Hello dear readers,
Yesterday was Thanksgiving and my most favorite holiday of the year. For me, it's a time of rest from the hectic pace at work and also a chance to get together with the extended family.

We had a lot to be thankful for this year. We have 2 new babies born. Mandy's little boy Cohen and Wendy's little girl Alexis. Both are just darling of course. We missed Uncle JW who passed away earlier in the year. Clara's brother, Darrell, joined us from Tennessee and seemed to fit right in with the rest of us. We ate and ate and then had dessert. OH MY.

I hope that your holiday was just as enjoyable and that you remembered to thank God for all your blessings...especially for family.

Love, Vicki

I LOVE THE FALL

Hello fellow bloggers. I worked at home last Tuesday and sat at my computer with the window beside me open. A nice breeze was blowing my way, there was no humidity in the air, the birds were singing and I was just enjoying the day. I realized that the Fall of the year is my favorite season and these are some of the reasons.

1. There is no or low humidity, which is a real blessing after our hot humid summers.
2. The sky is that particular color of blue that is so breathtaking.
3. The leaves are just starting to turn color now and soon they will be dressing in their finest colors.
4. There is feeling in the air that everything is ready to rest for a season.
5. Pumpkin and Sweet Potato pie
6. It's cool enough that I'm not sweating under my clothes. I hate that hot sticky feeling.
7. I don't particularly like to participate in dressing in costume for Halloween, but I love to see other people's creativity.
8. The Harvest Moon.
9. Yellow mums
10. That crisp cool snap in the mornings that wake you up and make you glad to be alive, live in the south so that you can appreciate the change of the seasons and just generally are at peace in your little part of the world.

Love to all

I know, I know. It has been a very long time since I set down to blog. It has been an eventful summer.

Ben and Anita and all the kiddies came home for the 4th of July. They were here for 10 days more or less. It was great fun. The house and yard were full of family and friends and, as usual, the boys outdid themselves on the fireworks. They have now bought a house in Oklahoma and will be moving into the new location soon.

I had to have 3 breast biopsies done over the summer. Man did I sweat that. Not only was it painful but the adhesive tape used on the first two just blistered my skin unmercifully. That hurt worse than the actual biopsy. The last one was more painful but no tape. Thank goodness all of them were benign (or as Reed says, B9 and BINGO).

I have just read a very good book I picked up in the used book store and I'm going to recommend it for book club if they haven't already read it. It's by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey and the title is A WOMAN OF INDEPENDENT MEANS. It was inspiring and a little sad. It tells the life of a woman thru her letters to other people. I just loved it.

Kiersten will be spending the weekend with us next while Kristi and Mike go to a family wedding. I am so excited. I love having her with me and taking her shopping. She is such a young lady and I feel that I need to be with her as much as possible at this time. She can't escape because she can't drive yet and she doesn't get attitude when I get a little silly. She just gets silly right along with me. I don't think that will last much longer. High School, seminary and dances are right around the corner (gasp!!!) and she probably will not want to spend time nor have the time to spend a lot of it with Noni and Papa. I'm getting depressed. Got to go. Love to all.

It's a beautiful Saturday morning. I have talked with Mom this morning and she is just fine. We always talk on Saturday mornings since Daddy died and since she has Alltel too, we talk for as long as we want.

The Relief Society sponsored a Mother/Daughter Enrichment night social and Derrick Swails was there to make pictures. Here's our's being goofy and just having fun.

I'm so proud of myself for remembering how to post pictures!!! Love Vicki

Way Too Long

I know, it's been forever since I blogged. I just don't find anything that interesting to talk about these days. Of course, I've been busy. I went with Mom to Seneca to help out with my favorite Uncle J.W. when he was in the hospital. Then, the Saturday after we came home on Friday, he passed away. Then there was a funeral to attend. There are about 3 different projects going on at work that I am involved in helping with too. But last night, Joe and I went out on a date. Dinner and a movie. The new Star Trek movie was fabulous. Definately a buy. I want to see the new Transformers when it is released. The trailers looked as exciting as the first movie. And then, Harry Potter, Half-Blood Prince, comes out on my birthday, July 15. We also saw the trailers for the new "Night at the Museum" movie and that looks very interesting. Oh well, hopefully the summer won't be boring.

Love y'all

Read Anita's blog to see what we did yesterday morning and to see the pictures we took at the OK City Memorial. Yesterday afternoon we went to the Express Clydesdale farm. They have a huge barn to house award winning show Clydesdale horses. They are HUGE! This is Emmitt and he is 18.3 hands tall. He likes to give kisses to the girl that's standing beside him (and some girls in the audience. ) I think he's a big flirt. I took some pictures of the carriage they pull in parades but I can't show them on this blog.





Some were friendly and some just turned their back and ignored us...










while some were very friendly and stuck their heads out to greet us. All in all it was a very good day. Bye...talk to y'all later.

Oklahoma, Here I AM!

Well, I survived my first ever airplane ride. It was GREAT. I really liked taking off. The landings weren't too bad. I don't particularly like turning in the air. It gives me a slight case of vertigo. Dallas-Fort Worth airport was interesting. It's very big and there is a tram that goes around and drops you close to your gate. I sat next to a mother and daughter that had come to Columbia from Texas to check out USC. They were both very nice and helped me find the tram around Dallas-Fort Worth. Mom would have loved sitting and watching the people in the airport. The hop to Wichita to meet Ben and Anita was only about 45 minutes. I sat next to a young man who was going to visit family. He was an ironworker helping to build a nuclear facility for the Navy in Washington state. He was only 21 and very easy on the eyes. We had a very nice conversation. Then meeting Ben and Anita and the kids was about you would expect...hugs and kisses and all talking at the same time. The girls have grown up so much and Connor is just the MOST HANDSOME baby of all time. Anita's Visiting Teaching companion confirmed that yesterday...at least until her new grandchild arrives later this year.

It was really odd going to church from 1:30 to 4:30. We got up Sunday morning, ate breakfast (Anita made the most delicious cinnamon rolls) and then we went to choir practice at a member's house. After that, we came back to the house for lunch and then off to church. Their building looks sort of like our Stake center in Columbia but with our carpet and new upholstery. They have a lot of young families so it was kind of noisy in sacrament meeting. Otherwise, the meetings went pretty much just like ours. I find that very comforting and felt right at home. We had the Goolsby's over last night for supper and then played Idiot. I really felt right at home then...lots of noise, good food and a good time. I got up this morning in time to tell Ben goodbye for work. The girls came down the stairs right before he left. Kelsey, very dramatically, told us that she woke up this morning with her butt stuck under Olivia's bed. Ben and I really had a good laugh over that. Well, we are planning our day so I'll say goodbye and love to y'all.

My DH Treats me like a Queen

My DH and I took a little overnight trip to Charleston this past weekend. It was wonderful to get away with just the 2 of us. He went to a big coin show and, because he does so much for me and puts up with so much, I went along. Now coins don't interest me that much but people do and, believe me, there are some odd ducks at a coin show. But then again, I was there so maybe they thought I was the odd duck. Anyway, it wasn't bad and I finally put names to faces. I met the 2 Bill's and they were very interesting. They both collect foreign coins. One of the Bills is a nurse in an intensive care unit of a hospital in Ga., I think. He had kind eyes and a warped sense of humor. I felt right at home. The rest of the time was all mine and we took a walk along the Battery and shopped at the Market. I went into a candy shop and got a sample of the best pralines...warm, right out of the oven. I was in heaven. I could feel my sugar elevate 20 points from just that little sample. I convince DH to buy a hat...Indiana Jones type fedora... and he looked quiet dashing. I try not to ask for much because DH will spoil me and buy it. When we can't afford it, he feels really bad. So I just look, get ideas and see if I can't make what I want. Well I have to go to work. Love to y'all

Today was the inaugriation of our first African American President. I am working at home and watching the speech. I am very impressed with this man's composure and poise and his "stage presence".
I am also watching it snow. This morning, there was a light dusting on the ground but that melted and I actually saw the sun once or twice but it hasn't stopped snowing. We have big fluffy flakes falling now but they aren't accumulating. There is something very peaceful about falling snow. It's like watching fish in an aquarium. I love winter in the south. It's not really cold for long periods of time and there is a freshness in the air. You sure don't get that here in the summer. Oh well, back to work. Love to all

I have been soooo busy since my last blog that I just haven't had time or energy to type anything more that what I do at work. Several things have happened. We had a GREAT Christmas. Heather and Kristi gave me the best gift ever with an impromtu kitchen floor cleaning on Christmas night.
Now, I am going to OKLAHOMA in March to see my children. I have NEVER flown before and I'm excited and nervous. I better start making lists now so I don't forget anything. Love to y'all