Visiting Family in Tennessee

I'm sorry it takes me so long to update posts.

Here are pictures from our trip back in May to visit my brother and his family in Tennessee.

Tennessee, here we come

Mom & Dad show a little lovin' while...

the kids sleep

Roasting marshmallows at Uncle Michael & Aunt Ronda's house

Sadie crocheting on the way.

oops! Out of order. I tried to move it, but couldn't get it to cooperate this time (ugh).

My fellow bloggers understand.

Daniel & Cousin Tanya

cousins

Uncle Michael, the horse whisperer

Country Girl

Cutie!

Daniel & Emilie waiting patiently while Uncle Michael grooms Stormy

Ride 'em cowgirl!

Daddy the hoarse whisperer

"Daddy, what are those brown rocks?"

The girls with Baby

Mind melding for safety

Cowboys

Emilie's turn

Making friends

Hey! That mind meld thing really works.

Calming fears... Daddy's that is

"Oh, found the oats."

My sister-in-law, Ronda

Guess where this was?

Inside this miniature cast iron cook stove. Sadie was fascinated by it.

Don't it look like they actually like each other?

Baby sitting. Aunt Ronda's willing, 'cause Emilie's baby doll doesn't make messy diapers.

Their neighbors have goats.

Uncle Michael invited us to join his fire fighting class on a field trip to a local museum.

Me in front of a bunglette at the museum.

My ode to Lucy & Desi's "The Long, Long Trailer"

Where in the US Are the Franklins?

Where have we been and where are we now?

A.) Oklahoma - working as chicken farmers

B.) Arkansas - homesteading with the Millers

C.) Missouri - working at a fishing camp

D.) Tennessee - training walking horses

E.) Florida - not chicken farming

F.) Alabama - running an RV park

G.) Kentucky - working on an organic farm

H.) Mississippi - working for AFA

I.) All of the above

Our New Freezer

She ain't beautiful, but she was free : ) and boy does she keep things frozen.

The kids worked hard to get her all cleaned up.

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

Daniel's stone fragments

Killdeer Nest

One day the children announced that a bird had been making a nest on the edge of our driveway. We discovered from the Miller's blog that the bird was a Killdeer. Very interesting birds. Mama and Daddy look identical and each take an active roll in the care and protection of the nest. And they are VERY protective, even to the point of dive bombing unsuspecting girls as they walk by on the way to the mailbox ; )

First, they burrowed a nest in the gravel of our driveway.

A few days later we discovered one very tiny egg.

Then two...

then three

Four weeks later, one had hatched

One day old and time to move. Don't worry, Mama & Daddy were close by as the three little birds scurried down the road to their new home.

The Saga of the Kidney Stone Coming to an End

I am pleased to report that Daniel had his lithotripsy procedure today and it went very well. In Phoenix they were going to put a stint in between his bladder and kidney. Here Dr. Zimmerman felt it was an option, but wanted to be as least invasive as possible. The stone broke up so well and fine that he chose not to do the stint! That's one trip back to the hospital and under anesthesia we won't be taking ; ) Thank you, Lord! He is also optimistic that we won't be needing another round of lithotripsy either. We'll know for sure after our June 19th x-ray and doctor appointment. I have heard of a stone measuring 7mm needing multiple treatments. Daniel's was 1.7cm!!! Thank you, thank you, Jesus! And thank you all who have been praying for Daniel. The stone has already begun to pass and it seems we may be at the end of this journey.

The Loss of a Faithful Friend

Maya Franklin

June 1993 - May 5, 2009

Maya passed away suddenly Tuesday evening. She was a very special pet. As Patrick says, "We were blessed by the Lord to have such a noble beast." So, we'd like to highlight some moments celebrating the life we had with our wonderful mutt, Maya.

Our whole family in 2003

Not too bad for 111, almost 16 human years.




"I'm not scared."

"Still not scared."



"There, that's the lovin' I was hoping for."

" I love Thanksgiving!"

"I always get bones at Thanksgiving."

"Even in the heat of Arizona, I still have to go out."

With us on the Hopi Reservation

Looking for the shade at the Cadillac Ranch in Texas.

"Ah! Found it!"

Being a Georgia Peach with Rabbi Liebe.

Visiting the Millers in Arkansas

In Cuthbert, Georgia, Trouble followed Maya everywhere she went.

(Trouble is the name of the German Shepherd)

On vacation at High Falls, GA

Maya was always near her family.

Listening to "Goodnight Moon"

"Will you please let me out so I can go bury this thing."

"One day she'll be dropping stuff for me."

"Oh, great! I'll have to share the floor with you soon."

(she was always wonderful with the babies)

August 1993

"Get a long little doggie."

Tiny, ain't she?

"Hi Daddy!"

She was a wonderful dog. We will miss her and there will never be another one like her. She was faithful and true and always demonstrated unconditional love.