Category Archives: Family and Friends

Pictures and stories of our dear family and friends

The Littles

February 10, 2026 steph Leave a comment

One of the delights of living in Texas is that we are in ‘helping’ distance with our son and family in Waco. It’s about 2 1/2 hours, so not exactly drop-in close, but still close enough. (And way closer than our kids that live in Ohio!)

So, when I got a call that they needed someone to take care of the two littles (ages 6 & 8) for a day while Mom was away, I made a couple of adjustments in my schedule and signed up for Grams Duty!

It was a pretty fun gig!! And mostly involved games! Which of course, we counted as school!
Skyjo (a fancy version of the card game Golf)
*Strategy and math. Lots of addition and the introduction of negative numbers. Not bad for a first grader!
Rummicub – more math and critical thinking. Also, thinking outside the box.

Also finding different ways to arrange the tiles in your tray. Creative thinking?
Some alphabet animal game where we had to name an animal starting with each letter, and then every six letters or so we had to answer animal questions.
Hard questions that we had to look up.
*Research practice, recalling animal names – Natural science.
There were a couple of trips outdoors to burn off some energy, and we even managed to get some clean clothes put away.
But not without a bit of fun too!

It was fun to be in charge of only the two “littles”. (Not that I don’t adore the older two boys. This was just a different dynamic.)
I was there less than 24 hours – but so very glad that I was able to sign up for the ‘gig’!

Thanks for stopping by!

Family and Friends, Life at Bass Lake Lot 205, SOWER Projects, The Adventure

Sixteen for Dinner

January 23, 2026 steph 1 Comment

Yep – Sixteen. In our Little Lindale House!!

It started quite innocently. Four SOWER couples were working at a nearby SOWER project, and since we had previously worked with three of them, we wanted to make sure we connected before they left the area. Surely we could host those good folks for burgers, right? We checked with all parties involved, and set the day and time – it was a go! But wait – what about the active SOWERs that live here in our community? Maybe they would like to come and meet these guys. OK, that’s only 2 more couples – we could still fit, couldn’t we? Oh – I forgot – there’s an Alumni SOWER parked in our SOWER RV lot. I bet they’d like to come too! And so it was – including the old SOWERs who live in the house, there were 16 of us for dinner! It was a pseudo-structured potluck – burgers, rolls, and fixin’s were covered. The rest was a delightful surprise! Thankfully, the weather was mild enough that about half the gang was outside at any given time,

so while the fellowship was very sweet, it didn’t have to also be “close fellowship”!
Until we all squeezed in for a traditional SOWER Group Picture, that is!

I loved the way the plan came together!! It’s an encouragement to me to get back on the entertaining bandwagon, but also to keep a close eye on the weather!! Yesterday it was in the high 50’s. Not too bad for January. Today it has rained all day, and the temps are plummeting as I type. Starting tomorrow morning, we’re being promised 90+ hours of below-freezing weather. Like in the teens below-freezing.

Oh, and some sort of wintery mix – rain, sleet, freezing rain and maybe even snow. We’re stocked up on our bread, eggs, milk, and TP so I think we’re ready! (Oh, and maple syrup for that French Toast!)

Needless to say, we got that dinner party in just under the wire! Pretty sure we won’t be budging from the house until next week sometime. (Unless the power goes out and we need to find a neighbor with a working generator!)

Texas isn’t the only location under a Winter Weather Watch – so stay warm and safe out there, friends!! Maybe you should stay home too!!

Family and Friends, The Adventure

Finishing up December – and 2025!

January 20, 2026 steph 3 Comments

We had such a grand finale to 2025! All 20 of us traveled to Destin, Florida to finish out the year, and ring in 2026!

Yes, the house was ginormous – 8 bedrooms (including two dorm type areas that contained most of the grands), 9 bathrooms, two game areas (including a pool table), great community/kitchen space and double dining tables. Every bedroom was used, and I believe that every area was enjoyed!
Oh – and did I mention a heated pool and hot tub?

There were a lot of us – 4 couples (ages 44-75) and 12 grands (ages 20 months – 22 years). My heart was overflowing with thankfulness and joy as I watched everyone playing together. The old with the young. The bigs with the littles. Cousins who don’t see each other very often became good friends. Older siblings had stories to share and us “seniors” just sat back and watched all of the beauty unfold!
You know, with 14 cell phones taking pictures, there are oodles to choose from. So in an effort to keep this to a reasonable length – here are just a few!

The weather was on the cool side – but the heated pool never failed to bring happiness!

and the hot tub

always drew a crowd! (Gary and I even indulged a couple of evenings – but no photographic proof of that!)
There were puzzles

and games

and toys for the littlest one!

We enjoyed lunch out on New Year’s Day

and a sunset bonfire on the beach earlier in the week.

(Yes – it was a chilly night, but still so very much fun!)
We had a photoshoot on the beach, too! We haven’t gotten the proofs back from that, but here’s a shot of Toby working hard to get all his kids to look at the camera!

(Another chilly day (and man, was that sand cold!), but we all just pretended it really was beach weather!)
And speaking of the beach – the weather wasn’t especially cooperative, but there were still a couple of beach-day attempts!

“Don’t go out too far – we’ll lose you in the fog!”
And finally, a beautiful clear day to play in the surf and sand.

We ended our week with our traditional “Heads in a circle” photo (or oval as it happens these days).

(All the grands, in birth order!)
Which is needing a taller and taller ladder each time!

It was a fabulous week! Oh, there were a few glitches – a bad toothache, a trip to urgent care, a delayed arrival due to some health concerns, and perhaps a few too many coughs and sneezes – but nothing that couldn’t be overcome (or at least lived with!).

Some of the sweetest words a Momma (or a Gramma) can hear are “When are we going to do this again?” My heart is full – and the calendar is already marked: December 27, 2028 – January 3, 2029. (Lord willing, of course!)

Man, I love these guys!

More pictures, you ask?? Of course! You can check them out HERE if you’d like!

Family and Friends, Pictures of the Adventure, The Adventure

December – Part II

January 16, 2026 steph Leave a comment

Back in 2024, I flew to Pennsylvania in mid-December to surprise my sister for her 75th birthday. It was great fun, working with her kids in the area to facilitate the surprise, and even more fun spending those days with Joie! I decided then that an annual trip (but without the surprise element) was something I needed to work into my December schedule. And so was born the Second Annual Birthday Trip.

We did all the things we love to do together –
Puzzles

(Coffee and chocolate just out of the frame.)
and games

(Super fun afternoon joining friends for a Rummicub marathon.)
and thrifting, of course!

(Yes, I brought home (much) more than I took!)
We enjoyed lunch out with Joie’s lovely SIL

(Yes, we are wearing matching scarves. Sorry, not sorry!)
and even got to take in a delightful Christmas concert at their local Christian School.

(Oh, the memories of the many Christmas concerts we attended over the years!)
Since Joie has several of her kids living within a reasonable driving distance, we also got to spend some lovely time with those folks, too! No picture of the nine who came for brunch one day,

but we did get to spend some quality time (and did a bit more thrifting, tis true!) with these folks!

(This dear family also lives close to the airport and were instrumental in the entire ‘getting me there’ project!)

Quiet mornings, coffee with cream, homemade everything, and time to share our hearts. How precious those days were. Days that reminded us of how much we miss our sister, Elna (who is waiting for us in heaven), but also how blessed we are to have each other!
And how important it is to get the Third Annual Birthday Trip on the calendar!

But wait – there’s more!! The December fun continues…
Next time!

Family and Friends, Pictures of the Adventure

December

January 13, 2026 steph 1 Comment

I know – I know – it’s already January (and almost halfway through that too!). But December was so fun, so full, and so fabulous that I didn’t want to let it be forgotten. So let’s start at the very beginning of the month –

Dec 1-4 – Part II of Taran’s Texas Adventure
The weather was a little cooler than we wanted, but we were excited to take on San Antonio with Taran – to finish out his 10-year-old adventure with Grams and Pops.

There’s a lot to see and do in San Antonio, and we couldn’t do it ALL – but we did give it our best shot!
We got to the DoSeum Children’s Museum (one of Taran’s favorite stops),

checked out the Amazing Mirror Maze and Escape Rooms,

played some mini-golf at Holey Moley,

took the Riverwalk Cruise

and of course, spent some quality time at The Alamo!

We also made it to the Witte Museum

where (among other things) two of us did a little rock climbing!

We introduced him to the joy (and economy) of public transportation (highly recommend this!),

explored the Fire Museum,

and even checked out the Riverwalk in all of its Christmas splendor after dark.

We finished our San Antonio Adventure with a stop at Natural Bridge Caverns

and did one last maze

and ice cream stop

before we headed north and home!