Luggage - a Legacy and an Adventure

I graduated from high school in 1975. My parents gave be a 3 piece set of Samsonite luggage for a graduation present. This was quite ironic at the time since my family really did not take family vacations. Oklahoma is the only state I had been to before my senior trip to Florida; and going to Oklahoma was really just going to the lake.
When Greg and Chad each graduated from high school I followed suit and gave each of them a set of luggage. We did take family vacations, ski trips, and mission trips outside the state; so I knew the kids would have opportunities to use luggage.
However, I really had not thought much about luggage, until I was on this last trip staring at many pieces of luggage. It was at that point that I realized the symbolism of luggage, travel, and the legacy that Bennie Scoggins started many years ago with the graduation present. Greg, Chad, and I all travel more than the average person with our luggage to different places with different purposes, but each with an adventure (or job) just waiting to be experienced.

Alaska - The Last Frontier

August 9, I lacked one state on my bucket list item to visit all 50 USA states. I really started this adventure the year, Chad graduated from college. Up to that point, my life (and money) was my kids. In 2007 both boys were gainfully employed and off my payroll. I treated myself that year to a trip to Italy, France, and Spain. I also got married that year. But that is the year, that I started my bucket list. I was on a plane looking at the USA states and started putting x's on the states that I had visited. I believe at that point I had been to about 35 states. I made a list of the states that I needed to visit, and the adventures began. Most of the states were visited with my sister and Cheyrl. We usually would take a spring trip, a fall trip, and a summer trip each year.
In March of this year, Diana and I started planning an Alaskan cruise with Brenda and Dominic Lampe. In June, Diana, Cheyrl, and  I got my 47th, 48th, and 49th states (Montana, Idaho, and Oregon). We also visited Washington and Canada on this trip.
On August 7, Diana, both Rick's, and I started this last adventure. We flew to Seattle. We had a great day and half with a friend. We dug clams and picked up oysters for dinner. Brian cooked us clams, oysters, crab, and steak for dinner. We visited the Ballard Locks, Pike's Meat Market. and a car museum in Seattle. Saturday, August 9, we boarded our cruise ship and off to the Last Frontier we sailed. Sunday was our day out at sea. Monday, my feet touched Alaskan ground in Juneau, thus finishing off this bucket list item. I will do another post with pictures of this great trip.

Spring updates

I do not know where my time goes. It seems that while I was working I would find time at night to blog. Now I never find time to blog. Anyway to catch up the last several months I will just list some of the events in our lives.

• Girls' Spring Break trip to New Orleans
• Greg announced on April Fools day that they were expecting a baby.
• Nascar - Sunday race got rained out until Monday, so we missed it
• Easter - Family meal at our house with Fergusons, Greg, and Lisa's family
• Rick Ferguson retirement from TI with a party
• Chad got to come home for a visit, and he actually got to come to Rick's retirement party
• Jenna got engaged to Jared. YEA! Now there is a wedding to plan.
• Fredericksberg - Rick and I took a road trip Memorial Day/his birthday weekend. We visited the WWII museum, LBJ ranch, and Luchenbach, Texas. Fun get away weekend, but very educational.
• Chicago - Rick and I went to Chicago to cook a meal for Anvil.
• A Wedding - Nic and Emily. Greg and Chad were groomsmen in it. Chad got to come home for the weekend.
• Four funerals (of great people) Ruth Massey, Wes Eldridge, Chuck Glass, and Dorothy Block

What a Crazy Start for March?

I will let the pictures tell the story.

March 1, Saturday, was a beautiful day with 78 to 80 degree temperatures.

March 2, Sunday, during church we had a "Thunder Sleet storm."We all had a surprise when we went outside after the worship service. We already had 1 inch of ice pellets.  (Don't you love Rick and my "selfie."  Look at all the colleges we are wearing. Someone dug out the ski clothes.)

We could not resist taking the riding toy out for a spin or two. While we were out it started sleeting on us. It was like being pelted with BB's. I love living in Texas.

Ready, Aim, Fire

Rick and I each had toys that we took out last weekend and played with. Rick's is a pistol that he had never had out of the box. He is going to get his handgun license this weekend, so he decided he better meet his gun. His time with his gun was very successful, the dummy did die.

Analyzing the dummy.

Loading the gun

FIRE!

I also have a new toy that I got to shoot, just in a different way. I probably was not as successful, because I did not nail the shot. My camera has many more settings and features than his gun, which means I have many more hours of practice ahead. Here are my three models - Abby, the cows, and Rick.

Abby is already used to the camera.

A cow getting a pedicure with Henry.

One of the herd.

 Notice my name in the bottom left corner on the pictures. I am also learning Photoshop. Have I said lately how much I love retirement.

My Online Photography Class

I was serious about learning my camera, so I signed up for an online photograph course to teach me a few things about my camera. I have to say so far, I have learned a great deal. However, I am to the practicing stage where you put it all together to compose a picture. The class is mainly moms with children. For their homework, they have been posting cute pictures of their kids. This is where you can tell I am on the other end of the spectrum. My models are Abby, a sonic cup,  and the cows.

Reflections of the Holidays

Reflections of the holiday season in no particular order or importance:

1. Thanksgiving weekend we built a barn for the cows in three and half days.

2. We had an ice storm that kept me home for 7 days. The school missed five days of classes. I watched  numerous Christmas movies, piddled around the house, and did mini-projects. I did ride the tractor to the farm, and Rick did go get Mindi and the kids on the tractor so that they could come here to sled behind the mule on the ice.

3. Rickie had a medical procedure that kept him in home for two days. Rick F. fell on the ice and broke a couple of ribs in his back.

4. My boys did not come home during the holidays. This was a revelation to me on how God feels when we do not make time for Him. (Greg and Lisa went to Singapore to be with Chad and Tara.)

5. We did not buy presents for each other to exchange Christmas eve. This is major. We each bought two gift cards for prizes for the different games or activities throughout the night. A favorite was "Deal or No Deal."At one point, I thought this was a little sad not picking out the gift for that special person. However, it really turned out great. We had many laughs playing the games. Also, we did do a white elephant exchange.

6. Because of the ice storm, Santa was running behind. This is the first year since Justin was a toddler, that Santa did not come in the house with presents and for us to take pictures with him. This year he dropped the presents off, rang the doorbell, and left a note.

7. I got two nice lumps of coal for Christmas.

8. I went with Rick to his daughters' Christmas. We watched the grandchildren as they opened their presents. The excitement of children at Christmas warms my heart. The girls gave Rick and I retro lawn chairs that each of our families had while we were young growing up.

9. Because of my retirement, I had more time at home day and night, to enjoy my Christmas decorations.

10. I played with my DSLR camera and am trying to learn the different settings and lens.

11. Merry Joelle, our shelf on the elf, came for a visit during the holidays.

12. The birth of Christ, the reason for the season, was magnified more this Christmas than years past to me through our church services, no presents, and Diana and my visits to different people. Rick and I went to the Christmas Eve service, which was powerful. Bro. Jerry Scott portrayed a shepherd and told the story from the birth to the resurrection of Jesus.