Our Last Day of 2013…Happy New Year 2014!

Making Memories in Houston….

Our Melissa and Lance were only going to be in Houston for 3 days…so on their second day in Houston, and the last day of 2013, we went to the Houston Texas Temple together! 

We especially enjoyed attending the temple as a complete family …. and enjoyed having  Lance's parents…Craig and Bev Hackett join us also.

December 31, 2013

Lance, Melissa, Mark, Jackie, Jamie and Caroline

Houston Texas Temple

Lance, Melissa, Bev and Craig Hackett

We loved having the Hacketts with us in Houston!

In the evening, we had a fun New Year's Eve celebration at the Proffits' home…

once again our good friends opened their home to us…and we created some fun family memories together.

Great food, fireworks, games, and lots of good connections with wonderful friends.

Melissa had wanted to share this fun experience with Lance and his parents…as we have shared many new years' eves with the Proffit families in years past.

We were excited to be together and bring in the new year as a family and with special friends!

Happy New Year to us….

Over the years we have taken countless pictures of the Pickett and Proffit kids…now they have spouses and one even has two children.

Mark and I have been richly blessed during 2013….we have traveled, had good health, have loved living in Warsaw, Poland…and have enjoyed our visits to the U.S. too. 

We welcomed a new son-in-law into our family…Lance Hackett... and have enjoyed getting to know him and his family as well.

Caroline is a great cinnamon roll maker….so on Melissa and Lance's last evening in Houston.…Caroline made all of us her delicious cinnamon rolls! 

As always…they were incredibly yummy!

Melissa and Lance returned to Utah to pack and prepare for their internship in the northern California area.  Jamie happily returned to work and looked forward to having a regular routine once again.

So…on our last full day in Houston, we decided we would have some "Caroline Time"!

Breakfast with Caroline at Le Peep….just down the street from Jamie and Caroline's apartment.

We spent the morning shopping for an electric keyboard for the Picketts in Houston. 

Caroline would enjoy playing the keyboard….and Jamie would benefit greatly from listening to her play. We shopped in and out of a few stores and were happy to find the place that had what we were all looking for…a keyboard…just her size!

Thanks to a very smart and helpful maintenance man….we were able to get the heavy keyboard, bench and box up to their apartment.

Mark enjoyed helping assemble their special gift...

and Caroline was ready to play!

Just thinking about Caroline being able to play the piano…in her own home,

and creating beautiful music ...makes us feel very happy!

Soon it was time to say our good byes once again….we have loved making connections with our children both in Utah and Texas...

Happy New Year…2014! 

I am very thankful for the times we have been able to return to the U.S. and have family connections together…including this wonderful time in December and January....of Melissa and Lance's wedding, receptions, and being with family and friends. 

2014 will see our family spread out in Houston, Texas….Concord, California and Salt Lake City, Utah, Warsaw, Poland, and….?

Though there will be many days of transition for the Picketts and Hacketts…we optimistically look forward to our lives in this new year.  We love life and hope to see many good days during 2014!