The Battle of Vicksburg, Sun Records

The Battle of Vicksburg

One of the things that we have looked forward to on the second half of our troop is visiting civil war sites and understanding the history better. We've bought and watched a lot of movies and documentaries on it but nothing compares to walking the battle fields and hearing first hand how, "over there they charged up the hill" or "right here 25,000 men died" . Its been so fascinating for all of us to see the tremendous sacrifice on both sides, to hear their story's and feel their love of country.

The battle of Vicksburg was one of if not thee most decisive battle of the Civil War. It took us close to 3 hours to drive the perimeter of the battle where they had monuments to each of the states who had sent troops. We could still see the trenches, bunkers and command posts that were used during the siege. Almost 20,000 men died in this battle.

 In May and June of 1863, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s armies converged on Vicksburg, investing the city and entrapping a Confederate army under Lt. Gen. John Pemberton. On July 4, Vicksburg surrendered after prolonged siege operations. This was the culmination of one of the most brilliant military campaigns of the war. With the loss of Pemberton’s army and this vital stronghold on the Mississippi, the Confederacy was effectively split in half. Grant's successes in the West boosted his reputation, leading ultimately to his appointment as General-in-Chief of the Union armies.

"Vicksburg is the key. The war can never be brought to a close until the key is in our pocket," said. Union PresidentAbraham Lincoln

"Vicksburg is the nail head that holds the South's two halves together," said Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

General Grant

The King of Rock n Roll

Its been a long time since I've seen so many sideburns in one place. Elvis fever is still alive and thriving in Memphis. We met some wonderful people at Graceland that go almost weekly just to sit in the gardens or write another note to Elvis and leave it at the gate. It was inspiring to hear the story of how Elvis grew up and then became the King. We went to Sun Records where Elvis was discovered and recorded a lot of his songs. The boys and Ally got to sing into the same microphone that Elvis used as well as Johnny Cash, Bono, Chuck Berry and many other greats.

King Cake, Jackson, Mississippi

Ever since we got to New Orleans Ally had talked about wanting to try a King Cake. Apparently the King Cake is a traditional cake that is eaten during Marti Gras. We went to this store that is famous for the King Cake and yes it was well worth it......Mama was happy!

After walking around all day on his bad hip, my Dad finally sat down to rest for a minute, just then someone came by and put $4.00 in his cup and wished him the best.

The time had finally come to drop Mom and Dad off at the airport. It was hard to see them go, it was so good to see family again and to feel something comfortable and familiar from back home. We sure enjoyed them but I think they were ready to go.. life in the trailer can get a little stressful and they probably needed a vacation to recover. We said goodbye and headed towards Jackson, Mississippi. It was considerably out of the way but in the end proved to be well worth every minute and mile.

We have discovered State Parks. They are extremely reasonable price wise, they have everything we need, hot showers, electricity, sewer, laundry and are very well cared for. We also are able to catch up on the states history and historical sites which has allowed us to see things or visit things we would have never even thought of. Its also the off season so there are very few visitors and usually we have the parks to ourselves.

I have had to become a bit of a shade tree mechanic out of necessity, not bad for someone who has a hard time finding the gas tank.

Jackson, Mississippi Branch

This was one of the best experiences of the trip. The Branch meets in a little commercial building and has about 40 members attending. They are working so hard to grow their Branch to 75 because at that point they will be able to build a chapel. We were taken in as soon as we walked through the doors. After Church the boys asked if we could go back, they said they even got hot dogs, chips and sodas during primary,,, wow that is different. These members were so loving, meek and humble. We could tell it was going to be different from our home ward when the Bishop stood and said "good morning" and the congregation said good morning back. We also were surprised to hear random  AMEN'S shouted out during the talks and THANK YOU JESUS  during the songs.  Although different the spirit was so strong. Once  again there was an amazing  husband and wife couple missionary that had been there for a year and a half. It was their last Sunday and so they had a going away testimony meeting and BBQ after church. The couple was from Meridian, Idaho. My testimony continues to grow about the need and tremendous impact that couple missionary's can have on a branch, we seen it over and over again how they inspire and grow these branches.

sacrament meeting

The family went to a park in Jackson and the boys and I went out and started throwing the football. Next thing we knew 5 or 6 kids came over to see if we would play them in a football game. Obviously they hadn't seen us throwing the ball around and hadn't heard of my Centennial High School days. We decided to show them how we played back home . Unfortunately they showed us how they play here in Jackson, Mississippi. Needless to say, my back, hamstrings and any number of other parts still hurt. I was proud of the boys stepping up and playing hard, we had a lot of fun.

Didn't have to do shirts and skins, as you can see it was pretty apparent who was on who's team. Bunch of really nice guys!

Our cheerleader downing a beverage in her tiger tank top

Talking about next time....we'll really take it to them. None of us could move for a long time, I'm still waiting for feeling to come back in different parts of my body.

Battle of New Orleans, Swamp Tour

Battle of New Orleans, 1815

Battle of New Orleans, This battle was fought in 1815, General Andrew Jackson successfully defended New Orleans against an overwhelming surprise attack by the English.


Swamp Tour 

Addy did not appreciate having to wear a life jacket and she let them know it 

A wild, ferocious man eating 2ft alligator

This guy made his living fishing and skinning fish. He lived in a tent near the river

Lucky enough to hit rush hour on the way home

Usually we are lucky and can find a way into the stadiums...this time the Super Dome was under construction and tight security.

Finished a great day w/ a dutch oven cobbler

Plantation Day, Amazing Vet, Addy's first steps

One of the reasons we decided to come on this trip was to help not only the kids but us as parents to have a deeper appreciation for the history of this great nation. Plantation Day sure taught us a lot and opened all our eyes. We were able to see some beautiful plantations with their inspiring landscapes, brilliant colors, and awesome craftsmanship but the most inspiring part was the history of the slaves, how they were treated, the conditions they lived in, and the burdens that they bore. It brought so many different emotions to the surface, shame, discussed, anger and hurt. We were able to see their "homes" and  hear their stories. This was definitely a sobering experience that has left a lasting impression on our family and greatly changed our perspective, something I don't think we would of got from a book!

Laura Plantation

Actual listing of the slaves on the Plantation.The list gives the value and worth of each slave and a brief description of their abilities.

Slave quarters were 16x16 often times they would put 13 to 15 people in those "houses"

Oak Alley, these trees are 200 years old.

This gentleman is a greeter at WalMart. When we went in we noticed his jacket said he was in the battle of the Bulge in WW2. We stopped and talked to him. He was 17 yrs . It was so touching to listen to him tell us his experience. Getting down into the boats that carried them to the shore, the quietness and then the screaming as the doors opened on the beach, the whistle of the bullets. He lost 26 friends and was one of 7 in his group to live. He got emotional as he carefully pulled out of his pocket an old tatered newspaper clipping and some pictures of when he returned to the shore 8 yrs ago. I have a deep deep appreciation for anyone who has served our country and this was a powerful reminder to all of us that "Freedom is not Free, it comes at a very steep price".


Addy's First Steps!!!!!!

Addy surprised us by taking 6 steps. Watch out she'll be running before we know it!

French Quarter, New Orleans

Had a great time w/ Mom and Dad! It was so good to see a familiar face. They flew in to New Orleans and we had a blast seeing ton's of amazing things, tasting all kinds of food and they got a feel for what its like driving and living in an RV. They did great and we are so grateful they came out to see us!! Who's next????

Future Jazz Man

Boys learning how to be street performers...times are tough, got to make a few extra bucks!

Pro's....walking the dog!! Caleb asked if the guy would split the tips with him!

Ally jump in after the Boys

Loved listening and watching the street musicians

Lost Carston for a minute, found him in his dream store...boooooks!

Voodoo Bar @ the "House of the Blues", pretty sure that's a virgin daiquiri Ally's got?!

House of the Blue's.....say good do good!

Addy enjoying the beautiful architecture of the French Quarter

By Small and Simple Means

               Fort Stockton was not on the map or on our radar as we motored towards San Antonio, but as the night got later and later we decided to pull over so we could be ready for Sunday.  This decision proved to be a real blessing.  The next day when we arrived at church we were all taken back, the boys had never been to a branch before and coming from a ward of nearly 600 this was a real shocker. The building consisted of 3 or 4 rooms and had about 25 people attending. Most members had either a Green Bay Packers or a Pittsburg Steelers shirt on as it was Super Bowl Sunday.  There were two sets of missionary’s one set of Elders and the other a married couple from Logon, Utah.  The meetings were great and the kids really got a feel for what it’s like to be in a Young Men’s program were… you’re the program.  After the church meetings we stayed for a “Linger Longer, they had brought all kinds of unique foods for a potluck.  We had a chance to speak to the Branch President who had arrived six months earlier with his wife from Logon. He said that when they had got there that there was about 12 people attending regularly on Sunday’s, He commented that when they arrived there was some traditions that weren’t exactly  in the church handbook, they would pass “the Plated” on Sunday’s for donations among other things. Just then a little girl five years old walked by, the Branch President said, “when I arrived that was our primary, I felt inspired to call a Primary President and asked her to call two counselor’s and a secretary”, he continued to share just how surprised the new Primary President was and she reminded him that there was only one little girl in the primary. Then Branch President told her that the Church has a structure that is inspired and that the Lord will bless us as we are obedient and go forward w/ faith. The Primary President accepted the calling as did the two counselors’ and Secretary. They began to meet regularly and started thinking of other children that could be invited to activities both in church as well as outside. He got emotional as He expressed how much the Lord had blessed their little branch. They now have about 40 people attending every week and their primary has grown to 12 children.  The Branch President said that it had come down to showing Love, serving others and moving forward with faith. It was a wonderful experience, I felt like I was back out in the mission field and I felt blessed that our family was able to witness the power of Love, Service and Faith.

Shot Gun

            Lately we’ve had to learn the tough way to find a place to stay before you get to the big city. We’d left San Antonio and drove all day to get to Houston. Well, once again before we knew it we had passed all the outlying towns and found ourselves in downtown Houston late at night. After wondering around the rough parts of town we finally found a Kroger’s supermarket, as I usually do I went in and asked the store manager if it would be ok to sleep in his parking lot for the night and as usual I got a look of confusion and surprise. Although, this look and response was different, “If you want to sleep in the parking lot in this neighborhood, you go right ahead and good luck”. As I left I heard him say, “crazy white boy”.  The neighborhood did look a little rough and the Manager’s comments were a little disconcerting but it was late, I had driven all day and I was sooooo tired. On my way out to the motor home I spotted a policeman parked on the street and decided to ask his opinion.  He too seemed surprised but said that the “crack heads “ probably wouldn’t be out tonight because it was too cold, he then asked if I had a gun, I told him I had a shot gun it the motor home, he perked up and said, “ Oh if you’ve got a shot gun and its loaded you should be just fine….. Just make sure you tell them you’ve got a gun before you use it”.  I quickly got back in the motor home and we continued driving that night until we got to Galveston.