Parties Persist Throughout August and September

Family celebrations continued without ceasing through August and September of 2019.  Ben was recovering well from his stroke and had begun participating in some rigorous outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy.  He was leaps and bounds ahead of what anyone had expected and we knew our prayers were being answered. Stephanie found a beautiful home for their family located close to the Exxon Mobile Campus where Ben would eventually return to work.  Bob and I were grateful to have family moving in just 30-40 minutes away.

Our family has lots of birthdays in August, and we got to celebrate a number of them.  Bennett was fortunate to have his fifth birthday with Grandma Kathy and Aunt Anna from Idaho joining the celebration with us in Texas. Following a Pit Masters BBQ dinner together, he opened presents at our home and Emma treated us to cupcakes.

Eve turned three on Chelsea's birthday, and though we couldn't be with Chelsea, Kristin hosted a fun party for Eve at their new home in Katy. Aren't these little owl cakes adorable?!

The Johnsons came up to celebrate Bob's birthday.  We won't say how old he turned this year, because he definitely continues to exert himself as if he is 39 and holding!

Our last birthday celebration was with Emma, who turned 10 this year.  We were glad to fill her wish list for a pocket knife and a watch.

We started out September with a Labor Day pool party and cookout.  Michael's family and their friends from the Geology Department at BYU came to our home for some fun.  Upon graduation, both families found jobs in Houston and live fairly close to one another.  The Johnson's were with us and my niece, Karina and her boyfriend came down from Dallas for the celebration.

Bob and I left on a New England cruise September 4-14, just as Stephanie and Ben were receiving their household storage shipments from Wyoming and Paris.  (The cruise will be covered in the following posts.)  By the end of September, the Johnson Family was somewhat moved into their new home and hosted a housewarming party.  Chelsea, Knox and Holly came over for the weekend and Michael, Kristin, Eve and Brady drove up to join the party.  We enjoyed being together at a nearby park.

As much as we love being with family, it had been a long, sweet but stressful summer, and we were all ready for our lives to get back to "normal".  As the Johnson family settled into their new home, Bob and I enjoyed some time alone together on a 10-day New England cruise.

More Organized Fun at South Padre Island

Our family reunion at South Padre Island continued through the week of July 20-27, 2019, by participating in some more organized excursions.  Even back in 1980, when I first visited the island as part of my honeymoon with Bob, a visit to the "Turtle Lady" was one of the must do activities at South Padre.  In recent years, her turtle rescue mission has expanded significantly and we took the family to go check out the new facilities and see the rescued sea turtles.

But the waters around South Padre are home to more than just turtles, and our family had to get out and catch some sea life of their own.  The "big boys" even ventured out late at night to try their hand at flounder gigging.

Perhaps the highlight of the week was going on a Dolphin Watch boat tour out in the bay.  Although the threatening rain could have hindered our success, we were delighted to see lots of dolphins swimming around our boat.

We had a wonderful week together at South Padre Island even though the week passed by much too quick.  We took a few family photos before we dispersed and headed back to our family homes, not knowing that we would actually end up together in Texas again for Christmas break.

Bobby, Jill, Linley, Max and Elynor

Stephanie, Emma, Paige, Bennett and Tanner (We missed you, Ben!)

Knox, Thomas, Chelsea, Holly, and, surprise . . . Jude! (arriving in October)

Kristin, Michael, Brady and Eve