Happy Birthday Wes-Wee (Wesley)!!! and Sissy!

Tomorrow (Nov. 2) is my Wesleys 25th birthday!!! I can't believe he's already 1/4 of a century old!! Oh my, what does that make me?? I can remember the day he was born as if it were yesterday. He woke me up @ 4 am, twisting and turning best he could, trying to get out. But he didn't actually make it until 5:22 that afternoon. It was a long day...but SO worth it. Wes has brought us years full of laughter and smiles and wonderful memories. It has been such a joy to watch him grow up and acquire a family of his own. And what a beautiful family they are.....we love them all so much. Seeing him interact with his own children is amazing. We visited them this summer (waiting on Briley to show up) and were so touched to see the love in their home.......just what a parent wants for their children. Happy Birthday, Wes!!! WE LOVE YOU!!

It also happens to be my sisters birthday, Jeri Ann. She's 2 years younger than I am and quite the clown. She's so much fun to be with....I really miss her. She has always delighted in the fact that Wesley was born on her birthday.....she got to get out of school to come to the hospital! She's always called him "her baby", being that they share the same birthday. Here's to you, Sissy!! We love you bunches!

Perry's Home!!!!!

After 7 long months in Iraq, Perry is finally back on US soil. I can't tell you how happy we were to see him. Mark, Alysa and I drove to North Carolina to see him in, along with Marks' sister, Lois, her husband, Mike, and their two teens, Nate and Margaret, AND one of our neices, Megan. Perrys dad and little brother, Jay and Tex, were there too. The weather was beautiful that day....good thing too because we were expecting him in at 10:00 am and he didn't actually make it in until around 3:30 pm. But we just enjoyed the day, watching all the other Marines seeing their families again, some of them meeting their babies for the first time. It was a very touching and humbling experience. It really made us think about and appreciate what these men (and women) are sacrificing to serve
our country.





Perry looked wonderful and it was fantastic to actually be able to hug him and know he was real and safe. We had a great visit with him. He was able to reunite with his buddy, Khris, from Louisiana, who is also stationed at Camp Lejeune. They even brought their guitars and gave us a private concert. It was just like old times. Of course, Perry was glad to get back to his "baby" (truck). I can't imagine what it would be like to not drive for 7 months - other than a Hummer every now and then. It was so hard to leave him again so soon. But the world keeps turning. At least we can keep in touch via phones a lot easier and more often now that he's home.




Thanks, Perry, to you and all that serve along side you. All our love.......