I JUST HAVE TO SAY

I sure miss her.
*sigh*
The good news is that A & K and Miss Grace are coming out to visit over the President's Day weekend, so I will get more time with that sweet baby. I really need my Gracie fix. Badly. I am so addicted.

WELL, IT IS JANUARY AFTER ALL...

And so I thought it appropriate to show some pictures of snow. I was reading The Tennessean online tonight and found these pictures entitled "History of Snow in Nashville".

This photo is by John Partipilo: Jordan Road in Franklin, 1997

This photo is by Shelley Mays: Williamson County in 2000.

This photo is by Sanford Myers: Thompson's Station February 2004.

This is another photo by Shelley Mays: January 2003 view of Broadway with Union Station Hotel in the background.

Another beautiful photo by John Partipilo: View of westbound I-24 in 2004.
I loved these photos. As I looked at them closely, for a minute, I could pretend that I was looking out my own window and that the fire crackling in our fireplace was warming me against a much colder night than it here in San Diego. Maybe even with some snow.

Oh yeah, we have a fire in our fireplace. It will be drop down to 40 degrees tonight (coastal temperatures, and much colder inland) which I know is warm compared to most of the country's weather tonight...but that is cold enough for us to have a fire in the fireplace.

GRACE CHECKING IN

I got this cute video from A on my cell phone Saturday. It totally made my day!

I just can't get enough of that sweet face.

MEMAW AND GRACE

Here is a pic of Grace and me. I fell in love with this beautiful girl the moment she was born. A moment I will never forget. My life will never be the same. I remember thinking the same thing when my children were born. I was blessed with four children and now my life is blessed with a grandchild. My life is good.

MISSING GRACE

I'm back home --I flew out mid-morning Sunday...it was a very cold Utah morning--about 23 degrees when we backed out of the driveway at 9:40--a heavy layer of frost covered the truck, lawn and roof tops. It was so beautiful and I was sad that I was leaving.

It was all I could do not to cry as I kissed and hugged my daughter good-bye when they dropped me off at the terminal. I had given Grace lots of kisses earlier and decided not to open the truck to do so again...exposing her to the cold air and waking her. Isn't she precious?

My cell phone was full of pictures, as was my laptop...and my camera from some photos I had snapped that very morning. Here is one I snapped of the three of them before we left the house. Aren't they a beautiful family?

KEEPING THE WATCH

While A was nursing Grace tonight....here is where Kayla and Briggs were...at the foot of the bed. When Grace cries (or squeals), Kayla is on alert to make sure that Grace is okay...then she returns to her post. Briggs on the other hand (remember he is the mellow one) figures that Kayla has it under control....

Right, Briggsy?

Oh, were you talking to me? I was listening to the music dad is playing in his office....Ya know, Eva Cassidy has got some pretty mellow tunes, Memaw.

MEANWHILE....

I thought I'd show some of the rest of what is going on when Grace is sleeping (or nursing)....here is the view from A & K's front window. It had snowed a few days before I flew in...and this is what was still there this morning. How's this for a view with your morning coffee?

And this is the view from the back...out of the kitchen and dining windows. Call me crazy but I love it. The air is so clean and fresh and cold. It was 30 degrees Sunday night when I let the dogs out and 40 degrees we we woke up the next morning. Did I already mention that I love it?

Oh yeah, the dogs....meet Briggs (he looks tough, but he very mellow and a cuddler)

And Kayla...sweet girl--she is the hyper one...on alert and ever watchful.

I snapped these Sunday night while the sheppies and I were hanging out enjoying a fire in the fireplace (baby Grace and mama and daddy were still at the hospital). They also slept with me both nights...and just so ya know....Briggs likes to hog ALL of the bed.

Remember how I said I was loving the cold weather and snow? Well, it is January and I expect this kind of weather at this time of year...(hoping to get some of that when we move to Tennessee).

I was even happier to be in Utah when I saw the front page photo of our newspaper at home in San Diego, where this photo below was taken....today's weather...HOT and dry. Ugh...NOT so January like.

I am glad I am here in Utah....I mean really...who wants to be seen in a bathing suit right after Christmas????

YUP, YOU KNEW IT WAS COMING...

More pictures of little Grace. She is home from the hospital--her first car ride....errrrr, truck ride. And apparently she is not the least bit impressed with the hoopla awaiting her arrival home. Grace is a Daddy's girl already. She just settles right down with him. He has this swaddling thing down! Grace's Miracle Blanket arrived today and makes Grace a very contented little girl.

Oh yeah, she has her Daddy's dimple on her right cheek....and here is proof!

Oh my....look at that face....I think she is really tired of the paparazzi routine already. But that won't stop me....I'm her Memaw and there is no deterring me.

DRUM ROLL PLEASE...

Introducing Grace Brooke.....While A & K wrestled with agreeing on the perfect name for their little angel baby...Miss Grace had some good awake time and I was able to snap a few pictures with my phone before she nursed and went back to sleep (for a short time).

CALL ME MEMAW

Our beautiful grand-daughter was born at 6:10 pm, January 10, 2008 and weighed 8 pounds 5 ounces and was 21 inches long. This was just about the only pic I was able to get where she was not exercising her lungs! Apparently Mama and Daddy did not get much sleep last night.A went into labor early in the morning, called me at 8:10 San Diego time to let me know that they were at the hospital and in labor. I got online, booked a flight and arrived at 3:45 pm Utah time. K's mom, Janeen picked me up and we zipped up to the hospital. When I got there A was pushing and I was able to assist K for the next hour and a half until "baby girl" popped out!

She does not have a name yet....We're all hoping that mama and daddy can decide so we can stop calling her baby girl.

I'll be here in Utah with them for the week, and will be posting as much as I can

ON MY LIST OF THINGS TO SEE

I bookmarked this Tennessee vacation website some time back and then completely forgot about it until I stumbled on it again this morning. I plan on exploring some of the links and read more about things to do when we move there.

GETTING INTO MOVE MODE

Whoa...2009 is here. Finally.

What I want to know is this...where the heck did the week between Christmas and New Year's go?

My son, T was here for that week and left this morning to drive back to OR with his dad and on Sunday, he flies back to Jacksonville and will get back to studying for his Flight Engineer classes. It was really good to see him and the week seriously flew.

Today we went to the San Diego Auto Show and we specfically looked at trucks (for Bruce) and Jeeps (for me). Oh, and we drooled over a few others that are out of our financial reach (our dream cars) -- unless we win Lotto.

Well, we can dream, right? It is always fun to check out the new models and colors and features. I got a kick out of the Raptor simulator and the Ford Robot, too.

Tomorrow, I will take the Christmas tree down and put away all of the decorations (in the new Rubbermaid storage boxes we got today on sale at Walmart!) We put our decorations up in early December and I am more than ready to take everything down and put them away. I'm actually getting into "move mode".

So that means that my next task is to begin packing boxes with the knick-knacks, pictures, extra linens, towels and other household items that are not needed, but that we are taking with us. The items we are not taking and do not need right now will be sorted to give to the kids, sell or donate. We still have more of our garage to do the same with and we will probably use bigger chunks of weekend time to do that.

We're looking into using ABF U-pack to move our things across country. We'd prefer to pack everything in the trailer ourselves anyways and it will save us a lot of money this way. Always a good thing.