Its snowing...

Okay, I moved to Texas 22 years ago for....well for a couple of reasons but one of the reasons I STAYED is because of the weather.  It doesn't get cold here...very often and it doesn't snow...usually.  But this winter has been the longest, coldest and snowiest I've ever seen.  Come on!  It's nearly March!  I should be going to the pool by now!  I know there are places around the country buried in snow and I shouldn't be complaining but for pete's sake...this is TEXAS!!!

Thanks for listening.

Emerson Singing the Dinosaur Song

Check this out! 



In case you were wondering...here's the song Emerson is singing:

LA Times Quote of the Week...couldn't resist

"Frankly, I don't know what it is about California, but we seem to have a strange urge to elect really obnoxious women to high office. I'm not bragging, you understand, but no other state, including Maine, even comes close. When it comes to sending left-wing dingbats to Washington, we're number one. There's no getting around the fact that the last time anyone saw the likes of Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein, and Nancy Pelosi, they were stirring a cauldron when the curtain went up on 'Macbeth'. The three of them are like jackasses who happen to possess the gift of blab. You don't know if you should condemn them for their stupidity or simply marvel at their ability to form words."

--columnist Burt Prelutsky , LA Times

If only I had photoshop. I'd put the faces of those 3 "Macbeth" witches on some Mr. McGoo-like cartoons standing around a boiling cauldron here!  Oh well...someday I'll be as good at this as Kimbur!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Jeff!

Sunday we celebrated Grandpa's birthday.  We had grilled salmon and Juliet made an awesome Black Forest cake.  Its one of Jeff's favs.  Of course Emerson was on hand to help blow out the question mark candle, (I think we've used that at least 3 times now) and help open presents.  Among his presents were a number of freeze dried camping foods (ewwww!) and a walk down memory lane with a box of Moon Pies and RC Cola topped off with a t-shirt from his Alma Mater (BYU of course). A much needed item was a new pairs of Addidas sweat pants.  We will soon retire the old gray sweats with the elastic around the ankle.  You never want to advertise that you're from another era.  The last person I think that could pull those off was Sylvester Stallone in "Rocky."  Happy Birthday Jeff!

Okay I know you're not supposed to take a picture during the blessing on the food but Emerson looked so cute sitting there folding his arms, I had to document!  James was enjoying it but clearly his dad did not approve.

I'll huff...

...and I'll puff...

...and I'll BLOW the candle out!!!

(Maybe one day we can teach him to tell Super Grandpa's famous candle joke!)

Grandpa looks happy...hmmmmm, what's next?

Mmmm...RC and a Moon Piiiiieee!

Oh, look at this Grandpa!

Go Cougs!

February 28 -- Happy Anniversary Grandma & Grandpa Loveland!

It was 55 years ago this month that our family began.  To commemorate this momentous occassion, the founders of our family took a little trip to the scene of the crime and to the city of their first home together.  Thanks to a little conspiring, Allyson was able to get both Mom & Dad on her flight to Nashville, the place where they first met.  Nice work Allyson! 

The following is a bit of a travel log as Mom describes it:

"Allyson kind of set this up for us. She even made the reservations. And she had on her phone a device that told us where we were and where to go. That was so helpful. We hadn't set ours up yet. So we stayed where the crew stayed at the Doubletree for cheap and it was a suite. Bedroom was in another room. Then we took back the car that night so we wouldn't have to pay for another day, since we were going back so early the next day and took the shuttle to the Hotel back and out the next morning. Worked out great!

The first one is a picture of our little house we rented when we were first married 55 yrs ago. Hasn't changed much in that time. Still no carport or anything like that. Did see that it has air conditioning and a shack in the back yard.

The second one is a picture of the church that we washed windows in. To get it ready to have meetings in. and to the the left was a vacate lot they were going to build a chapel on. Now has a Baptist School there.

Compare with the black and white one with us standing on that porch. There is Pres. Wallwork, far left top and then Roxy White in front of him and to the right is her husband Tom. Your dad standing in the back of them. Then our good friends the Quayles Ann and Joseph. And in front of them are the Wiley's Joyce and Nel. inbetween them is Mrs. wiley, their mother.


 
Joyce and Nel came and took me to MIA at the base at Sewart. Had church out there for a few weeks before we had it in this building. Pres. Walwork arranged that for me. Where I first met your dad. Mission President Issac A Smoot in Chicago gave me the President's phone number. I was just looking for where they met for meetings.they didn't have much in Chicago and so I updated it for them.  
Our eating out didn't work out very well. We thought that the Waffle House would be a good place to eat. Take my word, don't eat there!
And some other place for supper, I can't remember now. But I scratched off our lists.

We flew lst class out and just barely found a seat coming back, as a flight leaving from the same gate for Cincinnati was delayed because of fog at Cincinnati. So they rerouted a few on our plane and some other planes. So that filled our plane up to the last two seats, which were not together. I think your dad slept the whole way home because he had taken a sleeping aid before he went to bed that night and he still had the effects left over from that. Since we had to go so early in the morning.
I sat by a boy who reminded me of Chris Crookston. When he took off his hood he had curls all over the place. He was eating a tuna fish sandwich, and I leaned over and looked out the window until he finished. I couldn't stand the smell. Then I said to myself, I'm gonna make this a positive experience somehow. I asked him where he was going and etc. He was bored to death with these layovers.He said he had a layover in Salt Lake City. And I told him if he had time there was a site seeing tour bus that will take you for a short ride and bring you back, if he had the time. I hope that he did and maybe he might be impressed. With what he saw and heard."
 
So no trip to the Grand Ole Opry but it sounds like a fun trip.  I think everytime they come to Austin they do a drive by the house out in Oakhill.  When Jeff and I visited Virginia a couple of years ago we drove by both our houses too.  I remember saying, "I think we're becoming our parents!"
 
Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!  We are grateful that the stars aligned all those years ago so that you would meet, fall in love and be married.  Would you have believed back then that you'd have 6 children, 20 something grandchildren and ...what is it...7 or 8 great grandchildren?!  What a legacy!  Thank you for being such wonderful parents and grandparents.  We love you!