Texas Skies: New Years and Our Tyler Trip

One of the mornings there was frost all over everything. It was beautiful!

I keep meaning to post about our trip to Tyler, but life has been busy. So, I'm just now getting around to it!

After a relaxing Christmas week, most of us had to go back to work for a couple days. Then on Friday the 28th of December, we headed out to Tyler, in East Texas, to have a weekend of visiting with our Grandparents (mom's parents), aunts, uncles and cousins. We got out there on Friday, late afternoon, and had supper together with Poppy and Grams, Aunt Jill who currently resides with our grandparents, and our Uncle Abe, who also lives there. Grams loves playing different games; Jaden and I (Phoebe) played Chinese checkers and Aggravation with her that evening. The visiting was wonderful, especially since we hadn't seen them since Christmas 2011.

Saturday was filled with lots of stories from Poppy about their recent time in Colorado, more games played (Mexican train, cards, etc.), and lots of good food. One thing that was quite hilarious was when Johanna, Caleb, Joel and I played a funny writing game. What makes it hilarious is that each person writes a sentence, and then starts another sentence, but doesn't finish it. So, the next person finishes that sentence - without knowing what the previous sentence says - then writes another full sentence and a half. You continue that pattern until you've written a long story. And the fun is when you read it at the end, and none of it is congruent, but it gives you a good laugh! One particular line that cracked Poppy up was the line I wrote, "She contemplated suicide, but thought to herself, "how could I live with myself?"" ;)

Poppy is such a great guy! :)

Sunday morning, we awoke to frost all over everything, and I couldn't resist to take my camera out there, and snap some photographs. Unfortunately, the camera just couldn't capture the true beauty that morning.

I liked how the sun shown through the trees, and created a sort of mystical feel.

Frost covered leaves

An odd shaped tree

I love the shadows from the trees in this picture.

Barbed wire

Frost all over the field. And fog covering the trees in the distance. Looks so peaceful.

Even for the frost, there were still little green plants peaking through the leaves on the ground.

Sun beams on the frost.

Wild mushrooms

Sunday morning we had the privilege of attending church with Uncle Abe. He'd been wanting us to come to church with him for a long time, so he was happy we could and so were we! After church, we went back to the house, and got lunch on the table. Grams is famous for her delicious biscuits, so she decided to whip up another batch. (She had already made a couple batches during the time we had been there.) This time, I video recorded her, and you can watch it if you want right over here on YouTube. She's a good baker and cook - my inspiration! :)


Filming Grams at work, making her scrumptious Angel Biscuits.

Grams testing her baking creations.

Don't those just look so soft and fluffy?!

After lunch, and later in the afternoon, Poppy got a big bond-fire going down the hill. Aunt Jen & Uncle Charles, and their kids arrived, and we had a nice fire, with hotdogs, smores and campfire twist bread.

Campfire twist bread, around a hot dog. Josh came up with this brilliant idea!

Once the fire died down, and all the food had been consumed, we head back indoors. And the crazy games of nertz commenced. This can get wild, and I mean WILD. And loud, too. But, it's so much fun, and we all love each other... so no competition (ha, right!).


Nertz, here we go!!

Monday, Aunt Jen and two of her three kids came over again in the mid-morning. We had fajitas for lunch (so good!!), I made eggnog and pretzels later in the afternoon, and we just had a wonderful time of being together. I also had the opportunity to help Grams out with some computer stuff. She's not that great with computers (at least not with blogging, YouTube and Facebook!), so I was able to help her get some things straightened out. Oh, and she has a video of her white water walking in Colorado four months after her double hip replacement. You really should go check it out on her YouTube channel, it's quite amazing!

Family time: looking a Colorado pictures, playing with marbles, knitting and chatting.

Jo hold E.G., as I work on a computer project for Grams.

Looking at Colorado photos, and me helping Grams again. :)

Jaden had lots of fun with his youngest cousins, Zak and E.G. In fact, they're his only cousins that are younger than him!

Johanna hold E.G. and chats with Aunt Jill.

Making pretzels!

I must have put a bit too much baking soda in them, because they tasted a too baking soda-ish.

Monday afternoon, Mom, Dad, Joel and Jaden had to head on back to our home. Caleb, Abby, Johanna and I were able to stay an extra day, which was really nice! Monday evening, we watched a couple movies, and had leftovers. Yum!

Tuesday morning Poppy asked each of us about our hopes, dreams, aspirations, goals - long term and short term - and we had a really good conversation with him about it all. Each of us got to talk (hehe!), and Poppy shared godly wisdom that he's acquired over the years. It really was a neat time of conversation. Maybe he asked us about that since it was New Years day. :) I'm grateful that we have grandparents who are following the Lord, and who give godly, sound advice - even when you don't ask for it! :)