Our Utah sons visit Franklin

During the months of November and December, we were treated by a visit from our two Utah sons.  Joel came out on Halloween and stayed through to watch BYU beat MTSU in Murfreesboro on Nov. 1.  Brad came two days after Christmas and stayed to welcome in the New Year with us. Each came all by himself and that was actually a special treat – having that alone time with them. Thank you Jenica and Susan for letting your spouses take leave and visit us.

 

Joel's visit: October 31 to November 3, 2014

 

Joel and Russ at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville

Attending the BYU/MTSU Football Game. BYU won 27-7

Dinner at Chick-fil-A to celebrate the win

The Carter House tour tells of the Battle of Franklin

Carter House Tour

Sharlene and Joel saying goodbye after a great visit



Joel's last day with us in our Frankin Home

 

 

 

Brad's visit: December 27, 2014 to January 1, 2015 



Opening our Christmas gift from Brad, "Every Knee shall Bow," by J. Kirk Richards

Dinner at "Tupelo Honey Cafe" in downtown Knoxville

Posing with Moe and Trey after dinner

A great day at the Nashville Temple with Brad

A "day-early" New Year's Eve dinner at "Puckett's" in downtown Franklin

Making Grandma Thorpe's Christmas fudge on New Year's Eve

A walk to the neighborhood park is a "must-do" when visiting us in Franklin
This beautiful picture was taken by Brad

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES, JOEL AND BRAD!  IT WAS GREAT!

Kathy goes to Franklin, TN

 



My missionary sister, Kathy, flew down to visit us during the time the Washington DC Temple was closed for repairs.  I didn’t get a picture of us playing board games, but we managed to do that several times almost every single day.  Frozen yogurt was another favorite on our list. We also learned all about the Battle of Franklin, one of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War.  Thanks for the visit, Kathy.

 

The Hermitage, home of President Andrew Jackson ~ me and my sister

A day at the Nashville Temple

Touring the Carter House, situated in the middle of the Battle of Franklin

Bullet holes remain on the backside of the outdoor kitchen to the Carter House

Russ and Kathy at the Carnton Plantation Confederate Cemetery

My good friend, Fran, let us tour her beautiful home filled with art. This one is by Kirk Richards, "Song of the Heart"

We celebrated three October birthdays: Kathy, Allen, & Ben

Cousins enjoy the birthday treats

Washington DC with Sister Egan

 



In May we took a quick trip to Washington DC during our  Nashville Temple's maintenance shutdown to visit my sister, Kathy Egan, who is serving a full-time mission at the DC Temple.  She was a wonderful host--- taking us to all the touristy places (she has already been several times), feeding us yummy meals, and spending time with us in the Washington DC Temple.  Everything Kathy makes is delicious, but her homemade coconut ice cream was to die for. Kathy and I went for many walks, as is our practice. And in the evenings we played game after game.  Russ and Kathy are very competitive, and I just enjoy watching their rivalry. After all the game playing was done, I think we came out pretty even, each winning a few. I won most the Phase 10 games, Russ won most the Crown games, and Kathy won all the Banana Gram games.  Thanks, Kathy, for a fantastic visit.

 

 

Beautiful Washington DC Temple

My sister, (Kathy) Sister Egan

The temple glows at dusk



View from the Visitor's Center



Second longest escalator in the world---located in the DC Metro

Kathy & Sharlene



Washington Monument reopens while we are there



WW II Memorial - Russ & Kathy up front

Russ & Sharlene by Tennessee Memorial

Library of Congress

Inside the library



All of the inside of the library was beautiful !



 

Entrance to the Holocaust Museum. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the museum.  We were told as we entered to expect to spend 2 hours inside.  But we ended up spending 3 hours and still didn't get to see and read everything. We'll have to return again to see and experience everything.  Very humbling experience.

Washington National Cathedral

Azaleas were in full bloom 

THANK YOU, KATHY!

Six Months in Franklin, TN

We moved into our new home in Franklin on October 31, 2013.  It's been a wonderful adventure and now at six months----here are some pictures of a few things that have taken place in Franklin 

Welcome Flowers from Langfords

Welcome flowers from Smiths



Our very first guests were the Cruzes - all
seven of them - Lori, Scott, Emma, Ben,
Josh, Lydia and Afton - on November 1,
2013, but we didn't get one single
picture, sadly - thanks for coming

Brad Barber sent us our very first
postal mail in Franklin

Calls from our sons and their families
were most welcome.

 



Our new home

 

Our First Day at the temple as Temple President and Matron



Our Temple presidency - Allens and Rickards

Sextons visit on December 19, 2013 - Sydney, Tanner, Connor

Outdoor Christmas lights - very humble

Indoor Christmas Decor



Langfords visit December 28, 2013 - Carter, Claire, & Jared

Nativity outside our temple - December, 2013

Doing genealogy

Brunch

We met and enjoy spending time with our second cousin, Susie Brown


It was a cold winter!

All winter Sharlene swept leaves away from the front door

Sharlene's first birthday in Franklin - flowers from Troy and Dan

Birthday cards mark the day

The one tiny snow we had all winter

Celebrating Lisa's birthday in Franklin - David, Lisa, Connor, & Tanner

Love our temple



Mother-Daughters annual Book Club - in Franklin

New place to eat - Wall Street Pizzeria

Found an old favorite in old-town Franklin



Afton, Lydia, Sydney & Claire count money and candy



First-ever Easter Egg Hunt in Franklin - We love these grandchildren - thanks for visiting!! 

Table setting for Assistant Recorder and Wives Dinner in our home here in Franklin

We continue to discover new things to do in and around Franklin.  Next post, we'll share some links for those places and some more pictures.  Meanwhile, the past six months have been grand. Thanks to our Knoxville children and their families for their constant love and support.  Such a blessing to serve and such a blessing to have support from our family.