My Wonderful Dallas (Allen) Trip

The girls were so effecient in the mornings that we got to school early each day - though not as early as the dark pic indicates. But, we did get there before the doors opened. J & O though this was pretty neat (my word). I don't believe they'd ever say "neat."

Jordan put on some very lively music and was teaching Olivia some "ballet" moves. I was able to catch her in mid-leap.

Kids at the Donut Palace on a rainy Sunday morning. No, Kevin, we didn't make it to church on Sunday.

Cooking time for two pies. J rolled out the two doughs, O helped measure, and both helped with the assembly. Reeses was no help at all! We gave one of the chocolate pies to the neighbor and we ate one. Andy Moore, my 2nd cousin, came over with his family to help eat it.

O at computer and does she love it. Don't anyone tell Holly and Narith, but she probably spent more time on the computer than allowed by her parents. But, hey, what are grandparents for, anyway??

J ready for 1st soccer game - but alas, rained us out. Well, Braums' ice cream cones were a great substitute. However, before the rains came, we did get in some practice at a field nearby. O joined in for a little bit. Not her thing, right now.

Dee (close cousin) and Pat came over from Stephenville to visit Robin and her family. We met Pat, Robin, and her two kids at a butterfly festival before having dinner at Robin's.  J is holding one, though hard to see due to the lack of skillful  photography.

O and Robin's son, Kenny, doing the same.

Ah, now to one of my favorites: Shadow. I tried to take this 17 week old darling home with me, but I couldn't convince J, O, and Holly on the deal. What a great little cat! Sharp teeth, tho, and loves to bite.

I read a bunch when the girls were in school and Shadow would almost always find his way to my lap, even stick hid head under the book to get noticed. (Janie should take a lesson!)

That's my trip and I wouldn't take anything for those 5 days. The only thing that would have made it better was if MK could have come along. But, classes called!

Wedding Garden

These three pics were taken the day before the wedding of Melissa's niece, Michelle. The wedding took place right in the middle of the yard, as shown in the pics, especially in the bottom one. It was a sweet ceremony and there were about 125 people standing/sitting around, even out into the street (a cul-de-sac). They had the catered reception in the back yard. Very well done, all in all. MK's children and their spouses/SOs + her Dad and Stepmom came and they all stayed at our house. We were pleased to be key part of the wedding and preparation and it was great to see everyone. Chris and Devon came to the wedding, too, as well as MK's brother, Scott and family, up from Las Vegas.

Just Planted for the Wedding

We chose about 15 plants for BA's garden in preparation for the wedding this Saturday. Again, the wedding is going to be in front of the garden, so it really has to look good. We chose mums (5), purple gay feather, salvia, pinks, a couple of grasses, 3 flats of pansies for instant color, and a few more perennials (I've forgotten the names). This week will be sunny and everything should "pop." I'll update this when the color is at its best. These pics were taken in late afternoon - no sun, and one can't see the color that's already there. I'll do better next time.

Also, notice those crisp edges and curvey design. MK got busy with the flat blade shovel. I was wondering if BA was going to have any yard left!

BA's Garden for Wedding

The before pictures are in my blog entry below. These three are from Chris' and my work over the last couple of days. We have taken out 10 leaf bags full of perennial "overgrowth" and now the garden is ready for Melissa to do her magic - that is select the right plants and color for the 8/22 wedding. We'll also fill in the gaps with fresh bark or wood chips, whatever BA and family select. We're right on schedule to finish it well before the wedding.

Our Wedding Gift to Michelle and Jason

BA, Michelle, and Jason accepted our wedding gift offer to shape and update the front garden for the wedding on 8/22. They are doing a lot to the house, inside and out, and this will be a nice complement to what they are already doing.

After we made the offer, we found that M and J had changed their minds about where to have the ceremony. It's going to now be in the front, as in the 2nd pic, with the guests standing or sitting on chair on the lawn, sidewalk, and street. Oh no, the pressure is on to do a great job of cleaning up, shaping, pruning, and adding colorful plants and bark. These are the "before" pics. Chris and I will start next week after MK and I go to Seattle for the weekend to see Duncan and Betsy.

Several years ago, we did a family project and put in the garden. They have maintained it over the years, but for this special occasion, it needs our special touch. I certainly wish all of MK's children were here to help re-do the garden they helped put in. I'll keep pics coming on my blog.

David's House

The back yard and covered patio (and New Braunfels Smoker) is where they spend their time. Many a brisket and rack of ribs have already come off that smoker. The front view shows the recent yard work and trim painting done by a young painter who has worked on our house. The overall result, painting, yard work, and inside work have given David and Laura a wonderful, functional, and comfortable home. Fenced all around in the back and quite private. Now that David is retired, I'm sure he'll find no end of "projects" to occupy his time (and drain his wallet!).

Anniversary!!

Today, we celebrated our 14th anniversary. Who'd have thunk MK could ever put up with me for that long? We had dinner at the Sun and Moon up the canyon, then came home to a bottle of bubbly. What a life we have! A loving, accomplished wife, some cats who put up with me wanting to handle them, a house that's perfect for us, a son doing great at the "U," MK's kids with SOs - all doing well, a brother with a new old home which is becoming a showplace, a sister who is settling into Central TX close to her grandsons, -- can it be/get any better?

Kayla, notice the wonderful necklace Melissa is wearing? Have you ever seen that before?