The Rest of Texas...

 On Monday, Abigail didn't have school so we decided to trek south for a couple of hours and check out Corpus Christi.  Have I mentioned before that everything is BIG in Texas?  I thought this bathroom at a gas station rest stop was absolutely huge.
Once we arrived in Corpus,  Tiffany, Abigail and I, took in the sights at a state aquarium while Steve toured an aircraft carrier museum named the Lexington, which was right next door.

 We felt lucky because the weather forecast for the day predicted cooler weather and an upcoming storm.  When we arrived the temperature was in the 70's.  About 1 1/2 hrs later when we emerged from our venues, it felt absolutely freezing and windy.  The temperature had dropped about 25 degrees.  So much for the walk along the beach that I had planned.  It was cold and windy and no longer the least bit appealing.

 We stopped for lunch at a local restaurant and headed back to Tiffany's.  It was fun to see an area of the state that we hadn't seen before but I was sad that we missed our beach experience.

 The weather was much nicer on Tuesday.  It was a bit chilly but pleasant for our trip to the Stock Show and Rodeo.  Steve loved all the trucks in the parking lot which inspired this photo.  And he loves to check out the livestock.  He never gets to see enough of the livestock but we have to keep moving to keep Abigail interested.

 There are some nice educational exhibits about farms and the raising of food and animals.  There is also a long sample table where a large local grocery chain hands out samples of some of their new food products.  There are also lots of booths with lots of cowboy merchandise and most every other imaginable item.  It's sometimes very tempting to purchase some of the beautiful wares, but then you would have to carry it around.  We resisted.

 I think that the petting zoo is Abigail's favorite activity.  There are goats, sheep, llamas, potbelly pigs, deer, etc.  One can buy an ice cream cone full of food to feed the animals.   Abigail also likes to brush the animals.  Most of the animals don't seem to mind the children brushing them.

 Shawn joined us for dinner.  It's always fun trying to decide which food items to eat.  Tiffany picked the smoked turkey leg, Abigail had a corn dog, Shawn had a cheeseburger and we shared some oriental chicken and rice.  However, we could have had a bacon maple sunday, or a bacon maple funnel cake, or a bacon lemonade, or a bacon wrapped hot dog.  Bacon was big again this year as were all things fried and on a stick.  I have some signs that Steve thought were most entertaining later in this post.

 After dinner, we found our seats in the stadium for the rodeo and concert.

 The rodeo was excellent and we really enjoyed the performance of the contestants and the animals.  We always love the patriotic opening ceremony and the beginning prayer.  Hooray for Texas rodeos.
We also enjoyed the songs from the Christian group that performed after.  I can't remember their name.  We left a little early to get Abigail home to bed as she had school the next day.

 Most of the week was quite pleasant and we enjoyed our daily walks and trips to the local stores.  One night Shawn invited a co-worker to join us for dinner and a home movie, The Saratov Approach.  Joshua lives in Tulsa but works several days a month in Texas with Shawn.
The next day, after a decision was finally made on the paint color, Tiffany, Steve and I painted the kitchen.  The winning color was "worldly gray" which had a slightly green undertone.  It really freshened up the kitchen and looked great with their new stainless appliances.  We loved doing a project.  As we say, all play and no work makes Jack a lazy son of a gun.

 Tiffany and Abigail reading together after school.  Abigail played several songs for us on the piano.  We hope she keeps practicing as we think she has real musical potential.  She memorizes songs quite quickly.

 On Friday morning, we went to the Guenther House for brunch.  Besides enjoying a nice breakfast and delicious cinnamon roll and black cherry pastry which we purchased for later, we enjoyed the museum and the River Walk in that area of town.  The Guenther family built their mill on the river and lived across the street.  They have been milling flour since the 1860's.  Literally around the corner are some huge, beautiful old mansions, most of which are still being lived in today.  There were a couple of museums you could pay to tour, but we opted just to stroll past.

 We made a couple of trips to a large local park.  There Abigail could ride her bike while we walked on the trails.  This playground was so fun that I even got in on the action.

 Friday night, Tiffany and Shawn, got away for a date.  Abigail made personal mini-pizzas for dinner and we enjoyed our last evening together.  Early Saturday morning Tiffany drove us to the airport for our trip home.  I was glad she was able to go back to bed for awhile.  We had a great time visiting.  Thanks Tiffany, Shawn and Abigail!

Happy Valentine's Day!

 Shawn, Tiffany and Abigail really know how to celebrate Valentine's Day!  There were flowers, balloons, stuffed animals, cards, Shari's Berries, Costco chocolate covered strawberries, cake, candy and cards just to name a few.  Plus we went out for a huge breakfast, went to the aquarium, the park and Costco.  Abigail and I had another tea party.  Plus Tiffany cooked us a fantastic dinner. We also watched a Hallmark love story movie--those are the best kind of "happily ever after movies."

Forty-five years ago today, I gave Steve a navy blue sweater for valentine's day.  Another girl named Adrienne had been chasing him pretty hard and had asked him to the upcoming preference dance.  I gave him that sweater and it seemed to change everything.  He decided to take me to the preference dance and to date me exclusively.  We were engaged about seven weeks later and married in July.  He's my sweetheart now and forever.  I love you, Steve!

 I'm excited about my new water bottle he got me today!  I have been looking for just the right one for about 5 or 6 months.  This is a wonderful valentine's gift.  I will think of my honey often as I use it daily!

Here the guys watch the news about all the couples being married around the country on valentine's day.  It is refreshing to know that regular couples still want to get married.  Yay!  There was also a really cute story on the news about a 14-year old boy in Idaho who saved his money all year to purchase a balloon for every girl in his school.  He spent over $600 on valentine balloons as he didn't want any girl in his school to miss out on getting a valentine.  What a sweet sentiment!  I need to see if one of our granddaughters was the recipient of his generosity.

Getting Together!

Monday afternoon, Tricia, who was in town for a family history conference, and Jen, Will & June, who were visiting family while Taylor had business meetings in CA, made arrangements to get together for a visit. Fortunately, they chose our house so we got to enjoy a couple of hours with all of them. Jen, Tricia and Steve took a walk along the parkway, while I watched the kids.  They got caught in a sudden rainstorm which shortened the normally invigorating and relaxing experience.

Will and June are growing up too quickly.  I'm so glad they have made the exhausting trip to visit us.

My brother, Steve, gave me this gorgeous flower arrangement for my birthday.  Now even more of the blossoms have opened so I wanted to share it with you.  When we left for TX on Friday, my upstairs neighbor was the recipient.  It's one of those gifts that keeps on giving.

Thursday, we watched JMo so Hilary could attend the family history event.  It was a beautiful day so Steve took him to one of the local parks two different times while I had some appointments.  In the afternoon, we both took him to the zoo.  He loved seeing all the animals and it was fun sharing in his delight.  We were all disappointed that the train wasn't running and he was not convinced that the carousel was worth the risk.

After the zoo, JMo and Steve raked up a few leaves and worked in the yard for a bit. Jameson loves to be outside.  We enjoyed the time we spent with Jameson.  We hope that Hilary enjoyed the conference.

Friday morning, we threw our bags in the back of the Sequoia and headed out to airport. We love to visit Tiffany, Abigail and Shawn during February.  Yes, I did pack some asparagus.  We ate it tonight and it was delish.

This morning we ate breakfast at The Egg & I.  It cracked me up when I noticed that it isn't only teenagers who sit next to each other at a table, both busy with their electronic devices.  Seriously, we have enjoyed great conversation with Tiffany, Shawn and Abigail.  I must confess that with two offers coming in on my listings this weekend, I am the one who has spent more time using my phone. It is a real estate joke that if you need to sell a property, just plan a vacation and leave town.

Here is a photo of Steve's blueberry pancakes with blueberry sauce after a big yummy bite.

After our huge, delicious breakfast, we headed to the local aquarium for some fun.  Abigail and I pose inside the shark's mouth for a photo.

At the aquarium, Steve and Shawn visited with a fellow who had run track for Idaho State.  Their visit resulted in several common connections proving once again that it is a small world in the LDS Church.

Abigail fed the stingrays, the tortoise and the parakeets.  So did Shawn.  It's hard to say who enjoyed it more.