New Year in Winslow, AZ

We spent our new year (2009) in Winslow, AZ. We didn't stand on the corner on this particular trip, but we played cards and teased each other a lot! This side of my family is particularly nutty (my mother's side).
In this picture:
My grandparents, affectionately referred to by my children as white-haired-Grandma and Papa, They have three daughters, 4 grandchildren as well as 3 step-grandchildren, and 9 (or more) great grandchildren. 4 generations of nutty people.

My mom and dad.

Mom's twin sister, Linda whom we affectionately refer to as Aunt Din Din or Auntie Dum Dum. I prefer the former which is what I called her while I was growing up.

Their "little sister", Aleta, who relishes every opportunity to remind her older sisters that they are OLDER!

Aleta's husband, Bob who relentlessly teases Aunt Din Din. They live in New Mexico and refer to their home as "The Funny Farm". They have cows, pigs, dogs, and sometimes goats. Linda lives with them and just asks that they don't tell her the name of the animal being served as dinner.

Aleta's daughter, Tara, her husband, and their children. Tara spent the most time with our grandparents while she was growing up. She still takes her children there to visit often. Tara says you can eat off of Grandma's walls because she has several collections hanging on her walls of plates, coffee cups, and spoons.

Linda's daughter and her son are in Florida and not in the pic but we love them.

Myself and my brother, our spouses and our children.

Three large dogs. Grandma's cat was hiding during the whole visit

The ongoing joke between the three sisters is a "fight" over inheritance. Linda claimed everything in the house, Aleta claimed everything under the house, and they promised my mom she could have the old totem pole that had been sitting in the backyard for years. It has now been donated to a museum, so I guess my mom gets nothing unless her not-so-charitable sisters decide to share their claims.

My grandparents have lived in their little house in Winslow for over 40 years. I have many childhood memories in their home. We would spend lots of time playing at Grandma's big organ which she has tried to give to me. It is huge and I don't know where I would put it! My grandparents have a wonderful collection of Kachina dolls and other Native American art. I remember Papa getting out a favorite Kachina doll for us to admire when we were little. They are/were members of the Smoki People and have always been active in Eastern Star.

Fun times! We are planning to do it again in a few weeks!

My kids love love love their white-haired-Grandma and Papa!!

And we ran...

On Saturday, April 4, we ran. All four of us ran a 5k! It was a blast!

I started running about a year ago. I am really bad at it and it took me most of the year to be able to run a mile without walking. But I did finally figure out that I was running too fast. Once I slowed down a bit, I was able to run a mile. Subsequently, I ran 1.5 miles, and then 2 miles. Running was a great time for me to be alone, just me and God. I was really enjoying my running time.

Then someone had the brilliant idea to start a running club for our homeschooled kids. So we started running together, me and the kids. I didn't know how they would take to it, but they really did seem to enjoy it. They were plotting their miles on a chart and earning little charms for each 5 miles they ran. Nathan especially liked achieving new distances each week. He was really excited about the 5k. Katie struggled a little as she was not able to run as far, as fast, or without walking. She did love running with her little girl friends. She was nervous about the 5k and didn't know what to expect. She thought that she would be watched by a whole crowd of people, and she didn't like that idea. Also, the idea of it being a "race" made her feel really unsure.
Here is some of our running "team".

When it came time, we all loved it. The atmosphere at a race like that is one of community, encouragement, and accomplishment. Everyone was so supportive and cheered for each other. We had a blast!!

Nathan and I ran together. We each had moments of wanting to walk a bit, but we kept each other going and made it through the whole run! In his age group, Nathan came in 18th. There were quite a few kids in his age group.




















Katie ran with Greg. They ran and walked and had great conversations! In her age group Katie came in 6th!

Greg has run many races, but has been out of running for quite a few years. He has had problems with his knees, so being able to run this distance without much training and NOT having his knees swell up was a major accomplishment for him.

And, me, well, I am on to train for the next race! I enjoy running, but the race was sooo much fun~ can't wait for the next.

The kids will continue in their running club, and I with them. Enjoy the pics!