We celebrated Christmas with our friends the Graves, including their two daughters and brand new grandson! His name is Porter. Kathy and Eric are uncommonly proud of their new offspring. He is a bright, handsome lad with thick, black hair and a pleasant disposition. (bottom picture)

We also had a visit from the Meyers--Shelly, Dave and Charlie(top picture). They live in California, Maryland (that's right). Some of you know this and some don't--Shelly is John's sister's daughter. We had a nice, relaxing week-end, starting with a dinner on Friday night with the mission president, his wife and some of their family.

Charlie Meyers will be 2 next month but already he is talking in full sentences and engaging in mind exercises like deductive logic.

It looks like things are quieting down, at least for a couple of weeks. The travel season is over after last week-end's trips to Orlando (mission presidents seminar)and Washington, D.C. (quorum meeting( and a mid-week visit to a zone leaders council in Statesville. It is rainy and bleak here, but not nearly what people are experiencing elsewhere. Jack's return flight from Provo was delayed several hours by weather in Salt Lake and across the country. He finally caught a non-stop that landed at 3 a.m. Marilyn and I took a nap on the floor, under the Christmas tree, before getting up to drive to the airport to pick him up. Yesterday, we got up late, straighten things up around the house, went to the mall to fight the crowds, then went to a matinee movie --Bolt. I am now officially in the Christmas spirit.

We were in Utah last week for Melyn's wedding and for Thanksgiving. We drove up and down the Wasatch Front, from Salt Lake to Ogden to Logan to Draper to West Jordan to Provo to Springville to . . . . We saw almost everybody. Above are a few pictures of the festivities. From the top: Melyn & Kyler outside the temple; at Mary Fielding Smith's home in the Pioneer Village; Melyn and Meredith; Jack and Joanna; Nathan, Joanna, Jack & Marilyn outside the temple; part of the wedding party (Whitehead/Gines/Jackson faction) on the temple steps.

Life goes on. Last week-end, I was in New Albany, Indiana, reorganizing the stake there. My senior companion was Elder Johnson, from Devonshire, England. He has been in the First Quorum since about 1990 and has served all over the world. Reorganizations (i.e., releasing the old stake presidency and calling a new one) are always great experiences, but they are also taxing. I left home at about 3 on Friday evening and got back at midnight on Sunday evening. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. Tomorrow, I'm off to Las Vegas for Thomas Giles' wedding. Then next week-end, I'll be back in Louisville for Coordinating Council. Charleston, WV is on my itinerary, as are Charlotte, Orlando and Washington, D.C., New Albany again, and Winston-Salem. (Interesting fact: the new stake president in Winston-Salem, whom I will train, is John Taggart Marsh.)

Still trying to figure this out.

I figure, if I just try to create a new post every now and then, I'll pick up on what I'm doing.

And pictures are nicer than words.

Williamsburg

Hello again! We're back from a week in Williamsburg, VA. This was our first use of the time share condo we bought last year and it was great. We had two bedrooms, a kitchen, dining area and living room, located about 10 minutes from the historical area. Jan and Jack Woolley flew in from Seattle and we saw the sights, had some fine dining experiences, took a few (!) photos and generally relaxed and had a good time.

While most of our time was spent in Colonial Williamsburg, we also visited Jamestown, the site of the first permanent English colony in America--1607. The weather was perfect. The crowds were small. John had to leave on Friday for an Area Council meeting in Orlando. Marilyn, Jan & Jack visited Yorktown on Saturday; then drove back to Raleigh.

First Entry

In the latest of many failed attempts to create a record of our joint existence, we are starting a blog. A few notes, a few pictures . . . that will get us started.

It is an (almost) empty nest. The Campbells have decamped to Philadelphia but the Howingtons--Ben & Annie--have temporarily relocated from Brooklyn to our basement so their little Lila can be treated at Duke Medical Center.

Upstairs, things are in an uproar. The kitchen is undergoing a facelift. We hope to be done by the end of this week, but who knows?



In recent weeks, John was in the west--Sun Valley for a fundraiser, Salt Lake for Kirt's & Emily's sealing, Seattle for a few days with the Monroe clan and Canby for a few days of chores and horseback riding with the Taggarts & Mikkelsons. It was lots of fun and very relaxing. Now he is back home, trying to save Western Civilization from financial ruin.