Circa 1983-ish..

From left to right: Bottom- Me on Mike's lap, Sandy & Kevin, Tommy.
Second row- Jackie, Wesley, Gary.
Joe & Ken.

As if I needed an excuse to make those I love blush..
Here's a family pic from 1983, summer, I do believe..
We have lived in Utah our whole lives. My dad grew up in Michigan and Tennessee. His summers were spent in Tennessee with his grandparents on their tobacco farm. He worked his summers, and loved it. He loved them.
He graduated from a Junior college in pre-Engineering, proceeded to the Air Force, where he was the top in his class there, and was told he could go anywhere he chose. He told me he chose California (there was a beach close enough to go enjoy his hobbies that way, but mountains close enough to go camp, hunt, or ski.. it was the winner!) but was stationed at Hill Air Force Base, yup.. right here in good ol' Utah.
Mom had grown up here.. her whole life. Raised LDS. She was working as a car-hop at Warren's.
She spilled a coke on his car.. his 1968 Dodge Cornet RT.
She owed him a date.
She was waiting for a missionary.. but not for long.
Dad told her, as they were driving down the "old highway" (1900 west in Roy as it turns onto 27th street, I think..) "You're gonna have to break it off with your missionary, cause we're gonna get married."
Grandma and Grandpa told mom that he was "taking her to hell in a hand basket." (He really disproved that assumption!)
He eventually joined the church.
His family wasn't too happy about that.
But things got back on track, and we would go back east, in our '83 Mercury Zephyr to visit (Kansas would go on forever!!).
This year (1983) was the first time we went back.
Uncle Kenny tickled me relentlessly.. I remember crying..
Grandma was so excited to have all of her grandchildren in one place, she had to commemorate it with picture at Olan Mills.
The photographer set us all up, I was more than happy to be sitting on Mike's lap ;) I think he took a pic, and when he moved away from the camera, mom busts out her little Kodak camera, the kind with the flash that is stacked 6x6 cubes outside of the camera, and she snaps this pic. My aunts about died!!
But here, we have it.
It's been almost 11 years since I have last seen any of them.. I want my girls to know them all so bad!!
Someday..