Rigby Rumble

Why are they jumping for joy?


Why are they sitting around watching football?


Why are they just standing around?


Mom just needs to get them organized...


to create bouquets and boutonnieres...


make wedding cakes...


and decorate the hall...


for Eric and Debbie to get married. Do they look ready?


All that work makes a guy hungry...


and the crew too.



Looks like they made it to the temple on time.


The Thompson nieces and nephews were there to welcome Eric to the family...


as were Debbie's brothers and sisters...


and the proud parents of the bride and groom.


Here's the complete horde.


What's better than a dance with low lights to set the mood?


Doesn't the cake look great?


Of course, the couple gets to cut the first slice...


before they make their bubbly get away. (Click on the picture for the full effect.)


Are Eric's parents leaping for joy now that it is over?

Ode to Joy 19

Here are the proud parents with our grandchild number 19 Stephen Rowan, grandson 8.


The Wilcox men...


and the proud family.

Unknown cousin

What do you do when Wendy and her roommate Candace bring home an unknown cousin, Justin, the grandson of Grandma Buckley's brother Uncle Jay? (He's the bald one, taking after his grandfather.)


You can try to scare him with a red bearded dragon...


introduce him to royalty...


take him to a cannon shoot in St. Augustine...



or take him boating at Matanzas. A good time was had by all! Come again, Justin.

Maren baptized

The Hendersons are all dressed up for something special.


Maren is getting baptized.


Do you think she made it all the way under?

Debbie's shower

Debbie just had her bridal shower. Don't she and Eric look cute? Sorry that the edible picture is a bit faded.December 29 is coming up fast.(Click on the picture for a better look.)

Grandparent's Day

What do Savannah Thompsons do for Grandparent's Day? They can do something serious like be thankful... (click on the picture for a closer look)


or they can do the Gator Chomp...


or toss a pizza...


or shine like a star...


or buzz like a bee...


or trot like a turkey...


or maybe scoot...


or just be cute with Auntie Debbie

Chili Champ

Here I am disguised as Scotty McLean feeding a sample of my championship chili to some of my chums. (Nice legs, Scotty!) I spent two days cooking up Maui Chili (chicken and pineapple with no beans but with a volcanic afterglow) and Black Bean Chili Surprise for the ward chili cook-off and pie baking contest. The Maui won first place as the most original. It was gone in a flash. Even the little kids liked it in spite of the volcanic afterglow. The Black Bean Chili Surprise won first place as the best hot chili. That was really a surprise since I thought it was a rather mild chili. You can see better the chili, the first place buttons on my chest, and my great moustache if you click on the picture.


I went incognito just in case the chili was so bad I could shift the blame to Scotty. Some say that Thompsons are a wee bit too competitive. At least we have fun trying. The two days of slow simmering was the key. I had sampled so much of my own chili for two days that I couldn't bear the thought of trying anyone else's. I'm still getting complements a day later. Don't ask me for the recipes. It was a pinch of this and a handful of that. You know how great chefs operate!


I also made a heavenly Dutch apple vlaai (pronounced "fly") topped with a thick layer of apple Bavarian creme. That was our favorite dessert when we lived last year in Holland. I thought the name made it a perfect entry for a Halloween pie baking contest. However, the judges were traditionalists and gave the first places to the more traditional American apple and pumpkin pies.


My corn bread was a flop. I think the baking powder was too old so it was like chewing on corn leather. Well, you can't win them all. I think Scotty can take credit for the corn leather. Does that sound like a Scottish delight?

Pardon my dust!

Randy and Chrissy have bought a house in Minneapolis. Here's the work crew arriving to get things ready to move in.


A lot of work needs to be done. Here are Randy's mother Robyn...


and father-in-law Roger applying plaster...


with father Ron...


and Randy sanding and patching away.


We did get one bedroom painted. When it's done it should glow like the temple. (Does that look like snow falling from the sky?--we're definitely not in Florida!)