First and foremost....

...to be added to the chronicles of  "My Life as a Blog" is this little tidbit of information....and I'm very well-pleased with this child of mine....to say the least. He's overcome many obstacles to get here and he loves what he does.

Click HERE or on the picture to read the article. I've followed Kyle (literally) all of his life from being to every little league game, Pinewood Derby, watching EVERY rehearsal when he got the role of Curly in Oklahoma (I hid in the balcony so I wouldn't embarrass him)...but as he got older, I couldn't go with him to Boys State....Boys Nation....on his mission but I've watched him struggle and overcome some family genetic stuff to accomplish his educational and personal goals and I need to thank JoEllen for taking over and making sure he was where he needed to be when he needed to be there. He's a very good boy (always a boy to me)...and if anyone tells you any different, here's my phone number. I'll defend him to the day I die.......He'd give you the shirt off his back (and more and has)......if he thought it would help you. He's had to pay the price for his generosity and trust but has come out stronger. Kudos to Kyle as he sets out on yet another adventure....I'm still following him (in my heart). I've just got to add here that Kyle has assumed the role of patriarch of our family since the age of 11...when Scott was so sick, he took over for me and his siblings as "Man of the House". He got a brief reprieve to go out in the world and get things done but when Scott died in 2001, he took over again....still takes care of all of us. We all know it. He certainly is a man of many talents. I like to say he's my engineer son...with an MBA and a Ph.D. (and can fix anything) but most of all, he's an awesome father and husband. Next order of business.....some of my ex's live in Texas....namely, my "ex"-traordinary BFF's....and we got together there this past week-end (Janny and Kathy are Texans).

We enjoyed a night out at the theater, ate Mexican, laughed and talked, ate ice cream, shared favorite books, movies, stories....got caught up as best we could in just three days.....

...took a day trip to Galveston, oh, Galveston....rode the ferry, ate fish, snapped a picture at the ocean.......looked for all the wood statues in people's yards on Ball Street.......

"On September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike hit the island of Galveston. People lost their homes and businesses, buildings were destroyed and trees were uprooted; the island was flooded from the salty storm surge. Many of the beautiful trees that lined the streets of Galveston were up rooted while others left standing soon died. No doubt, it was a sad sight to see. And then a silver lining; from the stumps of once beautiful tall oak trees came works of art. Earl Jones, Dale Lewis and Jim Phillips, with the help of Galveston resident Donna Liebert, came to Galveston and worked their magic carving unique statues and sculptures throughout the city."....and we got to see some of those. They are literally right in people's yards and tourists ride up and down their streets snapping pictures every day.  We totally did the "touristy" thing and I loved it. I just love finding stuff like this.

Here's just a few random pics of Galveston of things I enjoyed seeing. Bottom right is the ferry we rode and bottom left is the next boat I'd like to ride on.....I do love boats. Enjoyed seeing this unique little city that has always only been a Glen Campbell song....now it's real....and I love "real". So my advice for the day, go out there and "keep it real"....like these missionaries are doing.

We saw them on our little boat ride down the river in Houston. They are doing a good work....trying to teach people what's real.  Here's a little info I found on what it means to "Keep it Real".....

1.  Maintain a perspective on what really matters.
2.  Stay true to commitments.
3.  Remember where you came from and stay true to your roots (FYI..that's why I've chosen gray hair, wink, wink).
4.  Don't lie or pretend (it causes stress). Be yourself.
5.  Speak your mind (politely and when appropriate).

I'm sure this means different things to different people but I've come to learn that calm and peace come from living the gospel principles. So many wonderful words of wisdom came from our leaders this past General Conference. That and good friends and family is what is real to me.