A Perfect Ending To A Perfect Vacation!

Oh my, I'm not sure my heart can handle doing this post right now but we will see how it goes. You see, we are back in Utah as I write this, so far away from where we were just 24 hours ago. When I leave children and grandchildren I take the memories with me but I leave part of my heart with them. I am feeling the pain of that separation as I sit here reflecting on the beautiful vacation just experienced.

We had sooooooooo much fun. We could not have enjoyed ourselves more. In planning our last night there we had talked about finding a place on the beach to eat and then decided to pick up some food and literally have dinner on the beach. It was a beautiful evening, the sunset was so pretty, but it was being with Mary, Cam, Hudson, and Miss Kennady that we will cherish the most. I'm grateful to have these pictures, but I'm even more grateful for the memories engraved in my heart!

One last look down the beach. The city you see in the background is Destin.

It was a beautiful evening for a walk on the beach.

I never tire of feeling sand between my toes, of hearing the sound of waves or feeling the warmth of the sun on my face.

As we were walking down the beach Hudson ran up and took our hands. He learned quickly that if he ever wanted to go with us that it was necessary to hold our hands. We are grateful that he is so anxious to spend time with grandpa and grandma.

I am so grateful that Kerry allowed me to plan this trip and that we can share these wonderful memories.

What a life, sitting on a beautiful beach were I was WARM, holding two of our grandchildren! The only thing that could have made the experience any better would have been to have all of our children and grandchildren there to share the moment. That is my dream! I hope I don't have to wait until we are all in heaven. It's getting harder and harder to get everyone together.

I keep telling Mary that the reason she has had to move around so much is that she is helping me mark things off of my "bucket list". There were 3 places I told her that I wanted to go....Nauvoo, New Orleans, and Florida. Because of Cam's employment, I have been to all three places in the last 2 years. It's now my prayer that they can move back closer to family. We are grateful that Cam has employment during these challenging times, but Florida is just way to far away!

Hudson, Mary, Cam and Miss Kennady enjoying our last evening together on the beach. Hudson and Cam went swimming even though Hudson didn't have his swimming trunks on. He loves his daddy so much and just wants to be wherever he is. I actually sat on the beach and rocked Miss Kennady to sleep, another "blessed moment".

We thank you for your wonderful hospitality and willingness to let us share this time in your lives with us. Until we are together again, Mary, Cam, Hudson and Miss Kennady, know how much we love you and miss you!

Enjoying The Sun, Surf, And Sand On Florida's Beautiful Beaches!

Pictures don't begin to describe how beautiful the Santa Rosa and Destin beaches are or how much fun we had! The sand is so white and a different texture then what we are used to, and the water is so pretty and warm. Hudson has learned at an early age to love the beach and it is so much fun to play with him in the sand and water. All of this can be found less than 10 minutes from Mary and Cam's front door. After our long Utah winter, I felt like I had died and gone to heaven.

As I write this, there are news reports that the oil from the terrible oil leak off the coast of Louisiana will be arriving to the Florida beaches within days. Equipment has been placed on the beaches to try and help control the damage when that happens. It is probable that the beaches will have to be closed, which will be devastating to the people who live and work there. They rely so much on tourism and can use our prayers in their behalf. Below are just a glimpse of our wonderful memories.

Hudson love to make castles in the sand and then smash them. Mary had just finished her part in the castle making process but as you can see it didn't stand for very long.

Miss Kennady was such a good sport to let us drag her around in and out of the van. We put up the Pack and Play under an umbrella where she would nap while we were at the beach. Every now and then she would get hungry so Mary would take a break from the fun to feed her.

The water in the Gulf is so much warmer than what I was used to swimming in as a child in the Pacific Ocean. Hudson loves the water as much as we did and would come and take our hand as a way of telling us that he was ready for another swim.

The only problem with being a surfer on this beach is that the waves break close to shore. Once you get out a short ways it is pretty calm and is just fun to float around.

I brought my beach chair out and sat at the water's edge while Hudson just stood next to me jumping over the waves as they reached the shore.

Speaking of floating, someone created a new kind of board. The goal is to be standing and then paddle yourself around,which Kerry did but he accidently deleted the other pictures. To me it looks like a lot of work but it seems to be the new thing on the beaches in Florida.

I actually think the kids have a better idea. Just sit on the board and let someone push you around. Mary's friends invited us to spend Memorial Day in Destin with them and their families, which was so fun. Hudson enjoyed having playmates and we enjoyed the opportunity to visit.

Kerry, Mary, Hudson and myself loving the sun and surf in Destin. We missed Cam not being with us as he was at work. We appreciate how dedicated he is to taking care of Mary and their 2 beautiful children.

We are going to miss those little legs and feet following us around. Mary and Cam very recently purchased a new Odyssey van and I felt bad that as hard as we tried to wash off before we got in, it didn't take long to break the van into life at the beach with all of the sand. Mary was a good sport about it however, and it sure was nice to travel in such comfort.

Taking The Long Way To Birmingham!

Just a quick post to make mention of our trip to Birmingham. Mary and Cam wanted to go to the Temple and the closest one is in Birmingham, Alabama, about a 4 1/2 hour drive away. Mary wanted us to see where they filmed "Sweet Home Alabama" so she took us the back way to the small town of Greensville where she thought we were going to find this film sight. We are not sure how she got so confussed but after about 2 hours out of our way we were not anywhere close to where we were supposed to be. Oh well, we had a good laugh over its and saw some beautiful country side. We took the kids and played at the park across the street while Cam and Mary went to the Temple. By 8:00 p.m. we were back in the van on our way back to Santa Rose. It was a long day, but well worth the trip!

A Birthday For Hudson-He's Turning TWO!

Hudson loves Elmo so Mary had a vision of making him an Elmo birthday cake. Kerry and I brought the cake pan with us all the way from Utah. However, as Mary and I took the cake out of the pan it developed several large cracks. Mary wanted to throw it in the garbage but I convinced her to at least let me try to mend it. So, she went to work making the icing and I said a silent prayer that we could save Elmo!

I didn't realize when I started how long the process would take. Several hours later, a kitchen covered with icing, and a back ache, I was finally done.

I wasn't sure at first if Elmo really looked liked Elmo, but the kids all thought he did and that's what mattered.

Mary had a few families in their ward over on Sunday night for an early celebration. As you can tell, everyone was having fun.

On Tuesday morning, June 1st, Hudson's actual birthday, Mary started the celebration with making Hudson a special waffle.

Later in the day, we all headed to Gulfarium to watch the dolphin show.

Cam wasn't able to get the day off of work and we missed having him with us to celebrate. We took a break from the heat to enjoy the nice cold drinks that Mary bought for us. As usual, Miss Kennady was so patient as she was carried around from one show to another.

We ended the day with one more singing of "happy birthday" and we finished off the last of the cake and cupcakes.

We love you Hudson.....thanks for letting us share your 2nd birthday with you. We pray everyday for you that you will be watched over and protected as you grow and mature.

A Blessed Blessing Day!

I was visiting with Mary and Cam's neighbor down stairs and as I went to leave she said to me, "Have a blessed day!" I thought about all the "blessed" days that I haved experiened in my lifetime. What a "blessed" day it was to be with Mary and Cam on Miss Kennady's Blessing day. She is such a sweet baby. You can feel of her special spirit!

In Sunday School that day we had a lesson on the story of Ruth and Naomi. We discussed how the Lord guided and directed these women's lives. We also studied the story of Hannah who pleaded with the Lord for a baby. Both of these biblical accounts are "sacred" to me as I have had personal experiences that have endeared these women to my heart. I was reminded of the what a blessing it is to have been lead to marry a man that ultimately brought the Gospel into my life. I can't imagine my life without it. I was also reminded of my pleadings to the Lord for another baby and was subsequently blessed with Mary. While she lives far away and we all miss being together, I know that the Lord is mindful of her and her dear family. I know that He knows the "beginning from the end" and what is best for each of us. I am so grateful for this opportunity to visit here and to enjoy the beauty of this area.

I had a woman who works as a hospital volunteer make Miss Kennady's Blessing dress, which included the booties and a bonnet. The bonnet was a bit too small so we made a bow for her to wear instead, using one of the roses and ribbon from the bonnet. The dress looked so pretty on her, I especially loved the look of the booties.

Miss Kennady with her big brother Hudson, and dad and mom. What a darling family!

Miss Kennady with Grandpa and Grandma Shirley. She has continued to be such a good baby, although she might be a bit spoiled by the time we leave from having someone to hold her all of the time.

She has such a sweet smile and it's so fun to see her little personality develop. I didn't think she looked like her big brother when she was born, but you can tell now that they came from the same mold!

We love you Miss Kennady and pray that the Lord will bless you as you grow and mature, not only physically but spiritually and emotionally.

A Wonderful Welcome!

Kerry and I headed to Florida to visit Mary and her sweet family. We wanted to be there for Miss Kennady's Blessing and to share in the celebration of Hudson's second birthday. When we arrived in Panama City we were informed that there was very little cell phone service as it is a brand new airport that had actually only been open a few days. We weren't sure how we were going to find Mary and Cam without phones. Fortunately it's not a large airport and we noticed a new white Odyssey van that we thought could be Mary and Cam's. Out hopped Hudson with this cute welcome sign. I always wonder if he's going to be hesitant to come to us, but he never is. I can't tell you how good it felt to be WARM!