Our Weirdest Christmas Ever!

We (Judy, Roger and I) celebrated Christmas a week early with the family and then headed west to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Parade on December 22nd. Traveling through west Texas is always such a joy! We spent Christmas Eve nestled in with all the truckers at a Travel America in Wilcox, AZ. They protected us from the raging wind! We woke up to see the mountains and our cars covered with snow! Unusual in southern Arizona! We were fortunate the roads were clear and the closer we got to Tucson to snow melted. It sure changes the desert scenery to have the rocks and cactus covered in a blanket of white!

Christmas Day saw us "boondocking" in Quartzsite, AZ at the base of the mountains. We were too early for the big Rock and RV Show which begins in early January but there were vendors there already! I waved at her before I realized she is a mannequin!

We are now "vegging" in Joshua Tree National Park. Planning on golf tomorrow and then will drive into Pasadena on Wednesday morning. Judy is probably re-thinking her decision to travel with us but how else could she check off so many items at the top of her "bucket list!

Samantha and Emily

I got tears in my eyes when we got these new pictures of the girls for Christmas! They are growing up way too fast. They are as beautiful in spirit as they are in the pictures! We are proud of Kyle and Heather for raising such lovely young daughters. Family is the best gift of all!

Emily - 8

Samantha 11 - our "flower child"

Family Blessings!

Our family is expanding - Mel and Ray have two new granddaughters! Imagine they will be traveling to Texas frequently - grandchildren are strong magnets!

Joel and Rachel's second daughter, Caroline Paige, was born on November 9th and Charlotte is a great big sister.

Kyle and Rachel's first child, Avery Lilyan, was born yesterday, December 19th and Mom and baby are doing well.

We are so blessed - our family circle is a loving reminder of what is important in life!

Texas Classic

We have been as busy as Santa's Christmas elves since we arrived in Houston! Judy has joined us so it's fun family time.
I joined Heather and both Samantha and Emily's Girl Scout troops at the Nutcracker Ballet - they all learned "theater etiquette" and earned a GS badge. It was a great production and the girls had their pictures taken with several of the ballerinas.

At the Nutcracker

Samantha's 11th birthday party at her gym with all her friends was great. Her real birthday is on the 17th so we'll celebrate again next week-end! She asked everyone to bring donations for the animal shelter instead of birthday gifts and we couldn't believe all the great items everyone brought! She has such a kind heart!

Claire and Samantha

A new 6,000 seat event center is opening near here and they asked for volunteers to help with the "check list." So Heather, Judy and the girls went to the "flush off" on Saturday! They had to evaluate all the seats and check all the toilets and report any problems to be fixed before the grand opening next week-end. Leave it to Heather to find weird things to do! We are going there to the Christmas program on Sunday.

Mexican food and the traditional Christmas decoration scavenger hunt finished our Saturday. Team Kyle, Heather, and Samantha won. Team Judy, Kathy and Emily just needed a Santa on a roof top to tie! Roger was our designated driver both because we needed someone to watch where we were going and also because the rest of us had too many margaritas at dinner!

Yesterday was Samantha's first gymnastics competition in Galveston. We drove down early and went to the Ice Festival at Moody Gardens. They give you warm parkas to wear as you walk through the display but it was still very cold! Amazing colored ice sculptures and a fun slide at the end! Judy and I slid down the slide and then realized we forgot how hard it was to get up off the floor when we landed!

Judy, Emily, Samantha and their Elves!

Amazing detail on the turtles!

Kyle, Samantha, Heather and Emily

Heather and I were more worried about Samantha's performance than she was - just wanted her to have fun and do well! And she did! Her smile says it all! She won medals for her balance beam, floor exercise and vault routines. Emily got an award for being such a good little sister during a the l-o-o-o-o-o-o-n-g meet!

Her smile says it all!

A Hiking We Will Go!

We finally got out and got some real exercise on Saturday! The 3 mile loop trail along a small river in Emma Long Park in West Austin was great. It requires hikers to cross and recross the river about 10 times - the girls were the explorers finding just the right stepping stones! It was a beautiful day so there were many families and dogs out enjoying the weather.

Megan filled her big bathtub with warm water and then she and the girls did the "polar bear plunge" into the pool! Well, Samantha needed a little assistance! Then they all ran into the bathroom, jumped into the tub and warmed up! Aunt MeMe is always there for a new adventure! I have a video of the event but it is too big to download into the blog - here they are in the tub! Judy and Mel - does this bring back memories?!

We finished the day with margaritas and Mexican food - a wonderful family week-end!

Thanksgiving 2016

Roger succumbed to TV marketing and bought a "Mastercraft Butterball XL" indoor turkey fryer for this year's feast! Not a cheap turkey dinner - the oil cost more than the bird! But, it was cooked in 1 hour and 20 minutes and was super moist and delicious! You can't stuff the turkey so we baked the dressing in a casserole - gravy was a challenge but McCormick's helped with that! Everyone contributed their favorite recipes and we all over indulged!

It was so nice to enjoy family time in Carlos and Megan's beautiful "new" home! Our family was joined by friends Rod and Jennifer and their son Jameson, who will be 1 year in December, and Rod's mother, Clory. The girls were great playing with Jameson. Emily was distracting him while he was eating a snack and Heather asked her to leave him alone, to which she responded "Oh ya, he's like a dog, you shouldn't bother them while they are eating!"

We were all in Austin on Wednesday so Megan wanted to go hiking on this new trail she heard about. Carlos opted out because he wanted to go to Home Depot and Costco -  Roger decided to keep him company - then Emily decided to stay with Grandpa. Kyle was on a business trip and didn't fly in until the evening. So that left us 4 "girls" - when we got in the car, Samantha said "Do we have to go hiking, Aunt MeMe? Couldn't we just go shopping?" So we went on an "urban hike" in and out of the stores! We met the guys for lunch and when Roger asked how the hike went, I said "It is a beautiful day for a hike!" and winked at Samantha! Not a lie!

Going out to dinner tonight and then us girls are going to see "Annie" while the guys "veg!"

"Northern Hills" Friends

We spent a fun evening with friends from our first neighborhood in San Antonio last Friday. Gary and Lynn are always such great hosts and it was nice to play "catch up" with everyone! We are blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives!

Roger, Kathy, Jerry, Judy, Gary, Lynn, John, Phyllis

Happy Birthday, Emily!

We have had a "second summer" since arriving in Houston - temperature in the high 80's with the humidity at misery level! But, having fun spending time with the kids. Kyle, Heather, Carlos and Megan spent a long "adult" week-end in New York City before Halloween so we had a busy "kid" week-end in Houston. Soccer, sleep overs, gymnastics and a fall festival with "Trunk or Treating" at the subdivision clubhouse. We decorated the back of the Buick, complete with spiders and lights and ended up with a dead battery! The creativity and imagination for some of the kids costumes was amazing but, all the chocolate candy turned to "goo" in the hot sun! Not my favorite holiday but the girls sure have a great time! Their dentist has a great program to collect extra Halloween candy, box it up and send it to the troops overseas.

We are so proud of both girls who received honors at ceremonies this week - all A's, perfect attendance and citizenship awards. Glad we could attend and congratulate them!

Samantha is part of the broadcast team at her school. Every morning a live segment like the "Today Show" is broadcast via big screen TV's to all the classrooms. It starts with the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence then goes to the lunch menu, special events, birthdays and even the weather! They finish with the Huskie (their mascot) cheer and "Have a good day!" The librarian is their adviser but the day we were there watching she came in and said she was busy with the Book Fair so they were on their own! We were amazed at the production - the kids ran the computers, changed the backdrops, and filmed it! Samantha did a great job as the announcer!

Hard to believe Emily is 8 years old already! The girls take turns having a "big" vs a "small" birthday party. This year was Emily's "small" turn so she had 3 friends spend the night. We went for dinner and I helped them with their art and craft project - making dream catchers - and then we made a quick get away! Didn't seem to be quieting down for sleep anytime soon!

Emily in her mermaid swim costume from her other grandparents!

She can hardly wait to try it out!

Sydney, Emily Evelyn and Catherine

Tomorrow is Heather's annual post-op check up with her neurosurgeon and Kyle is leaving for Germany today so Roger and I will go with her to see Dr. Kim. Then we are heading to San Antonio for doctors appointments and townhouse repairs. So blessed she is doing so well!

Natchez, Mississippi

We are staying a couple of nights in Natchez at an RV park located on the Mississippi River. Nice to look out our front window and see ships and barges going by.

On the advice of locals we ate lunch at the "Butt Hut" - great BBQ!

We toured Longwood, a beautiful plantation home, this afternoon. Unfortunately, it was started 18 months before the Civil War began and was never finished on the inside. It was designed to be 6 stories with a total of 30,000 square feet of living space. The owner lost most of his assets during the war and then died of pneumonia at an early age. His wife and 11 children - only 8 survived to adulthood -  lived in the lower level for years and it was finally donated to the Natchez Garden Club by the three remaining grandchildren. It is now a National Historical Site and according to the "rules" it can not be changed in any way - inside or outside - so it is "frozen in time."




It was a lovely day for golf - grilled some steaks - watched the boats go by - it's a good life!

On our way to Houston - a couple of days early - anxious to see family! All in all a great trip south!

Natchez Trace Parkway

We had a great summer and fall in Michigan with family and friends but the beautiful weather is beginning to turn cooler and we are headed south! Enjoyed some lovely fall golf before we left!

Fall golf

The Natchez Trace Parkway is a 450 mile scenic road, designated as a National Park, that runs from Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS. There are many historical sites along the trail that commemorate the lives and customs of the local Indian tribes and traders that followed this route along the Mississippi Rive back and forth to the Gulf of Mexico. The development of the parkway was spearheaded by the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) in an effort to preserve the stories of the early users.

The speed limit is 50 mph but the tranquility was welcome after the horrible truck traffic on I-65!
We have been driving leisurely along, stopping to walk and explore - taking our time getting to Texas. Feels good to be "on the road again!" The autumn color was pretty in the northern section but is still green in the south. We are wondering how the parkway is funded - no entry fee, free camping, free exhibits????

The scenery and forests along the parkway hide the fact that their are many small towns on its outskirts - easily accessible via on and off roads. The town of Kosciusko, MS - birthplace of Oprah Winfrey - has a quaint downtown square around the county courthouse and several Victorian homes. I don't think she has good memories of the place because it does not appear as though she has bestowed any of her wealth to her hometown!

Meriweather Lewis is believed to have committed suicide and is buried along the Natchez Trace - a sad ending to a life well spent. It was fitting that we saw his grave site after following the Lewis and Clark Trail.

We enjoyed a morning walk on a boardwalk through a Cypress Swamp - amazing how their roots grow toward the sun - serene, just us and the birds.

Cypress Swamp

There are several Indian burial mounds found along the route - the tradition was to bury the dead with all their earthly possessions.

Pharr Indian Burial Grounds

We tried to visit the Mississippi Craft Center in Canton, MS - HUGE MISTAKE! The sign directing us to turn left was about a half a block from the turn and of course, we were in the far right lane. So we had to drive until we could turn around - humpy, bumpy road that jiggled our Brake Pro switch and enabled the Buick's brakes to come on! Had to stop in the middle of traffic and turn our flashers on while Roger went back to fix it! Many happy drivers behind us!! When we finally got to the Craft Center there was no way we could get in and out of the parking lot so we drove straight by only to be confronted with a low bridge directly in front of us and a dead end street to our right! We turned down the dead end street and found a park we could have turned around in but they were hosting a BBQ cook off and the place was crowded! A nice guy walking on the sidewalk came over and I told him "we are in a pickle!" He suggested we go straight to the dead end, turn right and follow that street until we got to the yacht club where he thought we could turn around. We ended up having to unhook the car to get out of there and by that time neither one of us were interested in the craft center! Well, to tell the truth Roger wasn't all that interested to begin with!  I told Roger "this is a beautiful neighborhood" and he responded "there aren't too many poor neighborhoods with yacht clubs!"

We exited the parkway to visit the Vicksburg National Military Park this afternoon. A driving tour with an audio tape was a really interesting narration of the Confederate/Union battle that in essence ended the Civil War when the city of Vicksburg finally surrendered. There is a museum within the park that houses the remnants of the USS Cairo - a Union gunboat that was sunk by the Confederates - and also a huge cemetery of "unknown soldiers." A gorgeous day to be out exploring!

Michigan Monument at Vicksburg
Military Park

Gen. Grant's Monument

Cemetery for many unknown soldiers

We returned to the parkway and drove the remaining 60 miles on the Natchez this morning. A great drive down one of our National Park treasures!

Mackinac Island 2016

I flew to Houston and brought Samantha and Emily back to Michigan to spend a last week with us. We had such a great time! It was a trip down memory lane for Roger and I - seemed like Heather and Megan were back with us! The girls finally got used to us calling them by the wrong names!

Jay and Kim were so nice to let us stay in their condo when we went up to Mackinac Island - there is a pool in the complex so the girls loved it! We had to get "tech'd up" before the drive up north!

Roger and I took our bikes and we rented ones for the girls and rode around the island. Emily was so proud because she "didn't complain even once and it was 8 miles!" They were excited to see where I fell and broke my pelvis - wanted to know if there was a plaque there!

We built a small carin

Right where the accident happened!

Pointing to the arch that I was looking at when I fell!

We played miniature golf, took a carriage ride, went shopping and of course bought fudge!

We had planned on canoeing down the Au Sable River but the weather didn't cooperate. We spent Saturday with the Eddy family on Lake Le Anne and had a nice reunion with the Hewlett family on Sunday. We finished the week with "soccer golf" at a par 3 course near us - Roger and I played real golf and the girls kicked soccer balls to the green. They had a blast driving the golf carts! And of course, no visit is complete without a trip to the Cascades!

I flew them back to Houston yesterday and Roger and I are "vegging" today!

Tall Ships

We went to Bay City with Judy and Marilou to see the tall ships last week-end. Beautiful weather and a fun time. The long lines prevented us from boarding and touring any of them - we went to Hooters for lunch instead!

Of course, we had to visit Frankenmuth and eat a chicken dinner at Zenders. Music in the park - a Neil Diamond tribute - ended a pleasant evening! The flowers in the town are gorgeous!

We stayed at Algonac State Park, on the St. Claire River, on the way home and watched the freighters go by while we played cards and Querkle! We did go for a nice bike ride one morning but otherwise it was a lazy time!