Jack-O-Lantern

This is our tall Jack-o-Lantern, it was a bit scary looking. Kind of ghostly looking don't you think? 

Pumpkin Carving

Today we attended our first annual pig pickin' put on by the Summerville ward. We were pleasantly surprised this morning after 2 days of rain, the sun was out and it was warm. The perfect day for a picnic. The pork was so yummy slow cooked southern syle. ( kinda like the polyniesians do only in a closed grill) There was a hay ride for the kids and lots of room for the young men to play football. The waves were really good so we left early so the guys could go surfing. they said it was awsome. Now the big game is on Carolina & Tennessee!

Annual Pig Pickin'

Today we attended our first annual pig pickin' put on by the Summerville ward. We were pleasantly surprised this morning after 2 days of rain, the sun was out and it was warm. The perfect day for a picnic. The pork was so yummy slow cooked southern syle. ( kinda like the polyniesians do only in a closed grill) There was a hay ride for the kids and lots of room for the young men to play football. The waves were really good so we left early so the guys could go surfing. they said it was awsome. Now the big game is on Carolina & Tennessee!

FALL IN SOUTH CAROLINA

The weather has cooled a bit and it is a great time of year to start those outdoor projects. We are getting ready to have our driveway paved. Darren of course needed to do some tractor work. I think when he is on a tractor it brings back lots of great memories from his childhood. Not to mention the memories of building the roads on Mt. Sexton! We have a bit of Fall color here. Some people say that we won't get much the leaves just turn brown and fall. I suppose that is because it does not get down to freezing here until winter if even then.

Elder Benjamin L Johnson

This was taken while Ben was helping to get the Sacramento Temple landscaped before the open house. The Landscape company pulled their contract at the last minute. The Elders and volunteer members from the Sacramento area did the work. It was hard work because the ground was so dry. He said it will be something he never forgets along with the open house and dedication. We are so happy that Ben is having the best two years of his life!!

This picture was taken last week just before Darren and Nick left to go golf. It was a beautiful fall afternoon here in Summerville. The days are not too humid and still nice and warm.

176th Annual General conference

Today we enjoyed both sessions of General conference. Between sessions we took a drive over to Johns Island. It was about 83 degrees here this afternoon. The sky was clear and everything is in bloom or turning green. The Marsh is the exception, it is still a redish brown. I have been wanting to take a picture of the Marsh since we arrived here and today was a good day. I really love the trees that shade the roads here. I took this as we were driving home. I'm glad the windshield was not to dirty.
Conference was fantastic it was so great to hear President Hinckley speak. He is a remarkable man!

My Little Garden

I started some seeds on my bathroom window sill. They are growing very well there. I have pumpkins, sunflowers and watermelon. Today I transplanted them into larger containers and started some green beans. I think they like the light and the steam in here. I will keep them here until they are a bit bigger, then we will try the back porch. Some sad news, Ben's bike was stolen. Good thing he is Zone Leader and has a car right now. His was the 3rd one stolen from there apt. balcony. I have a new calling in the ward. I was called to serve as the Primary president.

Isle of Palms in March

It was so nice and warm we headed to the beach Monday afternoon. Darren was able to get a bit of surfing in before the sun set. It was a bit windy and I did not bring a sweat shirt along so I wrapped up in a towel and took a few pictures from my spot on the beach. There were locals out jogging and a few surfers. As we were leaving there were two kite surfers getting a few min of practice before the sun set. I am sorry about the picture quality I left my digital camera home these are the old fashioned film to disc pic's. I kept looking at the back of the camera to see if they were turning out O.K.. It was good for me to have to think before took the shot. I hope it warms up a bit for all you westerners!

March is already here!

Can you believe spring is just around the corner? It sure feels like spring here in Summerville! We are enjoying warm and sunny weather today. This is a picture of my scrap/craft room Darren did a beautiful job of putting it all together for me. I will add more pictures. I am still in the process of getting all of my supplies put away in an organized manner. Hopefully this will help me to work faster and get those 8 yrs of pictures under control! Thank goodness for digital cameras now I can store on disk not paper.  

Making progress

Hello everyone! We have Sea Salt walls now!! This was taken last week, after the painters finished and we got the furniture put back. I also painted my scrapbook room. I have some pictures of the cute animals that were on the walls. Ben wrote us on Valentines day. He is in Rocklin and is serving as the District Leader. He likes his Apt. Darren has been traveling around the state doing some work on the sites here in the Low country. Nick is working on his First Class. We are really loving the space here. We miss each and everyone of you. Our first guest came Sunday, we look forward to many more!

Future Scrapbook Area

Well we have managed to get all our belongings in one place. we had to make a few trips each day, but it is done now!! this is a picture of what use to be a baby nursery. It is my future Scrapbook/Craft room. There are cute animals painted on the walls. A little to much yellow paint for my taste though. I am not sure what color we will put up yet. We have a few other projects to do first. Benjamin was transfered to Rocklin for a few days while he was awaiting a new companion. I am not sure if he is still there or somewhere else now. We are very happy that he has so much support from family and friends!!! Thank You!!! Well I better go get some more boxes un-packed!

Yellow Walls

We are starting to feel more settled now. This is the living room. The walls are yellow and that will have to change. We will have to wait until we have everything unpacked before we start that project. We were pleasantly surprised at how well the piano stayed in tune. We are opened to suggestions as to what should go over the T.V. hole over the fireplace. We are not planning on having a T.V. in the living room. I will post more pictures soon, but I must go get some more boxes unpacked! Have a wonderful weekend!

We Have Moved!

We have moved and we have a new address. On Gahagan Rd. we have been busy with the usual moving chores. I tried to post yesterday, the blog site was updating for thirty min. and I had to get back to unpacking. I will post some pictures soon. I need to find my power cord for the computer. I am low on power.
The house that we ended up buying is not the same one pictured in previous posts. We had a chance to really check the area out and we wanted a bit more land than that house was sitting on . We wanted to stay in the Oakbrook ward though so that limited our choices. We feel very blessed to have been able to purchase this home on Gahagen Rd. It is on .09 of an acre and just minutes from everything. The house is only 3 1/2 yrs old. It is 3800+ sq. ft. We will have to do some work to it, the builder skimped alot on the finish details. Good thing Darren is so good at it and enjoys it too. He has already started one project. New doors for his office!

Charleston Home Show 2006

Today we dropped Nick off early for a stake youth activity. Darren and I went to a home show here in Charleston. It was a good day for it. The cold front has moved in and the warm air is gone. It is rather windy today and that makes surfing hard. There is a football game this afternoon so I will have time to work on some cards or scrapbook pages. The picture was taken last night after we watched animal planet and the dogs were still. Ben has a new Companion, Elder Johnson. That is not a typo, yes it is Elders Johnson & Johnson. He will be in Roseville another 6 weeks.

Zone Conference

This morning I went and helped with the lunch at the Missionary Zone Conference. We served soup in bread bowls. I was having an enjoyable time working with the Sisters from our Relief Sociaty. I had a very hard time when the Missionaries sang to us after they ate. They sang Called To Serve. I could not stop the tears, it was really embarrasing to say the least. Moms who have experienced this know what I am talking about, Moms who have not your turn will come. It is all worth it!! A trip to the house this afternoon showed more progress. The rails are in and the paint is suppose to done in the next day or so. I am looking forward to a painted house! Kirra is getting along well with our crazy schedules. Rusty likes her on his own terms.

The House (update)

Today we went to the house and were very happy to see that the singles have been changed to the accent color. It looks a bit brown in this photo as the sun was setting. We are pleased with how nice it turned out! The porch posts are in as well and we have a garage door. On the inside the trim and cabinets are almost finished. We are getting excited to move in. It is still a ways off though. I have been trying out some paint colors in our current home to see if we like them for the new house. I hope I do not drive everyone crazy with do you like it votes!

Trip to Isle of Palms

On Monday we took a trip to Isle of palms. North of Charleston a fun beach town with its own light house and Fort. It was windy and a bit chilly so we did not stay to visit the Fort or light house. We drove over to Sullivans Island and on to Charleston before returning home. There are a lot of Historic sights to see here. We plan on visiting them when it is a bit warmer.

A Driveway and Puppy

We found a driveway had been poured and the drywall is ready for primer and paint! We are looking forward to that next week hopefully! About 4:00 pm We left home and drove to Savannah. We arrived after dark so the pictures are not great as I did not have my Tripod. We drove to Tybee island and found the light house! It had a few Christmas lights but was closed. We went to a really fun Restaurant for dinner. The Crab Shack, it is very casual, you can even wear barefeet if you like. It is a bit cold for that right now. They serve all kinds of Crab, Shrimp and Shellfish Low country style. There are lots of tables outside and if you like you can sail right up to the dock tie up, eat and then continue on the river to the ocean. After a yummy dinner we headed down town. We found Johnson Square, Washington visited here. It was named for Robert Johnson a former Governor of South Carolina. There were Christmas lights in the trees and everything looked so festive. After a short stroll through the square and a quick drive through Down town we headed for the airport. The Savannah/Hilton Head international airport is very nice. Not too big and very clean. Delta and United are a couple of the airlines that fly into SAV. Our puppy came in via Dallas on American Eagle. She was priority cargo. The people at American Airlines took good care of her! She was in alot better shape than we expected! We drove home and arrived at 12:45 am. Rusty was not sure what to think. They are both adjusting well to each other. We have named her Kirra Hallie. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

New Puppy on the way.

On Friday we are traveling to Savannah to pick up our new Cavalier puppy. She was born in Oaklahoma at Lost Creek Cavaliers. She will be flying via Dallas Texas on American Airlines. Her mom looks just like Rusty and her Dad is a Tri-Colored like her. Her name is Hallie (how-ly). We are thinking of calling her Kirra Hallie. No we are not going to breed her she will be spayed. We just love the Cavalier King Charles breed! Rusty is spoiled rotten. He thinks he is the King! She will be good for all of us. We are looking forward to Christmas and a phone call from Ben.:) The house is moving along slow but sure. The drywall will be complete this weekend and the Cabinets are scheduled to go in next week. I will take some pictures and post them here later in the week.