Arizona, Albuquerque, and American Mothers

Tim and I went on a vacation of sorts in early October, while Mel and Suzie slaved away at school. (Hey, it wasn't my idea to leave them home; they're so stinkin' dedicated...) First, we were with the Gibbys and Ben Coxes in the Valley of the Sun for Conference weekend. Space and the limitations of my photography mean you get less than we did. But it's still worth a peek...



(David was enjoying the cool of the tile floor.)


A peek at the grandies, that is... All the adults were busy, you see. ;-}
And I think it's official enough to mention that, while there, we learned of another Gibby on order! Hooray for #5 for them, 12 grandies for us! Bless you, Emily, through the grunge days of pregnancy...


Then we went to Albuquerque (for work meetings) during the International Balloon Festival!
Hundreds of hot-air balloons in as many designs and from all over the world:

We were there early in the morning, and the views were far better than I can provide for you. Trust me, it was memorable!

So many balloons, so little space on a blog...

That's the moon in the western sky, as the sun was coming up in the east; Mr. Moon actually looked much bigger and more impressive...




And, even though I'm posting no beautiful pictures of New Hampshire in the Fall, I still want to mention my visit there for board meetings of American Mothers, Inc.
The leaves were not yet changed (it was still September-the week of my birthday), and I really didn't spend much time enjoying the glories of NH: we, the board members of this national non-profit organization, were in meetings from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. each day! But it was a great learning experience, and I was reminded again that there are thousands of moms across this country who feel as I do: that motherhood is the most important, most meaningful career of all, and the sanctity of home and family has to be watched over and even fought for by organizations like American Mothers - thus my involvement. A worthwhile cause deserves a little crusading, you know? ;-] If you want to know more, you can check out the website, www.americanmothers.org. The site itself is evolving, as is the organization, because even great ideas have to be marketed well...
Of course, the best organization for guarding and guiding families is the organization that was created by God Himself to help families get Home to Him: the Church of Jesus Christ. Which brings us full circle, to my mention of Conference weekend. Lacking the eloquence of others, and especially of those who spoke with the power of the Spirit, I close my mouth, and my post, with gratitude for a weekend that fuels us for six months. What a blessing!