"A Bennett Now"

We now officially have a new granddaughter. Ellie has been issued a new birth certificate. In the words of my six-year old granddaughter who called to inform me, "She's a Bennett now." It's quite an emotion to realize that there is a little girl in Guatemala with our family name (and more) on her, waiting to be brought home. She's ours now, just waiting through the red tape. When the US Embassy there opens on Wednesday, January 2, an application for a visa to bring her home will be submitted, and I think a mid-January trip for the parents (our son and daughter-in-law) to get her is still likely. We'll keep you posted.

December Doing's

On Saturday, December 9, my sister, Carol and I went to see my Mother at her nursing home in Arkansas. We celebrated with an early Christmas, giving her clothes and things. My job was to be the tree. We had a real nice two-hour visit, then another visit at dinner time. That night, Mom had a stroke. She gave us a real scare, but rallied the next day and seems to be alright now. Here's a picture of my sister, my Mom, and me (I'm the Christmas tree). We also had a good time visiting with my brother and his family while we were there.

Birthday Celebrations

We have had two wonderful birhtday celebrations recently. Thursday, Nov. 29, was my youngest son's birthday. I had a doctor appointment in Dallas late that afternoon, then Carol and I drove to the DBU campus, and rode with my son, his girlfriend, and my daughter to a Chili's and celebrated with a meal and a cake. Then last Wednesday, December 5, was Carol's birthrday. More meal and cake here at the house. This time, all local kids, kids-in-law, and those being dated were present for a real fun evening. Here are pictures of the happy events:

A Most Excellent Thanksgiving

November 23, 2007



It was a most excellent Thanksgiving. Our feast and celebreation were hosted by our local son and daughter-in-law in Hurst. Due to his work shifts and other schedule conflicts, the traditional meal was an early evening affair, opened with a Psalm reading and a time of each person present giving thanks for something most special to them. Her parents were also present, along with all of our family, all the kids and grandkids. Above is a picture of the entire Bennett tribe on the thankful occassion. I cannot imagine a more perfect Thanksgiving evening with the food, fellowship, football and thanks. Hope yours was well, too.

Sea World and San Antonio

November 21, 2007:

As my son's Sabbatical and time in Bedford draw to a close, we took the opportunity to go to San Antonio for a couple of days this early this week. The main activity was to go to Sea World on Monday, but since we had lived in San Antonio for 6 years, many years ago, we also showed the grandchildren some places where their dad had lived and played as a little boy. Included in this list was the legendary Skateboard Hill, an office parking lot near our house where I used to take the boys and Ben the Wonder Dog on Sunday afternoons (and yes, Ben-dog did skateboard down the hill, but he had to stand on his rear legs and use a skateboard with a handle). We also took in a boat tour along the River Walk, and ate an authentic Mexican dinner at an "off the beaten path" ('way off) establishment where we were the only English-speaking people on the premises (or maybe within a half-mile radius of the premises). The activities were a lot of fun. The time with our children and grandchildren was beyond words' ability to describe. Here are some Sea World pictures:

Congrats to Andrew! (Hug to Emily)

November 15, 2007:

After many years of diligent study on actual college campuses, in the air obtaining a commercial pilot's license, and through course work on line, my second oldest son is completing his college education, and will graduate this December with a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Technology. Attaboy, Andrew! Last evening, my daughter-in-law gave a wonderful dinner in his honor at a fancy Italian (actually, Sardinian) restaurant in downtown Dallas. What a meal and what an evening! What an event to commemorate! Here's a picture of my daughter and me at the dinner.

A Most Glorious Mess

November 15, 2007:

My oldest son is on a two month Sabbatical from his pastoral position in Peoria, Illinois, and he and his wife have chosen to spend a good portion of it here in Bedford, Texas. Although they have their own apartment locally, it still means we're getting a lot (never enough) of good visiting time over meals, drop-ins, hanging out and going places together, including some early morning swims with my son at the gym.

This also means we are having some most excellent GRANDCHILDREN time, as they also come by the house to play and hang out with Grandma and Grandpa. At the outset of this time together, Carol and I decided not to worry too much about making sure all the toys were picked up each time when it was time for the grandkids to leave - just get the big stuff cleared away, keep it down to a mild mess, not waste precious grandparent/grandchild time with cleaning up, and have toys ready to be played with when the grandchildren walked through the front door. The house has been a most glorious mess of grandchild toys, and we are loving every minute of it.