This is Brennen Elementary. I walked to school from our home on Downing Street.
This is Coughman Middle School (It is now an Elementary school) I was going to this school when we moved to Utah. I don't have pictures of Hopkins Elementary. We didn't make it over there. But I have enough mental images of the place to last me.
Daddy would walk from Fort Jackson to this home (about 2 miles) and then he and Mom would take the bus somewhere. Then he would take her back home and then walk back the same two miles to Fort Jackson. That is what I call true love.
We had lunch and an ice cream cone at the famous "Zestos". Dad loves to get the brown topper!
This is the first home that Dad built for Mom. They have a lot of memories of this home. It was nice to see it. Dad is very proud of the homes he built back there. We are so proud of him too.
Of course we had to make a trip to Cromers to buy the peanuts. We bought some raw peanuts and had them shipped home for us boil later. We also bought some that were already boiled. They are AWESOME! My kids LOVE them.
One afternoon we were sitting down by the pond and enjoying the nice cool afternoon. Lorna read to us from this book she is reading and we ate Boiled Peanuts. It was nice and relaxing. Mona wasn't with us at the pond because she was sick in bed. She was suffering from a sinus infection and she lost her voice and she just needed to rest.
As you all know, Lorna and I went to South Carolina last week for Daddy's 85th birthday. The reason for the title for this post is because Daddy wrote a poem for Lorna and I regarding our visit. It was sweet. Anyway, we had so much fun. However, I think that Daddy and Mona are going to need a few weeks to recover from having us there. We loved being there with Daddy and Mona and me and Lorna had a great time too re-visiting our old stomping grounds. It was fun to see all our old houses and schools etc. And I had to get a picture of the house on Rawlinson Road because the subject brings my children and Troy so much joy. They just love to hear all of our memories of that place. I hope you all enjoy these pictures and get a good idea of how much fun we had. By the way, when you see Lorna, be sure and mention her issues with finding the correct car. She is still having problems in that area. I think she always will. She made me laugh too many times to count.
THE LONGHORN STEAKHOUSE FOR DAD'S BIRTHDAY
I am more than happy to welcome the new year. 2007 was a good year because it brought Michael home to us after serving an honorable mission to New England, Mallory graduated from Alta High School, and we are all healthy and have been blessed in many ways. However, my heart is still hurting for the loss of my dear sister Jennifer. She died on May 8, 2007 and it was a death that shouldn't have happened. There was so much she could have done to prevent her death, however, she didn't know. Melanoma is sneaky and relentless and once it grabs hold of you, it doesn't want to let go. She fought hard and she fought well. I am so proud of her. She died with dignity and with love and it gives me great peace knowing that she is with my Mother and she is also able to watch over her children in ways she couldn't while living. It is my goal with my family to keep them educated on how deadly the sun can be, especially since we go to Bear Lake so often in the Summer, and tanning beds are just as bad. Get your moles checked!! Please lets do all we can from letting this happen to anyone else we love. We also lost another loved one in our family this year. Ronnie Douthitt died in October. Ronnie is my sister Kay's husband and they live in Bogata, Texas. His death was unexpected and very devastating to Kay and their children. I hope that Kay will find the peace and comfort she needs in this new year. We love you Kay! I hope that all my family and friends will have a happy, healthy, and blessed new year!
We had a very nice Christmas this year. It was the first year that we had to wake up the kids. It was almost 8:00 a.m. when I woke them. We were shocked because they told us the night before that they would wake us up at 6:00 a.m. I am not complaining. It was nice to sleep in on Christmas morning for a change. However, I do miss the magic of Christmas when the children were younger and were true believers. I guess I will have to wait for grandkids to enjoy that magic again. This is a picture of the traditional Christmas Eve Pajamas. They love making the traditional pose every year. 
Christmas Morning the kids are waiting in the hall to come into the Living Room to see if "Santa" came. It is tradition to come in starting with the youngest child. Doesn't Michael (1st Christmas home after his mission)look thrilled?
Rock Band! They played this all morning!
Troy even got into the Rock Band. There is a part of him that will never grow up. That's okay....
We had our Annual Christmas Party for Troy's mother side of the family tonight and good ole Troy was Santa for the night. It was hilarious! He had everyone sing two Christmas Carols before he would start handing out presents. Here are a few pictures of the good Santa. He actually did a pretty good job. After handing out presents, he had everyone sing "We wish you a Merry Christmas". This was very surprising because we all know that Troy is a "Grinch" at Christmas. (At least he pretends to be). I love you all and hope that you are having a great Holiday Season. We'll see you soon at Barry & Belinda's home for the Annual Barry's Bonanza yada yada yada Extraordinaire . I can't ever remember what it is actually called. My Bad... Sorry Barry!
