Kaitlynn Ann

What a sweet little lady!

Here she is modeling the dress that I made for her! How sweet.

More of the same...

Is this typical behavior?

Kaitlynn had so much fun as long as she didn't have to get too close to the sparkler. I would hold it and she would move my arm around in circles.

Ryan and Evan are growing up so fast....=(

Just a good family moment...

More July 4th

Here I am just enjoying my sparkler.

Dad and I sharing a 'tender' moment!

Evan - what a cutie!

July 4th

Kaitlynn was having fun trying out one of her brothers scooters!!

This year was a bit different due to the fact that we weren't at camp over the 4th. Due to the fact that it was on a Wednesday this year, we were not able to celebrate like we would usually at home. We did get to watch the fireworks, but then had our 'sparkler' time on Thursday. It was so much fun. I'm sorry that I'm just now getting these posted. It's been a busy month!

How adorable!

This scene awaited me as I walked out

of church a few weeks ago. I thought it

was so cute, and had to take a picture. =)
This is my niece Kaitlynn and her friend

Hannah Hunter. They were just having

a grand time being 'girls!!'

Happy 60th Aunt Carol!!

Me and my cousin Jodelle Yount

Greg, Adam and I having tons of fun! Don't you just love the facial expressions?! By the way, my brother-in-law does NOT have the male pattern baldness. Just a side note, incase you were wondering!

Sarah Ann and me

me and my sweet hubby =)

This past Friday (the 13th) was my Aunt Carol's 60th birthday. We were all invited to a party that her husband was throwing for her. We rode over with Stephanie, Greg and the kids. We had a really fun time there. If you want to know more about the details, go on over to Stephanie's blog...she tells more about it. Plus, it saves me time!!! Anyway, we had a great time.

Wal-Mart Museum

For those of you that don't know, the very first Wal-Mart was in Bentonville, Arkansas. Gravette is only about 20 minutes from there. One afternoon we loaded up in the Witt's van and headed for the Wal-Mart Museum. It was very interesting learning about Sam Walton's life.

Camp Meeting in Gravette, Arkansas

Last week Adam and I were privileged to sing for a camp meeting in Gravette, Arkansas. There were two services a day and we had to sing in both of them. Adam led the singing and I played the piano. It was something that we had never done before, so it proved to be very stressful, but God helped us tremendously. It was a small camp which included various churches in the area. We met many wonderful people including Luke and Dorothy Witt and their children - Nate, Caleb and Matthew. They came over to the Witt's (parents of Luke and host pastor) house one night after church and we had a great time getting to know them a bit. I only wish they lived a bit closer so we could see them often. The kids were great....we laughed a ton and made wonderful memories. Love you kiddos!! =)

Thanks Bro. and Sis. Witt for the wonderful time.

Dr. Allan Brown was the evangelist for the camp meeting. It was nice getting to know him on a more personal level. (He had taught both of us while we were in college.)

Here we are with Rev. and Mrs. Lonnie Witt. They were so gracious. We had such a relaxing time at their house.

While in KC, we visited a little restaurant called Fritz's. It's really cool. You order over the phone that is at your table (all the tables have phones) and then you wait for your food to be delivered. The method of delivery is quite different from any restaurant I'd ever been to. The theme of the place is trains, with paintings on the walls, model trains running inside the glass walls, etc., and your food is delievered by a train enging running along a track that runs throughout the restaurant above the tables. There is a lever that switches down at the table that is to receive the food, and the bucket of food simply drops onto a platform and is lowered to your table while the engine hardly even slows down. Pretty cool! Drinks are not served this way, which is a good thing I guess. I thought Val looked pretty cute in her hat while ordering. If you're ever in the KC area, look up a Fritz's - there are two in town!

Good Ol' KC

(June 22)

Friday evening we left for Effingham, Illinois for a hotel stop. The next morning we headed the rest of the way into Kansas City. We decided to make this trip the weekend before we were scheduled to be in Gravette, Arkansas for a camp meeting at which we were singing. Valerie had never been to KC, and I hadn't been back for 6 years, and having lived there for 12 years I felt it important to show her my "roots." We rolled into the city around supper time and stopped at Arthur Bryant's BBQ in downtown KC. The best BBQ in the world, methinks. It's a dingy little place tucked into a typical downtown building. The staff are almost rude, the tables are somewhat sticky, and the food is awesome! I enjoyed my open-faced burnt ends sandwich while Val had an open-face pulled pork sandiwch and we shared coleslaw and baked beans. Awesome meal! If you are ever going through the KC area, you've got to stop there.

After leaving Bryant's, we headed for Overland Park, the suburb where I grew up. I showed Val the apartments and two houses we lived in while in KC, and other various things, such as the hospital in which I was born, the school parking lot where I first learned how to ride a bike without training wheels, etc. Fun times. That evening we headed for our hotel - the Doubletree in Corporate Woods. It was extremely nice, but what I don't like about really really nice hotels is that you don't get that good ol' continental breakfast. Low-class motels don't give you breakfast. Super-upper-class hotels don't give you (free) breakfast. So I think I will stick with the nicer middle-class hotels from now on. It was a really nice hotel, though, and a relaxing night's sleep.

The next morning, we arose and went to church. We went with our good friend who has known me longer than I have known anything, Jean Shannon. My cousin and her family also attend College Church of the Nazarene located on the campus of Mid-America Nazarene University. It was good to see them again, and for Val to meet them.

We spent Sunday through Tuesday morning with Jean at her house in Overland Park. We had an awesome time with her, going around KC, talking, laughing, and eating. She is truly one of the dearest friends we have.

Tuesday morning we met Rowen, Janet, Beth, Jason and Emily Albertson (my Uncle and Aunt and 3 of their 6 kids) at Bob Evan's for a late breakfast. They were on their way home to Colorado from Joplin, Missouri. It was good to see them, and for Val to meet them.

And thus ended our brief trip to Kansas City. A good time.