Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all our family and friends out there.  Hope everyone had a wonderful day.  We had a sunny day with cold temperatures.  John and I went to Bob and Marcy's for Christmas dinner.  We were joined by Annie and Terry and Robert.

Robert and me. (He is always joking around as you can tell by his facial expression in the picture)

Robert and Annie (his NeeNee) LOL

Tomorrow is a work day for me and John.  This work thing takes some getting used to.

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe. 

Christmas Eve at Bob and Marcy’s

Tonight we gathered at Bob and Marcy’s for the family Christmas Eve Party.   On the way to the party we saw the Ridgeland Fire Department en route to a call so John followed them to see what they were responding to.

Ah….. here he goes to check it out.

 

 

Awe….looks like old times.

It turned out to be a fire alarm at Logan’s Steakhouse which ended up being cancelled.  He got to see some of the guys so that was fun.   

This year Ava is old enough to realize what presents are and that she gets to open them.  She is very entertaining to watch.

John and Ava

Ava and Kelsey

Robert and Ava

Ava

Ava opening one of her toys.

Ava and me

Bob, Marcy and Ava

Ava playing with her toys.

We hope all our family and friends who may be traveling during the Christmas holiday have safe travels. 

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Early Christmas Dinner with Family.

THURSDAY:

John and I went to have an early Christmas Dinner at his neice, Mary Beth's house.  It was the only time we all could get together with everyone's work schedules and everything else going on. Enjoyed seeing everyone.

Mom Hatch

Brooke and Syklar

Mom Hatch, MB, Mary Lee and Brooke

Top Row: Dakota, Marvin, MB & Preston

Bottom Row: Brooke & Skylar

Stephanie, Mary Lee & MB

FRIDAY: 

Tonight John and I met our friends Bo and Kay Jordan for dinner at Kathryn's Steak House.  This was our first time eating at Kathyrn's.  The food was delicious and the service was top notch.  We enjoyed getting together with our friends and hope to see them again real soon.  

Bo and Kay

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe. 

Back home in MS.

Yesterday while we were stuck in Texas we got to spend time with relatives.  It was good to get to visit with them.

Tarah and Justin 

Sherlyon, Tarah and Becky

Uncle Floyd and Aunt Becky

John was up early this morning and off to the Ford dealership to get the part. 

This was John's temporary fix.  The temporary part made from plumbing supplies is in the center of the picture under the small hose.  The man at the dealership thought the part was factory.  Too funny. 

After purchasing the new part John installed it and we were on the road back to Mississippi by 12:30.  We would like to send a huge thank you to my cousin Daniel and his wife Sherlyon for their help and hospitlity while we were stuck in Texas.  

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe. 

Stuck in Texas.

Yesterday the man who purchased our Freightliner arrived from Las Vegas to pick it up.  After completing the sale John and I packed an overnight bag and left for Texas.  We arrived in Beaumont shortly after 10:00 p.m. and and spent the night at my cousin Daniel's house.  This morning we were off and on our way to Houston to pick up our new ride; the Ford F-550.

 The new ride.   (2012 Ford F550)

The trip was uneventful until we got closer to Houston.  Traffic was backed up for miles due to a major accident on the freeway.  We got off the freeway and took an alternate route and finally made it to the dealer.  Yeah!!  We were on our way.

The plan was to meet up with cousin Daniel and Sherlyon in Jasper to look at the lake house they are building then travel on back home to Mississippi.  Well...... our plans got changed for us.  We made it to Jasper when we heard an odd sound.....sort of like a tire blowing out.  John said, "That don't sound good" and immediately pulled off the road to check things out. 

You know this is never a good sign.

He found the turbo down tube had blown apart.   The good thing is cousin Daniel was just a few miles away.  John called him and he and Sherlyon were there within minutes as well as Uncle Floyd and Aunt Becky. 

Aunt Becky and Uncle Floyd

By this time it was late in the afternoon and, of course, the dealership was closed.   We hopped in Daniel's truck and went to Auto Zone and NAPA Auto Parts to see if they might have the part.  They didn't have it so John and Daniel decided to try and make one.  WIth the help of some plumbing supplies from Lowes they was able to make the part. 

John making the part.

The black part is the broken one.  The black and white one is the new part. 

John, Sherlyon and Daniel.

John took it on a test drive and it blew off again so, back to Lowe's we went.  After modifying the part they came up with something that worked.  We were able to make it back to Daniel's house tonight.  The plan is to have the truck checked out at the dealership first thing Monday morning.   

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe. 

Cold Weather and Work

Not much going on around here but nasty cold weather and work.  It has been raining on and off for at least a week and cold temperatures have moved in.  I am not liking that.

I had been searching for a seasonal/temporary job since we arrived back in Mississippi and applied at all sorts of retail stores but none of them called.  A little over a week ago I contacted Pro Staffing Group which was formerly Legal Resources.  I worked as a temporary employee for them several years ago and decided to give them another try.  They called last Friday with a job opportunity.  I started Monday working for one of the older law firms in downtown Jackson.  The people are nice and the working conditions are great........it's the commute that's the killer.  It takes me almost an hour to get home.  Oh well, you can't have everything. LOL   

John still works at the Renaissance Mall as he does every year.  He has been very busy with that. 

We have visited with family when possible.  Ava is getting so big.  It is hard to believe she is already two years old.  It won't be long before our second grandbaby will be here. 

Robert, Ava and Kelsey 

Ava looks likes she is up to something. LOL

Ava modeling a new outfit.

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe. 

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all our family and friends.  Hope everyone had a wonderful day.  Mom Hatch, John and I had Thanksgiving dinner at Bob and Marcy's.   We had plenty of food and enjoyed spending time with family.

John and Mom Hatch having a conversation.

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Rain and cold weather.

Not much going on around here but rain and cold weather.  Last night the low was 31 degrees.  That is just too cold for my blood. LOL

John has been working at the Renaissance Mall almost everyday since we got back home. 

We have been able to see Ava a few times.  She is getting so big. 

Mom Hatch spent the day with us on Tuesday.   Fred really enjoys the attention she gives him. 

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Hill Family Gathering

The weather was just perfect for our Hill Family Gathering.  We had lunch at the Picadilly Restaurant then went back to Mom and Dad's to visit.

Annie, Bobby Ray, Charlie Mac, Dad, me and Hannah.

Ray and Nancy.

Charlie Mac, Dad and Bobby Ray

Charlie Mac, Laura and Dad.

Bobby Ray, Mom, Dad and Nancy.

John and Terry intently listening to someone.

It was so good to see everyone again.  We don't get the chance to get together with them very often so we really enjoyed our visit. 

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Veterans Day & a visit with Mom Hatch

Today we say thank you to all our Veterans, past and present.  Without their sacrifice we would not enjoy the many freedoms we have.  We salute them.

My Dad while he was in the Army and stationed in Germany.

Dad Hatch shaking hands with President Johnson.

John picked up Mom Hatch and brought her to our place for a visit today.  So good to see her. 

 You can tell that Fred enjoyed the attention.   

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.