2010 August 19. Meet the teacher!

Just a few days before school started agian, Austin got to meet his 2nd grade teacher. Mrs. Anderson is her name, and Austin was excited to have some friends from 1st grade in his class. on the ride home we asked him if he liked his teacher. he said yes, but that he was a little nervous because she is black. We told him it was okay to be a bit nervous about a new teacher, but it didn't matter what color her skin was. We talked about how there are people all over the world who look different, but they want and do the same things we do. After he thought about it, he was fine!

2010 August 17. Galveston with Michael

Lindsie and I decided to take Austin and Michael to the beach today. It was a little windy, but the water and sunshine felt great.

Austin and Michael going out on the kick boards.

Lindsie decided to go and join them!

They boys were so funny, they were jumping the waves and doing some karate poses!

Lindsie enjoyed playing in the sand and collecting little clams.

I enjoyed the sun and sand too! It was a great day to go to the beach!

2010 August 14-15. Tyler's wedding.

This weekend Lindsie stayed home with Austin so Chuck and I could go to SLC for Tyler McLemore's wedding. We caught the 9pm flight to SLC and stayed in a hotel in Sandy, then the next morning we headed to the SLC temple. It was packed, they said they have 12 or 14 sealing rooms, there were brides all over the place. Here is a picture of Tyler and his new bride, Maddie.

I took this photo of the temple while we were waiting outside for the bride and groom to make their appearance as husband and wife.

It was so nice to see Philip and Brent at the wedding. Also a friend of Philips, and Philips wife, Jennifer.

Brother McLemore, the Orr's and Chuck also waiting for the bride and groom to arrive outside after the sealing.

Daniel, Stephanie and the Jensen's as they wait for Tyler and his bride to arrive.

The McLemore's with Tyler and their new daughter, Maddie. Brother McLemore cried more than Sister McLemore at the sealing, I would have never guest that. Stephanie, Clarissa, and Bridget were all on the temple grounds, somewhere!

Tyler with Maddie and her parents. Tyler looked happy and the bride was lovely.

Tyler with Maddie and her grandparents. I am including this picture because the grandmother is in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir with Sister Uchtdorf's, and President Uchtdorf agreed to perform the sealing. It was so cool when President Uchtdorf came into the sealing room all full of friends and family waiting for the sealing. He gave some great advice on loving your spouse and holding their hand, to give/take, and be patient. He gave an example of when he was a stake president and presiding over a new temple, I think Frankfurt temple, how an old couple were last to leave and they came out holding hands (not just for support, but a tight grip because they loved each other) it was really sweet. Then he laughed about how he had to be more patient and forgiving. Then he hugged the bride & groom and their families and waved good-bye. He made it perfectly clear that this day was the bride & grooms day. I didn't get a hand shake or hug, I wish I could of...but just hearing his German accent and being in the same room with him was great! I won't lie, my heart skipped a beat!

After the sealing and the pictures, Chuck and I headed for the airport. On the way to the car, I had to stop and take off my shoes, the grass was so super soft!

On our way Chuck had to stop at IN & OUT Burger for lunch.

After we got to the airport we missed the flights that day, but the car rental place was nice enough to hold our car for us (we didn't have to turn it in till 11pm) and so we drove up towards Ogden to check out a town called Morgan, where the Orr's live. There we saw this huge apricot tree!

It was loaded!!! I had to stop and take some pictures and helped myself to a few of them. YES... I knocked on the peoples door and the establishment next door, they were not home, and the home looked abandoned. The apricot tree was behind the garage, and they were just falling to the ground! They were so awesome, I only picked a few for Chuck and I. But, I wish they were home so I could of asked to pick a lot more!

Anyway, we followed the river through the town and looked to see if there was anything great for sale. Not much but pastures and corn fields. I think the town was to small about 2900 people, but it was nice

Since we were so close to Ogden, Chuck and I decided to go to Ogden and check it out! We went to the temple, the missionary's office, and a church building down the road from the temple. No sign of Ashlie,but there were a bunch of missionary cars parked in the church parking lot. A member came outside and told us that they had 3 baptisms scheduled there tonight. We left after that......we really didn't want to run into Ashlie, we just wanted to see where she is all the time!

We took this picture of the sculpture that is outside the mission office to show Ashlie we were there!

Just kiddie-corner to the mission office was this great little ice cream place called “Farr Better Ice Cream” Chuck had Huckleberry and I had raspberry cheese cake, it was divine! We took a picture of us eating ice cream outside to send to Ashlie too! It was getting late, so we drove back to SLC. It was too late to make the reception for Tyler, so we decided to get some Chinese food and take it back to the hotel and watch TV in bed...I love that! Sunday we spent all day at the airport, it was actually pretty relaxing because it was just the two of us. We ended up going through Phoenix to get home, which was about 9pm that night! Linds and Austin survived the weekend, and Austin had a great time, not sure about Lindsie. It was very sweet of her to stay with Austin for the weekend for us!

2010 August. Austin first trip to the dentist.

Above is a picture of Austin when he lost one of his baby teeth this summer.
This last week Austin had his first dentist appointment....and he has 4 cavities! Lucky for us, and him, they are on his baby teeth. He had to go back to the dentist and get two of them filled and he was a little nervous about the shot! He was pretty tense sitting in the chair, but I kept rubbing his leg and he seemed to calm down. He did pretty good for getting 3 shots in his mouth! He liked the way his lips felt all fuzzy and swollen. The only good thing about all this, is that he has been brushing his teeth every night without fussing about it!!!!!!!!!

2010 July 31. Kim's wedding in Nauvoo.

Chuck, Austin and I flew as close as we could to Nauvoo and then rented a car and drove to Nauvoo for Kim and Peter's sealing in the temple. Austin hung out with the Richardson girls while chuck and I were able to go in the temple for the sealing.

Before the sealing, we took some pictures. Kim looked so beautiful in her dress, and her dress was really pretty too! Here is a great photo of the Richardson's

And a picture of Kim, Peter and his new sisters!

The Jensen's were there for the wedding too, this is a great picture of all of them with Kim and Peter.

Here is a picture of Chuck, Tod and Greg.

And a picture of Cindy, Cindy and Me.

After the sealing, we all went over to the Hotel Nauvoo, where they had a wonderful buffet luncheon for everyone. The Richardson's reserved a large room in the back where we could all sit together with family and guests while we ate, the food was wonderful. Afterwards, Kim and Peter cut the wedding cake, and that was good too!
After the luncheon, our family and some of the Richardson's went to the Nauvoo Pageant. It was close to the temple and they had pioneer games set up before the show, so Austin had fun, with tug a war, sack races, stilts, ring toss, and baseball with a stick and a string ball. I know I took some pictures, but I have no idea what happened to them! Later, when it started to get dark we all took our seats for the pageant to start. The pageant celebrates the legacy of Joseph Smith and the sacrifice, faith and courage of the Saints to build a city and a temple to their God. The Saunders are part of the play, so that was great to see them and talk with them before the pageant. After the pageant we said our goodbyes to the Richardson's and drove to our hotel, which was halfway between Nauvoo and the airport. Congratulations Kim and Peter Rosario, we are so glad we were able to come to Nauvoo and share this wonderful moment with you!

2010 July 26 - Aug 5. Nursing basic training.

Nursing school doesn't start until the Fall semester, but I started my 2 week basic nursing class...it lasts for 2 weeks. They teach you basic nursing skills like how to take blood pressure, pulse, and respiration's. They also have manikins so we can practice how to properly move a patient, given them a sponge bath, and make a bed. It has been a fun class. Chuck was very helpful and let me practice taking his blood pressure!

2010 July 22-24. Martin Family Reunion

This weekend we flew into Tulsa and then drove up to Nevada, Missouri for the Martin Family reunion! Kent wasn't planning on coming, but at the last minute he flew to Houston, spent the night with us, and flew with us to Tulsa (job issues). Here is Ashley and Austin getting the party started!

I had to take a picture of Tami, she has lost over 100 pounds! It was so weird to see her that size again, like when we lived together in 82! I had to apologize, I kept staring at her! But she looks great and she says she feels a lot better too. Richard wasn't able to come, he is running for city councilman or something like that in Tennessee!

Dad had plenty to do to keep him busy, here I snapped a picture of him resting.

On Friday we all went over to Hal's house for some fun on the lake. Chuck had to work so he stayed at G & G house so that he would work!

Here is the new boat dock that Hal put in, it was awesome!

Here is a picture of Brad and Austin on the jet ski. It was so nice to spend some time with Brad, he is happy, funny, and i swear bigger every time I see him. His girlfriend, Hope is way to nice to him but he's just as sweet to her too.

Ashley and Tami getting into the lake. Tami actually kicked some but out on the jet ski.

Austin was excited to go out on the tube.

The more sophisticated of the group opted for a leisurely boat ride.

Nice day to be out in the boat....who's in the tube?

Back at the Martin's the ladies (Roberta, Joanie, Marlene) rested in the shade for a bit.

The younger ladies (Tami, Jackie, Megan) were busy setting up the games for the days activities.

Ashlie and Austin gave a helping hand decorating things with balloons.

And so did the older men ( Gordon, Dave).

Grandpa with his brother and sister, and their spouses. In order it's Joanie and Gordon (his brother)then Bobby & George then Marlene (his sister) and Dave.

Our small family, Lindsie is in summer school, and Ashlie and Cory are on their mission!

Hal and Jackie's family

Tami and her kids plus Hope, Sarah wasn't able to get time off from work.

Bob and Becky, they flew over from Germany. Becky's daughter, Heidi, was due about the same time as the reunion and she went into labor about the time Becky landed in Houston so Becky and Bob stayed in Houston for an extra day. We found out there are some heart complications with the baby, so she will be in our prayers.

Group picture of all The Martin's attending the reunion.

Chuck and the kids getting out of the heat and watching some TV.

Austin's favorite part were all the games set up outside. Anything sharp to throw is a bonus!

Austin kept trying to hit all three jugs, I think he wore out his arm!


And of course all of the great food! Hal, Jackie, Mom and Dad have been working on getting all the food together for weeks.

And the for the guests of honor, we made Mom and Dad these 60th anniversary ball caps, I think Mom felt like a queen!

Funny story about the cake! To make a long story short, the cake was suppose to be a mauve color, and I'm not sure if this color even has a name! And when we went to get the cake...there was a fly in the box! Oh well, what they don't know won't hurt em!

Happy 60th wedding anniversary Mom and Dad!

The party was over and in the evening we did a little fishing in Dad's pond.

Austin decided to stay a fish for a bit on his own. Saturday night we got to bed about 10:30pm because we had to get up at 1:30am to drive to Tulsa and catch our flight to Houston, Chuck arrived in time to run home, take a shower and go to church. Austin and I didn't wake up till after noon! It was fun to see everyone again, but we sure did miss those who couldn't attend. I wonder if we'll ever be able to get everyone together at one time?