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I love seeing our family grow.  Or maybe I should say that I love seeing our family grow UP.  As we progress through life, we create new traditions and memories with all of the crazy things we do.  It's gotten to the point now that when we get together, we don't want to waste a single minute.  We don't isolate ourselves anywhere in the house over the reunion, and in fact, we pack every minute full of fun and new memories. I know, I know.  Some people would say that we are doing things all wrong.  That when we get together, it should be an organic experience, and it should be a time of relaxing.  But we don't really enjoy that way of being.  We travel as a pack for the few short days, and we literally make the most of every minute, so much so that when our time together is over, we are EXHAUSTED, but in the very best of ways.  We think about all of the things we did, and we laugh, and we text each other, wishing that we were still together. ...

28 years.  That's pretty amazing.  I mean, when I was a kid, and I thought about people being married for 28 years, that meant they were OLD :-)  I don't think of John and me as old, but 28 years is definitely a long time to be together! Since we aren't traveling these days, getting away to Altoona feels like quite a treat (I know, right? Who would have ever thought?). John is still moonlighting for the hospital in Altoona.  They are short on OBs who will cover call, and we're extremely short on money, so why not?  Plus, they put us up in a nice hotel and pay for John's flight.  I drove Greenie there because we were exchanging televisions (why keep the nice TV in an empty house?), so the hospital got off paying for a rental car for John. Number 28 spent in Altoona, but spent how we normally do--eating out at every restaurant that offers a free meal to a veteran.  Here's a small recap of the day: First, a clean car.  We live off of a dirt roa...

We go to Grand Cayman enough now that I don't feel like I need to post about it overtime we go.  However, this past week was really special. Happy anniversary to us! We were there for a medical conference (like usual), and we were there to celebrate our anniversary (like usual), but there were a couple of new links in the Cayman chain. And I can't keep writing without mentioning my honey.  I love him.  I'm so thankful we're living this life together.  Things get difficult, and he's always there for me.  He joked that if he's the Skipper, I'm Ginger, but I like to think I'm more of a Gilligan.  Working together to get everyone home safe. <3 We stayed at The Sunshine Suites across the street from the Westin, because the Westin is undergoing renovations and didn't have room for all the attendees.  Best thing EVER!  We discovered the best food on the island at the poolside restaurant, The Sunshine Grill.  I feel like I probably ...

Today, while diving in Grand Cayman, my thoughts were turned to Alaska.  Crazy, right?  There is a woman who is earning her instructor license with Mac, and she just happens to be from Canada.  We were talking about the untouched wilderness that exists in so much of Canada and Alaska, and our conversation turned to what else, but bears.  Yep, both Grizzly and Black.  She asked why I had been there, and I was able to share a bit of a trip I took there probably ten years ago. I went on a small boat with National Geographic.  I think there were maybe 40 passengers total.  About half of the people were these "older" folks (I laugh now, because I'm probably not too far off their age), and the other half were their adventure-loving, young adult, single children obviously living on the parental dole.  I can't judge because I was there on my mother's dime. Each day was a pretty legit adventure.  There were some days made for tourist stuff, and we...

Ethan and Rebecca had planned a trip back to Michigan for a while.  I believe Ethan's desire to sit in the Big House once again was a major player in the decision, but in the end, in my mind, they came back for so much more. Every time we see them again after an absence, we have to reintroduce ourselves to Baby.  I suspect it has something to do with Baby's little baby brain and how she can't remember things and people for an extended period of time, but whatever the reason, it happens.  We try to remind her of who we are via FaceTime, but it's just not the same.  Seeing her in real life is when the magic happens. The fun part was that John and I had actually just seen her a week earlier.  We were in Altoona while John was moonlighting for his old hospital, and Baby and Rebecca were in South Pennsylvania visiting Rebecca's mom.  I asked if they would come up for lunch, and thankfully they agreed!  We got pedicures, but after mine was done, I got to...

With the arrival of Baby almost two years ago, I've had it in my head that I should head down to Albuquerque with Baby in tow to get a five generation picture of all of us with my Granddad McMillin.  It didn't go down exactly how I had hoped, but in the end, it was an emotional and wonderful weekend. I contacted my mom about it all.  After all, she's generation number two.  She told me, via email, that she wouldn't be able to go until next year.  This didn't surprise me--my mother never agrees to anything, and I have no doubt that next year, if I contacted her again, she would put me off until an even later date.  When I contacted Vannette (my granddad's wife) about the date, she told me she wasn't sure waiting would work because my granddad is dying. Hold the phones.  What? That's right.  Vannette told me that he was dying, and she assumed that I knew because she had told my mother this information last year. Feather #1,762 in my dysfunctional...

Last week in Johannah's weekly email home, she spoke to my worries about our house not selling.  I told her that we are months away from either foreclosure or bankruptcy, and she had one thing to say:  It'll be okay, Mommy.  God always has a plan. Several months ago, I would have found Hannie's response trite and unfeeling.  However, these past couple of months have torn me down to my core, and I have done everything in my power to bring myself closer to Him so that I can better understand exactly why I am required to suffer. Everyday, I go walking five to eight miles, depending on how I'm feeling and how much time I have. I mentally accepted President Monson's challenge to read the Book of Mormon back in the spring, so half of my walk is spent listening to several chapters in the Book of Mormon.  Then, I give myself a few minutes to think about what I heard--what thought came to my mind, or what words struck me--and I instantly find a General Conference tal...

A couple of years ago, I read "David and Goliath", a book by Malcolm Gladwell.  In it, the author discussed wealthy individuals who grew up with nothing but through hard work, became multi-millionaires.  One of the  main concerns of these rich men was how to raise their own children with the same desperation and desire to make something of themselves when they already have everything.  Would their kids grow up with the same appreciation of the mighty dollar as they had? When I say that I am thankful for my family, I feel the same kind of appreciation of and desperation for a family as those wealthy men did for money when they were young.  My entire life has been spent feeling very alone; feeling as if I need to figure everything out myself because there's no one to help me.  And when I think about "families", those people who have a network of support and love and instant friends, I knew (and still know) that that is my ultimate goal. I do a lot of gene...