Well hey ya'll

It has been forever since I have posted anything! I'll admit I am finding it a bit overwhelming, the Preston family has had many adventures since my last blog! So all start back to march and work my way forward.

Urban Dwellers: Dallas TX

After Houston we moved to Dallas, we had a blast we lived right downtown the girls got to truly live in a big city. We lived on the 17th floor of a great apartment building, on the main floor their was a jazz cafe  (I loved it!) It was very modern...in fact we were told that the Mosaic (that's the name of our apartment building) was the hippest place to live in Dallas (like jay and I really cared, but we did have alot of fun).
Jason got to visit all the places he served on his mission, he even got to go on splits with the missionaries. It was so fun to meet some of the people Jason had the opportunity to baptise, in fact we had some over for dinner...loved it!

SWEET HOME ALABAMA!

Sweet Home Alabama: 

I'll have to say living in Alabama was just like coming home!!! I love the South, I have missed Kentucky for years, it was so nice to be back, and so needed for my piece of mind! We lived in a beach cottage right on Gulf Shores, What an amazing place, Gulf Shores is a peninsula that reaches out to Dolphin island, behind our cottage was a wildlife preserve and in front was beautiful white sand beaches, most of the time we were the only ones on the beach besides the locals that lived there! We could see dolphins jumping out of the ocean everyday! The girls and I made it a daily practice to collect shells in the morning, in the evening we would catch crabs and do a crab and shrimp boil for dinner ( we ate alot of crabs and shrimp!!! Its so good and cheap!). The first night we came in we were standing on our screen porch (they are all screened because the bugs are crazy!!) and Savannah yelled in great excitement "oh my gosh theres an alligator" sure enough there he was, an 6ft gator just hanging out!! So Jay got it in his head that he was going to wrestle the alligator, at first I thought he was kidding...but nope he wasn't, I have learned that when Jay get a certain look in his eyes there is no talking him out of it! So for the next couple of weeks he tried to get close to the gator and a few time got too close for me, I started to relax thinking that he wasn't going to be successful, well close to the time we were about to leave Jay brought home raw chicken, I am not going to tell the rest of the story I'll let Jay blog about it but he did wrestle that dang gator...I almost had a heart attack, after it was all said and done Jay said "Well if I wasn't a man before I sure am now"... yeah that's my husband.
We have two new family members, one turtles name is crush because he is about a foot long and a foot wide and the other is called squirt because he is only about the size of my big toe, but I'll let Savannah blog about that one :)
To put icing on the cake we made the greatest friends, Brigit and Tim Holmes from New Orleans. They had three daughters one set of ten year old twins and a thirteen year old, all girls, Savannah and Shiloh felt like they had died and gone to heaven, and they home schooled to boot!! In short I think there is a piece of my heart that belongs to Gulf Shores...oh yeah I did some great rides too, on one of my rides Jay and I stumble on to a huge civil war site called Fort Morgan!!! Heaven, Heaven, Heaven!!!

The Big Easy
Now we are in New Orleans...I love it!! The culture is so rich. The French Quarter is really cool (very old) there are buildings that are over 200 years old. The food is absolutely amazing...we have met some great people...heard some great Jazz...and seen some really weird Voo doo things, with that said the crime is pretty high. The house we are living in right now has bars on the windows, I would still live here though, the coolness far out weighs the crime:) PICTURES OF NEW ORLEANS COMING :)

Where to Now
Now we are off to Miami!!! Leaving Saturday, we will be meeting up with our long lost brother! So excited to see mike, I can't wait to hear some of his stories, he has been wandering around South America for the past year.
Miami is one of my favorite places to visit!!! We will be there for about two months! All try to post more often...love ya all, and miss you guys!

Barefoot daydreaming

Welcome to my perfect dinner party...including the best of friends and great conversation. Here's the menu yummmm. Boy am I desperate to throw a dinner party!

1. Main-Grilled Pizza with Fontina and Arugula

2.  Side-Butter Beans with Mint
Grilled Radicchio, Summer Squashes, and Scallions

3.Dessert-Gelato Affogato

Great blog for homeschoolers.

This blog looks like a great way to connect with other LDS Homeschooler's, Check it out!

Texas longhorns, Rodeo, and deep fried, Take Two!!

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My blog won't let me post more than one picture...so here are some more. I am so NOT a techie!!

Texas Longhorns, Livestock Rodeo shows, and more deep fried goodness, OH MY!!

Last weekend we had a great time, we were taken out to Brother Rowbury's Texas Longhorn Ranch, afterward we ate at a catfish fry hosted by a local catholic church (they do the fry all though Lent). Then went to the biggest Rodeo /Livestock show in the country.

High Lights

1. Met a wonderful couple, Brother and Sister Rowbury.
2. Saw, and got to feed Texas longhorns.
3. Saw a Longhorn try to butt Brother Rowbury
4. The girls got to go to the restroom in a outhouse...they thought it was awesome!
5. Video taped a armadillo.
6. We got to hold and pet pot belly pigs.
7. Saw a pig race!! Very cool, savannah won a pig nose because her pig won one of the races.
8. We ate Deep fried Oreo's, twinkies, smors, ice cream, snickers candy bar, green tomatos, and much much more...feeling a little bad about all the junk I ate...but it was goooood!
9. Took a rowboat out on the ranch pond.
10. Hung out with a bunch of super cool Catholic's.

Meeting Angels

"...when we speak of  those who are instruments in the HAND of God, we are reminded that not all ANGELS are from the otherside of the veil" Jeffery R. Holland.
I have loved visititing so many differant Relief Societies this past year, what a treasure the R.S is for women! I love this organization with all my heart, I've met so many women with open hearts and arms over the years. This last adventure in my life has really shown me how priceless my fellow sisters really are, they truley are Heavenly Fathers angels! Every R.S. I have had the pleasure of attending I've been treated like an old friend, how wonderful in my situtation when my famliy and I are in constant transition. Every sister has a purpose in the Kingdom of God...I have been able to meet many  LDS women from varying backgrounds, but with one common purpose "Charity never failieth". The only thing I don't like in meeting these fantastic sisters, is having to leave them. I am gratiful for the angels in my life.

Deep fried!

Okay...so I have a new obession...well maybe an addiction. Jay and I went to a cajun resturant the other night it was FABULOUS!!! Houston is only about three hours from New Orleans so were talkin the real deal, the food spoke right to my heart (well maybe just my stomach, but it sure felt like love). The menu had alligator and frog legs among other enticing culanary treats. But I just can't get my mind off of the DEEP FRIED PICKLES yes I said deep fried, and Mmmmm Mmmm they were so good, they are going to love my hips for some time too ( no regrets, I wouldn't even mind getting fat and happy off of the gumbo and rum drench bread pudding) I am missing Utah, but wondering when we move back am I going to miss my deep fried pickles more? no doubt! Love ya'll Jess

Become like a child.

 Today I was taught a very important lesson by my sweet daughter Shiloh. As many of you know my family and I have been traveling for several months. I have loved it...it has been a great experience in many ways for all of us, but there are time's when so much transition can be a little wearing. With that said last Sunday I was feeling down because I have always had a calling in which to serve, but with all the traveling we are never in one place longer than three weeks so we are always just visitors. So this week I got the girls some Valentines to make...Shiloh was so excited...she filled out all thrity two that I bought her, and then proceeded to give the cards to all the Hotel staff including the front desk,  house keeping, the grounds keeper, and a few of the hotel guest. The next day we made cookies, shiloh ate a few then snuck out the door and took the staff a half dozen cookies. I thought it was cute, but didn't give it much thought. Then today the front desk presented to her a very cute Valentines Day gift and a thank you. It hit me that my seven year old knew how to serve regardless of any appointed calling. I love that my children can teach me, I am going to follow her example and try to spread more kindness around...I am so excited to start blogging miss you all. Jess