Off to School

 This year, the kids will ride their bikes to their brand new school...Pope Elementary!  Thomas is in 5th grade.  Mary Frances is in 4th, and Chase is in 2nd!  They have a beautiful new school and are really excited about being close enough to ride their bikes!

Love my Boys

Duke Family Reunion

Every other year, Ray C.'s grandparents host a family reunion for the their family.  This year, we went to Charlotte, North Carolina.  It was a fabulously planned out reunion.  We spent mornings at our hotel and evenings at Art and Gail's home.  We celebrated Grandpa's 91st birthday, played lots of Bingo and other games, and ate some fabulous food.  I really love being a part of this family!  The only thing that could have made it better would have been if Mom could have been there!

On Our Way Home...

Ray C. loves to take us to fun places.  So, on our way home from North Caroline, we made a few little stops!  One was in Memphis, Tennessee.

 We were super excited to visit Graceland, home of the King of Rock 'N Roll, Elvis Presley!  The kids really enjoyed the trip, especially since daddy familiarized us with the king by playing Elvis Radio for three hours before we arrived!

 We also visited downtown Memphis, where we are at The Blues Cafe and did a little window shopping.

And then, we took a less than beautiful walk down the streets of Memphis to the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot.  The hotel has been preserved to look the same as it did that tragic day.  It was a wonderful lesson for the kids as we were able to point out signs that still existed from those days on some restaurants..."Whites Only" or "No Coloreds".  We had some good conversations.  I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to visit both of these historic places.

Reminiscing...

On our way to the Family Reunion, we stopped by Ray C.'s old stomping grounds...the Georgia State baseball field!  It has changed so much.  WE enjoyed a few moments of remembering college and baseball before we climbed back in the car and headed to North Carolina.