(01/13/09 (Suzanna)  December was an extremely busy month for us as we sold our home and moved.  As we prepare to work overseas, we are staying with family and friends.  We are so thankful for their hospitality during these weeks of transition.
 

Christmas was spent with West Virginia family and friends.  Mamie and Jack Whitten hosted a feast.

Richard retired from Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline December 31, 2008.

January found us meeting Richard’s mother in Tulsa and visiting Oklahoma,  Arkansas,  and Arizona.   Richard’s mother, Louise, lives in Grande Prairie, Alberta, and has happily escaped the sub-zero temperatures while visiting the states.
 

Here she is touring the capitol building in Oklahoma City.

It was great to visit son Pete and his sons, Mason and Marshall, in Ft. Smith, AR.

Baby Ian, son of daughter Renee and her husband Michael Estes, in OK City, had never met his great-grandmother until this visit.

It’s always a delight to visit Butch and Marlene Braught.  They work in their church’s media control center in Manford, OK.

In Phoenix, AZ, Richard’s brother Reg and wife Carrie honored Richard with a celebratory dinner in honor of his retirement and birthday at Rustler’s Rooste.

The pleasant weather allowed lots of walking and hiking with Reg and Carrie.