It Ain't Just Lights and Presents!

We thank God that Christmas is truly a celebration of birth - new birth! Not only do we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, but if you know Him and have received Him as your Savior it is a wonderful time to celebrate being born again!!




















May your homes be bright with the joys of the season and may your heart be bright with the love of God!

Mike and Patti

New Arrival and Pictures

Baby Lucas has arrived. See the updated post below to see new pictures
of him and grandbaby #5 due in January!!

Mike

More Blessings On The Way!!!!!

We truly are blessed!! Here is the current grandkid count and forecast for those of you who follow such things:


#1 Aidan Everett - Son of Mike, Jr. and Morgan - 3 Years Old.
















#2 Cadence Bowman - Daughter of Nick and Abbey - 3 Years Old






















#3 Cole (Bubby) Bowman - Son of Nick and Abbey - 1 Year Old






















#5 Lucas Everett - Son of Mike, Jr. and Morgan - Due October 10th



















#5 Baby Girl Powell - Daughter of Todd and Paige - Due January 6th

















#6 Baby Bowman - Next blessed event for Nick and Abbey - Due April 29th

True Toxin Times

Last week Patti had botox injections in her right arm to help with Charlotte's ongoing rehab. For those of you new to the blog, Charlotte is our term of endearment for her right arm. This is the second time we have had this done and it really helps a lot. Patti has started a brief series of re-hab visits to improve her exercise routine to get the most out of the treatment.

We are thankful that the insurance we have had covers this. This treatment is the last one approved before we move to a new plan. God has provided wonderfully for us through the insurance plan she was under at the Sheriff's office! God provided it when we didn't even know we were going to need it and it was the right plan with the right provisions!

Please pray that Patti's new treatment will lead to even more lasting results!!

Forever in Him,

Mike

More Restaurant Fun

Here's a cool story! My mother June Everett, or Meemo to grand and great grandkids, found out that her deceased brother-in-law had some money to be claimed that was listed by the state. She applied for it and a few years later - voila! A check in the mail! She decided that since it was "found" money, she'd blow a little of it and took me, Patti and brother Lynn to dinner last Thursday. However, she did not take us to just "any" restaurant - we went to the French Room in Adolphus hotel in downtown Dallas. The French Room, has earned Gourmet magazine’s top ranking for the Dallas/Fort Worth region for three consecutive years, and is a wonderful five star restaurant. Believe me, the food lived up to its billing - grrrrreat!

Also, the decor is spectacular. Check out the frescos, columns and chandelier. Very nice, quiet dining.

Here are a couple of dishes - tenderloin with a rosemary peppercorn sauce (Mike) and a baked halibut dish (Patti). For dessert I had a chocolate souffle. Notice the Happy Birthday on the plate - chocolate sauce - nice. The sorbet in the lily bowl was served between the salad and the main course.

Bon Apetit!

Mike

Restaurant Week in Dallas

Every year in August Dallas holds "Restaurant Week." Obviously the restaurants in town aren't making enough money, so they have to come up with a way to entice people to eat out a little more. (Yeah, right!)


Anyway, Mike and Patti, Mike's brother Lynn, and June (Meemo) went to The Nana Grill at the top of the Anatole Hotel to enjoy their special menu for the week. While we were there, we were treated to a fantastic lightning show during dinner and a wonderful view of downtown Dallas at night.



Great time!

More Lagniappe - In West Texas

Patti and I also took a recent weekend to travel out to West Texas to see Betty and R.I. (Neeno and Geeto). We had a lot of fun playing games including bridge and "hand and foot." By the way, if you've never played hand and foot, you should try it. It's a great game for families and friends. You can find the rules in several places on the web, but here is one of them:


http://www.pagat.com/rummy/handfoot.html

















Anyway, a great weekend. We just don't see you guys enough!!!

One funny note - when we were driving up we noticed something unusual out in a field between Ralls and Crosbyton. A large silver-back gorilla was standing guard over a field. Still haven't figured this one out! Apparently, just a farmer up to some monkey-business!

Lagniappe in Louisiana

OK, altogether now!

Summertime, summertime, sum, sum, summertime...

Summertime is the big birthday time of the year for the grandkids. Aidan is in June, Cole in July, and Cadence in August. Of course, that will soon be changing with new babies coming in October and January. Anyway, after we got back from Thailand, we got to go to Louisiana to enjoy a joint birthday party for Cadence and Cole (Bubby).



Cute cake!

















Bubby had his own and, in typical first birthday fashion, enjoyed it immensely!
































The kids had fun!
















Cadence got a cool rain outfit!
















And, Stephen and Bubby got acquainted!!

Nice job Mom! We loved the time together!!!!

Long Awaited Follow-up!!

I know you'll never believe this, but Patti and I got stuck in customs and have been having our bags examined for six straight weeks!!! (Hmmm. Maybe that's not so unbeleivable after all?)

Actually, I probably need to have my head examined for taking so long to do this. (Or at least my time management!)

Yes, we made it back and, yes, we had a great time! Mike, Morgan and Aidan were gracious and patient hosts and never once threatened to throw us out of the house. Of course, the fact that we brought several bags of Cheetos over for them may have influenced their tolerance somewhat.

OK. Some highlights and pictures.

Right after arriving we got to enjoy Aidan's third birthday party. There was a nice crowd of friends on hand.

Everybody enjoyed the cake, especially Aidan.

We saw a lot of the sights of Chiang Mai including a huge Buddha (or is it Buddhette?):

We learned that even Buddha (Buddhette) takes it easy once in a while.

Chiang Mai from the mountaintop:

Stinky fruit at the market: (We didn't try it and because it was wrapped in plastic we didn't get to smell it. We're told we were very fortunate!

Lots and lots and lots and lots of motor bikes:

In fact, this picture just doesn't do it justice. There are thousands of these things around all the time. It is the preferred form of transportation. We saw bike drivers on cell phones, with babies in their laps, and as many as four (though we heard about five) on a single bike. It is a bike culture in Chiang Mai!

Here's another example. For those of us used to overwhelming government control of the comfort and condition of kids in the car, this was a little different!!

The ancient wall of the city of Chiang Mai. It was mostly destroyed during WWII by Japanese bombers.

There was always something beautiful to see in Chiang Mai and the surrounding countryside. This was a waterfall where we had a picnic.

This was an even bigger waterfall we visited a few days later.

We wondered where all the water for this one was coming from, so we looked around and, sure enough, we found the source of all that water......

Too bad there was a leak in the hose. Who knows how much bigger the falls would have been?

What trip to Thailand would be complete without a visit to the elephant camp! This was so much fun! I had no idea elephants were so friendly. Makes you think about getting one for a pet!

We also had a blast at the Chiang Mai Zoo. Below are the animals we got to see and, in the case of the Giraffes, feed!!

There are two videos that I want to pass along. The first was taken when Mike Jr. and I were out playing golf. We had the opportunity to feed some fish in a pond. It was fun! Watch what happens!

The second video was taken in Japan as Patti and I were waiting to ride the bullet train back to Tokyo from a tour of Mount Fuji. I always wonder why we don't have things like this in Texas!?!

During the tour in Japan it was a very rainy and foggy day. The picture on the left is what we were supposed to see on the tour. The picture on the right is what we did see!!

Fortunately the clouds lifted a little later and we got to see the mountain briefly.

But, enough of Japan!

What we really came to see was family. You really don't understand how much you miss and appreciate your kids and your grandkids until you go to visit them. We had an absolutely wonderful time throughout the trip. God blessed us with easy travel and safety and the ability financially and timewise to be able to go. Patti covered more and different kinds of terrain than I think she thought possible, but did it with ease and joyful determination. But in the end, this is what we came for and, what we enjoyed the most.

Mike, Morgan, and Aidan - Thanks for a wonderful time! We will never forget it!

Mimi and Pop