It was the annual Walton yard sale/family reunion/Whitesboro Peanut Festival so we all traveled from Bells, Denton, Houston, Little Elm, Colbert, OK, and even Pocatello, ID.
There's Dave, the oldest, who is the ultimate oldest. He's very intelligent, good at taking charge and knowing what's best to do in any given circumstance. He likes to kid but sometimes you never know if he's serious or not--he likes it that way. But when it comes to the nieces and nephews he's a real softy and will spoil them as much as possible.
Then there's Linda, the ultimate big sister. Always the organizer and planner, her ducks need to be in a row. Linda is very computer savvy and creative in that area, as well as in many others. One of my favorite things about my sister Linda, is that she can laugh at herself and is okay with making a mistake here and there. She just fixes it and moves forward, always learning and growing.
Roger is the next in line and it's anybody's guess what Roger is really like. He's very quiet and observes from the sidelines. He could be my dad's grandfather's twin and that's kind of eery. When we were little Roger would always come up with a creative game or complex activity. I think for him, the fun was in the planning. Roger has a kind and gentle spirit which is interesting since the rest of us tend to enjoy a good rousing "discussion".
Next is Suzi. Oh that Suzi, she's always providing drama and entertainment. Over the last few years she's become a traveling partner for me and she's a good one, always willing to try something new and go along with whatever everybody else wants to do, appreciating any and all experiences and opportunities that come her way. The older she gets the more she looks and sounds like my mom. Again, eery!
After me in age, comes Kelly. I personally think Kelly's the family glue! He was somewhat of a surprise for my mom and dad when they found they were expecting him but I can't even imagine what our family would be like without Kelly. He's funny, interesting, and gets along well with everybody. Along with my sister, Linda, he's a computer geek and is always willing to help no matter what he's busy with. Kelly lives life with gusto, enjoying pretty much every minute and can make lemonade out of lemons better than anybody I know.
Oh, and that young man on the left? That's my dad--the patriarch of the family! What a character my dad is. Since my mom passed away five years ago I've gotten to know my dad a lot better and that's been such a treat. Dad is easygoing, intelligent, generous, optimistic, interested in any and all things children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and is just generally fun to be around.
So that's us in a nutshell (well, my nutshell anyway)! We've had lots of years together that's for sure. But they've been good years. After all, we're all still willing to be in a picture together. That's a good sign, right?
