January 2006
We had a wonderful holiday season. We were able to go to Oklahoma City for 6 days and visit family and friends. Margaret, Carrie’s Mom, came back with us to Troy for a week to help with the unpacking and setting up of our new house. We had been living in a rent house since August and we chose not to pursue buying it. It went back on the market and sold that week!! Anyway, we moved to another rent house and we will be here until the end of this year. We are still waiting for our house in Arkansas to sell and then we can make a more definite decision here about housing.

Kalyn and Abbie are doing great. Abbie turned 10 in November and Kalyn turned 12 on Jan. 4^th. They are both growing up to be such wonderful young ladies. We are both so very proud of them.

Please pray for us as we continue to get settled here in Troy. We truly feel that God has our family here for a definite reason.

Come and see us if you are traveling through South Alabama. We are only 2 hours from the beach.     

February 2005
Busy month. We joined a church. Immanual Baptist Church off highway 79. They have a great children's ministry and our kids have felt very welcome. Poker night happened at the studio. It was fun.

January 2005
I'd have to admit, the winters in Arkansas are very nice. Our family has been out of the house and walking the dogs a lot. In Oklahoma, a few ice storms and snow on the ground is quite common during January. SAU has a nice indoor Olympic sized pool. I've been taking the girls swimming every Monday. They enjoy it and I get a little work done.

December 2004
I had a great finalé to my first semester at SAU. I learned that I will be traveling to Russia next fall teaching in Moscow for a month- very exciting! Carrie and the girls left for Oklahoma a few days before I did- I dinked in my studio and met with a few clients before I made the trip on the 22nd. We had an excellent Christmas as all three of my brothers were together for the first time in two years. We watched movies, played Halo 2, and laughed a lot.

Also spent Christmas at Aunt Julie's house with Nana, Julie, Kim and other friend (Tom and Jerry). Ate, unwrapped gifts and had a great visit. Did I mention we ate?

Carrie quit her job in El Dorado as the drive was really difficult for her. She hopes to find something in Magnolia. Carrie really hopes to find a nitch here and plug in. I know how she feels.

November 2004
The family went to Oklahoma and spent Thanksgiving with relatives. We stayed at Uncle Emory and Aunt Carol's house while they were visiting their kids in Boulder, Colorado. We had a great time is Sayre and stopped in Elk City to visit with a high school friend of mine, Tim Nichols. (Tim and his family are relocating to Ft. Worth in December... another note - Tim has been living in his grandmother's house which was built around 1912. His crazy Uncle Marvin died in the kitchen. Marvin believed he was Jesus. In fact we called him Jesus.)

October 2004
Carrie and I came back from Chicago with a love for the "Windy City." We found it clean and kid friendly. We ate Chicago style pizza at Giordano's and watched fireworks on Navy Pier while at Riva's. The steaks at Kenzie's Chop House were amazing and hotdogs and beer just off Michigan Avenue were a Chicago tradition that couldn't be missed. We stopped at many shops - The Apple Store, The American Doll Store, The Gap etc. We also stopped by the Chicago Tribune, a beautiful neo-gothic style building. Carrie suffered through the Art Institute, which has a great bookstore. O yeah... I went to an AIGA conference on design education. The best part of that was spending time with Dr. Jim Watson, one of my favorite professors and mentors. Carrie spent the day on Michigan Avenue, the Sears Tower, and Navy Pier.

Just a great time. I put Chicago in my top five favorite cities list, along with NewYork, San Diego, London and Paris.