Arnold's 50th Anniversary!

Our last travels for the holidays took us to Kansas City to celebrate the Arnold's 50th wedding anniversary. We had a big family picture taken during the summer for them and took them to dinner. They insisted they didn't want a big party, so hopefully, we gave them what they wanted--family. We had a very nice day and evening. George & Dorris, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY and many more to come!

Christmas at the Taggart's

We spent the 26th & 27th at Mom and Dad's celebrating Christmas with them and the Wilson's (my sister and family). Katie & Brian (bottom right) couldn't be there, but we wanted them to know we were thinking of them! They flew off to Denver for a wedding and some skiing. Hope the bears don't get Katie!! Cherish (Josh's finace--sp??) was there to experience the big gift exchange (we all seem to know what we're getting each year!). That will all change next year!!

December 26th--Jack Day!!

Jackson came to be with us the day after Christmas! We baked cookies, put together a ginger bread house, fed the birds, played vet with his new pet care center, performed experiments with his new scientist kit, played with Noel, played Jenga---Whew! 6 year olds are full of energy!! The last two pictures are Ashley and Jack's traditional "good" and "silly" pictures! They're both really good at the silly one! John and Ann got a little shopping in that day (and hopefully a little rest) and then joined us for dinner that evening. What a great day!

Christmas Eve & Christmas Morning

Christmas Eve the girls usually open one gift--their Christmas PJ's! Ashley got to open hers (bottom right) after the Christmas Eve service at church since she was the only one with us on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning, she got her Santa gift (top right) and Noel got her stocking. We actually woke up to watch Noel, because I really thought she would have a heart attack guarding that stocking all day!! We opened the rest of the gifts when Katie & Brian and George & Dorris (Mick's Mom & Dad) got there. We had a big turkey dinner that night!

Ashley's Apartment

Ashley decorated her apartment this year. Mick and I stopped by for a look at the tree and to get a few pictures. I think this is the first year Ashley and Katie have put up trees since leaving home. Mick thought it was just horrible that they didn't have Christmas trees up. This year he was happy with his girls!

Christmas Decorations--love them!

I think we spent THREE DAYS decorating the house this year. For those who didn't know, Mick is a HUGE Christmas decorating nut. If he's not shopping for ornaments or fun decorations before and immediately after Christmas, then he's on ebay looking for goodies! He does love his Christmas. Especially when both girls are here!

Merry Christmas!!

Our Sunday School had their Christmas party Saturday evening. We had a progressive dinner. It started at the Bartley's with a fabulous salad. We were then on to Betty Comstock's where Dana and Toy served up delicious lasagna, green beans, and Texas toast. The end of the road was at our house where we had dessert. Then the gift-giving began!! A couple of us were able to get some unwanted items out of our garage--yahoo! Those crazy boxers with HO HO HO across the back showed up again--imagine that!! Jack/Jake didn't hesitate to model his gift. Charles was our model last year. Who will it be next year, and how worn out are those poor boxers going to be???? Stay tuned to Christmas 2008!!

Yummy Thanksgiving!

We went to Mom and Dad's for Thanksgiving. Everyone was there--Mom, Dad, Sara, Jeff, Josh, Chris, Katie, Brian, Ashley, Mick, and me--oh, and Noel. We'll be welcoming Cherish (sp??) next year!! Mom assigned everyone--nearly everyone--a job. Katie baked the chocolate pie this year--nice job! Ashley made the dumplings--fabulous! We went back to our house Friday to decorate the tree. Brian's folks and sister were able to join us Saturday morning for brunch before Katie and Brian headed back to Nashville. The meal was yummy, as usual, and the company was the best. Can't wait now for Christmas!!

Circle of Care

I have no pictures for this, but it was amazing to have so many of our group together today! Our Sunday School came together as a whole and met at Pizza Hut for lunch after church. Charles reserved a room for about 25 and I think over 40 showed up. What a fantastic problem! We continue to have the best Sunday School EVER!

Women of Faith

Toy, Dana, Lisa, Carolyn, and I went to Oklahoma City for a Women of Faith conference November 1st through 3rd. What an experience! The rest have been many times, but this was my first. We left Thursday when everyone was able to leave work and stopped in Tulsa for dinner. Don Pablo's was our destination, but we had to deal with a very unhappy Toy when we discovered it was closed. Applebee's was good, but just did not measure up.

Friday we took our time getting around and were able to find an IHOP at about 10:30. After an extremely entertaining time in the car with Onstar (I think we saw ALL of Oklahoma City), we eventually headed to Garden Ridge--what a place! We met up there with Sara, my sister, and she guided us to On the Border for "linner" (about 3:30). The food was great (according to everyone but Dana) and we had some entertainment! One of the waiters (a bit cocky) was delivering about 8 drinks at a time to a table and spilled a couple at one of the booths. He proceeded to walk through all the people in the foyer who were waiting to get in and dumped several there. Drinks are continuously sloshing over the edge of this tray, yet he continues on! He gets to our table and tells Sara he is walking behind her and will probably drip on her! He FINALLY gets to his table, and I think he has one drink in tact. He puts it on the table, takes his tray, and heads to the kitchen dripping liquid ALL THE WAY! What a show. Needless to say, we didn't see him the rest of the evening---we're thinking fired city!!

And the reason for our trip---the conference. There are really no good words to describe the feeling you have at a conference like this. There were about 16,000 women there. I guess it was sort of like kids going to camp. You were either laughing or crying most of the time. The speakers and artists were WOW! My favorite music was when Nichole Nordeman sang and when Sandi Patti sang How Great Thou Art---amazing. Patsy Clairmont was a fabulous and inspiring speaker and pretty much kept you in stitches! How can someone older than me be that peppy! Anyway, the stories are endless and we'll be laughing for a very long time when we think of or see styrofoam boxes!!

Kansas City, here we come!

The Bartley's, Comstock's, and Arnold's headed to Kansas City October 26-27 for a little R&R. We stopped at Osceola (of course!) for some cheese sampling. Some of that stuff is really hot!! We checked into the hotel and went to Winstead's for dinner---fried egg sandwiches. What hamburger joint sells fried egg sandwiches?? It was great! We spent the rest of the evening playing cards and eating every snack under the sun. We also had to play Sequence until the guys won, so we proceeded to let them win so we wouldn't spend all evening on one game. They will tell a different story.

On Saturday morning we spent some time "playing" then went to the Plaza to shop. Restoration Hardware was fabulous, as usual. We put our name in at the Cheesecake Factory and shopped until they were ready for us. Banana cream cheesecake--what a treat! The day was all around a beautiful day--the weather, the friends, and the time spent laughing and relaxing.

Sunday School Wiener Roast!

We had a Sunday School wiener roast last Saturday. The weather was perfect! Had a little trouble keeping the fire going, but we found enough flame to roast those hot dogs and marshmallows! (Who is that lady eating smores?!) We have the very best Sunday School class EVER! After the roast, we went up to Betty's with the Bartley's and Comstock's to watch a scary movie. Noah wanted to see his first scary movie--it was pretty much my first, too, since I'm a scardy cat--so we all watched one together. It was an oldie--Poltergeist (sp??)--but I managed to have a pillow over my eyes much of the time. Thanks so much Mick and Craig for the cute little window pounding. Good thing I didn't let the tongue slip too badly!! Check back early next week. We are headed to Kansas City this weekend (Bartley's, Comstock's, Arnold's) and I'm sure we'll have stories to tell!!

Happy Halloweener!

Isn't she a cutie?! Noel usually doesn't like to wear sweaters or costumes, but this year she is loving her new attire!! She'll be answering the door this Halloween to help hand out candy and we'll make sure we say "Happy Halloweener"!

Having fun and keeping busy!

We have been busy with friends, family, and church activities! Mom and Dad came through Wednesday on their way to Oklahoma to see Sara. We had a nice visit, went to breakfast (YUM!) Thursday morning, then they were on their way.

Saturday evening, Craft's and Comstock's came over for soup and stromboli. We were hoping for cooler weather so we could make smores on the chiminea, but we'll have to save that for another time.

Lexie and Ella decorated a few pumpkin cookies and thoroughly wore out the dog. She hasn't slept that good in a lloonngg time!! Aren't they cuties!!

Sunday was the infamous pie auction at church. I spent the afternoon baking a chocolate and peach pie. We had the $1 chili supper, then the fun began. I think the highest pie from an individual went for $3200. The final pie bought by 50 donars at $100 each ($5000) was thrown into the face of Lisa Wilson. She made sure Gary got a little of that! The total for the evening was $22,025 (give or take a few bucks). NICE!!

Great times!!

Happy Birthday, Toy!!

What a fantastic weekend!! We went with the Bartley's and Comstock's Friday evening to Flame to celebrate Toy's birthday. We then went back to our house for cake, gifts, and "chimechanga" as Toy calls it. The weather was PERFECT for sitting in front of the chiminea, so we just didn't seem to find time for cards. Too much good company.

Saturday, Mick and I went shopping for a new entertainment center. We're getting things ready to get that flat screen. Dana has already asked if we'll have it by Super Bowl!! Here's hoping!!

Sunday we had our Circle of Care group to the house for a pot luck lunch. WOW! The food was delicious! There were 19 of us--what a great group! It is so nice to get together with friends.

Our Sunday School is fabulous and the support is amazing.

Travels

Ashley was able to get to Baltimore for a couple of days to see Ann, John, and Jackson! She had a great time. From the pictures, it looks like they had plenty of time to be silly!! Ash was excited to get to go to an Orioles game. Jack decided Ashley needed to see him in his Halloween costume from last year. He also decided she needed to dress up, too! What a couple of cuties!!

I was able to go to Katie's this past weekend. We worked on getting pictures on the wall in their new house. We also had some time to shop and experience The Melting Pot. We had some good "fundue" as Brian calls it. I forgot my camera, so no pictures of this trip!

Chicago, Chicago!

We started our Chicago experience with a limo ride from the airport. Apparently, it's not much more than a cab ride! Mick and Bob were attending a conference, so Barb and I took advantage of a little vacation time. Mick and Bob were able to join us for several excursions.

Our first outing was to Millenium Park. This is the home of the big bean. It's a giant bean-looking thing that is basically a mirror. We took pictures of ourselves in the bean.

We found Gino's East--the pizza place where you can write your name on the walls, ceiling, floor, wherever! Those pizzas are huge!! One piece was enough for me.

Chicago (cont)

Tuesday evening we went to Navy Pier. I just loved looking out over the water--Lake Michigan. We went on the big Ferris Wheel and the view was beautiful. We stopped at Bubba Gumps for dinner that evening--YUM!

The highlight of our trip was being able to get tickets to the Cubs game. What an amazing stadium! I don't think there were 5 empty seats in the whole place. We enjoyed a Chicago dog and witnessed true fans. The goosebump moment was during the National Anthem. When we got to the part about ". . .proof through the night that our flag was still there" that place began cheering. It only escalated as the song ended. What a feeling! It was also so funny when the Phillies hit a home run into the Chicago bleacher section. They threw the ball back!! What a great night!

Chicago (cont.)

Thursday night we went to Ed Debevic's--a 50's diner. There was dancing on the counters, juke box music, and a lot of noise! Another great evening!!

Chicago was a fun experience. It is amazing how different it is from one end of the United States to the other--loads of great things to do!

School Days, School Days!

Ashley has been busy, busy in her classroom getting ready for the upcoming year. She hates to wait until the last minute to get things done, so her room is ready to go and it is still July!! Certainly not like her mother. She's going with a Safari theme since the building theme is "Wild About Learning". Her Grandma Taggart bought her some zebra print for her bulletin boards and she found some great deals on blow up animals. Those Beanie Babies we've collected and have no idea what to do with are really coming in handy! It is exciting to watch her get excited about an upcoming year. She's such a good little teacher!!

Quiet times with friends

What a wonderful, quiet time eating Mexican food, swinging on the swing, sitting in front of the chiminea, and visiting about anything. That's what we did last night with the Bartley's. You know you're good friends when you don't have to clean the house before they come!!

Mick and I headed to Silver Dollar City today. We just wandered around the park for a couple of hours, then headed back to Springfield for lunch. I think a nap is in order for this afternoon. A weekend without specific plans was just what we needed.

Oh, the plans we have made for the coming months, though!

Short Visit!

Ashley and I ran up to Jeff City Thursday for a quick visit with Mom, Dad, Jeff, Sara, and Chris. It doesn't matter how short the time, it's still good to see everyone! Sara decided it was time to learn how to fry chicken, so she spent her time in the kitchen watching Mom. We've both learned a recipe means nothing when it comes to family meals. You have to WATCH them cook. There is always some little secret that makes it taste to special! The fried chicken was fabulous and we even got in a little shopping. We spent a little time planning a bit for Mom and Dad's 50th wedding anniversary. That is coming up in April, 2008. What a special time that will be!! Mom, trust us. It will be special! We all headed home this morning, but were able to get in a few last minute pictures.

Arnold's turn!

Last weekend was the weekend Katie and Brian promised to Grandma and Grandpa Arnold for Christmas. They arrived Thursday night and we all spent the weekend shopping, eating, and taking pictures! We decided to have a family picture made for George and Dorris since we can't seem to get them to agree to a 50th Wedding Anniversary party. I can't wait to see the pictures--think they'll be fantastic! I didn't get many of my own, but you can see Katie was quite attached to Tim's dog, Husker. The guys spent Saturday afternoon playing virtual golf--or something like that. I think 18 holes of electronic golf takes as long as a regular golf game!! We had a relaxing time and Grandma and Grandpa got to keep Ashley for the whole week following. She stayed in Kansas City to take a counseling class towards her masters degree. Kaitlin and Nicholas are all grown up. Kaitlin will be a junior this year, is driving, and has a boyfriend--all the regular teenage stuff. Nicholas, and his dad, are DEEP into ball--baseball, football, etc. They keep Grandma and Grandpa hopping several times a week to ball games. Great family fun last weekend!

The Firefall Adventure!

WHAT A DAY! Bartley's and Comstock's met at Arnold's at 1:30 Saturday to load up the vehicles and head for Firefall Fun. We unloaded the cars and headed to the usual "spot" while storm sirens were blaring in our ears. Did we stop--no! It was obvious the storm was going around us. We set everything down and organized all the poles for the tarp when the Firefall people decided it would probably be best if everyone waited in their cars. Evidentally, there was another storm headed our way with strong winds and rain. We dragged everything back to the cars (in case you don't understand the tradition, we take lawn chairs, coolers--1 per family, a tarp, cameras, binoculars, bags of food, you get the picture) and decided to wait out the storm. IT DIDN'T COME!! We went BACK into Firefall--our spot was still available--and began the process of setting up. It became evident the storm was coming after all. Well, we were in and that was that. It now became a race to get the tarp up before the storm hit--WE DID IT! Once we all got into our chairs, the rain began. Then the wind. It was a site to behold watching us hold up the tarp poles as well as our umbrellas--yes, we took those, too. We moved all the food, etc. to the middle under the tarp so it wouldn't get wet--HA! I think Toy and I knew it was over when we looked down and saw that everything in the middle was soaked. THE TARP IS NOT WATERPROOF! Who'd have thought!! Anyway, Dana, Craig, and John Paul managed to get all the "stuff" under a Firefall tent (another story) and the rest of us (see pictures since Dana was kind enough to take them) tore down that tarp. We were wet anyway--why not!! We trudged back to the cars--again--(I stomped through every puddle I could find--why not!!), and decided to head to respective homes to get dry. We met back at our house and devoured the food! YUM! Friendship with the Bartley's and Comstock's is just one adventure after another. We wouldn't have it any other way!! Love you guys!!

Our Little Bit of Heaven!!

Jackson came to visit today! He helped Mick feed the birds, picked tomatoes, played golf with Ashley and Mick, wrestled with Ashley and Mick, helped bake cookies (sugar & chocolate chip), helped make pizza, bowled, played air hockey, played computer games, and ate cake. What a busy day!! The day just flies by when he is here, but each time he comes, it is as if he were just here yesterday. He never forgets the things we do and asks to do them again! What a sweetie pie!! Hopefully, Ashley will be able to fly to Baltimore before school starts in August for another visit.

Night on the Town!!

What a fun evening! Comstock's, Bartley's, and Arnold's met at Cracker Barrel for a wonderful hometown meal. At SEVEN O'CLOCK, as the waitress said gruffly, (actually, about 6:45) we went outside to rock and wait for the fabulous limo Craig won on the radio for a two-hour ride. He was gracious enough to ask us all to share in the excitement! We rode around looking for people we know, but couldn't find anyone at home. We did find Dan at the church and asked him to step into the lap of luxury. We drank a few Coke's in our fancy "Irene" glasses and ate some Teddy Grahams. We even got ice cream at Andy's! Thanks so much to the Comstock's for another fantastic evening with friends!!

Friends R Fun!

Thursday evening was such fun!! It's pretty bad when you have to begin getting together week nights because your weekends are so full. Craig, Dana, Mick and I went to Charles and Toy's for a WOW meal and then played two great games of cards. I didn't notice a lot of cheating going on this time, but I'm pretty sure it was happening. Charles was in rare form and had an obsession with sticking out his tongue and trying (with some success) to get in every picture. There was just a whole lot of laughing, eating, and planning new adventures going on. Can't wait until next Thursday!!

The "Big" Garage Sale!

Katie and Ashley were both at home this weekend! Katie drove in Thursday night and the girls spent the day Friday setting up our garage sale, painting pottery at Firehouse Pottery, and shopping at White Barn Candle store for great bargains! Saturday was the garage sale--not tremendously profitable, but we got rid of some stuff. We ate out Saturday evening and made home made chocolate ice cream--YUM! We all went to breakfast with our Circle of Care group and Katie & Mick sang at church Sunday morning. It was a great family weekend--love it when both girls are home.

Happy Memorial Day!

WOW! What a wonderful weekend!! We got to spend time with Katie, Brian, and my mom and dad in Jefferson City on Saturday. We had a time of fellowship at church on Sunday. Dana and I saw Johnny Dep--I mean Pirates of the Caribbean on Sunday night--another WOW! Monday we went to Silver Dollar City with Craig, Dana, and the boys and Vic and Cricket. Above are a few pictures that show the fabulous time we had! We had to deal with a couple of delinquents--ask Dana or Vic about that story!! There were lots of people from church at the park--we even saw Pastor Eddie and his family. It is my understanding that he wasn't able to be convinced to get on the barn swings--some day!! Mick and I ended the day at a Springfield Cardinals game. We sat in the Redbird Roost, so we had all the hot dogs, nachos, and lemonade we wanted. Yum! The day was beautiful, the friends were special, and the fellowship--sweet.

Merry Christmas, Grandma & Grandpa!

Katie and Brian gave the gift of a visit to the grandparents' homes for the whole weekend as a Christmas gift this year. Memorial Day weekend was their visit to Grandma and Grandpa Taggart's! Mick flew to Nashville on Thursday and drove to Jefferson City with Katie and Brian on Friday evening. This gave him a chance to see their new home and 8 hours of visiting on the trip back! While in Jefferson City, we hit a couple of antique shops and a decorating shop--sorry Brian. We never stopped eating the whole time we were there. I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of my dad--sorry dad. We had a great time being together, and Mick and I will have both girls home again the weekend of June 8th--garage sale weekend!!

Happy Birthday youngest daughter!!

Happy Birthday, Ashley! You are officially 23 at 8:30 a.m. on May 15th! Your dad and I are hoping you will have a very special day with your kiddos at school, and then come home for a birthday dinner and your favorite cake! Love you bunches!!

Who are these people?

Imagine Dan's surprise when Bertha and her friends decided to join in with the singing specials--except they didn't sing! That would have been sooooo special! Bertha, it was so good to see your precious smile. We all want to know where you and your friends get your hair done.

Yahoo! I figured it out, Toy!! Thanks to Tim and a friend of his, on April 4th we were able to enjoy a very cold Royals game from 3 rows back. What an experience! We had a buffet meal (inside), leather seats, and all the coffee/hot chocolate/nachos/popcorn/peanuts/etc. you could eat!! We went with Mick's mom and dad. We all had a fabulous time! Thanks Tim and friend!!

I Looooove Color!

This is just a sample of what I was so busy doing yesterday! I was able to get my front flower garden planted, lots of pots, and my tomato garden. Mick really did a nice job building my tomato garden. Maybe we'll share a few--just a few!! Better go--I hear my swing calling!

Whew! What a day!!

I spent the whole day planting flowers, buying flowers, watering flowers--you get the idea. Mick and I did take a break to visit an antique show--always time for that! I spent Thursday afternoon and Friday at Mom and Dad's. It was their anniversary (49th), so we went out to eat Thursday evening. Friday we hit the nursery and bought tons of flowers. I love this one particular nursery they take me to near Jefferson City. I was hoping the mushrooms would have popped out, but no such luck. Dad said he would keep looking. I'll make a special trip just for good ole fried mushrooms--not the frozen kind!

This is my first blog attempt, so we'll see how it goes. I'm going to try to take pictures of all my flowers tomorrow. We'll see how smart I am at getting them to post!