Batch #2

Well - #2 batch of apple butter is on the stove. That will complete the first dozen. Half way there!

There are still two more people to buy for. But that celebration will be after Christmas, so now the dilema. Do I fight the crowds NOW or during the After Christmas sales? Both will be crowded...but what we want might be on sale, but it might also be gone! What to do...what to do.

(stir the apple butter...)

Took Angelise to see St. Nick's Lights last night at the Pavillions. It's so fun to see Christmas lights through the little one's eyes. Even though she's 5, it's still a look of amazement. Then we took all three (her and our two) to McCormick Railroad Park. The line was 2 and a half hours long!!!!! When you go - go early. We didn't get there till after 7:30 - and boarded the train at 10. Seriously. Luckilly there are things to keep younger ones entertained. Furry characters, and the playground. The three of them slept like rocks last night! Well - so did we, but they ran around. We were just up way past our bedtime.

The Lastest Ranch Trip

So we leave Scottsdale at 6:15ish, headed for Wiekieup - "TheRanch" - to bring down another load of stuff. At around 7:20, we’re almost driven off the road, right outside Wickenburg. We see this Intrepid weaving across the center line, over the left shoulder line, and right up on 3 other cars just ahead of us. We starting dialing 911! The driver notices the other cars - who definitely saw him, slowed down or moved over - slammed on his brakes, and swerved to the left, drove over some bushes in the median and swerved back onto the road almost losing control. We all let him go where ever he wanted to...he pulled over a short ways down the road to check his damage. Kendra thought she saw him get out and puke! As we drive by, we were still on the phone with 911, and were able to give them the license number, and we pulled over a ways ahead of him to keep an eye on him. We saw the DPS go by, turn around and start following him. So of course, keeping our distance, we followed too. He officer followed behind for a bit, then on went the lights. The guy started to stop right there where he was - in the left lane! Obviously not all there. He realized there was a McDonalds to the right - we all held back, and let them pull over. We pulled in as well, knowing they may want to talk to us since we called. We watched for a minute. the officer leaned in the window - the guy got out, turned around, faced the car, turned again toward the officer and suddenly the cop threw him to the ground! He hauled him to his feet, cuffed, pretty much tossed him in the back of the squad car – and then rushed into McDs. We were joking - “Boy do I need a cup of coffee”. Well, then everyone in McDs was rushing out right behind him. He was getting cars out of the parking lot, and not letting anyone else in. We were apparently far enough away for the time being we didn’t have to move right away. Then more cops came – and the fire department, an ambulance, and everyone was making a very wide arc around the guy’s car – still running, mind you - and another truck parked next to it. We gave the officer our information, and were told to Back Out of the parking lot – the opposite direction of the building. We went around the corner and pulled up next door. The people we parked next to told us that the guy pulled a hand grenade and in the struggle dropped it on the ground, in front of the other truck. Holy Smokes! A Hand Grenade! Who has hand grenades? So now there are a bunch of officers – WPD, and DPS – standing around waiting for the Bomb Squad to get there. At least that’s what we thought they were doing. They might have been playing rock/paper/scissors to see who had to go get the silly thing. But we left them all in good hands. Nothing was happening very fast from then, so we headed out of town. When we drove back through – around 4:30, it looked like nothing had happened. But I am very sure the whole town was talking about it – because just the 5 of us were talking about it all day!

Today...

Happy Thanksgiving to all. I am thankful for what I have, have had, and what is yet to come.

There are a lot of people I am missing today...yet I am so very grateful for everyone that is here with me on this Thanksgiving, and I am grateful that I have so many loved ones to miss! May their feast in heaven be a glorious one...and may God be with us during our grief.

Pettin' Puppies!

In 5th grade, Kendra's Junior Girl Scout troop elected to work on their Bronze Award - the highest service project award Juniors can get. They started talking about what to do. They decided to pack Puppy Suitcases. Small items that new puppies who will be trained to be service dogs, would need. Poop bags, small bowls, paper towels, baby wipes, items the trainers would need for maybe a day at the mall – to assist in cleaning up any accidents. They were going to have garage sales, car washes and bake sales, to raise money to pay for all these. In the process, t hey were earning badges that applied to this project. It was a lot of work. Well – apparently too much work for some, because a few months later, they voted not to do it anymore. Two of the girls were heartbroken – Kendra and Abby.

So these two girls scaled back the project, and did it anyway. We got in touch with an organization – AZ Power Paws – who breed the dogs, send them to their trainers and place them with a person in need. They had a list of toys and things they can use. Well – we earned our sewing badge, and made sheep skin toys for the puppies. Round ones, square ones, and bone shaped ones. Kendra designed the patterns, the two went shopping (using their cookie money to buy the material) cut them out and sewed them. We spent many hours on them over the summer. Well, AZ Power Paws finally had puppies!

We took the toys over to the house this morning. Cindy – the mommy dog – had 6 puppies 3 days ago!

We got to go over and pet them. This organization found that if you start gently handling puppies from about day 2, they are calmer dogs. They’re used to being handled by different people, and become socialized earlier and are just plain calmer. Perfect for a service dog. Some of these puppies will grow to be full blown service dogs – doing everything – to companions for those who just need a little bit of help – some deaf or hearing impaired people just need someone to hear for them. And, sadly, some of them won’t graduate, but they give it a good try! So - here we are petting the puppies. And we’ll be back – helping out with other things they need help with. Tough Service Project! I’m glad he girls wanted to finish it!

Fun Time

I'm finally getting around to hitting 'publish'. But...

We're back from Disneyland. We had a lot of fun ! We had 3 day park hoppers. However, the other Mom and most of the girls have only been over there for a one day trip. So their idea...RUN to the big rides and RUN to the next, and the next - even if they're across the park from each other! I had to remind them that we had 3 days, we didn't have to run...

But I got ahead of myself. On Tuesday, when we left, the girls all wore their uniforms. We were 7 Girl Scouts. We got in the Security line, with shoes in hand. We got a tap on the shoulder... " come with me. " Oh Oh.

Cut to the front of the line.

At the gate, we checked in to get our boarding passes...he asked us why we were going to CA. We told him the story. We were then told that we were to board with the Family Boarding - so we had a better chance of sitting together. Cut to the front of the line again. THEN - over the plane loudspeaker..."Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a girl scout troop on board...They are going to Disneyland! Why you ask? They sold the most cookies in the whole state of AZ" Applause. Applause.

Then the same guy come over and gave Elise, the top seller (3700 boxes) a bag of peanuts. Whoopee, you say? When I say a bag of nuts, I mean a BAG OF NUTS. This plastic bag probably had 100 little bags of peanuts in it...Oh My! We have Snacks!

Disneyland has a parade in the afternoon. it's a lot of dancing and singing, and a big party. They stopped right in front of us, and invited Abby to go out on the street and dance with them. The other girls were all enough taller, that they were behind the littler kids. Here's Abby

Both nights were crash and burn - no one argued about how late they could stay up. Although, the other room had only teen agers in there, and we didn't really care how late they stayed up, but they went to bed right away too. After 3 days in the parks, we were exhausted. We piled in the airport and laid across backpacks. But I feel pretty good - I wasn't as tired as the teen agers! I was tired - no doubt - but they were exhausted! Yea Me! If they just would have let me call the shots for getting everywhere and doing everything, we wouldn't have been so exhausted, and still done everything we wanted to do - and then some.

Kinda makes us want to sell that many next year just to go again...NOT!!! That's just crazy talk...3700 boxes...and she really did do it on her own. The only parental assistance was getting her to her booths - all 216 hours of them! Crazy talk I tell you, crazy talk!!!

We're happy with our totals.

I've been Lax, but...

Well, I see it's been awhile since I posted. That's because not much has happened! Everyone is back in school - Kendra is acting like the 6th grader she is, and high school seems to agree with Morgan. Dave has a bunch of great kids this year, and me - well I'm still working. That's always a good thing. Dave has been helping Steve with his race care - and hopefully will get to go on another trip here soon. Girl Scouts is back in session - for all 3 of us. That means cookie time will be approaching in January, so prepare yourself for an email/phone call or knock on the door!
Speaking of Girl Scouts - Morgan's troop was top seller in the whole council! They averaged 900 boxes per girl! Of course it really helped that one girl sold 3700 boxes! But, for that feat, we get to go on a 3 day/2 night trip (all the girls and 2 adults) We do have a budget, however, they picked Disneyland. And Kendra and another 'little' sister had enough in their accounts to pay their own way. So we're flying over, spending 3 days in the park, and flying home. There will be 10 of us total. But luckily everyone is old enough we can go in groups without the girls! Sorry Dave.

Saguaro High School Orchestra just had their beginning of the year retreat. Every year all the orchestras go up to Bumble Bee Ranch for an overnight campout. The seniors plan activities, and they all get to know each other. They treat orchestra like a club. So Morgan and a friend of hers went up together Saturday morning and we picked them up Sunday morning. And what is just 5 miles from there??? ROCK SPRINGS CAFE ---- biscuits and gravy ---------haven't changed the recipe. Neither of us could remember the last time we had biscuits and gravy at the Rock Springs Cafe. But we didn't have pie, nor did we take any home. Still as good as we remembered, and so worth the drive. It took us just an hour, and at 7 am Sunday morning traffic was very light both on the highway and in the cafe. (by the time we drove back past - 10:30 - the parking lot was quite full!)

Well - we have a neighbor who built a rock crawler. We get to watch his videos quite often. Their son is in Morgan's orchestra. Well - we talked to them Saturday morning and they were taking their crawler up to that area and camped overnight. On our way out, and their way in, we passed on the road. windows rolled down, and the offer was made "Hey Dave, wanna go for a ride"?" Are you kidding? Dave was ready for me to drive home so he could stay and play. Yes - he would have 'let' me drive the truck home. So the offer was made again - "anyone else want to go?" Kendra's hand shot up fast. She was belted in, goggles on and off they went. When they came back, there were dirt on their teeth - from smiling. They both enjoyed themselves - really enjoyed themselves. (although Kendra had to go find a tree as soon as they got back.) They went up a dry waterfall. Pierre also got the front tires up another one, just to show them. That's one no one goes up alone, in case you tip over. but apparently it worried Kendra. Dave's ready to go again.

That's it. I'll try to remember to post our D-Land trip, and Dave's race trips.

Kody's Summer Journal

Kody's summer journal, (printed with permission) from first day of summer vacation.

Everyone went to bed that night...then only Mom got up, went through 'the routine' and left. What's this??? No one else is up??? Went back to bed.

This went on for a little while. Then they were all here...in and out for a couple of days...all gone all day for a couple of days. All are here for a few more days. In and out. Geez!

Everyone went to bed. Everyone got up really early. Too early if you ask me. Everyone left. Only three of them came back. What's up with that? You forgot someone! Where’s Morgan? Go get her. I’ll help you look. She should be in this room, but she’s not. Maybe in here? Here? Outside? I’ll wait right here till she gets back.

Mom’s going through ‘the routine’ again. But only Dad and Kendra are here. I’ll keep waiting for Morgan. Everyone left again. All day – again. I hear them in the driveway. This stupid gate is in the way. I could just hop over it and greet them at the door, but I know I’m not supposed to, so I’m being good. Now I really want to hop over it…4 of them are home! I’m so excited. I knew if I waited long enough she’d get back.

Now we’re all here. I feel better. Wait – what’s happening? I see the suitcases again? Now who’s leaving? Not again! I hear something fun and familiar. My harness – my leash. I Get To Go Too! Well – I guess getting in the truck won’t be so bad. I can keep an eye on everyone from there.

Fun times camping! I even went into the water to play. I guess that water wasn’t so bad. It was very refreshing and really kinda fun, but don’t tell anyone. If they find out I liked it, I might have to be wet more often! And I really don’t like that hose thing. We got home again – all of us. Boy, it’s hot. I had forgotten.

Everyone went to bed. Everyone got up really early. Too early if you ask me. Everyone left. Only three of them came back. What's up with that? You forgot someone! Where’s Kendra? Go get her. I’ll help you look. She should be in this room, but she’s not. Maybe in here? Here? Outside? I’ll wait right here till she gets back. Déjà vu? I seem to remember this from before. If wait long enough, they’ll all leave and come back with her.

Another suitcase? This isn’t how it’s supposed to go! Did you get my leash? No? Three of them walk out…two come back in. Where’s Dad? When’s he coming back in? I heard the Nitro leave…I’ll wait. Nope, he didn’t come back in. Mom and Morgan went to bed. That lump next to Mom isn’t Dad. I checked. I guess I’m the man of the house for a while.

Mom’s going through ‘the routine’ again. Morgan is up. I wonder why? Mom left – Morgan is here. I better stay right next to her to make sure she doesn’t get away. Another da yof 'the routine' and another and another. Now they left. They Left! Crap – they’re hard to keep track of. I’m really getting tired of this! I’ll lay here and wait - again. I hear the car…The door is opening…how many are back? One…two…Three… where’s four? There’s supposed to be four of you! (I can count, you know) For now, I’ll just be really happy to see Kendra. I really missed her. (Her bed was quite comfortable, though.) So I’ll wait some more, and Be The Man.

How much longer? It seems like I've been missing Dad for amost a week! Wait - I hear something. There’s Dad – There’s Dad – There’s Dad! And he brought Frosty’s! Yea, Dad! One…two…three…four. I can rest.

Mom got home from work today. There are suitcases again…now what? Everyone left me – again! There’s the door…Dad. No more? Now there are three missing? Dad went to bed? With three people missing? Oh well - I'll lay here and make sure he trips over me if he tries to get away.

Just the guys are hanging out. Kinda nice - just the guys. I hear the Nitro – could it be? They are back? Well, there’s Mom…and - and – and? No one else. Where did she take them? When will they be back?

Mom and ‘The Routine’ some more. At least I know that when she’s here, that’s normal. Dad is here with me. That’s really nice - just the guys some more.

I hear something…voices, and toe nails? Doorbell. Mom opens the door – They’re Home! And they brought Grandma, Grandpa and ZOE! Hi Zoe! Let’s pee on the carpet and go outside and play. If we’re good, they’ll let us out in the living room with them. Try. See if you can. I can’t either.

The four of them are in and out some more. So far so good – no one has been left anywhere. They come back with bags. Smells like new shoes, new clothes, and paper. Maybe – could it be? Back to school? Darn it – I was just getting used to having someone home with me all day, and now this? School?

I wonder if I remember that routine? As long as they all come home before I go to sleep in the dark, I’ll be happy.

This has been one crazy summer!

The Site

So, H asked about our camp site. Since we didn't stay at our favorite KOA in Durango, we chose another campground...the Lightner Creek Campground. It was west of town, at the bottom of a canyon, a bit higher than Durango proper so it was cooler - just about 5 degrees. The sites are nestled in the trees, however a lot of the sites only have shade for part of the day. Many of them are direct sunlight for most of the afternoon. Ours was not shady until about 5 pm. But we were right next to the stream...and our awning did us OK while we were there. Both campgrounds have their pros and cons, but we prefer the KOA, probably because of Jay and Carol. Here's a picture of our site...from the stream.

The steam was very chilly, but the girls, and even Kody, liked it. It was mostly ankle deep, but there was one place that was up to their knees. No problem - they dried.

Summer Vacation

OK - so some of you are hoping to see my journal of our LOOONNNNGGGG summer vacation. Well, sorry to disappoint you, but this year our vacation was a short one. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a good one. We went to Durango for five days. Well, three full days, and two shorties. We sat there. Did not do much.

It was warm - 90 or so - but in the shade it was Oh So Wonderful.
We visited our friends at the KOA on Friday. Carol wasn’t there, so we visited with Jay a bit, then said we’d be back Sunday.
Saturday we went into Durango and walked around for awhile. Luckily it hasn’t changed much. Unlike so many other places we used to like. (Telluride, for one. Too Artsy Fartsy for us now. Thank you Oprah, and Tom. ) The farmer’s market wasn’t quite what we expected but still quite quaint. Not as many produce vendors as we had hoped, and only one with cherries! But we did get some (which were quite tasty) and some snap peas (really sweet and Very Good) and Durango Red potatoes (those were really good as well, and we had them with steak Saturday night) , and some really juicy, sweet peaches.
Then on Sunday, we headed to Silverton.

Thunder escorted us. While we were trying to take pictures of the train coming,

it started to rain. Really big drops. Then a whole bunch of really big drops. The thermometer in the truck read 46۫ . We called Dave’s m

om. It was about 70۫ warmer (hotter) here! We had to rub it in. (Sorry, Mom.) More thunder. Then it stopped and the sun peeked out for awhile. We headed back into town and had lunch. Kinda pricey, but what do you expect in Silverton? While we were eating, it hailed. And rained more big drops. Kendra was shivering while we ate. Then it stopped again. We were done, so out we went to walk around town. It’s such a cute place. We drove up to Christ of the Mines (more rain).

Such a beautiful area. We headed back to Durango and met the train coming in.

We did get to visit with Carol at the KOA. Kody played with two dogs named Zoe. He was exhausted by the time we got back.
We packed up and headed home Monday morning. On the way out of town, there were a couple of road side produce sellers. Now that’s what we were hoping for! These two brothers were selling all kinds of veggies – and CHERRIES!!! Bings and Raniers. Both were the best! They also had some really good looking beans, onions, garlic and other stuff, but all we wanted were the cherries. We stopped at another one down the road as well, got even more cherries, but they weren’t nearly as good as the brother’s. So we have cherries up the wazzoo! We stopped at a place in Holbrook and looked around at the Petrified Forest stuff. Not the forest itself. The girls hadn’t seen any of that so a little exposure to it was nice. Some really pretty rocks/trees. After that, we hit a rain storm – and I mean STORM. We watched it come toward us – a HUGE dust storm first (but what do you expect from that area? Nothing but dust there, so any little breeze creates a storm) then the wall of rain.

The wipers were on full blast, and it still was hard to see! Since we were driving in to it, it only lasted about 5 minutes. Loud on the truck, and hard enough to rinse off the truck The truck was covered with dirt and mud from Silverton – and this rain was hard enough to rinse it off really good.
We got home about 6:30 Monday night. Too Hot. Back to the Real World. We want to go back. Lucky Kendra – she gets to go to Greer on Saturday for a week at church camp. Maybe they need more counselors?

Happy 4th!

Thank a soldier or vet for your freedom.

We're all here!

Morgan is home! We picked her up yesterday from a week of church camp in Greer. (No we didn't get to go to Greer :( ) Considering she has so many stories to tell, and continues to tell, we firmly believe she had a GREAT time! Kendra is all packed and ready to take her turn - leaves July 18. She better have everything - it's still 4 weeks away! But Kody is happy his girl is home, and his pack is all in tact. Until I go to work, and they go to the ranch, and Kendra leaves for camp - he's so confused!

Lovely

The headstone for Dave's dad was laid on Saturday. It is beautiful. But even sweeter, is that he and June designed it, and he got to see the design before he passed. Nothing else need to be said.

Happy Father's Day

We lost Dave's Dad last Saturday, June 13th. Today ranks right up there as one of the roughest days since his passing. Still too fresh...we really miss him. But we went to the cemetary and left some flowers and a card. Stayed a bit and sat on a bench by the lake he's near and watched the turtles and swan. He had done that with Mom a month or so before his passing, so we knew he'd be there.

Dad taught his children well. I couldn't ask for a better Dad for my kids than Dave. I see a lot of his dad in him, and that's just fine with me.

Here's to the Dads out there - any and all of you reading this. If you still have yours, give him a big hug and tell him you love him. If you don't, keep him in your heart and go visit his final resting place, if you can.

First 'date'

Just pacing between the computer and the TV waiting for Morgan to get home. She went on her first un-official date tonight. She went to a move with her boyfriend, his parents and little sister. Quite a major step - mostly for us, though! She was excited - talked all the way over there. Non stop. Not that that was anything new or different for her. But she did smile a lot. Can't wait to hear how it went!

The Ranch

We took a trip up to The Ranch - Dave's parent's property outside of Weikiup. They haven't been there in a few months, so we offered to go up and get some things they felt needed to be down here...like the mail, for one. On the way, we came across a native.

So of course Dave had to get a closer look.

It didn't like the looks of him, so it tried to look taller (it was already over 3' long)

Then it spotted us (in the truck, of course)

And decided to really scare us as we drove off. So we came back for more pics.

The Ranch has some beautiful scenery. This is Mt. Senior (as named by Kendra. David Sr.'s volcano)

and looking out a ways. It is quite pretty, (and hot), and peaceful.

More natives made the trip very memorable.

All in all a very nice day. We were all in jail for whatever reason, too. That was another memorable moment!

Graduated!

We got Morgan graduated last night. She's now a freshman in high school. She'll be at Saguaro in the fall. It was a nice, but long, ceremony. Sitting in the bleachers in the high school gym - I'd like to say brought back memories, but when we were there for games, we never sat for long! We had socializing to do! Anyhow, here is the crowd that was there with us,

our new freshman

and her sister.

We're very proud of them both. They did great this year and we're looking forward to Kendra's graduation from 6th grade next year.

Great Grades!

We're finishing up the school year. Weird finish days...Morgan's last real day was Friday (Tuesday is 8th grade ditch day - then graduation on Tuesday night, and doesn't have to go on Wednesday) Dave's last day is Tuesday (doesn't work Wednesdays) however, his class graduated last Thursday and had a party Friday, Kendra has school until 12:45 Wednesday. Sheesh. But after struggling for the last month with a D in math, Morgan got a B on her final and pulled off a C in the class! We are very proud of her. She worked very hard. And speaking of working hard, Kendra made the honor roll this last nine weeks of school. So both our girls did very well this year, and have made us very proud.

Did Nee Lan

The first week of May, Morgan's orchestra took off for their field trip to California for a National Competition, called Music in the Parks. There were schools from all over competing for place, and critique. Well, Morgan is in two groups - the regular orchestra and the advanced ensemble. So she got to compete twice. Nerves? You betcha! Dave Kendra and I go too, but not as chaperones, but as 'we don't need no stinkin' excuse to go to Did Nee Lan' tag-alongs. We wandered around Hollywood when we got there,

then went into the park on Saturday and Sunday.

Meanwhile, Morgan was competing.

Saturday night, we got the results...Full Orchestra - Superior Rating, First Place. Advanced Ensemble - Superior Rating, First Place . Mohave Orchestra as a whole - Overall Orchestra!

We are so proud of all of them, but of course our Morgan. She has worked so hard and it has paid off. She is very proud as well.

Family Reunion Week-end...

Friday 5/8/09 - It's finally here. The family has arrived. We're all in one place. Dad's sister, Marian (IL), her son Guy (OR), her son Tom (IL), her daughter, Dawn (TX), Dawn's son Cody, Dawn's daughter Kim (TX), Kim's husband Joey, and their son Brandon. Then mixed with our family - we number 24. It was an amazing reunion! Dave and I met Guy at the airport. Mom and Dad met Aunt Marian and Tom. They were all due in at 2. Guy's flight was 20 minutes early. The other flight was 40 minutes late. Sooo..... we took Guy to the other terminal, where we ALL met the other flight...Aunt Marian saw Guy first. Just how we planned it. He hadn't seen her in over 5 years. It was such a sweet thing to witness. Then hugs all around - stand around and chat a little, then realized if we got going to the hotel, we could get back to M&D house, and chat our little hearts out! So off we went. As we were headed to pick up the rental car, Dawn called - they were at the hotel! They had driven from Texas. So we hurried, got checked in and found them in their room! What a great time. I haven't seen these cousins in 20-30 YEARS. Looking around M&D living room, Aunt Marian had the cutest little smile on her face. She sat in amazement. Her family – all in one place. She was telling us that she and Dad were growing up they didn’t have family time like this. They didn‘t have cousins. They only had each other. So having 27 people all in one place, all related, was just an amazing feeling for her. Then after more discussion, we found out that the last time she had all three of her kids in one place like that was – get this – 1966! Shortly after she married her current husband, Guy moved out on his own. And his career then took him all over the country. So now, we’re all here. Tomorrow we’re having a Mother’s Day brunch. Now we’re off for more catching up. 20 or 30 years is a lot of catching up! Amazing to think of how much has happened in that amount of time. Not that much when you live it, but to re-live it…it’s amazing!

Saturday 5/9/09 – After much thinking and having to make a decision, the four of us went to M&D this morning to visit with Aunt Marian. Dawn, her family, and Linda and Collin went to the Heard Museum. Tom and Guy joined us at M&Ds for visiting. (Short Interlude: Morgan and Kendra both bridged in Girl Scouts to the next level. Kendra is now a Cadette and Morgan is a Senior! I hope they continue – more COOKIES!!!) 5 pm Saturday, all 24 of us gathered at Cathy’s house.

We were only missing 4 people. Good Food and Good company – we talked and talked till we were almost talked out. The adults made the rounds, talking to everyone. The kids (3 14/15 year olds, an 11 year old and 2 5 year olds)

hit it off and talked and played all evening, with no ‘issues’. Very cool! I think everyone got to talk to everyone at one time or another. It was really nice to be able to catch up with everyone, at least a little.

Sunday 5/10/09 – The gathering for Brunch.

Of course, we waited for the matriarchs to arrive. The poor servers were just waiting for something to do. All the food was set up right at 10 – and we didn’t get in there till 10:30. So they waited. And waited. However, the food was GREAT! Mom and Aunt Marian got their corsages, and we all sat to eat. Well after a bunch more pictures were taken. There were 7 moms in all that day.

Wow – what a bunch! The food was so good, and we were very well behaved. Then out to the pool went the teen-agers. For a short time, the swimming was a fun time had by all (4 of them, anyway) and then we (the Lightburne’s) left for the other Lightburne’s for a get together with Dave’s family. There again – fun time had by all. We ate more – not that any of us were hungry, mind you, but we ate anyway. Subs, potato salad. cake and ice cream. Who can pass that up? Back to the house to relax a bit, then off to the Botanical Gardens to see the cactus and this Chihuly exhibit. Wow – what a fantastic display of glass art! It was spectacular.

Very interesting pieces. I’m really glad Cathy told us to get the later reservations, so we could see them at night. All lit up, with the cactus, it was just beautiful.

We all sat around at the entrance (now the exit) and talked for quite a bit longer. No one wanted to leave, as it would be the good-byes all around for most. Not an easy time in my family. There were tears, very long hugs, and very sweet words exchanged.

5/11/09 – Tom and Aunt Marian were leaving at 11:15. I got the girls off to school, and met him, and Dawn and her family for breakfast. That was such a nice time too, being able to talk to Dawn and Tom. Off to the airport to meet up with M&D and Aunt Marian. Well – figures – the plane was almost 2 hours late. So we sat and drank soda till 12:45. It was a very nice visit, though. Mom, Dad, Aunt Marian, Tom and me. Last minute memory catching up and sharing. Then time for the security check and down to the gate. Believe it or not, I did not cry! I surprised myself on that one! Thought I would, considering I cried with Morgan in the Mohave parking lot this morning! But from all indications, they’re off to Chicago, and Tom will put Aunt Marian on the train in the morning.

This week end was just the best. It was so fun to watch Dad and Aunt Marian being brother and sister, and looking out on their families. Their children, their grandchildren, even their great-grandchildren. They both had that same little grin – obviously brother and sister! They even mentioned “look what we started”. It was so neat to watch them watch everything and everybody. And we all hit it off like we’d been together all along. I sure hope it isn’t another 20+ years before we get together again. It better not!

Week-end Activities

Morgan went on her Oceanography field trip with school. She left Friday night at 10:30 PM, studied sea stuff all day Saturday, and some of Sunday and is due back in town in about an hour. From the phone calls we've had, she had a blast!

About 6 hours before Morgan left, Sue and Kendra went up to Prescott to Willow Springs Girl Scout Camp. We were Junior Naturalists and earned our Earth Connections badge. We hiked, we learned about the ecosystem, we learned how food/shelter/water can support only so many animals. We tie-dyed stuff! We made new friends, and were quite chilly - even around Saturday night's campfire.

Which left Dave and Kody home alone for the week end. All evidence of a true bachelor week end was cleaned up before I got home - except for the mess on my side of the bed. Apparently The Big Brown Dog decided Daddy would be lonely, so he slept on MY PILLOW! Good thing I was doing laundry anyway.

Son Rise

Did you feel the Son Rise this morning?

Saturday our Girl Scout troops walked in the Ahwatukee Easter Parade...we made AZ Central! You can click here if you want to see all the pics, but these are the important ones...