, so I lied...I didn't get back on line quite as quickly as I'd hoped. But now that I have my computer and my camera cord to download pictures, I should be a more frequent blogger...until school starts! Ha! So...here's my news...we moved...AGAIN!! Yep, we're in Utah now! I know, shock, but not any more shocking than it came to us. We LOVED Mississippi and truly didn't want to leave but circumstances necessitated a change and Utah was the only door left open to us...so we took it, reluctantly, but gratefully.

Leaving what I loved in Mississippi...family, friends, culture.There's nothing like living in the South! I loved being able to see "Faith" promoted everywhere. Store marquees posting Sabbath reminders, even the banks displayed scripture mostly about God and Country. Awesome! The culture...strong southern pride and sense of community. Family...we loved our time with family on both sides. My reconnection with the Wood family was a blessed gift, one I probably wouldn't have had had I not lived in Mississippi. I'll miss my dear friends and the best job ever...what an experience!!! Of course, leaving our beautiful 4 acres and giving up our dream was one of the hardest things to let go of...but we did...and we survived!

Coming back to Utah...being close to family (children and grandchildren) and church. There's nothing like Temple Square in the Spring! The girls and I spent a day at Temple Square shortly after we moved to Salt Lake City. It's was absolutely beautiful! We've had the chance to see "The Spoken Word" twice now...amazing!! Couldn't do that in Mississippi. For Father's Day we had a family dinner at Uncle Roger and Aunt Judy's. Reminds me of all the times we would drive up to spend Sunday evenings with them, have dinner and play dominos. There's been a few members added to the family since then which adds to the fun. I'm so glad to be back with my Utah family!!Ken continually reminds me of all the "perks" about moving here and says, "these things should count for something". Well, they do!

We've had a chance to visit with Jason, Hannah and the girls for Lilly's 1st birthday. What price do you put on that??? We had a wonderful time and look forward to many more visits!Riley and Alexis spent their 1st wedding anniversary with us! How wonderful is that?? They went to Lagoon and visited old Orem places. I'm so glad we're just a day away for them to "get away" to. Then Chelsey and I followed them back down to Phoenix for a visit with family there and because we drove, I could bring back 'stuff'. Ok...couldn't do that if I still lived in Mississippi. Bonus...Dad and Mom came up for a couple of weeks so Dad could help (nearly singlehandedly) finish the basement (just one of those "perks").

The Lord has blessed us in many ways...we left a place we loved to call home and looked forward to settling down there, but we were so far away from most of the children. Ken and I both loved our jobs and hated to leave the many friends we had made so quickly. As the Reverend Mother said in Sound of Music...when God closes a door, somewhere he opens a window. This is so true in our case. We've come back to a place we once hated to leave, back to familiar places, family and friends. Who would have thought??? Certainly not us!! But here Ken is back with old work buddies and against all odds, I've found a great teaching position...so we're settling down here to begin the next stage of our lives...grandparents!!

When I married Ken he told me "hang on for the ride". Well so far, it's been a doozy!!

Didn't mean to stay gone so long!

2009-05-28T22:25:00.000-07:00

So, things are a bit different since I last wrote. I had all sorts of stories to add to my blog, and they're still on the backburner, but for now...I just thought I'd better add something so you didn't think I had fallen off the earth. I should be up and running in a week or two and then can fill ya'll in on our happenings. Oh...I've remembered all day and reminded the whole family but then forgot to call to wish little Lilly Rizzuto a happy 1st birthday!!! Hope you had a wonderful day, sweet Lilly!!!! WE LOVE you!

Visits and more visits

2009-03-15T15:51:00.000-07:00

For the past several weekends, Ken and I have traveled all over Mississippi visiting various family members. Seems like we're trying to fill our 'bucket' on fast forward speed. We've spent many peaceful weekends down at Ken's mom's home...just can't get enough of their quiet setting, sitting out on the patio or porch watching and listening to the birds and just being away from the 'busy' and feeling the 'calm'. They have an ideal place to be retired in!! We went again last weekend on our way to deliver Natalie back to her mother. The plan was that she would return to live with her mother when she turned 18...her 18th birthday was March 11th, so off she went. She took her little companion, Gus, with her as well. The house is a lonely place without them both and although Gracie didn't fully accept Gus back after he disappeared, she went around calling for him for days...so sad! So...we are officially empty nesters right now! AND I DON'T LIKE IT!!! I miss my girls but know that they are off onto the next stage of life.

Early in February went up to Ken's brother's house outside of Memphis, to visit his step-mom, who now lives there. Mom Liz is an amazing woman. She has such strength! She's been able to continue on without Ken's dad, which we thought would do her in. She's been through open heart surgery, has diabeties, finished chemo therapy (yes, she has cancer as well) and after a serious fall...she went into a tailspin with her health and we didn't know how long she would last. BUT, she's doing great! Pat and Kelly are awesome (her son and daughter-in-law). They have opened their home to her and given her such a wonderful place to live and be happy in. We had such a nice visit with them all.

Once again, we made a trip up to Corinth. And once again, Teddy drove over from Little Rock to meet up with us! It's been great to have this time to spend together. (I really appreciate your taking time out to be with us...Thanks!) This time our emphasis was the Civil War, as well as family history search. We stayed our first night outside of Tupelo at Aunt Peggy's. I loved looking at the old family photos she has compiled and she graciously, along with Uncle Bill's help, let me scan copies of the most amazing, really old pictures! Can't wait to work on them and create a picture family tree!! Uncle Monte made a suprise visit at Aunt Peggy's and brought Ken a set of lawyer bookcases...something he has wanted for years! Thanks a bunch, Uncle Monte!! We (Ken, Teddy and I) drove up to Corinth and traipsed through a couple more cemetaries and made the necessary stop at Borrum's for a chocolate milkshake, even though the temperature outside was freezing! We visited the Corinth Interactive Civil War Museum...a must if you're passing through, and after the usual 'southern' chatting with the workers, found out that the woman working in the giftshop used to ride bikes as a little girl with my Aunt Judy!! We ended the day at Shilo National Park, about an hour north of Corinth. We got a much different feeling here than at the Corinth museum. If you know your Civil War history, you'd know that Shilo was a two day battle that accomplished NOTHING but the deaths of over 24 thousand men and boys. It's here that the famous "bloody pond" is located. Where soldiers from both sides, and even the horses, came to drink and wash their wounds...so many so that the water became a pond of blood. I can't even describe the feelings I got driving through the fields and woods that were the battlefield. There are 5 burial trenches where the Southern soldiers were piled, and then buried...the utter waste of life...the tragedy of it all. Northern soldiers were reinterred, with headstones, in the National Cemetary there on the site. We left Shilo feeling 'heavy' and drove to Pickwick lake. Mom has talked alot about her fun at Pickwick. Well, we stayed at Uncle Jeff and Aunt Bette's breathtakingly beautiful lake house. After a great Prime Rib dinner, we talked into the night (well, I slept on the chair, Ken and Ted talked). Then we woke up Sunday morning to 2" of snow. It was the stuff dreams are made of...waking to a view of a beautiful lake and the deck covered with snow...a pure feeling of quiet. You could just feel your bloodpressure lower!! What an amazing get-away! I think I'd like to book a week in July and again in October (for the Fall colors)!!! Thank you so much Aunt Bette for letting us stay! Before we headed back to Jackson, we met up with the Oxford family and had a great short visit. No worries...I'll be back!!!

Jason's Home

2009-02-18T18:25:00.000-08:00

Jason arrived home February 11th to a very happy family!! This picture was printed on the front page of the Colorado Springs newspaper. The caption read: "Audrey Rizzuto, 4, of Colorado Springs, helps her dad, Sgt. Jason Rizzuto, push a stroller to the car after he returned from Iraq. Rizzuto was welcomed home by his wife and three daughters." When we pulled it up on the web, it gave me chills and made his being home...REAL!! A huge weight was lifted when he called and said he was in America. You really don't realize how much you'd been "holding your breath" until you don't have to anymore. That was the feeling we felt after seeing this darling picture...such relief!! Then the very next thought that comes to mind is..."there are still so many more that need to come home." Hopefully that will happen soon, but until then, PRAY for all the soldiers. We are all proud of Jason, for his dedication to his duty and love for his country. What an amazing man!!

ROOTS

2009-02-01T16:02:00.000-08:00

My hometown....Corinth Mississippi(Corinth Courthouse where Teddy personally saw and heard Elvis Presley singing on the courthouse steps!!)

Moving to Mississippi meant I was coming back to my 'roots'. Yep...many of you may not know it but I was born in Mississippi. Being a Navy brat, I didn't really grow up in the same town or state for that matter. I never felt I had 'roots'. After moving to Jackson, one of the places I had most wanted to visit was the town where I was born, Corinth. Here I had roots...as my father's side of the family go WAY back on both his father's and mother's sides of the family...some as far back at the early 1800's!! At the beginning of the year I got a chance to do just that. Not only was I able to drive the streets of the town and connect with the places so many of my family members were a part of, but I was able to visit with Wood family members I hadn't seen in 30 years!! It was quite the emotional experience for me. Since I started family research in 1979, I have learned the names and dates of so many of my relatives...trying to 'connect' with the family I didn't know. (My parents were divorced when I was 3) Mom told me the stories she knew and had gone to Corinth on a few occasions and taken pictures of many of the places I ended up taking pictures of, but it wasn't the same as actually being there. The town is a quaint southern town, with an amazing town square. The homes have character...it was beautiful even though it was the dead of winter! Teddy was our tour guide and stopped at every house I had any connection to. I remember bits and pieces of walking into Mumma's home and being at Granny's and I remember staying at the home my mother spent her teenaged years in...but to see them through adult eyes was different. How I wished I could walk through the houses again and pull a little of their 'spirits' from the walls. To hear the voices of Grandaddy and Granny Choate, although I think Teddy does a great imitation of what Grandaddy Choate must have sounded like! My visit with family was the highlight. We were entertained by Uncle Monte and Uncle Jerry, who both play the piano beautifully, but who also are great at telling stories that had us rolling!! Aunt Peggy shared her amazing scrapbooks with me...I wanted to run out and photocopy each page they were so filled with memories and some awesome family photos! I was thrilled to be able to see pictures of many of the family members I knew in name only...and now had faces to put with the names. I loved hearing stories told by my aunts and uncles, they put life into those pictures. It was a wonderful experience to be immersed in my ROOTS!!! Everyone was so kind and accepting...Thank you for your warm Southern hospitality!! :) My plan is to do it all over again real soon!!!

Corinth Sites...

Top left: The old Corinth High School where both my parents graduated as well as my grandparents. Top right: The Waldron Street Christian Church where my 'way back' Wood family were involved in its re-construction after the Civil War. My "MeeMaw" played the organ for church here for a zillion years. Town square Confederate soldier statue, and Borroum's Drugstore (across from the courthouse) where they have an old fashioned soda fountain and where we had the MOST amazing chocolate milkshake EVER!!

Old Corinth homes...Top left, the home of Pa and Mumma Wood, my great grandparent's. I remember Mumma had a chihuahua that scared the living daylights out of me. Top right, my grandparent's home, Cecil and Dorothy "MeeMaw" Wood. It's the smallest of all the homes yet 6 rambunctious children were raised there! Bottom left is the home of Papa and Grandma Hinton who were the grandparents of my grandmother (my great-great grandparents). They both died within months of each other less than a year before I was born. The bottom center home is where my mother lived as a teenager. The bottom right is Grandaddy and Granny Choate's home. I had my first birthday here and have vague memories of being inside. It was amazing to me to be able to drive through the town and see so many places where someone I was directly related to lived years ago.

Hinton family...I was given the middle name of Hinton. It is my father's middle name and the last name of his great grandparents (and his grandmother's maiden name). I never liked my middle name and asked my mother why she didn't give me a girl's name like hers...Anne. She would then tell me bits and pieces of what she remembered about my great-great Hinton grandparents. How much they loved each other, how sweet they were etc. After a while, Hinton didn't seem like such a strange name to me and I began to love the name. Enough so to pass it on to Chelsey. Here at the Salem Christian Church cemetary is the Hinton family plot. A way back Hinton grandfather helped establish this church and all the Hinton relatives are buried here. There's even a Hinton Road in town...if I could have, I would have taken the road sign home with me!!

Family...The Wood brothers, Teddy, Monte and Jerry, taken at Uncle Jerry's Oxford MS home. A real void was felt by the absence of Uncle Buddy who passed away last January due to cancer. He was spoken of with great respect and admiration...he was greatly missed.

I don't know how I forgot to take pictures of Uncle Jeff and Aunt Bette. They live in Oxford too and own the oldest floral company in town. We got a 'behind the scenes' tour of the shop...there was so much to take in even though Bette and Monte insisted that the shop seemed barren since all the Christmas deco had been taken down.The Tupelo family: Uncle Bill Hardin, (Ken and me) Teddy, cousin Brooks, Suzanne and Aunt Peggy Wood Hardin at the Hardin home in Guntown MS. It's a beautiful home that they built themselves and used a ton of the neatest old doors from Bill's grandmother's antebellum home.

Can't wait to see you all again...

The Holidays have come and gone....

2009-01-12T18:39:00.000-08:00

Where does the time go?? I need a vacation from my vacation because we were on the go nearly the entire time we were off!! The time flew by and I feel sooo behind, but we had a wonderful time visiting with family and friends. Now we're on our second week back at work and it's "grindstone" as usual. Anyway... the highlights:

Christmas Eve we decided to run down to Grandma and Grandpa's for a little target practice. (What else do you do on Christmas Eve in Mississippi??? Ha!) This was a first time for both Chelsey and me...at least with a pistol. Chelsey was pretty good at it...I didn't like it at all. I'd much rather shoot a rifle.

Christmas morning found Chelsey having an "only child" Christmas because Natalie and Trevor spent the holiday with their mother in LA. It was a quiet Christmas morning compared to years past when we usually had 5 or 6 kids together. Who knows what next year will bring.New Years Eve was spent getting reacquainted with our grandgirls, Alivia, Audrey and Lilly. They wore Grandpa out with the tickling and "chase me, Grandpa". Lilly didn't want to have much to do with Grandpa but loved Aunt Chelsey. It was wonderful to spend time with them and to visit with Hannah. Thanks, Hannah for meeting up with us!!We also got a chance to visit with Utah family over the break. It's always great to go back HOME!! Loved the Prime Rib, Chris...you're the best!! Can't wait for the new little one...Emily and Jake...congrats! Ella, you're a doll baby!! As always, thanks Aunt Judy for letting us settle in for a bit...miss you!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RILEY!!!

2009-01-08T16:30:00.000-08:00

Happy 23rd Birthday Riley...What an amazing journey you've been on!! I'm so happy you became a part of our family all those many years ago! Here's wishing you many more amazing years...ones filled with love and happiness.Ten years later and still going strong...We LOVE you Riley!!!

White Christmas

2008-12-11T12:23:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-04T18:06:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-13T19:04:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-09T14:48:00.001-08:00

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!!

2008-11-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2008-10-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

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!!!!

2008-10-10T19:03:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-09-12T19:10:00.001-07:00

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

2008-08-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

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!!

2008-07-09T09:33:00.001-07:00

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...

2008-07-09T09:33:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2008-06-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-09T10:55:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-31T20:36:00.000-07:00

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!!!

Lost kitty

2008-05-30T10:23:00.000-07:00

Gus, our crooked tailed kitty, went out Monday night for an "all nighter" and didn't return. He and Gracie are new to this going outside thing since they had to stay indoors in Tucson. They've eased themselves into going out and every once in a while they both would stay out all night. Gus is more of a pansy and stays pretty close to home, even trying to scratch open the front door at times but this time only Gracie came home. We've posted 'Lost' signs all over the neighborhood hoping someone might have 'rescued' him. Gracie has been meowing and following Chelsey all over the house the past few days, acting like she's in mourning. When she and Gus were separated, even for a bit, they would always greet each other like they'd been apart for a long time so I know she's missing him. We are all very sad and miss stepping over him while he napped on his back in the middle of the floor. We miss rubbing his belly...unusual for a cat but he loved it! We miss his little cat breath on our cheeks waking us up. His personality is missed in our home. This whole episode reminds us of when we first moved to Tucson and lost our sweet cat Pepper to coyotes. She was used to going out and we were naive about the neighborhood dangers...that was a hard loss for our family. Here we thought things would be different, especially since there are tons of neighborhood cats running around. Hopefully he will show up...kinda like the movie Homeward Bound.

Lawn care

2008-05-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

It's been a little over a week since we bought our property and yesterday Ken and I went out to "mow the lawn". Thank heavens the neighbors have a tractor complete with all sorts of handy attachments including this 'bush hog'. It's a monster riding lawn mower of sorts. I am constantly amazed at how fast things grow here, especially the grass and once it gets past the regular riding lawn mower stage, you have to use this huge bush hog thing. Even tho we're not building yet, we're still responsible to keep the grass cut in order to keep the snakes down. The neighbor found a cotton mouth a bit ago and that's NOT good. So, it looks like we'll be mowing every couple weeks if we splurge and buy a regular riding mower...otherwise, Ken'll be back in the monster tractor.

Closer to home...we still have our rental house yard to take care of. I usually start with the front and leave the back for Ken to finish (I run out of gas before the mower does!) Honestly, we just mowed the lawn here at home and I turned around and all these tall, grass seedy things are shooting up all over the yard! The actual blades of grass aren't too long but these tall shoots have to be mowed AGAIN! I think they grow inches each day!!

Land Ho!

2008-05-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we officially became Mississippi land owners! We bought a beautiful four acre piece of meadow surrounded by other tracts of meadow with a few homes dotted here and there. It's north of Brandon, east of the Ross Barnett Reservoir and out in the country a bit but it's within 3 miles of a "Dr.Pepper stop" and 10 miles of shopping. The pictures may all seem the same but let me walk you through. The lot has road frontage to the west, a small pond behind to the east, mature trees to the south and open meadow north (with a new home just being built). The top left picture is from the road looking east, top right is in the back southeast corner looking toward the road...look closely and you can see my red explorer thru the trees and the roof of our across the road neighbor. The land gently slopes down toward the back of the lot. The bottom left picture is looking from the northeast corner toward the road at our other southwest kittycorner neighbor. The bottom right picture was taken in about the middle of the property looking south at our row of oaks and the neighbor's barn and pond. It's so hard to get the full feel of the property with just pictures...you'll have to come out and see for yourselves!! We've met all the neighbors (3 families), they're great local families and we definitely will be the "oldsters" on the block! There's horseback riding (south neighbors have 5 horses), fishing (2 acre stocked pond just to the west) hunting (one neighbor shot a 4 point buck out his back yard) and just lazin' around. Most have four wheelers to get around...we'll just have to get one to fit in! Ken's been looking at riding lawn mower/tractors and drools over the huge gardens people have here. He can't wait to put in his "sustainence" garden. I'm happy with open, breezy space, huge trees and green in general. We feel so fortunate to have found this little spot of heaven on earth. Now...all we need is to sell the Tucson house...just a small detail!! Then we can begin building our dream home. I'll keep you posted!

Canton Flea Market

2008-05-09T20:07:00.000-07:00

There is a tradition among Mississippi women, that twice a year they flock to a little town north of Jackson to attend one of the south's largest flea markets. Hundreds of arts and craft vendors come from all over to sell their wares. It's a real big deal! For years I'd heard about the Canton Flea Market from my cousin Leigh. Yesterday I actually got to see it for myself! My sweet new neighbor invited me to go...otherwise I wouldn't have even known it was happening. Chelsey and Natalie came along as well. We had fun looking at all the crafts and trying to find that one item that we wanted to take home for ourselves. Chelsey found the perfect purse, Natalie the perfect ring and I found a pottery bowl. Among the thousands of people there, wandering around somewhere, was my cousin's wife, Kim...and guess who we ran into right at the beginning! Yep, Kim! That was a fun surprise. AND we ran into her AGAIN as we were headed to our car to go home...she was dropping off her second load with her friends before heading back for a third go 'round. She has stamina!! Canton has a traditional town square with old buildings and many homes dating back to the 1850's. I'm anxious to go back when the crowds are gone just to drive around and gawk at all the amazing homes and ancient trees.

Family visits

2008-04-30T14:31:00.000-07:00

One of the positives about moving to Mississippi is being close to Ken's family. We can go down for special occasions or when we just want to get away. I put together a collage of pictures we took on our last visit (Dec.) before we moved here...but not much was different this past visit, except we didn't visit Oak Alley (the beautiful plantation home on the Mississippi)! The cute little guy with the bright blue eyes is Ken's grand nephew, Braden. Adorable! There's fishing in the pond out front (his mom's place is on 6 acres) or...shooting turtles that eat the catfish eggs and sittin' on the front porch with our drinks. It's SO peaceful!!
We just returned from a quick visit this past weekend to visit Ken's step-mom "Maw maw" Liz. She fell earlier last week and broke three ribs...and has complications that goes along with that type of injury. To top it off, she is starting her third round of chemotherapy. She's amazingly strong and we pray for her speedy recovery. We also got a chance to visit with my Uncle Ken and Cousin Dave and Kim and their four kids in Hattiesburg, about 2 hours south of us. I'm excited to have get togethers with them...makes being far away from my AZ family a little easier.

Riley and Alexis

2008-04-21T15:22:00.000-07:00

Riley is getting MARRIED!!! I wanted to wait until I had some cute pictures to post before I announced his engagement to Alexis...and here they are! I LOVE these pictures!! We are all very excited and happy that they've found each other. They've set June 21st as their wedding date in the Mesa temple. They've been engaged for a couple of months already and the wedding plans are well on their way. Yes, we had to buy airplane tickets to return to AZ even before we moved!! Alexis is wonderful. She's from Gilbert, one of nine children...most of them living in the area and a returned missionary from Argentina. She and Riley have so much in common and really bonded right from the beginning. It is so fun to see the sparkle in each of their eyes...a sparkle for each other! They plan on making their home in the Mesa/Gilbert area, which is great...they both have family in the area and it makes my visits back to AZ that much more exciting!! I'll keep everyone posted on this young couple's comings and goings.

Back to work

2008-04-16T10:54:00.001-07:00

When we first got an inkling that we would be moving to MS, Chelsey, in her proactive way, got on the internet to see if there was a Pump it Up in the area. She had been working at the Pump it Up (kids inflatables indoor party/arena...you know, the jumping castles things) in Tucson for several months and LOVED it! She was perfect for the job, energy, organization and she's great with kids. She was making good money and great tips which really helped increase her love for the job as well. Anyway, much to her surprise, she discovered a Pump it Up here not far from where we're renting. She actually did a 'walk in' and was hired the next day and scheduled to work the next day after that! She's worked every day since (except Sunday). Of course, it's a bit different than Tucson...the kids here call her "ma'am" and other workers ask her to 'talk' for them cause she has an accent they like to listen to. She's been a real trooper...keeping a positive attitude about the move, getting out to meet people by jumping in there and getting a good job, staying busy doing scrapbooks and overall being helpful...all the while constantly talking on the phone to Clint (thank heavens for unlimited Verizon!!)

What a treat!

2008-04-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, while picking up a few things at our little local grocery store, we came across what Ken said was a real treat... crawfish!! There is a guy here that boils them up and sells them every Saturday afternoon. We bought a couple pounds and hoped for the best (you never know how spicy or bland they'll be) Luckily they were really good. The whole time Ken kept saying, "What a treat", "Now this is a real treat", "Wow we found a treat". He just couldn't get enough!! Chelsey got right in there and ate nearly as much as Ken. I had a few but spent most of my time taking pictures :) Natalie missed out this time as she's down in New Orleans visiting her mom. But, the fun part is we can do this again next Saturday!

Gracie and Gus

2008-04-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

Gracie and Gus are our family cats...actually, Chelsey and Natalie's cats. Chelsey got Gracie for her 16th birthday and as a surprise (cause I didn't have the heart to break up the pair) Natalie got Gus. Before the move, these two were pretty independent and a bit on the wild side. But since the move, they've been more affectionate and want to be wherever the girls are. Maybe it was because of all the trauma they went through with being closed up during the time the movers and carpet cleaners were at the Tucson house (couldn't have cats running around) or the two day drive in the back of the truck to get here. Whatever it was, they are now acting more like family cats. They love climbing to the tops of all the boxes, napping and generally checking things out and they spend most of their time just being with the girls. They like to be in the middle of everything that's going on... Gracie, on top of the lap top helping Chelsey do homework, and Gus's favorite...napping with Natalie. It's fun having these little guys around and because of all the crawling critters they have down here in the south, maybe they'll help keep this place "pest free"!

Welcome to Mississippi

2008-04-05T18:02:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my first venture out...to set up electricity, water and cable. All morning the northern sky was black. Riley called to tell me there were tornado watches all around me, something I didn't know as we don't have any TV reception and don't think to listen to the radio. Anyway, I thought I'd run out 'real quick like' and get my errands done. Just as I turned out of my little subdivision, all "heck" broke loose. I saw the wind coming by watching a row a trees down the road I was traveling. The wind wasn't blowing in any one direction either...by the time I drove into it, the wind was swirling and things were flying. An electric transformer blew right in front of me and sparks went flying. Needless to say, I pulled off at the next driveway and turned back for home. I hadn't driven 2 miles when all this happened. On my way back, at a creeping pace (the rain was so fierce), branches went flying and pine cones were hitting the car like rocks...then it started to hail. Now I know, from the movies, that when there's hail and horizontal rain, there's a tornado! Well, it actually flew right over my head without touching down!! All I could think of were lines from the movie "Twister"..."we have hail, we have hail". A big ole pine tree fell alongside the road right next to me and stuff went all over. I turned into my subdivision and stepped on the gas. That's when I noticed the damaged homes. Luckily we don't have any trees around our home so all was well as far as that was concerned...no lost shingles even. The damage was just at the front of the subdivision and all along the road I was on...knocking down huge 100 year old trees down the way, closing down the road. Power is still out for many people north of us (people were talking about it in all the store lines this morning). All Ken said to me when he called me as he was evacuated into the storm shelter area at work was..."Welcome to Mississippi...you got a baptism by 'wind' today!"

Here we go again

2008-04-05T16:40:00.000-07:00

Quick update: We all arrived Monday afternoon without incident, including Ken who beat us by about 30 min. The girls were in good spirits and excited to see their pets, who also endured their journey well. We spent our first night in a hotel and about a week after they started on the Tucson house, the movers arrived at our semi-temporary MS house. The moving started all over again. I spent the day directing traffic and basically trying to fit 2400 square feet of stuff into 1300 square feet...not easy! Thank heavens for a walk up attic, the reverse of a basement! It also rained all day, the exact opposite of what we had just left. I guess the heavens were weeping for us :) Since the movers left, we have been unpacking boxes and finding all sorts of "treasures". And, as we suspected, we were VERY overweight...kinda kills me since we brought stuff that I intended to give away but ran out of time. I guess we'll have a nice garage sale here to raise money to pay off the overweight bill!! Overall, the house is small but cute. It's homey and private (master on the opposite side of the house from the girl's bedrooms). We'll be here until our Tucson house sells and we get into something permanent. Ken wants to build. There's lots of opportunity for that here. We're a bit in the country and it's very pretty with alot of wide open spaces with horses and wonderful homes. We drove down a long road with trees overhanging on both sides of the road, making a tunnel. It was lovely. The first day our cars arrived (Thurs), the girls and I took a drive around some neighborhoods. There were lots of oohhs and aahhs as we looked at house after house..."I like that one", "Oh, look at that one". So far, it seems like a very nice place. I'll keep you posted.

It's happening

2008-03-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

Riley came over this morning at nearly the same time as the moving van. He looked at me and said, "I guess you really are moving." We all feel the same...denial. It seems like I'm just running around, doing something on the list, crossing it off and moving to the next "to do" item. When asked about the move, I kept telling friends..."I'm just not thinking about it". Well now it's starting to sink in. With movers running in and out for the past three days and looking for things I just put down only to realize it's packed up somewhere, I'm starting to believe it's actually happening. We've talked for years about moving and opportunities always fell through, so it's only natural to think this won't happen either...only IT IS! Right now I'm frantically trying to put the last ducks in a row, printing off mapquest directions for Ken who is driving our third vehicle along with two cats and a hyper english springer spaniel, paying on-line bills and making final posts and emails...before they pack up my computer. After that, it'll be painting, cleaning and then the girls and I will be heading to Phoenix for a couple of days with my family before boarding the plane for Jackson MS on Monday. Wish us luck!!!

Joys of moving

2008-03-25T18:40:00.000-07:00

Why is it that when it's time to move you start fixing up the house for someone else to enjoy instead of fixing it up to enjoy yourself? Well...that's what we've been doing for the past while. We had new tile installed and painted inside and out. The tile guys managed to leave about 2 inches of dust on everything so it looks like we'll be taking quite a bit of AZ dust with us to MS. The tile did turn out great but since I'm not used to walking on it...my feet are killing me! I've decided that I don't like tile. I'd rather have hard wood floors so I guess it's ok that I won't be staying to enjoy the new floors. We've also been dejunking for weeks and didn't even make a dent. Then, when the movers came, all the remaining junk seemed to have multiplied. We've given away tons of stuff, appliances etc and still the "main mover" said we're probably over the weight limit. Guess that's what you get when you have an "emotional attachment to everything that comes into the house." (my disorder) I boxed up my teaching files and books (which added greatly to our 'overweightness') and closed the door on my classroom for the last time yesterday. It was bitter sweet...I love what I do and who I work with...I'm just tired and really am anxious to just spend time moving into our new life and being with Ken and the girls without having to worry about grading homework.

Spur of the moment...

2008-03-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

Have you ever done something out of character, spontaneous and spur of the moment? Well, I did earlier this week. With time running out here, knowing we were going to be half way across the country and nowhere close to Disneyland...I decided early Sunday morning that it was "do or die" time. So...after church, the girls and I, along with a very surprised friend who we invited, headed to Anaheim for two days at Disneyland!! We had been talking about going for over two years, even planned a couple trips that fell through and time was running out...so we just got in the car and went! Crazy! Ken was still in MS working when I called and told him we were going. He's never been a big fan of going so the first question he asked was "Do I have to go?" I told him "No, cause we're leaving in about 30 minutes!" Needless to say, he was pretty shocked! On the way, the girls kept saying it didn't feel like we were going to Disneyland cause they didn't get any "build-up" time. But once we pulled off the freeway at the "Disneyland" sign...it sunk in!! Unfortunately Monday happened to be the first day of Spring Break for most of CA and AZ so EVERYONE was there. We did get in early and rode all the big rides a couple of times before the crowd really hit. We loved the rollercoasters but I didn't enjoy getting soaked in Splash Mountain just before the Electric Light Parade...cold! Tower of Terror was awesome and California Screamin was the best!! The one thing we missed was getting pictures with the Princesses. It was always a minimum of a 2 1/2 hour wait...they don't walk around the park anymore. We must have walked a hundred miles and after the drive home I literally couldn't stand up! My hips were frozen in place (not as young as I was the last time we went...13 years ago!) We had a great time and now I can leave without the "woulda, coulda, shoulda" regret.

Elder Riley

2008-03-07T11:13:00.000-08:00

Among the wonderful things that have happened in our family, I think the one that has been the most amazing has been Riley's conversion to the gospel. He took the hard road through his teen years and first adult years, then took a 180 degree turn! Nearly an Alma the Younger type experience. It has been awesome to witness. Well, for his birthday he asked for a suit because, he announced, "I'm being ordained an Elder!" We were thrilled!! He just glowed when he stood to be presented and those that had known of his struggles could see the change and were there to congratulate, support and love him. It has been a tough road, we've struggled as parents to understand how to help him...sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. Ultimately, it was between Riley and the Lord. It is true, "train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." Some parents aren't privledged to see the "turn around" in a wayward child...I just happened to be so blessed. Riley is now enjoying the blessings of the gospel and the happiness it brings in living a life filled with the love of Christ.

Arizona Family

2008-03-04T19:28:00.000-08:00

How wonderful it has been to be close to my Arizona family. Since moving back, I've been around for the births of three of my five nieces and one of my four nephews. Although I live a bit away from my family, it's always fun to be with them for holidays, birthdays and special events when I can. This past Thanksgiving I got a couple of the cutest pictures of the cutest girls ever...my neices. Bethany (made me an 'aunt') is 11, JonnaLee just turned 10 and the little ones, Lily (5), Alexandra (4 this month) and River (will be 4 in May)
The hardest part of this entire move is the fact that I won't be just a couple hours away from my family...at least a couple hours by car. I love being able to 'run up' to Phoenix and spend time with everyone there. I am grateful for the time I've had, for the memories made...for the haircuts, lunches and dinners out, the shopping trips, just talking times, and Black Fridays. I am especially thankful that we were all together for Christmas and had a group picture taken...who knows when that will happen again! Of all the things that I missed about leaving Utah, that doesn't compare to leaving my Arizona family. I will miss everyone terribly!!

Roses

2008-03-03T17:27:00.000-08:00

When I left Utah and came to Tucson I missed nearly everything...grass, leafy trees, my basement, Apollo Burger, the Orem library...just tons of things. But I missed my roses more than I thought I would. It wasn't until my mother gave me a bare root rosebush for Christmas that I realized how much they meant to me. I cried over that rosebush! Later, when we had our backyard landscaped here in Tucson, my sweet husband had the landscaper dig 12 rosebush holes. He didn't want to give me just a dozen roses, but a dozen rosebushes to fill our house with the roses that I love. Boy am I gonna miss them!! They say you can grow beautiful roses in Mississippi. We'll see!

Catching up

2008-02-27T10:10:00.000-08:00

It probably would help if I backed up a bit and filled in the gaps of what's happened in our family over the past while. One main event was the marriage of our soldier, Jason, to his sweetheart, Hannah and her two little girls. Jason's known Hannah for years as she was his best friend's sister. He didn't break the "it's not cool to date your best friend's sister" rule until after his best friend got married himself. Then it was 'all bets are off'. They were married in Colorado Springs in Sept. and then Jason was deployed for the second time to Iraq in December...leaving behind a new house, new daughters, and a new wife who was expecting a new baby. Quite a whirlwind for all of us but Hannah especially. She's a real trooper...who says there's just one soldier in our family!

For starters...

2008-02-25T18:23:00.000-08:00

Since it's so much fun to stay caught up with my cousin Sheila through her blog, I thought that I would give it a try myself. I'd love to be able to sit and write cards and letters to all my friends, but you all know that that just hasn't happened too often over the past several years. So, this is my "cheater" way of staying in touch with all of you. For starters...you all know my beginnings with Ken...amazing man that swept me off my feet and kept on sweeping all the way to Tucson, Arizona. Well, "here we go again"...all the way to Brandon, Mississippi this time! Yep, we're moving! After several years of trying to get 'back home', Ken took a transfer to a little place east of Jackson. So I'm going to try and keep you all posted on our comings and goings. Stay tuned!