Noelani's Graduation

We ended our long trip with Noelani's graduation. We are very proud of her. She not only graduated from High School but did it with style. She received many awards and scholarships along the way. She will be following family tradition and going to Harding this fall. Maybe she will marry one of the Tri City kids there and we'll all move to Oregon.Ha.



I love this picture of the kids. We celebrated Noelani's graduation at a Steak n Shake. Kevin's family has spent many times there, especially in Indiana. I have to say that I am a fan. The south may not have Mt. Hood and the Oregon Coast but they do have really good food.

As Time Goes By

Some of my earliest pictures in Nashville are with Papaw (my grandfather), who often held close his grandchildren. Those memories are timeless, and his presence is still felt today; even after passing away 4 years ago. 25 years later, here in his house, his son Larry (my father) holds my son Owen. What can I say? I'm a happy man.


My cousins and I used to play with Memaw's (my grandmother) dolls and toys. On the left, my daughter Lucy is pictured with Aubrey, my older brother's daughter. As a parent, you always want your kids to have a great childhood. My brother Dave and I still joke about road trips to Nashville and how much we miss those days.

2 brothers and a couch. Looking at nephews Jacob and Zach, I recall sleeping in the den and sharing a sleeper sofa with my brother. We fondly remember the quirks of that old den: the bed's steel rod that put a crick in your back and Memaw's collection of clocks that occasionally awoke our slumber. Jacob and Zach, find a couch to share.

If Lucy Fell

These pictures probably don't do the injuries justice since most of them were to the mind. Lucy had her first big fall. While we were in Nashville Lucy fell down a flight of stairs from the top. When she looked up at us, my nightmare looked as if it were coming to life. Her mouth was full of blood and her nose didn't look great either. I thought for sure that she knocked her teeth out and broke her nose. If other children weren't around I would have been crying as hard as she was. After a couple of rough hours we realized that all was fine and she was dancing around like nothing happened. She had a decent fat lip and a pretty bruised nose but all is well physically.

Emotionally, though, I think she will be traumatized for life. She has retold the story approximately 10 times each day for the past week. She has the cutest way of telling it that I wish I could get on video. Her cousin Aubrey also fell down a couple of the stairs and at one point they were each telling me the stories at the same time using a lot of hand movements. It was very cute how concerned they were for each other, themselves and, of course, the right hand movements.

As I look at these pictures I realize that you may not even believe my story, but they were the best I could get.

On the road again

I thought this was a cute moment with our kids. Lucy was watching a movie in the hotel on our way to Nashville. We laid Owen down on the bed and he was instantly engaged with the screen. Lucy kept rubbing his head and kissing him every few seconds. She didn't know we were watching which made it even sweeter.

She has done really well at adjusting. Obviously she has her moments but overall she has been a great big sister. She always gets concerned when he is crying and likes to be the first to the rescue. It is really sweet how he reacts to her also. Though two kids have been a challenge, it is totally worth it.

Seeing Family

During this trip we were able to see a lot of extended family. My Uncle Jim and Aunt Linda stopped by on their vacation for a couple of days. Lucy started out pretty nervous of Uncle Jim but after 30 minutes at a park they were old friends. We had a good time playing cards and hearing about dad's childhood a little bit.

We only got to spend a little time with my Aunt Nancy, Uncle Jon and Mike. They were pretty busy working and going to school. Michael is really good with Lucy he had her dressed up in hiking gear and she was loving their backpacks.
My grandparents came to Brandon's graduation and we had a really good weekend. They were a big hit with Ali-Ca's kids. Or I probably should say that it was more the other way around. They talked a lot about how cute our kids were together. Let's face it, they are right. If I thought that Ali-Ca and could get in a lot of trouble, I am scared of what our adorable children could do.
My Aunt Evie came from Louisiana to see us in Oklahoma and to drive us back to Abilene. We flew with my dad to Tulsa so I could meet his Mom's brother and sister in Okmulgee, OK. It was really neat to hear stories about my grandma ( I never met her) and to see my great grandma's house. I also discovered that my kids may become great sleepers if we could get a temper-pedic bed like my great aunt's. They slept like angels.

I guess this was a good trip for getting to my roots. I didn't know so much about my dad's mom. She died when he was in 7th grade and he really didn't know a lot either so it was really neat to hear stories and just to get some ideas of what she was like and what my dad's childhood was like. I think that once you have kids family history becomes a little more important because you want to pass it on. It is really good to know where you have come from. Right now I live 70 miles from where my mom grew up. So, I am getting a little taste of what life was like for her down here and seeing some of the places they lived and worked. Very interesting stuff.....maybe just to me.

Brandon's Graduation

We started our trip with Brandon's Graduation. My college roommate Ali-Ca and her family came to see us from Washington. It was so fun watching our kids play together and having long, late-night talks at Denny's just like old times. Graduation day was a lot of fun for us. We got to spend it with great friends and family. Several people came to dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory to celebrate after the ceremony. I am sure that Brandon is feeling pretty good now that it is officially done.