Boy have I had a busy few months. We got to go to Arizona in November to visit family, we had a great time visiting with our brothers and sisters and our parents! Denise and I had a few nights that we got to stay up late and talk. Danny and Jessica took a day and hiked Picacho Peak, they had a great time! We had two Thanksgiving days, one the Saturday before Thanksgiving with my family (they were so sweet to accommodate our schedule) and one with Danny's family on Thanksgiving day. We went quad riding in the desert with Darren, Randy and Brent and the kids. It was great spending time with our loved ones.
In December we had an early Christmas with Britney, Matt, Jack and Brianna. What fun! Jack and Brianna were so anxious for Santa to come! That's all they could talk about! The next week we had the opportunity to go to Florida and spend a week around Christmas with Michelle, Ryan and the boys. What fun! We were surprised how much Parker and Jeffrey had grown up! We got to play, catch lizards (Danny and Parker did that), go for walks, bake cookies for Santa, enjoy the excitement of Christmas morning, ride Parker's scooter (yes, even I did that!) and relax and enjoy the kids. On the way home we stopped at Elvis Presley's "Graceland" in Memphis.
In January I took Jessica out to college in Idaho. We flew into Salt Lake City, rented a jeep and drove to Idaho. On the way up there we met Mark and Alisa in Brigham City for lunch. It was great to visit with them! We got Jess settled into her dorm in Rexburg. We met her room-mates, shopped for items we didn't want to pack, and spent a few days getting to know the area, and then I said goodbye for a few months. (That is hard on a Mom....)(We will miss you, Jess.....) When I left Rexburg, Idaho, I went and spent a few days in Logan, Utah with Mark and Alisa. I got to see their new home and see where they work. It was really fun to see them in there new roles as a married couple! They are so cute together.
I was only home for less than a week when on Tuesday night Mom called and said that Dad was going to have open heart surgery on Thursday. Wednesday, I decided that I needed to go to Arizona (more for myself than anyone else) and so I called, made a plane reservation, got off work early, went home and packed then Danny took me to the airport. It was good to be there, Dad is doing fine after his triple-bypass surgery. I was grateful for the opportunity to spend some time with Mom, Dad, Danny and Dawn and the girls, Denise and Kayci, Rick, Ryan, Nicole and Aubrie. We are all grateful that our prayers were answered and that Dad is okay.