Elizabeth's Wedding

A few photos...  wishing Elizabeth and Jacob all the best!

Family Time

On Thursday, Papa and I drove up the Natchez Trace Parkway from Jackson, Mississippi to a ROAD BLOCKED sign just south of Nashville.  We got on an Interstate Highway going north and arrived at my Mom's house in Kentucky on Thursday evening at sunset.  Yesterday, we spent time with both my Mom and Dad, then went to the Owensboro Museum of Art, housed in an historic Carnegie Library. We visited the Riverfront in Owensboro, along the Ohio River.  We had supper at Moonlite Barbecue.

Today, we're going to a family wedding, Elizabeth and Jacob's. Elizabeth is the oldest daughter of my cousin, Dickie.  He and I were born in the same year and lived near each other until I went to college.  We grew up together!  We're looking forward to more family time!

Natchez Trace Parkway

We drove north from New Orleans into a terrible storm yesterday morning.  We pulled off 

the road and under the cover of a car wash for half an hour.  The storm passed and off we went!  

We had lunch in Natchez at the Magnolia Grill, overlooking the Mississippi River.

We drove north to Vicksburg and explored the Vicksburg National Military Park, 

just after the park gates closed.  We had it to ourselves!

New Orleans

Papa and I flew to New Orleans yesterday.  We hit the ground running!  We are staying in the French Quarter, so we walked from our hotel to Jackson Square.  We had beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe du Monde, then checked out the French Market and St. Louis Cathedral, bought pralines, and stopped to listen to street musicians all along the way.  We met Lulu's childhood friend, Pam and her husband, Kenith, for dinner at K-Paul's, where we talked for hours.  Such a wonderful time in New Orleans!

Graduation

Last Tuesday evening, we joined with our Boys and Girls Club kids in a graduation ceremony, for those participating in our Tuesday night program over the past three years.  Our message to them...

"Thank you for the privilege of getting to know you over these past years, on Tuesday evenings at the Boys and Girls Club.  We've learned so much!  We hope you will take a few things away too.  Some of our best memories...

MASH - Mansion, Apartment, Shack, or House

Dress for Success

TED Talk - Power Pose

Shadow Opportunities in Spring of 2015

Chinese Christmas Parties

Field Trip to BBVA Bank (going into the Vault)

Lunch at our Tucson House 

Field Trip to UA for campus tour

Lesson on Body Language - playing charades

Secrets to Success

Resume Writing and Interviewing

Salaries by Major - learning what professions make the most money

Speakers - David Rodriguez, Hotel Management, Real Estate, Fire Chief, Insurance Broker, Financial Advisor, Bank Credit Specialist, Robot Store Owner, Radiology Technician, Military, Engineer from Caterpillar, UA Science Students (lots of them!) and college advisors, BGCT CEO, Fundraisers, and HR

Visiting the Ranch - roping, hiking, feeding horses

So much more... and last but certainly not least - How to Become a Millionaire!

We hope you will stay in touch with us.  We want to hear about what is going on in your life.  You have become an important part of our lives.  We love you."

Everyone received a Grand Prize Award.  The Award List:

David - The Man with the Plans

Rabija - Girl on the Go

Belle (Isabela) - Future Judge of The Voice

Natalia - Best Smile

Edwin - Most Detail Oriented

Paola - Miss Congeniality

Valeria - Most Determined to Succeed

Karla - Most Thoughtful Emailer

Meybelyn - Most Inquisitive

Sergio - The Next Nanobot Billionaire

Zratie - Most Likely Future Hotel Executive

Corvell - Best Burger Man

Haji - Future Business Mogul

Velen - Best Artist

Alex - Most Likely Elementary Chemistry Teacher

Gabi - Best Roper

Tatiana - Future WNBA Player

Alexis - Most Courteous (even after I called him the wrong name over and over!)

Blanca - Charade Queen

Rudy - The Longevity Award - for coming on Tuesdays with us for 3 yrs!

New Calves

I saw three new calves on my hike yesterday.  They were adorable!  

Wildflowers

I hiked down the hill to the Rock House yesterday, seeing wildflowers along the way. 

Palo Verdes Blooming

Tucson is awash in palo verde blooms!  Everywhere you go, there are palo verdes in bloom.  

I took these photos as I walked around our house.  Its a beautiful time of year!

Chicago Photo

Audrey just sent over this photo from our Chicago visit last weekend.  Fun!

Hike Among Cows

Papa and I hiked today, through about 100 pregnant cows.  They are looking good!  

Calving Season

Calving season has begun on the ranch.  Twenty + calves and counting have been born in the past few days.  Colter has moved most of the herd to the pasture just west of our house, so we see cows every time we look out. 

Springtime in Tucson

Our Tucson neighborhood is in bloom!  So many flowering trees and cacti!  Beautiful!

New Patio

I have been in Tucson all week, while the back patio has been repaired and replaced with brick.  The rock pond is gone.  Its been quite a mess!  The crew is almost finished.  I'm liking it so far! 

Chicago Visit

Papa and I took a red eye flight from Phoenix, arriving in Chicago at 6:20 on Friday morning. We had breakfast with Audrey, Lauren and Taylor, in their home by 8.  By 10, snow was falling in the largest flakes I've ever seen!  It was beautiful!  I went with Audrey to take Lauren to school, while Papa stayed home and read books to Taylor.  More book reading took place throughout the weekend. 

 

On Saturday morning, Papa and I went to the nearby elementary school playground, with Lauren on her bike.  Brrrr!  It was cold!  On Sunday, we went to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.  We spent Monday playing with the girls and had dinner with them, before going to the airport for our return to Arizona.  We had a fun weekend in Chicago!