Our Weekend at the Lake

Granny has a new toy...her name is Betsy.


I'm not sure who loves Betsy the most...the kids or the grown-ups.

One of the best things about visiting Granny's house is the abundance of firecrackers!

They provide hours of fun all year long. Thankfully Granny is not going to run out any time soon. She showed us her stockpile, and we don't have to worry about a firecracker shortage.

Thank goodness this sweet boy is back home with us. We missed him!

Day 5 at Camp Granny

I laughed out loud when I opened the email with this picture.
What a treat for Jake to spend the week with Granny and PaPa!

Jake's Vacation

Jake's taking the week off and hanging out at Camp Granny. He may never want to come back home. We sure are missing him, but Granny has been sending us a picture each day.

Quote for the Day

"It's just hard to be good all day!"
-Jake, age 5

Unstitched With Love

The stitches are out - thanks to our favorite nurse!

Challenge Standings

We have finished week 4 in our challenge.

Minutes Exercised:
Cody: 106
Jen: 100

*I just want everyone to know that I was ahead of him as of 7:45 on Sunday evening by 65 minutes, but Cody can't stand to be beat, so her walked/ran 70 minutes today. I thought this was going to be a week off from laundry, but I was wrong. Maybe next week.

Hopefully our treadmill will survive this challenge. It smells a little like it's about to burn up right now.

Pounds lost:
Cody: 8
Jen: 5

Maybe February will be a better month for me.

Hometown News

On Sunday, my mom and sister called to let me know that the old Happy Hotel was on fire. The hotel has been abandoned for years and has fallen into disrepair. In this first picture taken at Christmas, you can see a small amount of the hotel building on the right-hand side. You can go here to see pictures of the fire and its aftermath.

My grandmother and my mother remember Happy when downtown was lined with businesses, but those days have passed. We have talked many times of how we would have loved to buy the hotel, renovate it, and open it back up. My sister and cousins went and looked at it last year to see how much work would be involved, but the amount of repairs that would have been needed was huge.

I just read an article here with the latest news of the fire, and I made the mistake of reading people's comments about the article. I was amazed at some of the things that people said about it. Their lack of understanding was not suprising, as people do not really understand small town life unless they experience it firsthand.

Growing up in a small town of less than 1,000 people is an experience that I wish Cody and I could give our kids. The community spirit, especially in times of trials, is amazing. A friend who also grew up in Happy wrote this article, which captures the essence of the town and its people. My sister, who lives in Happy, wrote about it here.

Please keep the town, its leadership, and the involved families in your prayers.