Night Swim

I have been blessed with truly wonderful family friends that have lasted through the years. I have known the Gibson family since moving to Oklahoma as a small child. I would see most of them at church but by the time I was in middle school I would see Justin (holding Levi) every once in a while throughout the day, at school. He was the wrestling coach. Later I became a mat maid and wrestling cheerleader and would spend many a wrestling trips with him. My favorite mat maid memory involves him. We were on a school bus with the wrestlers coming back from a meet. Justin was driving and because he knew the back roads, well we took one of them to get home quicker. It was dark and I just remember him yelling "Deer!" and then the bus swerving to use the headlights just so that we could see that deer! I knew then that he was a true hunter! I spent many a summer with Tammy (holding Anna) at Young Women's girl camp. We always knew that if Tammy was coming that year to girls camp that it would be a fun one! She seriously has more energy than most teenagers I know. The Gibson family have since moved to Miami, Oklahoma but those bonds that were made with me at a young age have stayed. They invited us to their family pool party on Saturday and so did Tammy's niece, Kristina (holding Page). Kristina would come to the Gibson's home during the summers and go to girls camp with us. Over the years I grew to really love Kristina. I loved her laughter! I remember missing my school friends during those summer months, before we were old enough to drive. But Kristina became my "summer" friend, I guess you could say. I can remember that when school started, though, that I wished that we went to the same school so that I would see her more than those summers. So it meant all the more to me that Kristina invited me to this family reunion/party also.

I wanted to put this picture on here because it reminds me of Kristina when we were younger. If you were to ask me what I remember most about Kristina I would have to say that all she ever wanted was to be a mommy. She LOVED kids! And true to the Kristina I knew growing up, she offered right away to take my boys down the big slides. Here she is with my boys and one of her girls.

I had to throw this one in because it is humorous to me. Here little Hyrum is with a life jacket on and a floating ring. Pretty safe, huh? Yet he has this huge nasty bump on his head (from earlier that day. Poor baby tripped and hit the side of a book case)!