The Harris Family Spotlight

I struggled finding a title for this post, a few of the ideas I had:

Bosom Buddies
Sister Wives
You've Gotta Have Friends
Best Buds
Friends: the Family you Choose

It all boils down to the fact that I'm doing a Harris Family Spotlight, so let's stick with that.

In St. George, we have friends that are as close as family...  We dearly, dearly love the Harris Family!  They crop up in so many of my blog post's that I thought I should just get the story out there - officially.

NUTSHELL:
Holly (Old), Joe (Older), Ben (6), Kade (4), and Carter (1) - Holly and I knew each other in college, and once in while met up in mutual friend circles. I'd met Joe once or twice, and Holly remembers seeing Shane a time or two. Thanks to the magic of Facebook, we'd friended each other, and I knew Holly was living in St. George when we were looking at our Dish Network transfer. After our first week in St. George, I called her and headed over to her house, on a whim, with the boys. (Shane was back in Wyoming finishing up there.)  We reconnected quickly, and ever so simply. It was natural.

REALITY:
The Harris's are the friends that you can drop in on, and don't care if they drop in on you without calling.  We don't care if each others house is clean, if the dishes are done, or if the kids are even dressed.  We don't stress if the rooms are messy when they come over, and we don't care if their rooms are messy when we go to visit.  Life is what is it.  And when life happens, we just roll with it, in whatever state it may be.  (Because, sometimes, it IS clean and picked up and organized and planned!!) But, it doesn't HAVE to be, and that's part of the beauty!

SISTER WIVES:
Shane started calling Holly my Sister Wife after I'd come home, after SO MANY times, telling him about roaming the city and the parks with the five blond headed boys and us two blond mommas out trying to control the little boy chaos that followed everywhere. Not to forget the fun and joy that came to our day because of it.

FAMILY:
In my last post - I talked about the joys of being in Wyoming, and what a wonderful time the Petty and Barney family had! We REALLY did!! What I didn't mention was how, at times when we were doing fun things, I'd wish the Harris Family was with us doing them too! I knew that Ben, Kade and Carter would have loved doing some of those things! And I'm pretty sure Holly and Joe would've loved seeing the kids do them!

When I talk to Travis on the phone, he asks how we're doing and what fun Holly things we have been up to, and when I talk to Brooke she says, "I want a Holly."  And when Shane fixes the 'farty door' in the kitchen, he laughs and says that he hopes Holly and the Boys won't miss it.

And I love that Aunt Nattie and Grandma Johnson are also included.

We have fun together here in Southern Utah doing our day trips and visits about the area!  Here are some recent August adventures: 

The Washington County Fair:  devoid of what I grew up to understand as being a fair: there were no animals - pig pens, sheep shows, beef barns, prize chickens or rabbits, none of it.  But there were fun things to do and see.  A large commercial barn full of business enterprises.  And the visual kinds of fair presentations for those submitting sewing, cooking, or art projects - I do love seeing those! 

It was well over 100 degrees at the fair, but what can one expect of St. George in August?  Bet you didn't expect Sting Rays and Horseshoe crabs! The boys looked in and marveled at the little sea creatures.

The big boys enjoyed the bubbles and the bumper boats - except for Ashton, who still does not enjoy rides and said to me  "Momma, I don't like it, my boat!!" So out he came. He and Carter happily watched the big boys from the sideline with Grandma Johnson.

A few weeks later, at the end of August, it was apple picking time in Springdale next to Zions National Park.  I LOVED apple picking day.  It was cool, green, serene, delicious and so nice to be out picking apples.

There were purple and white morning glories all over the orchard.  I loved them so!


The boys played "Mario" on the grass for ages. And ran up and down the rows of apples. They climbed trees, smelled flowers, picked apples, tasted them, and had just as wonderful time as I did. Combined, ther must have been over 100 pounds of Apples Picked!!

I'm so glad that even though Shane works Saturdays that the Harris family chooses to invite us to do things with them!  That they think of us when planning an outing!!  That the rag tag team of Petty's can be a part of their day!

We enjoy each other's success without envy or jealousy!  We cheer each other's progress and we feel each other's sorrows.  We share pulling the load of this life full of ups and downs.

It was meant to be!

Thanks you, Harris's, for being You!!