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| Desert Mountain, AZ Thanksgiving 2017 |
We just returned from a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with Joy, Dan and the boys. We missed Emily since she is a Labor & Delivery Nurse and was busy delivering babies. Sam is a Freshman at OU and Andrew is taking the Bar in February and will graduate from University of Arizona Law School in May. It was such fun sitting around the firepit after a beautiful sunset listening to Andrew and Sam discussing the possibility of someday opening a law firm together. It was just a year ago that all the girls and their families cancelled their Thanksgiving plans to come to Tyler where Smitty was in the hospital recovering from brain surgery. We are so thankful for the prayers and words of encouragement from so many. He has worked hard at his rehab and we were able to do some traveling this year.
In May, we enjoyed celebrating Sam's High School Graduation. Joy and Dan treated all of Dan's family and the Smith clan to a whirlwind celebration that included a party bus that transported us to downtown Oklahoma City for the ceremony and then over to lunch atop one of the high rise office towers with a beautiful view. The festivities continued that evening on their back porch and friends and families from the neighborhood joined us to celebrate.
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| The Davis Family October, 2017 |
Dani purchased her first home last year and has been busy fixing it up and learning all about the challenges (and satisfaction) of owning a home. Replacing water heaters, garage door springs, removing popcorn ceilings and installing tile floors are just a few of the projects she has tackled as a Do-It-Yourself-er. Her job as a Property Manager keeps her busy but she managed a week long holiday in New Orleans - after Sandy agreed to come and babysit Rufus! Rufus loves his "grandmere" and she spoiled him terribly.
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| Sandy & Dani September, 2017 |
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| Mr. Rufus |
Suzie, being the nearest, comes running when we need her. Her design business takes her all over the country. She just returned from Wisconsin where she was asked to speak to a group of builders. After listening to me complain about not getting fresh apples here, she picked some and brought them all the way to Tyler. What a treat! Her crew in Florida are flourishing and we are thankful for emails. They were not badly affected by the hurricanes. Suzie, Sandy, Joy, Emily and Danielle were able to have a Girls Weekend in Florida the first week in April and got some quality time catching up with the cousins and grandbabies. We are hoping to arrange another visit with our great grandkids again this coming year. They are growing up too fast!
In October we visited Sandy & David's mountain home in Loudon, Tennessee. What a treat that was to see their new home nestled among the trees and just a block away from the Tennessee River. Sandy has a wonderful quilting studio with a view of the woods and deer. I spent a memorable day with her and a friend enjoying lunch and shopping in Sweetwater. Probably the most fun was playing on their ATV's driving through the woods, feeding their friendly deer corn, apples & blueberries (can you imagine!). David, like Smitty, retired "young" and has kept busy with projects on the house and can do most anything.
Our 1983 Ski Nautique hasn't been running and David agreed to adopt it and completely refurbish it. He and Sandy drove here and trailered it back to Knoxville where he immediately got to work replacing the engine and rotted wood. They have named it "Second Chance". We are all thrilled since we have so many good memories of it pulling our kids and their friends around the lake.
We are thankful that Smitty is well enough to make these trips. The girls have all been so great at helping us get to the airplanes and taking care of our needs. How blessed we are to have such a loving family.
We are looking forward to continued good health in the New Year and send our best wishes to you all.
