The North Dakota Coxes (Four of us left)

Some things simply matter more than others

Sunday, January 24, 2010

TOMS


I'm not sure if any of you have heard of the orginization out there called TOMS SHOES, but basically it is an orginazation that makes shoes, and for every pair of shoes bought (or tshirt, or other merchandise), they will donate a pair of shoes to people in the world who have none. Since 2006, they have given 400,000 pairs of shoes. They recently donated 30,000 pairs to those who were devestated in Haiti. To learn more, see their website, www.tomsshoes.com .
Mom and I were just looking to see what you guys thought of it, how you reacted to it. Let us know.
Love you all LOTS!!
--Mel

Monday, January 18, 2010

Holidays linger as sweet memories; photos help


We bid farewell to our untouchable sunsets - and snow - to spend two weeks in (almost)uninterrupted sunshine with our three families who now reside in AZ: Gibbys, Coxes, and Packards - plus the Frakeses, who drove down from Utah. On the way there (we drove the whole *&^%$#@! way - about 27 hours, though I suspect it could be a little shorter), we stopped in Las Vegas, New Mexico - read that carefully, that's NM, not NV - where Tim's grandparents lived for many years. He was able to find their old house, so you get to see it too...


The house in AZ (an investment property, so don't get all funky thinking we're moving) has a great little display spot - great for displaying Karly, Myles, and other smiling adorable children who missed the photo opp...


Family mob time... I confess, I can never get enough!


Picking oranges from our trees, fresh-squeezed orange juice for Christmas breakfast, playing in the sunshine at a park close by, the beautiful lights at the Mesa Temple...These more than made up for no snow - at least for Tim and me.





In spite of rampant sickness (seems to be part of our Christmas tradition when we gather), we had a wonderful time. Only one hole in my mama/grandma heart: the Adamzes weren't with us. But they had a great visit with Glenn's family, so I try not to grouse. And we did get a bonus visit - Emilie's parents came from California, and they spent New Year's Eve with our mob.
A few more random memories:

Christmas morning, in their new jackets (even in AZ, they needed warmth)

A couple of memories at two different temples...

We drove home through Utah, where we got to take part in Celina Fillmore's wedding! (A Fillmore site will be the place to see Celina and her new husband, and all that goes with a wedding)But my siblings and I were all together, so it was a great time to shoot us in a group hug...


And, though I don't have a picture of it, New Year's Eve was bright and beautiful with a Blue Moon (the second full moon in a month's time- a rare occurance and hence the saying...), my fascination of which has given Mel and Suzie plenty of opportunities to laugh at me. I'm okay with that; I'm pretty sure I'm the only one of the bunch who stepped outside on that bright, clear night to welcome my buddy the moon and the new year at the same time...!
Hope your holiday joys are lingering as sweet memories for you! Make 2010 the best!

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

A life of extremes...

From this -


To this -









...in a matter of days is a difficult and jarring switch, in oh, so many ways! Christmas in Arizona, January back at home in ND: life is full of extremes, but it's all good.
Stay tuned (but don't hold your breath - you might turn blue :-/) for a sampling of our wonderful Christmas holiday... TTFN!