We have loved having mom and dad help us with the transition from St Louis to Montana. They met us several times to look for houses before we moved here and they have been up several times to help us with planning to build a home. They have both been so excited about the entire process. Dad has gone over drawings and layout of houses and talked through with us the whole process.

We loved mom and dad coming to visit in Maine. We would go on clam chowder testing runs to find the best chowder shack.

Before Davina and I moved to Maine we met mom and dad in Ohio for a family reunion. It was so fun and good to see all our cousins. We also went down to the farm by the Ohio river on the boarder of West Virginia. We walked around and mom showed us the stream she played in as a little girl. It was nice to see where mom spent many summers and the things she missed when she moved to Florida. I think that is why she let us go play in the ditch when ever we wanted….

I remember going on “a drive” with dad. Saturday mornings we would wake up with our fishing rods in the van or blazer and head out. There was a crab apple tree on the way to the Mann’s Creek Store on the left. We would stop and pick a bunch and eat some of them as we went and the others were ammo for signs, posts or trees. We would wonder

Davina and I met up with mom and dad before med school and drove southwest near the Mexico boarder to Karchner cavers and into New Mexico. The cave was very beautiful. On the way back we took the back roads and nearly ran out of gas, as usual. It was lots of fun. We stayed in a nice trucker hotel, had lots of crunch snacks in the car and mom pointed out all the beautiful cactus.

Because Dad has a Juris Doctorate of law when I graduated from medical school Dad was able to perform my Hooding ceremony.  It was very nice to have him and mom there.

Thanksgiving 2001. We all met at the south rim of the Grand Canyon. That was a lot of fun. The interesting thing is that Davina came with me. We stopped in Ceder City and picked up DeNae and little miss Mariah. It was a fun time at the canyon. We stayed in the hotel right on the edge of the canyon. I wanted to run down to the  bottom. We all then went back to mom and dads place in Prescott. There were kids sleeping all over the place. The only place for me to sleep was on the kitchen table. One of the nights after all were in bed, Davina and I were talking, sitting on my bed (the table) and we kind of decided to get married. That was the first time we talked about it. We were then married in 2.5 months. After hanging out, dating and being best friends for 2.5 years. Good trip.

I remember hunting with dad in Idaho the year before we moved to Arizona. We would go out before school or on the weekend. We shot one east of the Gunn house. Dad is a very good shot. I was a little sad. I was also sad when I shot an elk this year, my first big game animal (2016).

I heard a funny story about mom from Aunt Nancy when she and Shot were here (9/2016). She said she was about 8 years old and watching mom. Mom would have been about 2 years old. She was in the pantry and had gotten the pressure cooker down some how, or maybe it was on the floor, she then caught the cat and put it in the pressure cooker. Aunt Nancy had to get an unhappy cat out of the pressure cooker. I bet she was a very cute little two year old.

I loved walking into the house after school and knowing mom was there. I loved the smell of fresh bread as I walked in the door. I always loved knowing that mom was at home even when I was in college, comforted that if I needed her she was there. Thanks dad for working hard so she could be there for us.

Skiing, sitting on the chairlift with dad was always a privilege. And it increased the possibility of rolos or grape gum. Say the password.