The Sauciers

Trip to the Cabin

2012-01-18T12:57:00.002-06:00

In December, we took a trip to the cabin in Severville,TN. Elizabeth was such a sweet girl and made the 8 hour trip like a champ! We met my dad, step mom, and stepsister there and planned to spend a few days spending time with each other and enjoying the mountains. It was cold and the scenery was beautiful! We really enjoyed being able to spend time with our family.
Unfortunately, our trip didn't last as long as we had hoped. Elizabeth started running a fever and getting sick to her stomach after two days. Fearing she may have a stomach bug that both John and I might catch, we made the decision to come home early. This was the first time she had ever been sick so I wasn't sure what to expect. Luckily it lasted only about 12 hours and we were all healthy and well!

November is almost over....

2011-11-18T19:52:00.008-06:00

...and I haven't written a blog post in quite some time! We have been having a lot of fun over the past few months and I will do my best to fill you in.

Elizabeth is 18 months old. Wow. 18 months and she is such a big girl! She still loves to be outside as much as possible. Her favorite activities include crunching leaves, running around to the chair...then the cozy coupe....then the bushes.....around the table (you get the picture). She loves the wind in her face and laughs with delight every time it blows. She can pray at meals (put her hands together and she can say "Amen") and at bedtime after her Bible and nighttime story. I have also started with the Children's Shorter Catechism. Even though she doesn't understand the principles, I thought it would be good to at least start going over it with her. Isaiah 28:10 “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little...” Precept upon precept would mean to build the foundation,piece by piece, theological concepts fitting together carefully. When I ask her "Who made you?" she can say "God". Now, we have a lot to work on with this, ha, but this is a start.

Toward the end of October, we took a long weekend trip to the beach. It was so beautiful! October is my favorite time of the year to be at the beach. It was a little cool and Elizabeth is still not too keen about sand so we didn't spend any time on the beach. We did spend some time out on the boat....and Elizabeth seemed to like it ok. She has a habit of being totally unimpressed with everything new. Anyway, we had a great time and can't wait to go back in the Summer.

At the end of October we hosted a Halloween party at our house. We invited a few friends and their children over and had a blast! Everyone had great costumes (especially the kiddos) and we took a hay ride toward the end of the night. That was sooo much fun! Hopefully we can do it again next year!

With Thanksgiving less than a week away, we have been busy getting the house organized. I feel as though I'm constantly organizing my kitchen and closets and especially Elizabeth's room. Every time I turn around she has outgrown her clothes. I've saved all the good ones (ie. the ones that don't have stains) and now I'm running out of places to store those! Where in the world do you store your children's clothes?

I hope to keep up more with this blog. It's hard to do with a toddler running around!

Playing Dress Up

2011-08-23T12:13:00.003-05:00

Elizabeth has started to enjoy "playing" dress up! I guess it's time we buy some dress up clothes!

It's time for a Bible story!

Playing dress up is FUN!

"Are you finished taking pictures yet?"

"Are these real?"

First Haircut!!

2011-08-19T16:22:00.003-05:00

Daddy holds Elizabeth while she gets her first haircut! We just got a little trim....nothing major!

Do you like my bow and bracelet?

2011-08-19T16:18:00.002-05:00

Elizabeth just looooooves her "bracelet"! It's good to see "old" toys being used in new ways :)

Sweet little Elizabeth

2011-08-01T12:44:00.002-05:00

MS Children's Museum

2011-07-13T14:16:00.004-05:00

John and I took Elizabeth to the Mississippi Children's Museum for the first time on Tuesday. It was wonderful! There were a lot of exhibits that were a little "old" for Elizabeth (she's only 14 months) but there were a few that were age appropriate for her. She loved the "Reading Between The Lions" room, and the "Exercise and Nutrition" room (I'm not sure if that's the exact name of the exhibit, but you get the general idea). The music room was also a big hit as well as the rock and tunnel exhibits (again, cannot remember the name).

Elizabeth is definitely keeping us busy, busy, busy! She wants to open everything and pull anything and everything off of any surface she can reach! Oh, and if you are anywhere near her with a water bottle....look out! She will beg until you give her some! I just can't believe she is already 14 months......where has the time gone? Her favorite toy by far is her Cozy Coupe. This provides an ENDLESS amount of entertainment for her. She likes to gather her stuffed animals and other toys and stuff them in the car with her and get in and out etc. She also enjoys splashing in her blow up pool in the backyard, but she does not like to walk in the grass. I still can't figure this one out!

Here are a few pictures from the Children's Museum

"Dad, why don't YOU try this first...."
"Here I come!"

Learning how to load a dishwasher...

"Would you like a banana?"

Not sure what to think of all of these children....

Happy 1st Birthday Elizabeth!

2011-05-08T19:26:00.007-05:00

Friday May 6th, was Elizabeth's very first birthday! I can't believe our little girl is one! We had a family birthday party in Laurel at my dads house. Elizabeth KNEW that all of the celebration was in her honor. We cooked out hamburgers and hot dogs, and had potato salad, baked beans, fruit salad, and of course cupcakes! We also toasted Elizabeth with champagne for this major milestone. She has started walking....taking a few steps here and there and likes to move my chairs around the house!

He favorite birthday present was her Cozy Coupe. She loves to be pushed around in it or to push it around ( she gets the biggest kick out of it!).

Happy Birthday again to our sweet little girl! We can't wait to see what this next year will bring!

Hollywood.....here I come!
Beautiful deocrations on the screened porch

A "cake" made from flowers

Birthday cupcakes! Yum!!

another view...

"mmmm....."

Lately...

2011-03-05T08:10:00.006-06:00

Since we are just a few days shy of Elizabeth turning 10 months, I thought it may be time to update! She is getting into EVERYTHING! Pulling up on anything she can reach, chasing the cats around (much to their chagrin), and wanting to feed herself (after all, she's a big girl now). She is drinking all of her liquid meals from a sippy cup...except if we go somewhere because at this point, I don't want her hurling her sippy cup at innocent bystanders.

She is such a sweet little girl, mischievous, yes, but sweet. She is happy and content to play in her pack 'n play while I get ready for Bible study in the mornings, and loves to have people clap for her and ask her to show us "where the ballerina is". She enjoys hanging upside down and standing up in her crib (which makes me nervous!). There also is not a book that this child doesn't want to "read". We have two top teeth, two on the bottom, and two more coming through on the bottom. She continues to change every day!

We cannot believe how quickly time is passing. Soon, Elizabeth will be 1 year old and we will begin to experience so many new things! She is such a blessing!

Cat anyone???

2011-02-01T16:56:00.002-06:00

Does anyone want a cat? We have found a beautiful female cat and she appears to be a Russian Blue. I have put flyers up around the neighborhood and in mailboxes to try to find her owners, but so far have had no responses. She is sooo sweet and well behaved (much more so than the two we already have). Currently she is sitting on top of the couch with her head and paws on my shoulder :). We would love to keep her, but have two cats already.....we would really really like to find her a good home if someone hasn't contacted me by the end of the week. So if anyone wants her or knows of someone who would want her.....please let me know!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2011-01-07T08:25:00.007-06:00

Happy 2011! I hope that everyone has had a fantastic start to the New Year.

I will try to catch you up on our final moments of 2010. John and I were so excited to be able to spend our first Christmas with Elizabeth. Even though she may not have really understood what was going on I think she had a good time!

We started off with Christmas Eve at our house. We went to church at 4:00 for the Christmas Eve Service ( which was just wonderful and definitely put me in the Christmas spirit...always does). After church, we went back home where we had a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner of baked ham, garlic cheese grits, sausage,baked apples, and buttermilk biscuits ( moms, there are always leftovers and they made a fantastic "leftover" breakfast in the morning). After breakfast Christmas morning and watching Elizabeth "open" her presents, she took a nap while we got ready to go to Ann and Tom's (Grann and Grandaddy) for lunch. Aunt Sarah and Uncle Jody were able to come up for Christmas lunch and we were so happy to see them! After a very filling and tasty lunch, we opened up presents for the third time and visited for a while before loading up in the "old front wheel drive sleigh" and headed to Laurel to spend Christmas night with my family(Colonel, Honey, and Mimi). We had an "Italian" Christmas and everyone made homemade pizza and a fantastic salad. For dessert we had homemade coconut cake ( soooo good), red velvet cake and German chocolate cake, although after all the eating, I'm not sure how we had room for dessert! We opened up presents again....and by this time, Elizabeth definitely had the hang of things! We enjoyed spending time with both families and are thankful for save travels!

Elizabeth and Uncle Lee telling jokes

Daddy giving Elizabeth a goodnight hug

Uncle Andrew...not sure what he's doing

Uncle Andrew and Elizabeth

Elizabeth with Aunt Sarah on Christmas morning

"Grandaddy, what's in here?"

"May I start opening presents now?"

The stockings hung by the fire with care...

First Tooth!!!

2010-11-13T09:25:00.005-06:00

We have our first tooth! Pictures to come when you can actually see it! Here are a few updated pictures of Elizabeth. By the way, I know those are Christmas pajamas, but we got to the bottom of the clean pajamas and that was all that was left! She only wore them one time because they are too short for her now....she is growing so fast!

"Christmas in November?"
Tummy time on our ABC mat!

"I'm ready to go mom!"

Perdido Key: Round 2

2010-10-02T20:23:00.004-05:00

We have gone to the beach.....again! It has been beautiful here in lovely Perdido Key, FL, but as always, we are happy to be home! This trip we were able to show Elizabeth the sand and ocean as well as the swimming pool. She was unimpressed with the sand or the ocean and slightly protested to the pool. We were only able to go one of the first days we were here, after that the water was too cold!

The trip was off to a great start! We left home on Saturday morning and she did so well all the way to FL. We got settled in our condo and she stayed right on schedule. It was fantastic! Then the second morning we were here we started hearing jackhammers and other horrible sounds coming from the condo next door. They were remodeling! Now, those of you with little ones understand that when you are trying to keep your little ones on a nap schedule (especially when they have been showing signs of teething) that hearing the melodious sounds of a jackhammer is NOT what you want to be faced with! We had a very tired/fussy baby for about two days until we called the front desk and asked them to move us. So long story short, we moved condos midweek of our trip...which is a lot to move! We ended up in a wonderfully spacious end unit condo that worked great for us the rest of the week. They also gave us a gift certificate to the shrimp basket......which couldn't have been more perfect!

Even with the setbacks, we still enjoyed being at the beach during our favorite time of year with our sweet little girl :)

Here are a few pictures of Elizabeth from our trip!

Elizabeth with John

"Mom and dad, I am O.K.!"

"If I only had a good book to read..."

Elizabeth laying out by the pool

"What are you doing to me now? Get me out of here!!!"

Still not sure about this pool venture...

Chicken?!

2010-08-09T17:46:00.003-05:00

I found this on a friend's facebook page.......could be the next big thing!

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Jed305&annotation_id=annotation_650096&feature=iv#p/a/u/0/jhcOWmjSBlg

Beach!

2010-07-21T20:51:00.004-05:00

Sleepy after a long day at the beach!

She must have been caught mid sentence

Loving her Tom

I can't believe that Elizabeth will be 11 weeks tomorrow! Time is really flying by and my little girl isn't so little anymore! She has really come into her own and we are thrilled to be learning her personality. Elizabeth is such a sweet, smiley, talkative baby. Nothing melts my heart more than to see that big smile on her face when I wake her up in the morning.

On Tuesday, she rolled over for the first time.....I was so proud! Everyday, we learn something new and exciting about her. We are thankful to God for this little blessing He has given us :)

Last month, we took our very first trip to the beach with Elizabeth. We LOVED sitting on the balcony enjoying the sea air and watching fireworks on the fourth of July. John's parents and sister had a chance to have some one-on-one time with Elizabeth while John and I enjoyed having dinner together (and actually eating a warm meal!). I can't wait until we go back sometime in the fall!

Precious little girl!

2010-06-22T16:33:00.003-05:00

Elizabeth is growing so quickly! She's such a sweet little girl!

Welcome Elizabeth Saucier!

2010-05-11T22:34:00.010-05:00

Napping with Daddy

Just Hatched!

Sleeping again......

The flower bed John made for Elizabeth

On Thursday May 6, 2010 at 2:08 pm, John and I welcomed our first child into the world! Elizabeth weighed 6 lbs 15 oz, and was 19 inches long.

We were so fortunate to have our sweet friend, Amanda, take care of Elizabeth and to do her transition. John doesn't let just anybody take care of his little girl!! Also, we could not have asked for a better staff or better treatment than what we received at Woman's. Everyone was so helpful, sweet and encouraging.....and with John and I being first time parents, we could not have asked for a more pleasant experience!

Since being home, we have taken a lot of pictures documenting her every move! It has only been a few days since Elizabeth was born and we absolutely cannot imagine not having her in our lives. Even though we are undeserving, God has truly blessed us with the most precious of gifts and we are humbled that He saw fit to do so.

Also, I could not have asked for a better husband. John has been such a source of support for me throughout the pregnancy and now in helping with Elizabeth. I think John has actually changed more dirty diapers than I have at this point! He is always asking "What can I do for you...." and "How can I help you..." and not once has he complained or gotten upset about the lack of sleep he is receiving. He truly has a servants heart and strives to be more like Christ every day which in turn encourages me to grow in Him daily.

We hope you will keep us in your prayers as we grow together as a couple, and now as a family of three!

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."(Proverbs 22:6 ESV)

Spring, Oh Spring... Where Are You?

2010-02-23T12:26:00.002-06:00

This past weekend was a busy one for us! I spent most of the day on Saturday organizing the inside of our house ( how on earth can two people accumulate so much junk in such a short period of time?!) and John spent most of the day outside working on his new flower bed with his dad (I will post pictures on the blog of the new bed in a day or two). John has worked so hard on improving our yard and I can't wait for Spring to be here in full force so that we can finally plant all of the beautiful plants and flowers John has in mind!

Also on Saturday, we attended the first birthday party of a friends sweet little boy,Jack. We had such a wonderful time visiting with them and their family and we hope that Jack had a wonderful day!

Here is hoping for more GORGEOUS weather like we had on Saturday.....Spring, hurry up!!

Let It Snow!!

2010-02-12T17:33:00.004-06:00

As I'm sure most of you have experienced, we woke up to beautiful snow this morning! Since John didn't have to work today, we started out this morning with homemade pancakes and waffles....yum!! We had fun watching all the kids in the neighborhood build snowmen and make snow angels. After lunch, we went over to The Saucier's house and found lots of people sledding and throwing snowballs at all the cars that drove by!

I still can't get over how much snow fell (and stayed!) on the ground today in the Jackson area. I hope everyone enjoyed their "snow day" !!!

Ansley McLaurin

2010-01-12T10:35:00.002-06:00

A week before Christmas, we found out that John's cousin Scott and his wife Amy's 2 1/2 year old little girl, Ansley, had been taken to the hospital to be treated for pneumonia. As they proceeded with x-rays and such, the doctors noticed several masses in her chest cavity. More tests showed that these masses were located on several of her organs and not just in her chest cavity.

The tumors are consistent with the clinical history of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. We ask that you keep this family in your prayers as God continues to show his faithfulness to and through them.

Below you will find Ansley's caringbridge site:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/AnsleyMclaurin

Merry Christmas

2009-12-01T09:20:00.003-06:00

I cannot believe that is already December 1st! Where has the time gone? A year ago, John and I were arriving in Sierra Vista, Arizona for our 4 month stay. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there and are so excited to be home in Mississippi for the entirety of the Christmas Season.

We are expecting our first child in May and couldn't be more excited! We will try to do a better job of keeping you all posted of what is going on!

Labor Day Weekend!

2009-09-08T19:43:00.003-05:00

We hope all of you had a wonderful and relaxing Labor Day weekend! John and I spent a very extended weekend in beautiful Perdido Key,FL with his parents. As always we had a blast and soaked up every minute in the sun and on the water that we could!

John's parents celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary on Friday. It is such a blessing to have such a committed couple as an example for our own marriage and Faith. Congratulations to Ann and Tom and here's hoping for 44 more years of wedded bliss!

Long Time, No Post!

2009-08-01T19:26:00.002-05:00

I did not realized how long it had been since we last posted on our blog! Let me try to catch you up on what has been going on with us over the past two months.

John and I have purchased our first home and are loving it! We had every room on the inside painted and all the furniture moved in a matter of days. We spent the next few weeks trying to organize and reorganize our things.....we're almost finished! We have really enjoyed spending time with some of our friends here in the area, and most certainly appreciate all of their support! We are so blessed to be living close to all of you and look forward to having a lot of fun together in the future!

John has been very busy working with the Army's Yellow Ribbon Program. For those of you who have loved ones over seas or know of someone who has been over seas, this program could not be more of a blessing. The Yellow Ribbon Program's focus is the spiritual,mental, and physical well being of a soldier and his/her family during deployment. There are entire weekends prior, to a units deployment ( as well as during deployment and after they return home) dedicated to educating soldiers and their families on everything from paychecks, insurance, and life insurance to strengthening marriages, children, and mental health issues.

This program is such an effective tool in helping families and friends to cope with a soldiers deployment. Still in its' infancy, the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program has already touched thousands of lives...not only in Mississippi, but all over the United States.

My father was overseas with the 155th the last time they deployed, and I wish this program would have been around at that time! Please remember to keep all of our service men/women and their families in your prayers.

Moving on! We have been to several weddings over the past few months and have made several trips to the beach over the summer. We have a few trips lined up in the fall and we look forward to sharing those with you all!

God Bless you all and we look forward to seeing you!

-Nat and John

Goodbye Arizona......Hello Mississippi!

2009-05-21T01:17:00.001-05:00

It has now been two months since we spent our last full day in Sierra Vista,AZ. I knew I needed to pay homage to the state that was our home for the past four months, but had not decided what I wanted to convey. With that being said, I will stay true to my form and will begin to write this post and let it be what it will be.

In the deep south, we pride ourselves on our hospitality,will, and genteel nature. We assume ( and for the most part it is true...) that because we are known as the Bible Belt we are the most religious area of the United States....I mean come on, we have many churches of many denominations and creeds on almost every corner. That has to count for something right?

When we moved to Sierra Vista, we had already located a church to visit and attend while we were there. We found Grace Presbyterian Church and were so excited to find a PCA church so close to where we were living. The Sunday morning service began at 9:30 and following the service, a brief refreshment time followed by Sunday School in the sanctuary at 11:15. The church building itself is a modest structure and the congregations averages approximately 60-70 people each Sunday morning. I wish I knew how to put into words how wonderful this church family is. The focus was not "What can this church do for me," " How can I be entertained," "What trips and functions can this church provide." Rather, it was " We will worship God according to his word, for He is Lord." Every member of this church is completely devoted to the Word of God....not only in spirit, but in their actions. There is so much genuine concern and accountability that flows through this congregation for not only members, but for visitors as well. I guess a better way to describe it would be to use the word "thirst and hunger." If you have been there for 2 hours, you will still hunger and thirst more for the Word. We had such an amazing experience with this church.....and will miss it dearly.

Also while in Arizona, we were unsure where we would be living once our time there was over. We knew that everything is in God's hand, but because we are sinful by nature sometimes let worry sneak in thinking that we could determine where we wanted to be. So once we fully put our situation in God's hand, we had a certain peace come over us. As the "Our Daily Bread" devotional put it that morning: "When we know that God's hand is in everything, we can leave everything in God's hand."

Words cannot adequately convey how wonderful our time was in Arizona....I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

Now to more current events! We have recently purchased our first home and in the morning, the painting will begin! We have a busy next few months as we transition from having all of our things in storage and over multiple cities to having them in our very own home. We are so excited and look forward to having our friends over very soon!

Arizona Diamondbacks

2009-03-10T20:46:00.003-06:00

On February 28th, John and I went to Tucson Electric Park to see the Arizona Diamondbacks play against the Texas Rangers. This was my first Major League Baseball game to attend and it was so much fun! The weather was gorgeous, a warm 83 degrees, and not a cloud in the sky. We sang "Take Me Out To The Ballgame," and ate hot dogs while simultaneously making sure that we had enough sunscreen . The Dbacks ended up losing to the Rangers 4-6, but we had a wonderful time and hope to see them play well once the season begins!

Mardi Gras

2009-02-24T20:36:00.002-06:00

In honor of Mardi Gras (and the fact that there isn't a single King Cake within a several hundred mile radius...) Ann and Tom were sweet enough to send us this very tasty King Cake! Thrilled is the only way I can explain to you how excited we were to receive such a thoughtful (and yummy!) treat. Now, before you begin to think that we made gluttons out of ourselves by eating the entire cake(and trust me we could have...), John took it for some of his friends to sample. Most of them had never had King Cake nor did they know what it was.....but all were very appreciative by the last bite! So a big thank you goes out to Ann and Tom for their thoughtfulness......you not only treated us, but the Army as well!!

Jackson Scott Bryant

2009-02-17T22:15:00.003-06:00

Jackson Scott Bryant was born at 2:34 pm weighing 8 lbs 7 oz, and 22 inches long. Congratulations Neill and Sally on your beautiful baby boy! We can't wait to meet him!

Wedding in Tombstone

2009-02-17T22:10:00.003-06:00

On Valentines Day, our sweet friends Sara and Nathan were married in Tombstone,AZ! The ceremony was held at the Tombstone Bordello. Contrary to how one may think a Bordello is fashioned, it is quite the opposite. It is a cute little bed and breakfast that is run by a couple from England (one of the owners was the officiant). The back yard where the ceremony was held is very reminicent of a quaint English garden. It was very pretty! We are so excited that they allowed us to be a part of this special day with them. We also send them our love as they begin this exciting chapter in their lives together! Congratulations Nathan and Sara!!

The Haunted Bird Cage Theater

2009-01-17T12:03:00.010-06:00

The Bird Cage Theater has been tested/explored by T.A.P.S., a paranormal research group, and found to be the most haunted place they have ever encountered. They do tours of this building at night. This is the actual building, artifacts, wall paper, and furniture that was here in the 1880s. 28 men and 1 woman lost their lives here. Supposedly, according to our guide, because these artifacts and the people that used to use them are tied together there is "energy" in the building and many people have stories of sensations, hot or cold air, seeing shadows, hearing voices or music, and even witnessing apparitions and figures.

Inside the main lobby. It was full of artifacts and history. The door to the top left leads to the private "parlor" rooms where for a bottle of whiskey ($25, but $700 in todays currency) earned a cowboy a full night with a "soiled dove" the ladies of the Theater.

One of over 45 bullet holes in the bar, walls, doors, and ceilings of the Bird Cage. Many, like this one in the bar still have the actual round in them, a .45 round from a six gun.

Tons of relics and in the back ground the actual stage where performers entertained Doc Holliday, The Earps, the Clantons, and Tombstones patrons.

The actual Earp's viewing parlor over the stage. Wyatt's manikin was in another parlor and it kept moving itself and throwing things down from the balcony. A historian realized it was in the Clanton's room and once moved the odd happenings ceased!

View of the main sitting area from the stage. Note the large wooden table with glass top in the middle of the room. Natalie is looking down at it as our guide explains how this 300 pound table moved itself across the room, apparently levitated over some other furniture and blocked the door to the room one day.

Original piano below the stage that was played throughout plays and poker games.

Actual morticians carriage that carried over 60 of Tombstones dead to Boot Hill. Many paranormal activities such as voices, faces in the glass, and odd blurs in pictures have been reported.

One of the basement apartments of the "soiled doves" that was used by Wyatt Earp and his mistress Josephine.

People have reported having strang female figures appear in pictures here.

Longest running poker table in history! This poker table made over 30 million for the house and was located in the basement under the stage.

Old wine and liquor locker in the basement. The barrels still have whiskey in them!

Big Nose Kate's Saloon

2009-01-17T11:28:00.010-06:00

After we finished at the ranch Natalie and I went to town to eat dinner and then kill time before our ghost tour of the Bird Cage. We walked down Allen street and found ourselves stepping back into an 1880s saloon.

This Tombstone and explanation were located in the back of the bar by the bathrooms. The Bathroom urinal had ice in it. The sign above the urinal said, "Don't worry we don't use the same ice in your drinks.....normally!"

House band played everything from Allison Krause to Merle Haggard.

Doc Holliday giving another tourist a lesson in how to "lighten your pockets" while playing faro.

Before the house band started this fella was playing ole honky tonk songs on his piano such as you will recall from old Westerns and the movie "Tombstone."

Two shots of the tons of parephenalia on the walls: Old Cowboy quotes, pictures, John Wayne's signed picture, shot guns, boots, and anything else cowboy related was nailed, glued, or otherwise suspended from the walls and ceiling.

This bar maid got her a man! The fella was slightly distracted by beer, loud music, and Doc Holliday jabbering about something I couldn't distinguish. Before he realized what was happening Doc had switched from picking a fight to wedding vows, a witness was standing over the bar maids shoulder and he was getting hitched! The fellas actual wife, blond in the foreground, was rolling on the floor. (She was actually crying so hard you can see her wiping her eyes in this picture.) The "actors" were playing faro, doing tricks like this, and creating a VERY lively scene. Natalie and I sat with wide eyes and had an apple tart and a beer while watching.

Lucky Hills Ranch

2009-01-17T10:58:00.007-06:00

Leaving Lucky Hills Ranch for a 2 hour trail ride. The ranch is located about 2 miles NW of Tombstone and they often do rides through town. Originially we wanted to do a longer ride, but Natalie talked me out of it knowing my rear end couldn't handle much more!

Lucky Hills has over 75 horses, most of which are wintering at their main ranch in Colorado.

Our guide, Linda, was an expert rider and was breaking a 4 year old mare while riding with us. Linda has been riding sense the age of 3 and has always had horses. She and Natalie talked the WHOLE time and I looked for banditos.

Beautiful country! You can't see from here, but we are on the side of a large hill and there are two river systems in front of us, but because of the terrain they are hidden.

Natalie and Black Satin.

A self portrait.

This is a river bed, which floods quickly during the spring rainy season, but now is ideal for navigating cross country and giving the horse's feet a rest from the rocky ground above.
Indians used these natural corrals to channel and catch wild horses. They would run the horses into the river bed and trap them in an area with large rock walls where the horses couldn't escape.

Old rail line used to move minerals, gold, and silver from mines around Tombstone into town.

We had beautiful weather and you can definitely tell by how clear the sky is in these pictures.

Back at the ranch we went down to see some of the other horses. Here, Linda and Natalie are calling over a few for further inpsection.

Beautiful mare who loved Natalie and came right up to her.

One of the ole cowboys working the ranch owned this dog. He followed us around and when I threw him a small twig came back with a huge log the size of my arm as if to say "THIS is what we play with out here partner!"

The Town Too Tough To Die

2009-01-14T12:21:00.014-06:00

The Tombstone Epitaph was founded by John P. Clum, an interesting character who originally came to the area to work for the Army. After the army he started this newspaper, a Republican paper, that backed Wyatt Earp and his deputies. The Republican party was very interested in keeping the area under control of the local sheriffs because Washington wanted to send more U.S. troops there if it got any worse. Arizona Republicans were making a killing on cattle, mining, and the towns that supported them so they didn't want government intervention. Clum's paper justified the Earp's acts as the "law" and swayed public opinion. Also, Clum was the first Mayor of the town as well.

One of many wagons that ran tourist up and down Allen street giving tours. In the 1880s the same wagons would be seen, but only a few times a year as minors came to town for supplies.

Natalie loved this sign. She said the water was good, I don't know I had beer.

The original Crystal Palace was named the Brewery but burned to the ground during one of 2 big fires in the town. An exact replica was built on the spot and was later refurbished by the town historic club when Tombstone became a touriest attraction. (Tombstone was, at one time, the biggest city between the California coast and Dallas. It's legendary status as the town to tough to die has reached fans around the world and, ironically, now tourism keeps it alive.)

Pool table where Morgan Earp was shot in the back by the infamous "Cowboy" gang after the OK corral gun fight. The Cowboys were comprised of the Clantons and McLaurys,two families who rustled cattle and caused major commotion when they came to town.

Doc Holliday taught us to play "faro" a card game that is supposedly a "clean game." However, if a dealer was good, and the players were drunk, he could swindle chips and cards with slight of hand and other distractions, such as the bar maid he had over his shoulder.

Allen Street, the original main street of Tombstone. Many gunfights, lynchings and robberies happened here. Curly Bill shot Sherriff White on the spot to the left where the sign is. This was the reason that Virgil Earp became sheriff. Later, his brothers and Doc. Holliday were deputized to help him.

Johnny Ringo, one of the infamous Cowboys, known for his lightening fast draw and quotations of the book of "Revelations" in the movie Tombstone.

We saw a re-enactment of the OK gunfight. Here the deputized Earps and Doc Holliday try to peacefully disarm the Cowboys. The fight was the result of two Cowboys being locked up three days prior and Ike Clanton, their leader, having a run in with Wyatt Earp where he was humiliated and had his pistol taken away. (The Earp's upon being sworn in made it illegal to carry guns in town.)

One of the only ORIGINAL (1880s) buildings left in Tombstone! The Birdcage was a stage, bar, game room, brothel, and blood bath. The History Channel and two different paranormal groups have rated it the most haunted building they have ever tested. Heavy tables move across the room, people passing by outside hear music, and children going to school have reported smelling stale cigar smoke coming from the building. My favorite story is that a manikin of Wyatt Earp was put in one of the viewing parlors over the stage. Every morning when the owners came in his hat was on the floor below or he was turned completely around. A historian pointed out he was actually in the Clanton's (Cowboys) box seat and once moved to another area the misplaced hat and odd positioning of the manikin stopped.

Tombstone Courthouse. Tombstone was founded by Edward Schiefflin. In 1877 he was working supplying the Army at Fort Huachuca. He left the fort to explore and prospect on the side. Some soldiers told him all he would find was his "tombstone or a graveyard" if he kept leaving the camp alone in Indian country. Instead he found silver and the town of Tombstone was founded. Tombstone's inexplicable demise is simply because rising water tables underground made the mines inaccessible and without silver the town all but dried up.

Contrary to the movies, Boot hill is not right in town, it is actually 3 miles away, but is still an eerie place. Below is one tombstone you will recognized from the movies "Tombstone" and "Wyatt Earp". Others described men lynched by mobs, bar maids stabbed in the back, various diseases, and of course the Cowboy men shot in the OK Corral.

Thank you for a Wonderful Christmas!!!!

2009-01-01T20:42:00.007-06:00

Friends and Family,

Natalie and I had a WONDERFUL Christmas. We started our trip with our visit to the Pima Museum, showcased in the blog below, before our day of planes and cars to get home. There were a host of lovely events while we were at home I would be remiss in not mentioning.

Kimberly and Drew hosted a lovely party where we got to see Brian, Liza, Shelby, Bill, and Jenny. Thank you both so much for the chance to catch up and see everyone!

We stayed at my parents house while in Jackson the first few days and had a great time. Mom and Dad, your hospitality and food are always craved and appreciated. The First Presbyterian Church Christmas Music was lovely and helped get us "in the mood" for the season of worship and thanks as well as in the "spirit" after being in the sand and mountains leading up to the holiday!

Marja also deserves thanks. Marja opened her lovely home to us, again, and we had a wonderful time with the festive decorations and being with the family while in Laurel.

Sarah and Jody had a lovely Christmas Eve Dinner for us, arguably my favorite part of Christmas, before we opened gifts from family and went to mid-night mass.

Gene thank you for letting us come over for Christmas Day and for letting me tag along as ya'll went to the tree farm to hunt for arrow heads. For those of you that don't know, Natalie's father hails from Prentiss and we took a trip down memory lane to see the old family homes before going out to his farm where Natalie found our only arrow head of the day.

We hope you all had a Wonderful Christmas and have a great New Year! You all contributed to our time in Mississippi and we really appreciate it.

~John

Another Year Is Dawning

2009-01-01T19:31:00.003-06:00

The below was in the First Presbyterian Church of Jackson bulletin. I think it is a wonderful way to take on the New Year. A big thank you goes to "The Fun Couple"...

Another Year Is Dawning

Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be
In working or in waiting, another year with Thee.
Another year of progress, another year of praise,
Another year of proving Thy presence all the days.

Another year of mercies, of faithfulness and grace,
Another year of gladness in the shining of Thy face;
Another year of leaning upon Thy loving breast;
Another year of trusting, of quiet, happy rest.

Another year of service, of witness for Thy love,
Another year of training for holier work above.
Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be
On earth, or else in Heaven, another year for Thee.

Tucson Pima Air and Space Museum

2008-12-20T22:56:00.011-06:00

The Pima Air and Space Musucm in Tucson, Arizona!!! For those of you that aren't aviation buffs, the "airplane graveyard" famous from many movies is located here. Basically the U.S. military houses thousands of old air frames here for historical purposes, but also to have a "used" inventory for selling 3rd generation aircraft to other allies. A-1 Douglass "SkyRaider" used for search and rescue during Vietnam and before as an Attack fighter. Commonly known as the "SPAD"

Douglass A-26 "Invader"

B-25 "Mitchell" medium bomber

This place is enormous and we took a guided tour to check it all out. This is just one of hundreds of rows of U.S. aircraft from all brances of the military.

Side Gunner on B-29

Belly gunner, I would NOT want this job! Basically if you were short you got picked to be folded up and shoved in this rotating turrett.

Soviet Cold War era MiG. They have one of every air frame that the Soviets used for the MiG, amazing.

Dad's plane, the A-4 Douglas "SkyHawk", also known as Scooter, because it was so small and agile. This model is an A4-B which saw services from 1954 through the Vietnam War for the U.S. but is still used by some other countries.

"Intruder" used for locating SAM sites during the Vietnam War, not my idea of smart to be a big fat target and once SAMs are fired to out run them and then try to target the site that fired them!

Another shot of the A-4, also flown by John McCain.

The F-14 "Tomcat" last flown only a year ago and decommisioned by the Navy with the creation of the new F-18 Hornet.

A-1 "Cobra" gunship. Used for close air support during Vietnam. Wonderful airframe that is the basis for the "Apache" of today's army. The Marines still use this airframe.

A-10 "Wart Hog" Air Force close air support. This frame flys low and slow, but is extremely maneuverable.

Sunrise

2008-12-18T16:03:00.005-06:00

These were taken early this week when I was coming back to the apartment from running. If you are in Mississippi this is what we had the morning you woke up to snow and later mud/rain! I actually considered getting in our heated pool because it was 50 degrees here.

- John
Our "private" pool at 5:45 am.

It had rained that night so the air was very clear, no dust, and the sunrise was absolutely amazing as you can see.

These are all pretty much the same view, but they don't do justice to the shades of pink, orange, and purple I saw.

Fort Huachuca from Elevation

2008-12-18T15:35:00.007-06:00

We drove up to a picnic /trail running area above the main post and took some pictures. These views are looking back to the east, for the most part, from the foot hills of the Huachuca Mountains.

- John

You can see the parade grounds and old post in the center bottom.

Deer infiltrating the housing area.

This is the main post and Sierra Vista in the background.

The Spanish, church looking, building in the background (with tower on left side) is a few blocks from our house.

My beautiful wife who I finally caught on film!

This area is called Apache flats. I run out there for PT most mornings. The wind can be ridiculous because there is nothing to stop it; most of the vegetation is sparse at this elevation and trees look more like large bushes.

Queen Mine Tour

2008-12-14T13:46:00.009-06:00

On our Saturday trip to Bisbee, we had a chance to go on the Queen Mine Tour. Bisbee has been one of the worlds largest producers of copper in the world and was in production for almost 100 years. Mining for copper began in the late 1870's and continued until its closing in 1975. Our tour guide worked in the mine for twenty-five years before it's closing and has been guiding tours since Feb. 1, 1976 when the mines became open to the public. Bisbee's mines, of which the Queen Mine is just one, include more than 2,500 miles of tunnels.

Statistics of the Mine

The Queen Mine Tour Dressing Room
"Everybody's working for the weekend....."
It was a very cool 47 degrees in the mine, so we had a lot of layers on!
me and John
Kind of awkward but you sat straddling this little seat while riding through the tunnel.
Entrance to the mine. Note: If you are clausterphobic, this is not the tour for you
A Stop on the route showed how they drilled holes, put dynamite in them and blew up the rock, then hauled the rock out and the process started again.

The elevator: this elevator moved men from level to level and they also tied up mules underneath it to work in the mines. Once the mules were in the mine they had a stable for them and they only came out for retirment years later. Sadly they were blind because the only light was candles when the men worked.

This machine is an engine that ran the "Mucker". Once the rock had been blasted this pulley would haul out the big pieces to clear the way for more blasting. Our tour guide was great because he had worked in the mines for years until they closed them down in 75'.

Drilling for copper!! This machine used air compression to drive a metal bar into the wall, then dynamite was put into the holes and blew an 8 foot section of rock away.

The mine was left just like the men were still working in the hopes it could be mined again if the need for copper increased enough to justify opening it.

Creepy work area. There were tunnels going in all directions but we didn't go exploring.
The Queen Mine's powder room...our guide joked that he never understood the need for two sides because he never saw but one guy on it!!
A scary tunnel

Whoever wrote this must have had a Southern mother...
Mining tools

Let's go see the cowboys....er hippies?

2008-12-13T22:59:00.009-06:00

We were able to spend all of our Saturday in Bisbee, AZ! There are several fun things to do in Bisbee...enough to spend another day or so! Below you will find pictures of the town and the fun we had while exploring it! I had originally thought that the town would have more of a "Wild West" theme, but Bisbee is quite modern and it's streets are lined with wonderful galleries, "hippy" jewelry stores and antique shops....so if you are into any of the above three that were listed, Bisbee's main street is right up your alley!

-Nat

This isn't the best picture of Bisbee, but I coudn't get past the fence!
A picture of Bisbee built into the mountains
Main Street. Isn't it cozy? They had lights and decorations up and they are so pretty at night.
Another view of Main Street....
The Copper Queen hotel is to the far left there.....not sure why we didn't get a better picture
The Gulch....the first Brewery in Bisbee...
This is a house that we noticed while passing by an alley. It's called the Birdhouse

The Bisbee Mining Museum. Lots of great info. and history on how the town was settled.

The Historic Bisbee Covenant Presbyterian Church

4-Wheelin' in the Huachuca Mountains!!

2008-12-13T22:33:00.004-06:00

The Huachuca Mountains are situated on the West and South side of the post. The road we took rises up over 1200 feet into the mountain range and has camping and hunting grounds controlled by Fort Huachuca. It got bumpy and rocky so I had to tell John to turn back early, but not before he got to "play with his truck."

There weren't many tall trees because the wind and bad soil keep them from getting big so I was excited to see some.

At one point we had the truck in 4wd lo and the trans mission in low and were probably on a 40% slope heading up but the view was worth the white knuckles!

Ft. Huachuca

2008-12-13T21:56:00.006-06:00

Below are some pictures from the oldest area of Ft. Huachuca. History buffs, please email John with questions!!

-Nat

The Post was originally occupied by the Buffalo Soldiers in 1877
First SGT quarters facing the original parade field in the oldest part of Post

This is a Colonel's home on Post decorated for Christmas!
This is the original parade field on Post. Est. in 1877
another view of the parade field and original Barracks
Apache Scout and U.S. Cavalry Officer Memorial

John getting in touch with his Cavalry roots

Where are all the trees?

2008-12-13T21:26:00.006-06:00

We left Mississippi the day after Thanksgiving and started our two and a half day trip to Arizona. For those of you who have not traveled West by car, we can only tell you to enjoy the trees and greenery while you can! We were on I-20 for a day and a half passing through Louisiana, East and then West Texas where the trees became sparse and then disappeared completely. For the remainder of the trip, it became a game and a rarity to find anything remotely resembling a tree. West Texas and New Mexico consisted of desolate highway, oil platforms, and small towns such as Odessa-Midland,Texas. Finally, the afternoon of our second day we made it to Arizona to a town called Lordsburg. Needless to say, we were fairly apprehensive that Sierra Vista, our town for the next four months, would look like the desolate terrain of West Texas and New Mexico. Luckily, as we entered Arizona, the landscape changed for the better. Beautiful mountains, open land, and a semblance of civilization welcomed us to Sierra Vista,AZ, and I have never been so happy in my life! After driving through the tiny ghost towns, miles and miles of Interstate, I was beginning to worry that my home for the next four months would consist of a few boards in a six foot square and an outhouse.....thank goodness this was not the case! We have been here for two weeks and have thoroughly been enjoying our time in Sierra Vista!

We thought this sign was a little weird until we realized 0 visibility occurred during heavy wind because of the "brown outs" where dust obscures everything!

We saw TONS of trains!!

Greetings from the Southwest!

2008-12-13T21:03:00.001-06:00

Hello friends and family

Since we have had so much trouble with emailing pictures to you all, I decided to create a blog. We are excited to be able to share all of our weekend adventures with our friends and family. Check the blog on a regular basis as John is excited about his new camera and is taking a lot of pictures! We love and miss all of you very much and look forward to spending the holidays with you all!

Merry Christmas!
-Nat