Picture taking in LA

I have decided on colors for the picture of our nuclear family. I am going to wear the jacket I bought in South Carolina with the large stylized flowers. You can wear black and white or the warm colors in this jacket. Check the blog on Charleston to see this jacket. Getting ready to see everyone!

Midsummer Night's Dream in DeRidder

Here I am with my tech girl (Kirsten Rudy) and stage manager (Logan Brown) for A Midsummer Night's Dream. We are all happy that everything went well.

My parents came to support their daughter and it was even Daddy's 85th birthday! His son-in-law took him out to eat and to buy a cool tool at Stine's.

Here are Kelsey Manning as Helena, Tim Moseley as Demetrius, Ryan Hitchens with the afro wig as Lysander, and Danielle Gonzalez as Hermia. That's the rented backdrop and the old Homecoming Bridge painted and turned to the forest side.

Titania (Anna Arceneaux) and Oberon (Adonis Lewis). Adonis is currently undergoing heart surgery, but I don't know what kind or how he is doing. One of his friends said it took longer than expected, but I haven't heard since. He delayed the surgery to do the show!

Here are all the fairies with Puck (Levi Martinez) in the background. I thought Nancy's tie dyes looked great. The fairies were the running crew. I am, of course, exhausted, but happy that all went well and the audience was pleased with our performance. We even got a standing ovation! Now I just have to figure out something for next year!

Quick Trip to High Island

The cottage is timeless.
My father and brother fixing the tripod for a picture of all of us that should be on his (Grandpa's) blog soon.

I took a trip to High Island to see my parents and sisters who had come in to help with clean up after Hurricane Ike. My parents' friend Houston took us down the Boliver Penninsula that leads to the ferry to Galveston and it is all but wiped out. What struck me was the brown landscape because the storm surge of salt water killed all the vegetation. As you go over the rise from High Island to the gulf it changes from green to brown. It looks blighted, like a moonscape or a war zone. Power poles are leaning over or broken and only piers are left from the houses there. Cars are sunk in sand at crazy angles where they were abandoned because the water rose so quickly the people had to wade out ( just before you get to High Island where the road dips down and the water claimed it early). There are no more dune barriers. They were flung to the other side of the highway. Huge barrier tubes of sand are exposed like beached whales along the coastline. A few homes remain, but not many. Houston showed us a lot that was formerly listed for a million dollars. Probably worth next to nothing now without a town to go with it. Houston's father-in-law had a hardware store that was completely swept off its foundation and crushed. I didn't have the heart to take pictures like a gawking tourist. Your grandparents' home is fine since High Island lived up to its name and the sea did not claim it.

VHA Trip to Charleston, S.C.

This is the Charleston Place Hotel. I liked it because it connected to my current favorite store, Chicos.
Here we are at Fort Sumter by one of the cannons. It was windy and cloudy.
All these flags have a history over the fort.
I went on a walking tour and here I am outside the graveyard where John C. Calhoun is buried. (My thumb looks a little scary)
We had a great time, but Monday we'll be back to school and work!

Kitchen finally done

Here are the final pictures of the kitchen. I still would like to get dark switch plates, etc., but that will have to wait for another day.
It took all this time to get the new glass for the oven door. I should have taken the towels down so you could see how shiny and new it looks.

Here is our new sink and I really like the faucet. I feel very elegant using it. I keep dirty dishes out of it! It's easy to do that with only two people. The only big day is Sunday and then Rosalia knows there are lots of dishes to do, but one big day a week I can handle.

1988-2008 Bethany's Class Reuinion

Here are the slides for Bethany's 20th class reunion. My student council was helping with the get together at the high school and I decided to take pictures because Bethany could not be there. Everyone was very gracious. I even teach some of their children!

Betty turns 89

Betty or Grandma Blanton turned 89 today. She was born on August 19, 1919. We went to her favorite Mexican restaurant where she was serenaded given a birthday dessert. Happy Birthday to Hayden who is 15 today! Our oldest grandchild is growing up!

Eric and Cindy

Eric sent me this picture to put in the paper and I just wanted to see if I could upload it. I managed to get it on a CD to take to the paper tomorrow. I think it's great! They are so photogenic.

Counters and Deep Sea Fishing in Alabama

The counters are in, but the sink has to still be installed. You can see that I put on handles and knobs and tried to spiffy up that cabinets.

Here we are in Orange Beach, Alabama for the Louisiana Hospital Association. Your dad caught the biggest fish (24 inches and 11lbs)(red snapper) and I caught my first fish (21 inches and 9 lbs). Ted actually caught three!

Rosalia at BYU and Eric, Tom, and Rebecca at the reception

Great-grandchildren at Rock Canyon Park

Here are all of our grandchildren and 17 of the 18 Great-grandchildren of Roger and Virginia Norton. Owen Schaus, Amy and Mike's baby is the only one missing or the greats. You'll notice I published my first slide show. I didn't get every picture that I wanted and there are a couple of repeats, but I'll get better at it. I'm home after playing "college" for perhaps a little too long for my girls, but I enjoyed it and I got to see three of the operas in Logan, too. This week we are supposed to get our new counters and the new kitchen sink and faucet. Builders are not always reliable in their timing, but I have most of the kitchen cleared out and in bins and on card tables in the dining room. Tomorrow the action should begin. This next weekend we are going to go to Perdido Beach, AL, for Ted's LHA summer conference, then the next weekend I take the Praxis test in Speech to get certified to teach Speech and Acting. I need to study! After that it will only be a little over a week and school will begin for me on August 7th!

Check out my Slide Show!

Off to Utah

Ted and I recently went to San Diego on a business trip and enjoyed the Grand Del Mar hotel and eating out and of course shopping. I was happy to get my dress for Eric and Cindy's wedding. Now we have spent a week creating three large tomes of Rosalia's life and packing her "stuff" for college. I don't think we have packed so much since Bethany went off to school!

Rosalia's Graduation

Rosalia getting ready for the line up on Friday night.
This picture was taken right after the awards ceremony. Rosalia was the Salutatorian, she qualified for the Tops Honors program (one of only 11), she is a Regents Scholar, a Summa Cum Laude graduate, and she received Academic Endorsement status, and the Distinguished Athlete Award from the Marines and the Army Reserve Scholar Athlete Award.
Nana and Grandpa both came, but somehow my camera didn't get a picture of Grandpa.
After graduation with her proud parents who can't believe their baby has graduated! Here she is giving her speech which went very well. Her quote was from Alfred Montapert, "To accomplish great things we must first dream, visualize, plan, believe, and act."

Cindy and Eric in Louisiana

This is out of order, but it goes with the patio pictures right in the middle.

I put this picture in because Cindy looks so good especially compared to the Eric and Rosalia who were tired of me taking pictures!

Eric and Cindy in our back yard.

This is on the patio where the addition meets our original house.


It was fun to have Cindy with us even if it was for such a short time.

One more picture under the arch. I'm trying to grow roses over it.

Prom April 2008

This is in a place called Tunks in Alexandria,LA
In our backyard showing off her dress.
Getting out of the Limo at Celebrations!
Rosalia and Seth (yes, he makes a point of not smiling).
The girls and babies at church the next day after Prom.