Dee Ann Hackney:  

It takes a minimum of 20 minutes to get to the nearest grocery store. Very different from having 3 to chose from within 3 miles of your house! But, once we get home, it is all worth the hassle. I'm reminded how fortunate we are every night when I see the gorgeous sky, and listen to the silence. (Except when the roosters are crowing from the farm a couple of miles away :/ My family has been so lucky to be able to travel and enjoy appreciating some of the wonder of our great country. Tom is eligible for retirement in a year, so we hope to see even more one day in the near future. We own a RV, and have had a blast doing the pampered "camping" thing. I can even handle the 37 footer all on my own, which still impresses me every time I realize it. :) The RV is a great "home-away-from-home" while visiting the family in Pensacola or North Carolina. Pensacola will always be like home since my Mom is there (sadly, my Dad died in June 2005), as well as most of my siblings and nieces and nephews. I'm able to get back probably 2-4 times a year. I find it interesting to see how much Pensacola has changed, but yet it really hasn't. I miss all the little festivals Pcola has. It has been odd to not have Five Flags Speedway in our family anymore. I was affiliated with that track since the day I was born, and it was in the Dawson family for almost 40 years! The new owners will hopefullly take great care of it, and I wish them much success. My Mom needs prayer. We found out on Christmas Day that she has a tumor. We are still waiting on more test results before knowing the course of treatment. As you can imagine, this is a very anxious time, and prayer is greatly appreciated. We will be headed back to New York City this summer. Kayley is still involved with the choir as they will be performing at the Lincoln Center. Although, I don't think it can compare to our first trip to NYC when they got to sing at Carnegie Hall! Talk about opportunity of a lifetime. She is teaching herself how to play the keyboard she got for Christmas. I am thrilled with the interests she has now that she is a...teenager! :o wow!!! I'm still a big kid at heart and love having fun. I was my daughter's homeroom mom while she was in school, and had a great time organizing parties and field trips. I have been Cookie Mom and treasurer with Kayley's Girl Scout group, and still help out with her troop now. This is her 4th year with the same girls and we both have a great time. I loved volunteering with Kyler in his school and getting to know all of his classmates. That boy is a video game whiz. He finishes/beats a game in record time, and is breaking the bank with his extensive game collection. He loves to swim in the pool, ride his bike, and play basketball. He has a tender heart and great sense of humor. Maybe one day I'll become a party planner or the like, as I've been told I have a knack for it. If nothing else, our house is THE fun house on the block, so I'm always hosting little ones that never seem to want to leave.;) Life is too short not to focus on the good stuff and have fun. We are so very blessed! I knew I'd end up being a mom and really love my life!