Another beautiful afternoon at the beach

First Named Storm of The Season

Andrea helped pick up the surf here in South Carolina. The current was very strong though and the wind was constant.

This is the guys walking back after being carried south towards the IOP Pier thursday evening. The air temp was 83 degrees, the wind was a bit cooler but not bad. Andrea was a sub-tropical storm with sustained winds at 45 mph. She stayed off shore along the Carolina coast.
The waves were bigger then this out farther, I just did not get any good shots of them because the current carried them so far away. I was also on gear duty since the beach was a bit busier than usual. We are planning on visiting the beach a lot next week so maybe I will get a few good pictures!

Quote for the Day

I found this while reading IF LIFE WERE EASY IT WOULDN'T BE HARD by Sheri Dew.

"When the surf of the centuries has made the great pyramids so much sand, the everlasting family will still be standing, because it is a celestial institution, formed outside telestial time"

Elder Neal A Maxwell (Ensign, May 1978, 10-12)

May Day in South Carolina

Here in South Carolina we go to the beach on May Day! Nick is waxing up his board.
It has been over 2 years since Ben last was in the water. His first word's "Wow this water is warm" He was the last one out of the water.

The waves were super small, the weather was perfect though so why not go have some fun at the beach! We were at Isle of Palms, 25th street.

Getting Ready For the Hurricane Season

This Morning the boys went and helped a family they Home Teach get there gutters cleaned out. When they returned Darren and Ben got up on our roof and cleaned off the roof, the gutters and washed the sky light!
All the pollen is gone now and with a clean sky light I can tell if it is clear or overcast in the morning:)
The pine tree in the background is over 50ft tall. Ben is standing on the roof on the front of the house.

New pedestrian Gate

Darren and the boys installed the fencing and pedestrian gate on Friday. The front entrance is coming together. We have been blessed with healthy plants that have survived our stupidity when it comes to horticulture!

Ben buys a car!

Ben needed a car to drive and so we went out after dinner to look and see what was available. After visiting a few car lots we ended up at Saturn on Rivers ave. Ben liked his Saturn and was willing to look at those again.
Turns out after test driving a L 300 4 door that he was O.K. with, and they were about to go make a deal. I (mom) found an ION for a little less that had less miles. The only catch was it is a 5 speed manual. Ben fell in love with it and said, " no problem I can learn to drive it." Darren drove a hard deal, Saturn accepted the offer and we are the co-owners of an 2003 ION. It is in very good condition, Darren said the engine is very clean. I am sure he will love his new/used Saturn!

A fun day of Family Golf

Today we took the Family Golfing at our Golf club here in Summerville. The weather could not have been any better.....70's and sunny!

Nick with the Club House in the background.

Practice swing before that first try at hitting the ball down the fairway.

Laurel getting ready to smack a good one down the fairway!

Ben Is Home

Ben was very excited to see his new home, I think he likes it so far! We are very happy to have our family together again. On the ride home from the airport he talked about how things seem sort of new and a little strange but other than Nicks obvious growth we are still the same as when he left and he loves it!

Ben just outside the garage before going inside.

This is the banner that Laurel's seminary class made and we hung it up so as soon as he went upstairs to the main floor he would see it along with other decorations and balloons that we fixed up.

Playing the Piano while we waited to go see the Stake President for his release. Ben has learned to play hymns very well on his mission and we enjoyed listening to him play.

At the Airport

We got at the Airport just as his plane was landing, it came in 20 minutes early! We got to see the plane taxi to the gate from the viewing area where we were sitting on rocking chairs that they have there for people waiting. I took this picture because we knew that he was sitting in seat 36E which was on this side of the plane. Bishop Cunningham and his wife were there too to meet Ben. Ben was of course the last one off the plane!

Bens plane coming in to the gate. Ben is sitting in the row with the last two window.

Nick and Mom waiting at the gate

Moms hug, it took a while before she would let go of him so Nick and I could have a turn!

NOW PLAYING !

TODAY IS THE BIG DAY..........WE ARE ALL VERY EXCITED!

Ben arrives at the Airport around 4PM our time. He will see his name up in lights in our Home theater lobby area where he will first enter the house from the garage. We will post pictures of his homecoming ASAP. Laurel's seminary class also made a banner that we will display upstairs. It will be nice to have Ben home again from serving so well on a full time mission for the Lord these past two years.

WELCOME HOME BEN, WELL DONE!

Elder Johnson & Elder Cawley

On Saturday Ben's Grandpa and Grandma Martineau met him at the Sacramento Temple. This picture was taken after the session. They had a baptism at 3:30. We are looking forward to Ben's return in a little over a day!

It's Spring Break for many and the beach is bustling

The Richardson Family comes to visit during their spring break. We were able to spend a few hours every afternoon on the beach.Kites on Folly beach, a retired gentleman was flying this 15 kite stack while we were enjoyng a sunny warm day near the pier!
Savannah and Zachary loved going in the water even though it was only 60 degrees. We are wimpy now and wait until it reaches at least 70.
Zachary promised he would not get his shorts wet. Can you guess what the out come was?

It would not be a day at the beach without a little game of catch!

We had a blast with the Richardsons while they were here.

Laurel's Family spends the weekend in S.C.

Mom, Marianne and Briel came to South Carolina to visit. We took them to the Aquarium and Fort Sumpter National Monument. The weather was a bit cooler then it has been. We went to the beach anyway. Briel said that the water was warm:)
Briel at the Charleston Aquarium. The new Ravenel Bridge behind her.
At Fort Sumpter National Monument. A very windy day!

Count down until Ben arrives in Charleston SC

March in Summerville

The weather is starting to feel like spring and everything is starting to blossom and turn green! We had a wonderful day yesterday relaxing and playing at home. Nick had a few friends over and they played x-box, music and watched a movie! Darren did somemore work on the front landscape and I finished 4 pages in our 1999 scrapbook! After Dinner it was still warm out so Darren and I played a little basketball and watched the dogs chase each other around the house. One of Kirra's favorite things to do while she is outside.

Spring is on it's way

We were very lucky That the storm that swept the south on Thursday left only puddles after a lot of rain here in Summerville. Thursday morning a truck load of dirt arrived and Darren managed to get it spread before the storm hit. We also had our porch screened in. It is nice to be able to let some fresh air in. We are enjoying warmer weather now. There are blossoms slowly coming. I will post some pictures of all the color as it becomes more plentiful.

New Driveway

We are so thrilled to have a paved driveway. Darren was at Home Depot getting some pavers for the front walkway and saw the paving company's truck. Darren talked to the guy about our driveway. He came out and gave us a bid that afternoon. His bid was better than any we had. The company was in Summerville doing a few jobs and fit us in the next day. They were fast, 3hrs start to finish. We could not drive on it for the next 24hrs. So my car stayed in the garage and Darren's truck was parked around the block in front of a nice neighbors house. It was worth the inconvenience.

Progress on the Gate!

Well it is a cold and cloudy Saturday here in Summerville. Darren worked all day on the electrical and lighting for the gate. People who were going out early this morning would wave and tell him how much they like his new gate:) I love that he can see something in his mind and then create it! You should see the call box, it is serious business. This is the 4th gate he has built. It is by far the largest!