Family Reunion

What a wonderful few days!!  It was much better than we had even hoped.  So good to see everyone and spend time together.  I was worried we wouldn't get to see everyone enough, but it all worked out well.  My feet and legs will take some time to recover, but my heart is full.


The dinner at Mimi's the day we all arrived.  What a great thing that Kathy and Lisa and Lisa's family could make it from the airport in time to be with everyone there!

                           

 

After dinner we all went back to the hotel and the family presented Jer with his birthday gift that had been months in the making:  a book of memories from all the kids and some grandkids about what they remember about him.  Heidi put it together with applicable pictures from the family "archives" in her possession.  Such a wonderful gift for him!  Unique and irreplaceable.  After everyone left he read every word and looked at every photograph.  A real treasure.

The next day we all hit California Adventure!  Jer and I planned to follow children around and help out babysitting while parents went on rides, but when we got there everyone scattered and we were left standing alone looking around.  And up came the boys!!  What a treat!

We got to hang out with them for several hours, going on some of their favorite rides with them.  Cars was fun.  We did it twice.

 And also Soarin'.  Now that was an awesome adventure!  I almost cried the first time we did it, flying over so many beautiful places on earth.

We eventually hooked up with Evanses and got to sit in the shade with Matthew while everyone else went on the ferris wheel.  Got to sit with Erin for a while too and rest and cool off.  The weather was good, but still warm in the sun.

He was refreshed after a little nap and then we all went to Ariel's adventure.  That was a cool and relaxing ride.  I already can't remember all that we did.  But it was fun to hang out with the fam.

Next day we got a family photo done and will add Adam and Thadeus to it as soon as we can get it.  Then we took off to get fast passes to Star Tours.  That was an exciting ride!  We enjoyed it a lot.  And the space villain happened to be James Bennett!!  That was a fun surprise!  I guess they take a picture of someone in the line as everyone enters.

Dad and I wandered a little and then went on the log ride.  It was fun too, but not as much fun as it used to be.  I guess we are getting too old for Disneyland.

It wasn't long before my feet just gave out and we sat down in New Orleans Square to rest and watch people go by.  As we were sitting a pirate came along and started singing to the different children that walked up.  He would put their name in the song and sing a story about them.  He was very kind and gentle with them and I admired how he interacted with each one.  And he made cute jokes.  I enjoyed him very much.  So after my feet recovered and he had wandered down the sidewalk, we looked for him and found him at the ship and got a picture with him.  I hope he is happy and has a good life.

We went to the Tiki room and had a Dole pineapple whip and watched the show, then we went next door to lunch.  After lunch with the Barneys, Evanses, and Bennetts we went to Autopia with the Evans little boys and Erin and Bennetts.  They couldn't wait to drive the cars!!  We finally got a car each and I got to ride with Matthew.  He loved it all.  Every minute.  He started out driving, but he made the car swerve quickly and banged his head so I took over and he was happy to talk and look at everything.  Then we came back to the hotel and swam.  What a relaxing afternoon!  It was just what I needed.  Evanses came back in a while and they ordered dinner from a Mediterranean place for us and them and Barneys.  It was really delicious, but we had way too much food.  We had it again for lunch the next day, hoping that everyone else would join too.  And some did.

Next day was Friday and we stayed around the hotel all day, watching Mike's family swim and resting.  Heather and Kathy went off to shop at the Disneyland downtown place and had a good day looking at things and talking.  Heather had been worried she wouldn't have anyone to do things with but she had a great time going around with Kathy and Thadam most of the time.  Her feet wore out too, finally.  She hobbled back to the hotel and appreciated a little rest.

In the evening some of us headed to Medieval Times.  Kathy and her group had gone the night before and Mike's family didn't want to go so they went out to dinner together and had a nice evening.  We had a fun evening watching knights and being lords and ladies.

We ate and drank and cheered and booed and watched a great show.  What magnificent horses!!

And then we came home to the hotel tired.  But we needed to finish up with a birthday song to Adam and a final goodby for everyone.  Most were leaving the next day.  What a great time.  It was so wonderful to spend a few days in the presence of those we love the very most in the world.

Jared's and Jo's Wedding and the Collinses Farewell

Wedding

I can't believe I haven't posted these events yet!  I guess it's all just overwhelming to try to put into words how great it is to visit with everyone and have such a valuable experience with family.  Mike and Raylyn and the children hosted us and we are very grateful.  We got to stay in the girls' beautiful room.  Raylyn is such an artist and the girls were so generous to share their space and their comfortable beds with us.  It was fun getting to spend time with them and hear about what they are doing now.  Growing too fast for sure!  Aubrey is 14 now and is getting her braces off!  Ella is soon 12, going to girls' camp and getting braces soon, and Henry continues to grow into a wonderful, healthy young man.  Here they are at the wedding reception.

The wedding was beautiful in every way.  It was in the Draper temple and everyone was so happy for them.  I was at first sad that my camera lens was foggy, and then I decided it was kinder to us old folks to blend out the wrinkles a little.

All the relative and friend attendants:  ten each bridesmaids and groom's men.

Collinses grandparents included in this family picture.

This was our first opportunity to meet Sean Rowan Collins, Brian and Kinsie's baby.  What a precious little boy!  This is a four generation picture.

You can see his face better here.  I think he looks like his mom, and time will continue to tell who he actually is.  What a joy to watch personality unfold!

The reception was in a beautiful place and there were hundreds of guests.  This is their cake.  It's fun that their initials are both J.  They can have fun with that.

And then they went off on a trip to San Diego for a few days.  They returned quickly so she could continue school.

We made it a very quick trip for the wedding.  We got to see most everyone quickly and then took off to return a couple weeks later for the Collinses farewell.

Collinses Farewell

Heidi and James were kind hosts to us and it was great to hang out with them.  Heidi took us to the MTC and showed us some of the things she had been working on for months and months.  What a beautiful new MTC they have created; there are huge murals of Book of Mormon incidents and big bright windows looking out on the mountains and the campus.  The missionaries now are so blessed to be immersed in that environment.  There is even a picture of Heidi and her companion teaching an investigator among the other missionary pictures all along the walls with pertinent quotes and scriptures.



This is an artist's image of what it was going to be like, but it is truly this open and bright.  What Heidi got to do was suggest and implement what quotations and what pictures were going to be where.  I wish they had images of those fantastic wall size murals!  One was of the sons of Mosiah looking down into the valley of the Lamanites before they were caught by the king's guards.  It was a composite of actual South American mountains, actors, and an artist's painting.  It was totally realistic  and so were the other ones.

We had time to visit with family members which is always wonderful.  Got to visit with Rileys senior for a little.  And then at the farewell we got to see a few old friends:  Todd Pennington was there with his family; he lives in the same ward as Collinses. Wendy Owens Sherman was there, Kelly Riley Packer too.  Of course Jackie was there.  It was good to see her.

Their talks were as one would expect.  They were humble and grateful and full of love for their ward and family and friends who have supported them over their lives.  They are overwhelmed with the task in front of them and at the same time confident that the Lord will guide and bless as required.  Whom the Lord calls He qualifies.

Setting Apart

What an honor and a privilege it is to serve in the responsibility to which they are called.  And at Sean's setting apart as Mission President Kristin was also set apart as a full time missionary.  She was concerned that they would only have a few days in the MTC, but as one of the general authorities who interviewed them told her, they have been preparing for this their whole lives.  They bring with them who they have become over their lifetime of experience.

For the setting apart Kinsie was concerned about having the baby there who may need something as things were going on so Heidi came to the church office building and babysat him while we were all together in the setting apart.  She loved doing it and it was greatly appreciated.

This is the family allowed to attend their setting apart with Elder Cook and the President of Seventy over their mission.  They were given many words of advice and counsel before the setting apart, helping them understand the needs of the missionaries who will serve under them.  It was an honor to be present and hear what was said.  It all made me want to be better in every way.

After that spiritual feast Sean took us all to Chinese and we had a wonderful meal.  I will never think of egg foo yung the same again.  It was all superb!  It's a restaurant that they go to frequently.  They didn't even have to order; the owner knew already what they wanted.

Then, the next morning we got to see Gracie before we started out for home again.  She looks wonderful and is still working toward becoming a pilot.  She will get there.  She is determined.  We are so proud of her!!

It is always such a joy to be together with you all.  We love you all so much and are always so grateful for the good people you all are; for your lives of dignity and honesty and being true to your values.

We got to visit with Evanses the end of April!  It was so fun to get to see them all.  How the kids have grown!  It was great to just hang out and watch them do what they do.  The weather was mostly pretty cold and wet so we didn't go anywhere or do anything outside very much.  It was fun to see the little boys play in the rain and water.  They loved to get out in it and Susan was great to let them do it.

Matthew seeing pictures of himself playing in the rain and water outside.

Kids having cocoa and toast after a rainy day at school.  

Serious practice at the piano.  Alice also takes flute and is good at practicing it too.  Robert also takes piano and does very well with his practicing.

We got to take Alice and Robert to the skating rink one day.  They skated and did really well, but then decided they wanted to also play some games with the money Alice had brought.  They played some of them together as she shared her money with Robert, but then she decided that it wasn't worth the money to get what they got as prizes.  

We were glad Alice decided not to spend all her money.  It's pretty painful for us to see her hard won money go down the drain like that.  But you have to try it out once or twice and then decide.  

One day Susan thought it was dry enough for us to try to plant potatoes.  She has the garden in her yard and she also has this piece of ground in a public garden area that she wants to develop.  We dug and dug and planted but then it started to rain again and so we had to stop.  Matthew wasn't very impressed with the gardening.  He and Dad finally went over to the playground to check out the swings and climbing things.  Susan put this barrier around her plot to try to keep out the varmints.  

We loved getting to visit and it was hard to leave.  And we look forward to seeing them all again at the reunion!

When we got home and were at the temple Brother Beaman said he just had some little tortoises hatch!  Well we had to go see them!  Lara and Sarah and Heather and we went over and checked out their new babies.  

They are so little and so cute and perfect!!  They have to keep them in the house and make sure they are kept at the right temperature and get the food and water they need.  It seems strange that they can even survive in nature!  The adult tortoises are about the size of a breadbox and have elephant looking feet.  They aren't turtles, but tortoises.  They have several of them and they are also kept at the right temperature and fed just the right things.  These are eating some romaine that we brought.  

And the latest thing we experienced was dinner out to celebrate Jer's birthday!  He turned 80 yesterday!  He looks pretty tired here because we had served all afternoon at the temple and met the family for dinner at Saltgrass Restaurant at 6.  Heather had gotten there first and got us started with a reservation.  It was to be an hour and a half wait since it was also graduation night and also Saturday night before a three day weekend.  

Finally got a table and finally got to eat.  We had a really good dinner and lots of good company.  Jon treated us all.  Dad had prime rib and took home a piece of cheesecake.  That's all the cake we needed since we are all trying to be careful and maybe lose a little weight to fit into our clothes more comfortably.  And what a treat it was to have Mike call at just the right moment to wish him a happy birthday!  

The bishop came tonight to give Dad his official release from the peanut butter factory so he is free of that now, and we asked if maybe they could use us in the mission home for something.  We could file papers or even inspect the apartments or whatever they may need.  It's good to feel useful.  

I finished bowling this past week too.  It's over for the summer and will start again in August. That last day we played "double tap" which means if the first ball you throw leaves just one pin then it counts as a strike.  I loved that because I got some really good scores!   My best and final score was  168!!  My average is 96.  And they also passed out awards and I got $146 back for one thing and another.  Not too shabby!  It was a fun day.  I told Dad that with that money I plan to buy him a bowling ball and shoes and a bag.  We bowl together on Tuesdays in Humble because it's $2 day and he always picks out a ball from the rack and rents shoes and sometimes he can't find the ball he likes.

So now we have a wedding and a farewell and a reunion to look forward to.  And maybe a baby blessing if we are there at the right time.  We dearly love being with our family!  Thank you for being who you all are.  We love you so much!  

The best thing that has happened lately is that Kathy came to visit!  It was great to have her here.  We talked and talked and did nothing very special but had a good time.  We cooked some different things, making spring rolls and trying out my spiralizer in some different salad recipes.  We visited an art museum and discovered an artist that was very puzzling to me.  The artist was Cy Twombly.  Some of his art is here:

 http://www.theartstory.org/artist-twombly-cy-artworks.htm#pnt_2

We had visited the museum earlier when James and Heidi were here.  I guess they have different visiting displays from time to time.  This wasn't here then.  He had some green and black pictures that Dad and I loved.  They suggested tree boughs hanging thickly over a stream.

Kathy is on a strict diet that was really good for me to see in action.  She drinks a healthy fruit and kale smoothy in the morning and then has different veggie salads for lunch and dinner.  I did it with her and felt great and nourished.  The difference between hers and my usual diet is that she allows no animal products.  I have been having pastas, eggs and milk products but maybe I will cut those down and enjoy the delights of more veggies.  Can't hurt and could make me feel even better.  I love beans in all forms for protein.

Dry eyes
I sneezed really hard while we were in Utah and a black spot appeared in my right eye along with some fuzzy stuff along the edge of my vision.  I made an appointment with Heather's new boss and checked it out.  It's nothing to worry about, just a natural benefit of growing older, but what a doctor!!  I was very impressed with his thoroughness and kindness.  He discovered why my eyes have been dry for years.  No other doctor has ever suggested what he said, just offered me drops.  What's happening with my eyes is this:  our eyes produce 3 different fluids to coat them as tears; they are water, mucus, and oil.  My little oil ducts haven't been working for years.  So if you have dry eyes you can help them out by bathing them, putting a warm compress on them for a few minutes and then massaging the eyelids gently after that.  The oil ducts could be plugged and need to be softened and unplugged.  Or if you are like me and have had the condition for years they could have atrophied and may never produce again.  I am still trying the compresses and massaging.  I can always hope.


Back pain
One morning when I got out of bed I felt a twinge in my left lower side that steadily grew and grew till I could hardly walk.  It lasted for days, sometimes getting better as the day wore on, arriving again the next morning.  I went to our regular temple shift on Wednesday expecting/hoping that the pain would diminish as the day progressed, but, alas, it only increased.  Even before our prayer meeting before our shift I decided that I needed to leave.  The temple president is a doctor and came to visit with me about it and suggested ibuprofen.  He said it was an inflammation and that was the best thing for that.  I never thought of it as inflammation, only as a pinched nerve, and I have never had any use for ibuprofen.  Extra Strength Excedrin is our go to med.  But that was useless this time.  So I drove home and stopped at the Walgreens on the way.  I hobbled in to the store and bought some, took it and went to bed.  I couldn't believe the effect!!  What a miracle.  I guess you just have to use the right thing for the problem!  So if you ever have back pain, try some ibuprofen.  I bet you all knew that already, but I just learned something very useful and was SO grateful.

Dad is still working at the tax place and enjoying helping people get their returns. He says the people coming now are the ones that have to pay so that's not as much fun as before, but he still likes to be useful.  He is the only volunteer where he goes along with one guy who is an employee.  The other guy doesn't speak Spanish so Dad gets to help all the Spanish speakers.  What a useful thing it is to know Spanish!  I had hoped to go Spanish speaking so I could learn it when we applied for our mission years ago, but we had a good experience anyway where we went.

He is also still at the peanut butter factory.  He has an easy time on Thursdays when they produce the peanut butter.  He stands there and watches the pot fill up and empty and keeps the peanut butter at a safe level so it doesn't overflow or run dry.  But on Tuesdays he helps clean all the equipment with a power sprayer in the parking lot and it's pretty hard work.  He comes home tired.  He is supposed to be finished with his year the end of August, but with all the trips we are taking he will be gone much of the summer so they are getting a replacement for him to take over soon.  I think he will be finished the end of May.  It won't be too soon for him.  Then we will get another stay at home mission like maybe the bishop's storehouse, or the mission home.  There are lots of things to do and it would be fun to do them together.  I think it's so wonderful that we can still be useful as old as we are.

And now Kathy is gone, but we are looking forward to seeing everyone again in a few weeks for Jared's wedding and the missionary farewell for the Collinses.  What a summer!  So good to see you all when we can.  We love you with all that is in us and pray for your happiness every day.

Sunday, March 19, 2017

Seems like a lot longer than a month since I wrote, but a lot has happened, I guess.  Not here.  We are going along pretty much as usual, Jer at taxes, us at the temple, Heather and me preparing our primary lessons and teaching.

But good things were happening in Utah!  We went to see Mari get married and fulfill her dream of years.  She and Ladd were married at a barn with rustic surroundings and I was a little surprised till I realized her love for horses and all that surrounds them.  She was married in a beautiful gown and cowboy boots.

It was all very nice.  The only thing missing was her mom.  It would have been good for her to have been there too but hopefully the day will come when Mari realizes how much Kathy means to her and welcomes her into her life again.

And the next wonderful thing there was that Jared asked a great girl to marry him!  Her name is Jo Holbrook.  They met at a Young Adult activity and hit it off right away.  What makes it special is that Kristin and Sean heard her speak at a stake conference and were very impressed with her.  They said to each other, we need to get Jared introduced to this girl!  But he beat them to it.

This is a picture Kristin sent showing their damaged hands when they were out ice skating and he ran over her fingers.  I think.  Have to ask them when we see them again.  He proposed at the cabin and then their families got together to discuss the arrangements.  They will be married June 1, 2017.  They want to make it fast before Sean and Kristin and Scott leave for Arizona, and before Rachael leaves for as yet unknown parts.  Should find out her mission field this week!!  We expect to be in Utah a couple times in June for the important events.

While there we got to visit with most everyone.  We saw Heidi and James when we got into town and they took us to dinner.  Heidi's ankle seems to be much better.  She can walk without pain and I think that's a great improvement.

Then we went to Kristin and Sean's and they let us sleep there and hang out and see their kids as they came to the house.  There are lots of things they are having to do to prepare for their mission.  Selling the house is a big concern and they had just staged it for pictures.  Kristin felt it was so bare, but it looked fine to us.  They are on an interesting diet that their doctor recommended.  It's a high fat, low carb diet that is giving them lots of success. We met Jo and got to hear about Rachael's mission interview with her bishop.

The  next day we went to the wedding and met most all the Langstons.  after the reception we visited Brian at Domino's Pizza where he is working for a little while in the evenings to learn the art of food delivery.  I guess maybe he is thinking of delivering from Costa Vida.  That would be awesome!!

Thursday we did some shopping and then had lunch with Erin and got caught up with her activities.  She is getting ready for her future plans.

In the evening we had dinner with Mike and Raylyn and got to hear what's going on with them and their kids.  Aubrey is still going strong in soccer, Ella loves clogging and is very good at it and Henry is strong and healthy and caring,  It's a joy to visit with them all.  Raylyn is still very busy with Relief Society and Mike looks so different from the latest picture I have!  I didn't recognize him when I first saw him.  He has grown a beard and lost a lot of weight.  He looks great and sounds like he is feeling great too.  He wouldn't let me take a picture.  I had told Erin how he has changed and she asked for a picture, but he refused.

Friday we got to have breakfast with Grace and hear about her classes and plans.  She is so beautiful!  And successfully negotiating her classes so she can get her associate's degree from UVU.  Her dream is getting her flying license.  She will surely do it.  Grace said she invited Colin to come have breakfast with us too and he said it was too early.  We will have to plan a time while we are out next to get together later in the day and see him.

Then we met Kristin at the Provo City Center Temple and did some ordinances for several family members.  We managed to seal seven children to their parents in the most beautiful surroundings that I have been in for a long time.  I am so happy that the Church stayed true to the period of that building.  It is truly magnificent.  And I would like to think that family felt at home there.

Friday evening we visited with Kathy and Lisa and had dinner.  Lisa is recovering from some serious back surgery and is still trying to heal properly.  She has had back trouble for a long time and hopefully this will take care of it when it heals completely.  They are looking forward to the reunion in California and Kathy will be visiting us the first of next month.

Saturday morning we got to have breakfast with Tyler and catch up on what he's up to.  He has lots of interesting plans.  We are sorry he won't be able to be at the reunion, but he says there's a slight chance he can make it.  We hope so.

We had an uneventful trip out and back. We thought winter was mostly over but when we got up in Albuquerque it was 18 degrees and it was COLD!  We were surprised by the snow at Soldier's Summit.

When we got home the front yard was a field of weeds.  The weather had been warm and wet and the broadleaf plants took over the grass.  But they were still green so while the man was subbing for a brother at the temple I mowed and it all looks great now.  :o)  From a distance it's green and manicured.  The next day we trimmed the edges and weeded around the bushes so now it looks like someone lives here again.  When Jer drove in from the temple he said he was really hoping I had mowed and not the neighbor who got tired of looking at the mess.  But no, it was just me and no worries.

Our poor bouganvillea was really and truly dead.  So sad!!  I mourned it because it was so robust and healthy!  But one Saturday I got in the car and found a beautiful little guy to replace him.  We mourned and then rejoiced.

Isn't that the prettiest and healthiest little bouganvillea you have ever seen?

And he seems to be happy here.  We promise to take better care of him and cover him when the temperature drops.  We failed our last one but will do better this time.  It was just one night below freezing and then the temperature rose again.  I love the color and how it blends with my pretty gazing ball.  It makes me happy to see it out the back door when we have breakfast.

We are looking forward to having Kathy visit during her Spring break and then later in the month flying out to Illinois to visit with Evanses. And there's General Conference and Easter too.  What a fun month to look forward to!

Thank you all for being so welcoming and generous with your time and favors.  We love you all so much!  You are the light of our lives.

Just a little update.  The man got his computer, (a gaming computer!!) and has started to get it running with all the stuff you have to do before it will actually work in your own house.  It's an MSI gaming series one with a cool little red dragon on the lid.  And the keyboard has underlit keys in different colors.  It's very pretty!  We had to get a gaming one so that he could run his airplane flying practice thing on it.  He tried on the desktop and it couldn't handle the graphics.  So now we look forward to having it to play on.  :o)

And it really works!!  But it's still pretty hard to do.  We will need lots of practice.

Heather's job is going wonderfully.  She comes home every day saying I love my job!!  I just love being there!  What a complete 180 degree difference in work places!  We are thrilled for her and hope that nothing goes wrong.  It just seems too good to be true.

To celebrate her wonderful blessing we went out to dinner at PF Changs.  We found one about 45 minutes away.  We had some wonderful food.  They have french fried green beans ( I know, it sounds weird) that came with a dipping sauce that was out of this world!  I brought home what was left and put it on whatever I could find in the fridge.  The food was fantastic, but the restaurant was frigid.  Heather here is wearing my sweatshirt that says, Alcatraz Psych Ward, Outpatient Unit.  I got it at DI.  I am wearing my black one.

Earlier this week we got a notice about a recall on the Subaru.  Apparently the passenger's side airbag will go off randomly and knock out the person sitting there.  And there was something about the brakes too.  So we took it in to get it fixed.  We had an appointment so they took it in right away, but it took a while because they had to take off the whole dash to get at the airbag.  So about 4 hours later it was done and we were home.  (Driving home took an hour.)  At least they had comfy chairs and hot chocolate.  Dad took his tablet and finished his book and I read a Good Housekeeping magazine.  I know why I don't read magazines now.  They make you want stuff and be dissatisfied with what you have and are doing.  There is always something or someone better.  Then I wandered around and saw the new cars.

Dad is gone today to do taxes again and Heather is at her dream job, and I am here at home getting ready to delve into family history.  I love doing family history, especially with the files available now on Family Search.  It's like an awesome treasure hunt with little gems placed here and there for us to find.

See you Utah family soon!  We love you all with all our hearts!!

Heather got another job at a place that she feels very encouraged about.  The atmosphere seems very warm and pleasant, the flow is much slower with the doctor taking lots of time with each patient and he encourages the girls to take their time with them too and give them what they need.  She will start on Tuesday.  She spent a few hours there when she went for the interview and liked everything she saw and apparently they liked what they saw in her too.  She won't get the hours she wants just yet, till the one employee leaves whose place she will be taking, but then she is assured that she will have what she needs.  We are very happy for her and hope it will work out well.

Right now she is at a fireside for single adults.  There is a nice sister in our ward that is supporting her in her activity there.  We are happy she has decided to attend.

Dad is still working at the taxes.  This is the busiest time of the year and he is having a good experience doing that.  He comes home happy and feeling fulfilled.  He has also figured out how to download library books to his tablet and is happily reading a lot of the time.  He likes John J Nance, Robin Cook, and some others like that.

He decided to buy the airplane video so he can practice controlling his radio controlled plane before actually taking it out.  He wants to get accustomed to the controls before risking the plane again.  We are happy for him to do it because it looks like fun and we all can do it without damaging anything.  With our tax refund we bought a laptop that is game worthy and we will get it this week, maybe.  Then we will hook it up to the tv and have a good time!

I am still bowling on Thursdays and getting better acquainted with my cousins and the nice ladies that we play with.  Heather has been attending with me till she got her job and the ladies have enjoyed her.  She made brownies for them last week and they loved them.  I really like these people.  And this last week Mary Jean, another cousin, came to hang out and visit while we played and then we went to lunch together.

These are cousins at our lunch.  David, Cynthia, Gloria, Karen, Mary Jean, me and Heather.  David, Cynthia and Karen are Gloria and Juan's children and Mary Jean is Gene and Mary Helen's youngest.  Juan and Gene are Claude and Amy's two sons.  It makes me happy to reconnect to family.  After lunch we followed Cynthia home and she showed us her home on Lake Conroe.  It was a lovely home that made us think of Kristin and Sean when they come home from their mission.  They are talking about downsizing, but they will still want a beautiful place that is near fun things.

And in the center here is Gloria's first daughter, Linda.  I remember these women as little girls that would attend church with Aunt Amy and me when I would go visit and attend with her.  They were tiny and beautiful and sweet.  This was taken at Cynthia's son's wedding.

We are looking forward to seeing you Utah family soon in March for Mari's wedding and then the first part of June for the farewells.  Brian says they are hoping to do their baby's blessing close to that time too, so we hope to stay a little while then for it all.  We are happy and fulfilled with opportunities to do good things.  We love being here and wish you all were here with us.  But we will take who we can get when we can get you.   We love you all so much and hope that all is going well for you. Please plan to come see us!