A Game For the "Triplets"

Meet Isaac, Cailyn, and Hannah! At least they are Granny's version of our 3 precious ones.
Granny had a grand time crafting these little toys for you, and they will soon be traveling across the ocean to play at your house. But first they had to play around Granny and Papa's Place :) Here's the game....can you tell were the "triplets' are in Granny and Papa's house? When you think you know you can post your answers for us to check.
Cailyn and Hannah spent a lot of time in this room. The Triplets really like seeing themselves in the mirror.

They HAD to meet Fishy, what room do you think this is?

You weren't in this room too much, but Granny spent a lot of time in this room while you were here.

This looks like it was their favorite place to explore. Kind of like being in the mountains and sliding down hillsides :)

Hannah -- do you recognize anything special in this picture?

Hope you enjoyed playing our little game. Let me know your answers!

The "BIG" One!

Apparently, our Monsoon Dust Storm made the headlines around the world! It definitely was of epic proportions, I do believe we ended up with the entire top soil of New Mexico! The piles of dirt on my car's grill is AFTER I'd been driving around town all morning.
Almost every car in the valley looked like it had been mud-wrestling. You could certainly tell which cars lived in garages LOL

The dark swipe on the side of the window is where I took my finger and wiped away some dirt.

Most cars were washed within a day or two, just in time for another dusty rain. But...my little brown car is still a 'muddy shade of pale', as I wait for either the next monsoon storm, or a day where I feel like going to a 'spray-it-yourself' wash and hose the poor baby down!

Fireworks in June!!

We were treated to a fireworks display after the d-backs game Friday night -- which they WON, by the way ! --
This was the view from our seats -- if we get to see another Friday night show, I might convince Papa to move over a few sections, but am proud of how my little Canon PowerShot came through with these pictures. I wasn't shaking on this first one, I don't think LOL but like the effect of the 'wiggly' arms :)

I think this last shot looks like upside-down palm trees :)

Papa and I got a good laugh out of the announcement, that we are sure was pre-recorded, telling about the fireworks after the game. It kept saying "weather permitting", and I kept thinking....AZ summer.....June, pre-monsoon.....roof open......I think the weather will permit! LOL

Frank Caliendo!

What a great time Papa and Granny had at the Frank Caliendo show last Friday night. We were so excited to actually be able to get tickets...and to the EARLY show...woo hoo! We both laughed until we cried....good therapy! We were THIS close to the stage....weren't allowed to take pics during the show, but didn't get in trouble for taking this one.

We were a little suprised at how 'old' the crowd was....until we realized....they were probably all about our age and there for the same reason....it was the EARLY show LOL

Finally - a D-backs Game!

It was a gorgeous Saturday, the roof was open, the sky was amazing, and we enjoyed an exciting game! I thought my little camera did a decent job of capturing the players with the 'ultra--zoom' button.....


But wait....there's more!

We also got an All-Star Garden Gnome....highly prized.....more for the hidden All-Star tickets most likely, but people were lined up at 2:00 for 5:00 gate opening!

We apparently got some of the last Gnomes on the planet....the people sitting behind us did NOT get a Gnome, and were incredibly dissappointed. She had actually already checked e-bay and they had already been posted for sale.....I'm guessing you could've found most of the sellers still at the ball park LOL

And now....for the REST of the story.......

the people sitting behind us actually offered to buy one of our Gnomes, so we adopted it out to them for just above the current (at that time) e-bay price! Go figure!

Spring in the Desert

We've been having an absolutely incredibly beautiful spring here in AZ. The Palo Verde trees are still in bloom and are very impressive! This shot is from a neighborhood yard. Iin fact the owner came out to see what I was doing taking pictures of their 'house', but I assured her I was just enjoying their blossoms and she wished me a good walk and went back into her house!
Found some pretty, beach-colored candles, so our spring has included a few new arrangements with two of my favorite things -- shells & candles. I was able to use some of the shells that I brought back from Ireland last summer, although they are not in this shot.

Quail are abundant in our neighborhood, but I seldom see one this 'high up' LOL They are usually scurrying along the ground. I love this shot.

Then there is the 'ballerina' cactus. I really thought this cactus looked like it was wearing a tutu! Maybe doesn't translate as well in the photo, but is fun to think about anyway :)

Where Did March Go?????

March was full of family == it was great! Jen, Seth, and the kids got to come over for several weeks so the rest of the family could meet Isaac. Papa and Uncle Thom couldn't wait! We did a lot of things, but I think Granny and Papa's favorite time was in the morning when the girls were just getting up and we could snuggle....and at night when it was time to wind down....I think Granny got some of her favorite snuggles then! But here are a few shots from some of our outings as well as the quiet home time. Here's Cailyn trying out her next 'bike'.....you can tell she has a whole story going on in her head! Talk about a wild ride!

There Was great Papa Time! Looks pretty cozy

Like Papa like Granddaughter?

Uncle Thom gets to meet Isaac......Isaac knows a good uncle when he meets one....they got along famously :o)

There are those times when a girl just needs to be alone....Cailyn is often in her own little world....love to know what she saw or was thinking at this moment!

Newest Addition to the Family

Meet 'Mr. Moose'! We are having so much fun with him, he's a great passenger!
He rides along quietly, never says a thing, yet evokes smiles from passersby of all ages.
Papa even noticed a lady driving behind him the other day and she was taking a picture of Mr. Moose as she drove! In a parking lot today, I noticed a group of senior adults staring at the back of the truck as they walked by, and then they started smiling and I realized they were 'interacting' with Mr. Moose. :o)
He really has a friendly face, wouldn't you agree??

Not a Picture-Worthy Lifestyle!

Having been over a month since our last entry, I've figured out that we don't really lead a picture-worthy life ! If you're wondering what we're doing, just look back through the blog and you'll probably see almost the same activities from a year ago.
So.....I decided to default to family pictures so give everyone a chance to look for any family resemblances along the way. I found yet another box of pictures from Great-Grandpa Luke - some I don't remember ever seeing before -- so I've created a little walk through the Luke family's past.
I have no idea how old I was in this picture, but, yes, this is Granny as a VERY little girl!

Here is Great-Grandpa Luke with his little brother, Richard. I see some similarities between the blondie here and our little blondie overseas - do you?
Here is great-grandpa Luke as a kid -- maybe 11 or 12? I wish I could zoom in on the pins he's got on his sweater!
and here is our very own 'secret agent' -- who knew?? She could have starred in a 007 movie, for sure! This is great-grandma Luke for those of you who don't 'recognize' her LOL

Merry Christmas Family! Happy Birthday Jesus!

One of our favorite family traditions was 'suitcase kids' and whenever we went to the playground at grandma-pa Lukes' dad always had to carry you like 'suitcase kids'!
Christmas 1980 was a special one with all our family at our California house! Jennifer LOVED her play phone! What a cutie!
Thom got started playing 'Santa' very early....delivering a package to great-grandma...his assistant, Grandpa Luke, is in the background getting the next delivery ready :o)
We always laugh at the memories of our Christmas in Montana....dad giving us all a 'driving in the snow demonstration'.....snowmobiles.....sledding down a favorite hill.....snow forts.....Princess Bride....and great times.
Love you all!

Special Christmas Thoughts

As we put up our tree for another year (thanks Thom for being our "tree-master"!) it looks like any other Christmas tree at full glance. But....hanging on this tree are many special memories and reminders of what Christmas is all about, and how special family is!


















This Snoopy ornament is from Dad Luke's collection and hangs on our tree in remembrance of him. It holds precious memories for me because we gave these to him and he always had them sitting on the coffee table. He didn't hang them on his tree because the cats thought it was their personal playground!!















We also have great memories of early years with our two kiddos :o) Those hand-made school ornaments get more precious with each passing year. Interestingly enough, they don't always hold the same memories for you kids as they do for us LOL









But the hand-made kiddo ornaments didn't stop when ours grew up! thank goodness!
These 2 special ornaments were created by our 2 lovely grand-daughters and hang with special honor on Granny and Papa's tree.








Then we have the special places reminders, those places of ministry and memories that remind of us God's love, good friends, and beautiful scenery.

May God richly bless all who travel through our little blog!
Merry Christmas!

Why I Love Walking at the Zoo!

I can expect the unexpected! Who would've thought I'd see 'cow-milking' going on!













Or 'rough-riders' speeding through the bushes










Giant ( and I DO mean giant!) birds! This is a Marabou Stork, and it's wing spread is 7-10 feet! If Hannah stood on her daddy's shoulders, that's how wide this bird's wings would spread!











He was very impressive standing guard on his look-out perch.


























Cactus blooming/growing in the sunrise were a gorgeous surprise as well.

Busy Times

It has been a busy month!
Driving to Star Valley this past Sunday, Granny made the trip alone because Papa was preaching elsewhere. Needless to say, there is new construction on the route, and there is now several miles of 2-way traffic....just like the good old days. My drive home looked something like this!
You can see traffic backed up behind our car as well. Surprisingly it only added about 10 minutes to my total drive time :o)
Granny has also been enjoying going to the zoo to get some walking in. I go in the early morning before the zoo is open to the general public and it's wonderful. I get to see how the zoo-keepers put out treats, snacks, toys, and food for some of the animals...
Granny also got a haircut...changing up the style some, and making it much easier to take care of.
Papa had some surgery on his foot, but we didn't take pictures of that! LOL