TRIP TO ARIZONA

I just got back from a trip to Arizona for work. While there, I spent several hours with Melvin and Nancy and also with Eric, Amy, Ben, Abby, and Alex. I drove from Tempe to Duncan, which took about 3 1/2 hours. Melvin, Nancy, and I then toured the mines and had dinner at a Hotel in Morenci. About 10:00 PM or so, (probably more of the "or so" than the 10:00 PM), I headed back to Tempe. It also took about 3 1/2 hours, so I got to bed late that night.

I had a nice visit with Melvin and Nancy and we talked about Dad, family, old home sites, the upcoming family get-together, and lots more. We made tentative plans to visit again.

Eric and family and I met at a Mexican restaurant and ate...duh!! What else are you going to do when Eric and Bob get together?

Chubby Ben is now Svelte Ben. I recognized his smile and his face, but the rest of him was way different. He's lost about 50 lbs. For a 15 year old, that's like losing a ton. He looked good. The ladies will be discovering Ben this year at his new school.

While in AZ I also worked, but it was uneventful, other than I did get upgraded to First Class going both ways, so it was a good trip.

I had a ball with the Bowmans and Warners. Ain't family great?

GRAMPY'S GONE BACK TO TEXAS

My Dad, my kids' Grampy, has left Utah and is back in Texas. We all miss him very much already. In a few short weeks he became a fixture in our home, on our front porch, and in our neighborhood.

My friends in the neighborhood would say, "I saw your Dad out on the front porch counting cars today." Even though that's just what we called sitting out on the front porch, he actually did count cars one day. He was curious how many sedans, SUVs, and pickup trucks drove by in a period of time. SUVs and pickups won, hands down. He was surprised, however, at how many motorcycles and scooters drove by on Columbia Lane.

We're planning a family reunion this year, after Thanksgiving, on Friday & Saturday, November 28th and 29th. Our plan is to have everyone arrive by about noon on Friday and we'll party until early afternoon on Saturday. That should give us plenty of time to have fun together, but only require one night in a hotel and a return home prior to Sunday, for those who need to be there for Church. I'm really excited for my kids and grandkids to get to know their aunts, uncles, cousins, and whatever else there is out there that might show up at the reunion, just like they got to know my Dad this last few weeks.

Dad wonders why he's still here and his Sweetheart is gone. He says the only thing he can think of is that he's to try to get our family to be more united. That sounds like a mission I'd love to help him with.

We miss you, Dad. We need to start planning your next visit!!