AUTUMN TIME

Bruce's best friend Gary and his wife Joann came up from Dallas, TX to visit and see the trees.  We were off by about a week with the leaves changing colors but this was the only weekend that Gary could get away.  Those two boys have a great time with they get together.  We ate out by taking a looooooong drive in the country, up into the mountains, to find this restaurant.  You can't even get a cell phone signal out where this place is.  We hadn't seen hardly any cars on our trip and then we rounded the bend in the road and this place was overflowing with cars and motorcycles.  But it sure has a great view and great home cooking.  The back of the restaurant has a balcony that overlooks the OZARK GRAND CANYON.  (Not quite the same)  Joann and I took some time to go antique shopping too.  Springdale is known as the antique capital down here.  

SUMMER TIME AND THE LIVIN' IS EASY

You should always take some time out during the summer to relax. Maybe to just sit and ponder...

or relax in a tub.

(This was our trip to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, which people in Fayetteville refer to as "Eufreaka Springs. It's a very eclectic, artsy town but has lots of cute little stores. Outside of the town Lynnette and I visited a wildlife refuge for rescued animals of the large and wild type. Most will never be able to leave this place. There were over 30 large cats plus a llama, goats and a monkey.

Some people even enjoy the great outdoors and like to go camping...

I was asked to go to girls camp 4 weeks before it was to happen. I said I didn't think I could do it because this was my last summer to spend with Lynnette. Then I asked if she could go with me to camp and the Bishop said "YES!!" Considering we went to camp 1) with girls we didn't know, 2) in tents, 3) no electricity, 4) no pool , and 5) in backwoods Arkansas, yes I can hear the banjo playing; we had a great time.

We learned alot about the differences betwen girls camp in Arkansas and Indiana, but the gospel is true no matter where you go. The girls just loved Lynnette and she and I had a lot of fun together. Okay, except for the walks to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I wasn't going alone.


During the summer you should also take time to spend with relatives you don't get to see very often.

After girls camp Lynnette and I went up to Indy to visit friends and family. My niece, Stefanie, is attending Butler so my sister-in-law and her daughter came over and we all got together. We had lunch, at Monical's, of course. Then we did what every intelligent woman would do when placed in a group situation, we went shopping.

If you can't get away, there are many fun activities you can do close to home...


The lunch bunch gets together once a week at a local park and has lunch and gives the kids time to play. Even though they didn't have any shovels or buckets they improvised. The tried and true "burying someone in the sand" was very popular.

Rachel was very content playing by herself. She doesn't always like to get dirty, especially because she always has to wear a skirt or dress.

And there is the ALL-TIME AMERICA'S GREATEST PAST TIME... BASEBALL!!!

I always tell my friend, Leesa, that it's so cool to
live in a town with a minor league baseball team.
The first time we walked into the stadium and
saw that perfect, green field was a "Field of

Dreams" moment. It's pretty easy to get seats
up close. Cheap enough to take the kids. Well,

the cracker jacks and peanuts, not so much.

With the grandkids it's all about the food. We had hot dogs, french fries and pretzels. Then Brayden and I decided to get ice cream for everyone. We were seated on the visitors side (1st base) and had to walk all the way over the home side (3rd base). Let's just say we were booking it because it was warm out and the ice cream was melting fast.

And there is always the local pool where you can take a dip and catch some rays...

It took a couple of days, but once Rachel remembered Aunt Lynnette, there was no separating them.

We took the kids to the aquatic center and spent the afternoon there. It has a slide, and lots of things to play on and swim through.

If you could see David's lips you would see that they are blue, or maybe even purple. Even though it was hot the day we went, it had rained alot the week before and the water was cold enough to take your breath away. But, this did not stop them. They would get out, wrap up in their towels, lay in the sun for a few minutes and they were right back in there.

Now Brayden loves a challenge so he spent a good part of his day using the rope above him to manuever across these floating bouys. He also visited the slide several times. He is becoming a good swimmer and brave about trying new things.

So you see, there are many ways to enjoy your summer and we were lucky enough to do all of the above. It has kept us really busy. Oh, yes, did we mention that we are planning a wedding during all of this? No big deal. Lynnette and I are pretty amazed with ourselves that we haven't been freaking out and I'm not the overbearing mother ... yet. Time will tell. We are down to three and a half weeks. I'm very thankful for the time we have gotten to spend with Lynnette this summer. Hope everyone else has taken some time to enjoy!

Who Ya' Gonna' Call?? Not Them!!!

To steal a phrase from my daughter, I though it was an appropriate one, as you will find out.

We received a letter from the local volunteer fire department asking for donations. But then as we kept on reading it took on a different meaning. They listed the fees you would pay for a visit from the fire department. Non-members pay $400 for the first hour of service and $200 for every hour after that. Members pay a $100 membership fee plus $35 for homes and $50 for businesses and then you are covered for the year. Reminds me of the good old gangster days and paying protection money. So, who you gonna' call? Not them, if you aren't a member. Luckily we only rent.

Spring Break

Well, we took for a 2 day trip to Utah by way of Denver so we could see Bruce's cousin, Cheryl. Weather and speed limits were great until we got to Denver. From Denver to Cheyenne, WY it got a little dicey, heavy fog and snow on the roads had us clinching in our seats. We had never been to Utah in the winter and we totally loved seeing the mountains with the snow. By the time we got to Utah the snow was only on top of the mountains. The weather was actually great while we were there.

Who would believe that this gorgeous little girl would actually love to eat dirt. I admit I was skeptical about it but I witnessed it with my own eyes. She walked around the yard and feed herself from a garden trowel and even sucked on a toy truck that had been submerged in a mud puddle by her brother.

You will never find Dallin very far away from his Grandpa. He sure loves him. Dallin is now taking Karate and learning alot from it, like how to sit with his lips closed and his legs crossed and his hands on his knees. That's a lot to remember for a 4 year old. We had fund just spending time with our grandkids.

While we were there Lynnette and I went to a bridal shop so she could try on some different styles and see what she might like. While we were there Bruce calls to ask me how many pills were in my pill bottle. It seems little, Miss Maggie got into my pill bottle. I'm sure this had Monica in a state of panic. Luckily, poison control said she would be fine. I still don't understand how I take only 1 pill a day and they said she could have up to 5 and be fine. And by the way, Lynnette and fell in love with a dress and we bought it on the spot. She will make a beautiful bride, if I can see her through all my tears.

But, of course, the main reason we travelled to Utah was to meet this great guy that Lynnette couldn't stop talking about. She said we needed to get out here soon, so we knew what that meant. He and his family are great people. His mother even said she knew the first time she met Lynnette that she would be "the one." He is a sweet guy with a wonderful spirit and I know he will try his hardest to make her happy. We left Utah on Friday and got back Saturday afternoon and Steven proposed to Lynnette Saturday night. She is over the moon. She's just not looking forward to all the work involved in planning an August wedding. Lots to do.

Spring has Sprung???

Arkansas never ceases to amaze me. This is what I saw across the street from school one day. It really isn't even green. It's more like turqoise. Some people are just too impatient to wait for spring to come in it's own sweet time. Besides, isn't Arkansas the "Natural State"?

Office State Animal

This has to be the official state animal in Arkansas. Hard to believe I know, but these little puppies are more prolific than rabbits down here. There are so many that there are many black and white bumps in the road with a lingering odor left behind. I understand Sarah's pain. They come out of their burrows after a heavy rain and like to make sure you know they are around. And many times the dogs and cats don't give them their space.

Snackle, Crackle, Pop

It's amazing the things you learn from your grandchildren, such as... it's okay to play with fire if Grandpa says it's okay; that sometimes you just have to make a funny face; and, did you know that Rice Krispies go "snackle, crackle, pop?" They really do if you listen closely. Dallin and Grandpa found that out last summer.

Baptism

WOW! Look at that face. Isn't he the sweetest looking grandson? That's our first grandson, Brayden, and we are so proud of him and the choices he has made. We are so glad we were able to be at his baptism. The chinese food wasn't bad either.

Christmas

Christmas was very different for us this year. We kept some old traditions and created a few new ones as you can see by the pictures. No family or friends nearby. We definitely felt out of place. After Lynnette came home (sorry, I know Arkansas is not home but I have to say it) for a week we went to Indiana for 10 days to see everyone.

Arkansas Autumn

Autumn in Arkansas. The one adavantage of moving to Arkansas in August was getting to see all the beautiful colors of autum in the mountains. We drove to Eureka Springs (some people call it "Eufreaka Springs" - I'm sure you can figure that one out on your own) and it was just gorgeous.