About 3-1/2 months ago Tom had shoulder surgery. He was a good patient...did just as he was told and worked hard in therapy so that he could get the movement he needed so that he could return to work. It took 3 months for him to get well. He said his time on sick leave was just a preview of what retirement was going to be like (We hope not!). Here are a few pictures of before and after.

Thanksgiving is coming and the time to reflect on family and friends is upon us...even though we think about them all year long the holiday season just makes it a little more special.

I've been working on genealogy this past week and have found some really interesting stories and pictures. Knowing something about early American history helps when you start digging into the 1700's & 1800's . I also found it interesting to track families as they migrated from one area to another. Another interesting aspect is how young some of the women were when they married and started having children. I read about some early settler's in upper state NY one of whom was stabbed five times with a spear and scalped by the Indian's...AND SURVIVED! If our family line connects to hers I would understand why I'm so hardheaded (ha ha). This past fall I traveled to some of the cemeteries where our ancestors are buried and made pictures of the tombstones. Here are a few.

Earnest M. (the M stands for Malcom) was my mother's younger brother who died from blood poisoning after stepping on a rusty nail. I remember my mother and grandmother fussing at me when I was young running around outside with no shoes on...They would say, "You go inside and get your shoes on, you're going to step on a rusty nail and die of the lockjaw!"

These are my grandparents (my mother's parents)

This is another of my mother's younger brothers, who was killed when a train ran over him. The story is that...as the older kids, which included my mom, were walking into town, Jessie was following them. At the edge of town was the trainyard. The older kids had just crossed the tracks and, Jessie not wanting to be discovered crawled under a train that was sitting nearby. When he crawled under the train it started with a jerk and the big steel wheels ran over him crushing him to death.

Deployed Airbags

Smashed frontend

This side took the brunt of the hit

Notice the Alabama Tag...still intack...could this be a sign of things to come!

Tom and I were enjoying this past weekend with the Stake Nativity Open House and all. That is until Tom had a wreck and totalled his car. It was a dark and stormy night...oh that sounds like a scary story...but it was a dark and stormy night when he was headed up to the church to help me with the nativity displays that it happened. Long story short...airbags deployed, OnStar responded...everyone was ok. Our son, John, told his dad that if he wanted a new car for Christmas, he should've just ask for one (haha) Here are some pictures of the damage!

With only 2-1/2 weeks left before Christmas arrives, we are all rushing around getting everything ready. David will be home on the 18th. He will be in his best friends wedding on the 19th and here for Christmas. We can't wait for him to get here! It will be nice to have at least half of the kids home, even though the other's can't make it. :(

Summer 09

Summer of 09

Tommy, Tiffany, Cameron, Caleb, David, John and Liz were all here visiting the 1st week in August. We had a great time fishing, going to the beach, tubing and canoeing, eating out and shopping. Great having them come - sad seeing them leave, but the memories will be with us forever!

Glass Mosaics

Bathroom Hooks

Picture Frames


Lazy Susan

Small Flower Pot

Medium Flower Pot

Square Bistro Table

Sunburst Lazy Susan

Round Bistro Table

Bird House

I have been doing glass mosaics for about nine months now. It is fun and rewarding to watch simple pieces of furniture or items take on new shape and life. I have posted some of my "creations". Enjoy!

Last week Elizabeth and I took the kids to a strawberry farm in Baker, FL. It's called "Akers Strawberry Farm". This is not a large farm only about 8 acres, but lots of strawberries. The kids had fun running around picking the biggest strawberries they could find. After about an hour of picking we had picked almost 75 pounds of berries! The best part of the trip over and picking was getting a cup of homemade strawberry ice cream! yum, yum! The next day Elizabeth and I made 75 pints of strawberry jam! Lots of work, but sweet rewards!

Thanksgiving in NYC 2007

Some of the world's best hot dogs come from street vendors like this one!

The Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center


Santa's Elve's on Strike

In November of 2007, Tom and I flew to NYC to spend Thanksgiving with Rachel, Garrett and the kids. On "Black Friday" , the busyest shopping day of the year, we ventured onto the streets of Manhattan to see how the folk up there shop! What we didn't expect was all of Santa's elve's to be on strike! It was the funnest sight.
As we were making our way down 5th Ave. Up pulls two tour buses and one unloads 25-30 elve's all carrying signs and chanting! The 2nd one was carrying this guy dressed in a white tux and an all black choir singing. News reporters with camera crews were chasing after them for the story of the day! All I can say is, "Only in New York City".

Happy New Year

Byron and Charlotte

Yes, I'm still awake!

Brother, Brother

One Cool Dude

Happy New Year Everyone

It's going to be a Grand 2009!

Let's Celebrate!

The best way I know to ring in a New Year is with Family and Friends, be it in person or

via phone. We started our celebration at 9pm and continued on till that magical hour of midnight! At that time we all expressed our thoughts for a new year....peace, hope, love, faith, and prosperity. What the New Year will bring remains to be seen, but with our faith intack, we look forward to keeping our ties with family and friends stronger than ever.

A White Christmas

A Big Lagoon State Park ResidentSeth and Aunt Liz hangin' out together
Row, Row, Row your boat!
Beautiful backdrop for a beautiful couple
Strollin' thru the park one day...
Great Day for a Great Family outing

The Walke and Tindall families went out to Big Lagoon State Park for an afternoon photo shoot. Elizabeth has family pictures made every year, and her favorite place is here or at the beach. The weather was a little cool, but the kids still just had to get in the water! Even if it was only up to their knees!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook