My First Posting

Well, today was a great day...the members of my immediate family (children and grandchildren) who live nearby came to Midway for dinner, so my daughter Meredith and her husband James set up this blog for me. I wonder if I will do anything with it. I want to, because I am not at all good about keeping a journal, and it would be fun to record my thoughts, ideas, comings and goings and then have some sort of a record to look back on. I like to look at others blogs, so this sounds like a fun challenge.

Here is who came today - Oldest son Nathan and his wife Sue (she is really called Sue Ann now) but when we first met her over 20 + years ago, we called her "The Beautiful Sue" and she is still beautiful besides being a wonderful mother to Barrett (l8), Cami (16), Zack (13), and Trevor (8). They live in SLC so it is just a drive down Parley's Canyon to get to their house right off Parleys Drive -- very convenient. They have a cute dog named Putter. Nate is an attorney practicing law in SLC w/ Stoel Rives. I think they are a great family. I wish Cami had a sister to defend herself against all those boys, but she seems to hold her own pretty well.

Matt, 2nd son and his wife Marcie ( lovely, capable & talented) and their children drove up Provo Canyon from their home w/ their 4 children - Noah (8), Lauren (6), Jacob (almost 4), and little Rachelle (Roo for short - just turned 1). Another darling family. I love to see them. They are growing so fast. It is nice that we can have these family dinners every now and then so we can stay connected. Marcie has a fun blog spot which is called: http://www.oursgoodonehome.blogspot.com/ so you can read all about them. Matt is a mechanical engineering professor at byu (following in his dad's footsteps) They are both fab parents and so good, kind and patient.

Mere & James drove from Provo as well where both attend BYU.. Meredith is in her 3rd year of being a senior....but hurray she is going to graduate in December...so that no one will think her slow...it is just that she changed majors and has way more hours than she actually needs to graduate, she will soon get her chance. She is in Fine Arts - Print Making. James is a super fellow. He can do anything when it comes to building, fixing, etc. He is a construction managment major and has 2 more oyears of school. He has helped us so much - I will have to take a picture of how he extended our patio, build an arbor, etc. etc. ..and our beautiful new "Texas Style" front door. She and James bought an "antique" letter press that they found on ebay and brought it from its home in Idaho all the way to our garage...Please go to Mere and James' blog which is: http://www.jamesandmerehendricks.blogspot.com/ Mere has lots of fun pictures, but really I do not weigh as much as the pictures make me look. I know I weigh more than I should, but I think the camera was lying a little....It was quite motivating to make me reallyi want to go on a diet, so I must keep looking at those awful pictures and do something about it....

Our other 2 children - youngest son Spencer, his lovely wife Andrea and darling girls Kate and Anna reacently moved to California --- Spencer took a job w/ the Rand Corp. in Santa Monica, Calif. We sure do miss them. They seem so far away. When we moved to Midway 5 years ago, Spencer was just getting married and beginning a graduate school program at the Univ. of Utah, so we have been fortunate to be close by for the last 5 years, (exept of course the l8 months that we spent in New Zealand). You can go to their blogspot to read all about them and their new adventures in Calif. It is: http://www.justusjoneses.blogspot.com/ They have lots of nice pictures. I visit all these blogspots often so I can see what they are up to.

Andrea and Mark Austin....live in Alexandria, Va. As far as I know they do not have a blogspot and either does Nate and family, so maybe since I now have one they will be spurred on to get one. The Austins have one daughter Sarah, age 10 going on 11, and two sons Andrew (age 4) and little Spencer (age 2). We don't get to see them as often as we would like. It is fun to visit their home. They live in a cute old home in Alexandria. I love to walk around their neighborhood and see all the cute old homes.
Mark works for the World Bank. He is a project manager and travels to central and south america all the time. He has an interesting job, but I know misses his family when he travels so much. Mark is a fun person and such a great father...the way he keeps in touch w/ his family while traveling (via phone, skype, etc. ) is truly amazing .

I really like all of our children and grandchildren and so happy to see them all being productive, good citizens, doing meaningful things.

Now I am going to try to post a few pictures, but I am not sure now that Mere and James have left me alone if I can accomplish this...