Thanksgiving and Christmas 2008

Thanksgiving 2008

Anyone who knows us is well aware how important Thanksgiving is for our family and 2008 was no exception! John has a brother and two sisters with whom we've celebrated Thanksgiving almost continually since our marriage in 1969. With only a couple of exceptions we have met somewhere and celebrated as a family together. In the beginning (and for many years) we would meet at someones house and have "giant" spend the night(s) party! Frank, Barbara, and Kathy have 3 kids apiece and John two for total of 15 kids...fast forward to now and most of those kids have their own kids so we are now a family of about 40! Therefore, now we have to rent a very large house where we can sleep all of us!

This year we were able to rent a retreat house at a Methodist Camp and Conference Center in Northern Alabama, which was perfect even if we did have to sleep in bunk beds in a room with at lease two other couples and shared a bath room with about 15 other adults and multitude of little people! There were a couple of lakes with canoes and paddle boats and lots of woods and wide open spaces! The weather was just great! Kids (old and young) could get out and play and have lots of fun with their cousins.

We left Pearland Monday, November 24th after work and spent the night on the road and made it to Cindy's (Madison, AL) mid afternoon and were able to spend some "just our family" time with our daughters, their husbands and 7 of our grandchildren - poor Sean - he was only boy! We all left next morning for the retreat house and met up with the rest of our family! Nana & Dandy (sometimes known as "The Grand We Two") had decided that our primary responsibilities were being connected to at least one, but sometimes, more than one, grandchild at all times. Dandy certainly got a lot of exercise on the front porch swing with a baby or two in his lap and in walking around the lake or kicking leaves with the kids....Nana, is still walking with a lean after spending most of her time doing her normal cooking and looking after everyone with a baby on her hip!! There is nothing sweeter than having a sweet little baby taking a nap on your shoulder, even sweeter when one of the older girls curls up beside you or in your lap, just to sit awhile!!

After each Thanksgiving, we all say that it just can't get any better...well they do and this was no exception: Almost everyone was able to attend and everyone got along...the food was fantastic...and except for the little incident where Kyla was practicing her skydiving landing techniques, no one got hurt! It seems this was the only time anyone can recall that "only one" trip to the emergency room was required!

Even though it was great trip, ever thing must end and on Saturday morning everyone started packing up and ---- it hit us ---- this is the first time we are going back to Texas --- alone! Kathy and her group went back to their home in Utah and Cindy was staying in Alabama! And now that Thanksgiving is "over" for this year Christmas was right behind and we knew that this would be our first Christmas since 1970 (Kathy was 4 months old), that we would not have any kids around!! Not trying to turn this into a "downer" but this is tough on us, being out here all alone! Now don't get me wrong, we are active and we have friends and our church family, but it is different not having any "blood" around! So we were not looking forward to this Christmas at all, but as it turns out we have a very good one!

We did finally put up a tree (but not all three) and after doing most of our shopping on line and getting each other a few things, we did get into the spirit. We had several Christmas parties with our Motorcycle Gang and our Church Small Group, and even put lights and decorations on the Goldwing and rode in the Pearland Christmas parade. Then on Christmas morning we had brunch at the home of one of our favorite families, the Embertons and a bunch of other church friends. We had a fantastic Christmas Super with an "almost" family...I say almost because my sister has a daughter, Jenny, who lives in Florida and is married to Paul who has a brother, Mark who lives about one half a mile from us with his wife Barb and three children! They knew we were alone and invited us over for Prime Rib and Maine Lobster --- turns out Mark was professional chef and ran his own restaurant for many years! The boy can cook!! Anyway we had a great time with them, her parents, the two boys 7 & 5 and a precious little girl about 4 months old. We had to leave from there and headed to the church were we had some time with our Celebrate Recovery group, singing Christmas songs and eating treats...! So we spent the day with great people and eating (all day long)!!

So we had good holiday after all even though we did miss our own kids, we were with people we love and love us! OH!!! We did get some time with Kathy and her girls via WEB CAM!!!! We had bought Nana new computer with built in web cam and Kathy has one as well, so she figured out how to work it and we were able to visit for almost an hour in the afternoon, just talking and seeing some of the things they got from Santa...and we got to hear Kyla play the piano! So we got to see and hear four of our girls (5 counting Kathy)! So it was a good day after all....a very good day...our God is so good to us!!!

Here are a few more pictures from Thanksgiving....enjoy!

Lexie & Lauren

Cousins, Angie & Donna

Dandy & Kyla

Barbara, Donna & Angie (unwinding)

Donna & Tara

Sisters (in-law)

Barbara & Peggy

Crazy Jeff & Little Mike

Cousins, Kathy & Donna

Happy ray of Sunshine, "Melody"!

View from front porch

Kyla on Back dock

Kyla had to try luck on the big lake!

Cousins, Lizzy & Ryann (already telling secrets)

Big Sister with her little Sisters!

Sean with his "big" cousins "coloring together...ain't it sweet?

Greg & his own personal "good" fairy...he hopes!

(Tinker Bell Lizzy)

Who is this mystery "cousin"?

Mama-Daughter time

Picture was taken the last night and they were a "tired" bunch!

Cindy's so proud...you'd think she cooked it!!

Nana with the 3 "littlest" girls....Caitlyn, Lizzy & Tara

Uncle Charlie with Kyla, Lizzy, Melody & Gracie

He loves it....

And now a "bonus" pic.....

See.....! It does snow in south Texas!

(Taken first week in December 2008)

We're BACK!!!

Over two years ago, after buying the Yamaha, Nana and I (Dandy) decided it would be great to have our own “adventure” blog and following our daughter Kathy's lead and assistance, we got it up and running. We added a couple of new items, then we went though some family changes…Kathy moved with her family to Utah and then few months later Cindy and Kevin moved their family to Alabama. Not that we went on big downer and withdrew to ourselves, but we actually had a lot going on and we (being the certified procrastinator that I am) kept putting off the updates until “later”! In meantime we kept taking more and more pictures and having more motorcycle or grand children related adventures.
· We’ve been on trips with Brendan and Kyla to Utah in 07

· We have had Cindy and Kevin visit us a couple of times
· We have visited Cindy and Kevin (Easter)
· We have had Brendan (and/or) Kyla numerous times at our house or on short vacation to the Texas Hill County.
· We have been to Alabama for Thanksgiving
· I have been on numerous “Patriot Guard Riders” missions
· We have been on numerous other rides together for fun or for fund raising group rides
· We have joined a great group of like minded biker types – Mid Life Cycles (MLC) and joined them on several social “meet , ride & eat”
· Took long ride in June to Arkansas with the MLC (1400 miles in 4 days)
· Bought a new Motorcycle (The Wing)
· And a bunch of other things
· Traveled again to Utah to welcome Caitlyn Joyce, who made her arrival August 11, 2008.
So rather than try to relate and document all the events (play by play) what follows is going to be our attempt at providing a “pictorial” update. I am not even going to try and get them in exactly the right order or to put the dates on each. I will add a couple of other posts that I have written previously, but did not publish.
Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…………………..enjoy!!!

These are not in order, but wanted to share!

On the Guadalupe River 2008
Brendan at Canyon Lake Spring 2008
Brendan and Tara

Ride that Bull, Kyla!! Houston Rodeo 2008 Arkansas Pig Trail 2008 Mid Life Cycles
Kathy and Tara 2008
Kyla "Bell" with the Texas Blue Bonnets

Easter 2008 with the Brady's

Dandy with Brendan & Kyla

On the River - saw this cute little monkey

These guys like the outdoors
In Arkansas
Here is Kathy with all her Chidren in "one" spot!

Moody Gardens (Galveston, TX) 2008
Boy loves the water
So does Kyla & Dandy
Kyla's 10th Birthday
The view from the Morgan's back porch - Smithfield, UT

Typical Background for these "cool" bikers!
She's crying...finally a quilt store and it was closed - Eureka Springs, Ark.
Brendan & Kyla, Sean, Melody & Lizzie Summer 2008
We vacationed...HARD!
They love their Nana!!!

Cowgirl Kyla - what a smile!

Nana & Dandy with the Brady bunch - Easter 2008
Eureka Springs

Biker Daughter!
Brendan with Caitlyn Aug. 2008
Kyla & Caitlyn

Kathy and her sweet number 5 - Caitlyn Joyce

Nana helping baby Caitlyn to "yawn"

Dandy & Kyla teaching Tara to wade in a cold creek!

Texas Hill Country - 2008

On an Arkansas Road - the famous Pig Tail!
Our Biker Gang - the Mid Life Cycles - In Eureka Springs

With their "littlest" sister

The sign puts in "mildly" - we love these curvy, hilly back roads across USA

That sun was coming UP! Getting ready to saddle up for Arkansas 2008
Are we "cool" or what?

Nana and Melody
Lizzie is good at finding Easter Eggs!
Ready for the Easter Parade!

Kathy and all five!!!
Ryann loves her new baby sister!

Here are a fewpics take on our trip to Utha with Brendan and Kyla July/August 2007. We nearly lost Kyla in Roswell...but thanks to a little help from her big brother...the aliens did not get her!!!
The First of about 647 photo ops for B&K...(but only a few here..)

...you stay on your side of the Continent and I will stand on my side!

Come Nana....PUSH!!!!

Four Corners (Utah, New Mexico, Colorada & Arizona) - Brendan was the photographer -

Out in the Wide Open Spaces

Over the Grand Canyou (North Rim)

They like things "up close"!! Real Close!!!

Just awesome.....

We had an awesome time!!!

View from Daughter #1's back deck!!

While in Utah we did (just had to) rent this Goldwing and in 24 hours put 600 miles cruising the moutains and plains of Utah and Wyoming (slept 8 hours too!!)