Memphis trip...for girls only!

I'm heading to Memphis tomorrow for a family girls trip to see Wicked! I'm so excited to not only see the show, but to spend some time with my sister, mom, cousins and aunts! We are planning on going to Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma outlets tomorrow then enjoy a dinner downtown as well as visiting the Peabody and Beale street. The show is Saturday night and we don't have much else planned for that day...we'll just see what everyone wants to do. We've never done a trip with just the ladies in our family so everyone is excited to get together and enjoy a no-kid, no-husband trip!!

Dad's Birthday

Yesterday was my Dad's birthday...he would have been 62. To honor him on his birthday we took some of his ashes to the Reservoir, where he loved to sail, and scattered them at Hobie Beach. This is where his sailboat still sits, untouched for 2 years. He loved to sail and we spent many Summer days with him as he rigged up his catamaran and we set sail. I wish he could have taken Whit sailing on that boat. As much as Whit loves the water, he would have loved sailing with his Pops.

Some of you know that we scattered some of his ashes at Camp Bratton Green on the day of his funeral. Some were taken to Mount Nebo, Arkansas, just recently by the St. Philip's Mens Group who go camping there every year. Dad loved going on that camping trip with his friends and they honored him by doing that for us. They held a small service with a few readings and spread the ashes on an overlook where they always took their group picture. The reservoir was another of his favorite places to spend time so we knew we would wanted to honor that part of his life. My mom is leaving tomorrow to go to North Carolina to see her sister and she's taking some ashes to spread in the mountains there. We went to NC a lot when I was a child and I have many memories of our family trips there. We loved Sliding Rock, the Nantahala and Grandfather Mountain. Dad loved those trips because we spent time outdoors and just having fun!

I would like to share with you one of the things we read yesterday. It is a poem that was written by Jamie Dickson. Jamie is a camp friend our mine and Sarah's, a teacher at MCHS with my Mom and someone who knew my Dad's zest for life.

Weightless
--for Grif

Gravity loved him, even though
they fought like drunken
teenage prom dates.

Barrel-chested, his mountain
bike barely contained his
kinetic self--pure energy

preserved on his stocky frame.
His canoe didn't slice through
water gracefully; he left

gashes in the tea brown reservoir
wider than the sunshine of his
smile. And now, scattered

ashes across this swath of family
land north of town, he's still
not still. He lifts, mixed with

wind and warmth--lithe and lightness,
to keep going, keep moving,
gravity be damned.


I miss my Dad terribly and I wish he was here still. He would love seeing Whit grow up and teaching all about sailing, camping, tennis, bike riding and many many other things! Even though Whit might not remember Dad, he loved his Pops very much and there was a bond there that I witnessed every time they were together.

Philanthropist of the Year Awards Gala

Buddy and I joined our good friend Kathryn and Corey Schneider for a great event last night. Her father, Dr. Owen "Bev" Evans was nominated for the Philanthropist of the Year Award and the announcement was made at a Gala held at the Jackson Convention Complex...It was a great evening to get all dressed up, enjoy cocktails and dinner and to top it off, Dr. Evans WON!! He was by far the top candidate in my book! He's done absolutely wonderful philanthropic work for years and years and he's just such a genuine and nice man. Plus, he's a great paw-paw to our godson, Aiden! Anyway, it was a fun night and we're so happy he won. (also, just to show you how generous he is, he's giving all of the prizes to other charities to use to raffle/auction to raise funds for their own organizations...and these are good prizes too...Mexican Rivera trip, SummerHouse gift certificate, etc!!)
me and Kathryn (with Corey in the background with a smug look on his face??)

Buddy, me, Corey, Kathryn

Dr. Evans, Owen, Kathryn, Lynn

Dr. Evans accepting the award. Kathryn was so happy when they said his name that she cried! She's so proud of her father and she certainly should be...he a great man!

BEACH TIME!

So, these beach pictures are in no order...I'm just glad I got SOME pictures while we were at the beach. I ended up getting sick while we were down there...and I mean SICK...102 fever, body chills, sore throat. I was in bed for a day and a half! Thankfully, Mom and Sarah took over Whit and they took care of me too! We still had a good time with our family and it was fun to see Whit playing in the pool, on the beach and in the ocean. He loved it all!
Playing in the sand

My surfer dude

Sweet Olivia...Whit and Olivia had a blast at the beach together! I wish they lived closer...I guess we will just have to visit them in Vail!!!!

Oh, the fun toys of beach time!!

BEACH TIME!

Whit and Olivia playing in their pool on the beach

purple googles...he's ready for laps

snack break

burying the shark in the sand

Riley and Tanner...I think this is the only picture I took on our first night out to eat!

Random photos from a few weeks ago...

Whit and Aiden...they are BFF!

Whit loves my new rain boots...since he had two pair I figured I needed some for myself...how else are we going to enjoy stomping in puddles on a rainy day?

SuperMan with Diego slippers in the laundry basket...what a combo!?!?!

Whit loves the splash fountain at Renaissance

Trying to get wet...he is definately my water baby!

Maggie's Birthday Party

Here are some pictures of Maggie's 2nd Birthday Party at Laurel Park. This was before we went on our beach trip.

Not sure what face Whit is making in this picture...we had a hard time getting both him and Harper to smile at the same time!
Jude and Maggie eating their veggies! yay!

Jude, Maggie, Whit and Parker