Memorial Day

Paili, Riley,Aurora,Skylar, and Grace.

David and Linda Ellington invited us over for Memorial Day to have a cookout and swim. We love the Ellington family. We also love to eat and swim so it's really a win all the way around! Justin has worked for David for 8 years and they have an incredibly warm relationship. Justin calls them his surrogate parents. They are so good to us. David is the best employer I've even seen-hands down. He regularly takes Justin on what I like to call man dates to the movies.  Linda and David both light up when they see the girls and play with them like they are their kin. But they have been in the picture since before either of the girls were born so they are kind of partial to them. We are so lucky to have them in our lives. David and Linda have 2 great kids and 1 other kid that isn't so great but they tolerate him because they are raising his 2 kids, Jackson and Aurora. If that doesn't say how great they are, I don't know what will. We also got to meet their daughter Abby's new beau, Matt. We  really liked him, he has a great sense of humor and takes teasing well. We had such a good time hanging out with everyone that was there. David made pork sausage that he stuffed himself. It was fantastic.

I love this picture! CANNONBALL!!!

Sky and Aurora.

She loves the slide.

She was digging the goggles.

Paili loves the water, just like her Momma.

Sky and Linda

Abby and Sky

Jackson and Sky. Watching TV together.

Restore Fest 2012

Sanctus Real-love them!

Restore Fest is a Christian concert at Landreth Park raising funds for the relief effort from the tornado. This was the second year for it and the first year my family went. It was awesome! It started around 2:30pm but we didn't get there until around 4:00pm and we didn't leave until after 12am. There were lots of really great bands there.

KJ-52 had everyone up throwing their hands up!

Sky was loving the elephant chair. And the concert!

My ever silly niece Kayla.

Enjoying snow cones!

Kayla and her snow cone-Yum!

Kayla and I walked around and around to make her pass out.

I've got quite the funky tan lines going on.

She really did have a great time when she was awake-this nap was short lived.

Isn't he so stinkin cute! Jakob Lee.

Madison came and sat with us most of the concert. She had lost a tooth the night before.

She LOVES snow cones. (She is my girl)

She also likes to share with Maddy.

She was making the lids FLY off-the kids were loving it until she almost took a bystander out. Good times

Kayga and Grandma. Cute!



Mandisa was singing! I think she is amazing!

My girls dancing to "Good Morning"

Silly girls. Stretching after all the dancing.

Jeremy Camp



We all had so much fun. It was both of my girls first concert experience. We got to be with family, see lots of friends (Garmans, Chaputs, Mandy-and more!) dance and sing with lots of our favorite bands and it was fantastic. We were originally supposed to be in Oklahoma but Justin was worried about the Suburban because it's been acting a little funny so we passed. Just for this experience, I'm glad we did!
We got to see Shonlock, KJ-52,Jordan Howerton, Andy Cherry, Anthem Lights, Sanctus Real,Jeremy Camp and Mandisa.

Old friend, New home!

My sweet friend, Deborah, standing in the doorway to her NEW HOME!!!

I am so very excited for my friend Deborah, she lost her home in the tornado and was chosen to get a Habitat Home. This girl has plenty of daily challenges as a single Mom to 3 kids. Let alone that all 3 of her children are autistic. I'm so proud of the grace that she faces each day with, sure she has days she'd like to stay under the covers and not come out but she doesn't. She gets up, she loves, she gives, she holds, she is a great Mom. I've known Deborah a very long time. She used to live in the town that my Granny, Aunt Linda and her family live in-Bartlett, KS. When we'd go visit them and be there on a Sunday-I couldn't wait to play with Deborah. As we got older we got to spend more time together when I was there. We'd ride horses, play in the dirt and just have a great time being together. Her family decided to go to Haiti and be missionaries there. She was gone for several years and when they came back to the US to live, they moved to Joplin. She came back into my life and I got to show her around our school-all new to her! We had a great time getting to know one another again. Lots more fun adventures and stories to share at another time. We graduated in 1999 and we got married on the very same day May 19, 2001. Her marriage didn't last but she got her firstborn, Delicia out of the deal. Later she had Timothy and Moira. Her Mom lives with her now to help out. Deborah says that Moira has really just blossomed after the tornado and is doing really well. Timothy is the most severe. Here's a few links to her recent interviews if you're so inclined to take a peek...  Clark Howard and Deborah   KRMG and Deborah 



Showing us around her humble abode.

The church from Mississippi that came to help the first round wrote scriptures on the walls all over her home. LOVE!

The view from her front porch looking back-you can see where the High School was and will be again soon.

Deb, Erin, and ME!

P.S. Deb also makes FABULOUS cookies to help support her family. They really are awesome. All different kinds and she can ship them with  no problem all over the country! You can find her business on Facebook it's called Yummy Goodness. If you can't find it, call me, I'll give you her #!

Just a regular Thursday!

Grandma's Cookie Tester. Playing with a hula hoop.

Yvette with the pretty flower Pai picked for her in her hair.

My brother, Lee, called while I was there picking up the girls and Pai just HAD to talk to him. I got to talk too!

Sky and Paili-hula hooping! Paili is in aflatic shorts-as she calls them.

My Dad reading My Little Ladybug to Sky.

Paili with the only doll from my childhood.

Paili has named this cabbage patch doll of mine Daisy. Daisy was left at my Aunt Jills on accident one summer and thankfully stayed there until after our family lost our home to a house fire on Jan 5, 1998. I got her out of my parents attic a few months ago and Paili loves to play with her. She's special to me just because she's one of the very few things I own that I owned before the fire.

Walk of Unity 2012

Ron, Angie, Brooke, Elise, Yvette

I work for the Jasper County Public Administrator. Her name is Angie. (See above pic) Angie is an elected official of Jasper County. We have over 400 wards that she is guardian and conservator for. The majority of our clients are mentally incapacitated in some way. Many of our clients are elderly. We have a LOT of people in nursing homes, group homes, and living on their own with staff. One nursing home was completely leveled in the Joplin tornado, and several other nursing homes had major damage. We lost 3 of our sweet clients at Greenbriar on 26th Street and a fellow county employee was at Stained Glass Theatre on 26th St and lost his life. We walked in honor of our clients-Anna Pettek, Geneva Koler, Judy Smith and the very sweet custodian at the courthouse, Randy Mell. Angie had these shirts done for us. The walk started at 15th St Walmart and went to Cunningham Park-it was about 4.5 miles. (Thank goodness I've been walking!)

Before the walk started. At this point I had no idea so many people were here.

There were SO many people that came to the walk. I heard estimates from 6-10,000. I don't have any idea I just know there were a TON! I'm so proud to call Joplin my home. What an incredible turnout! People from all over the world came to walk in unity with us.

Just starting out. Sea of people behind us.

People were everywhere! I wish I would have taken pictures of some of the shirts I saw. I was asked if someone could take a picture of the back of mine. I saw the Geiser family, Jared Zamouski, Erin Replogle, Spencer Aggus, Kristin McCarthy-Perry, Terri Dresh and ton more people that I couldn't get to. I tried all day to find Emily Fish and her crew and never could find her.

Sea of people in front of us.

I'm not sure if you can see the light blue shirt in front of me in this one-but it was one of the babies that was lost in the tornado. I teared up just looking at their shirts.

I really love this tree.

This is an awesome tree next to the railroad tracks on 20th Street. It's painted up and looks so pretty.

Putting the steeple on the church.

As we were standing on this big hill at Joplin High School, we saw them take it back down. Who knows why. Funny though all the time it took to get it up there just to take it back down.

At Joplin High School.

They had part of the drum line as we were walking past the buses at Joplin High School. It was awesome!



The end of the walk was at Cunningham Park and there was a big ceremony that was awesome. Several good speakers.



Before everyone else got to the ceremony.

Brooke, Me, Yvette. I love these girls.

Can you see the bird on the stroller? He was so cute! (And real.)

Inflating the hot air balloon.

Hot air balloon. We were thinking it may not clear the power lines, but it did.

We only got to stay until right after the moment of silence at 5:41 pm. It was such a surreal moment thinking about what was taking place year ago at the exact time at that exact place. I'm not sure there was a dry eye in the thousands that were there. I am so glad our office was able to take part in the whole day. It was an experience I'm sure glad I have.

All the news trucks lining the roads. Joplin is a big deal. And I'm proud.