Bragg Family South

Tropical Storm Rita marched through Arkansas on Saturday and Sunday, but mercifully drifted through much quicker than forecast, meaning that most of the state received welcome rain and little else. We did have some very heavy rain in southeast Arkansas on Saturday, with some tornadoes in other parts of the state, but in Monticello we had only gusty winds and no other real major storm problems. This next week is supposed to see the return to more seasonable temperatures, which is good, because our home air conditioner has been acting up. It seems like the Packers needed far more cheering than what they got this weekend...at least the Badgers are doing well!

Yesterday, the first full day of fall, we had temperatures in the upper 90s here in Arkansas. We expect some relief from the heat this weekend, but only because we anticipate a visit from what will be Tropical Storm Rita by that point. In anticipation of this, we have stockpiled some supplies in case the power goes out for an extended period of time, and we are adjusting some of our travel plans. We are thankful we do not face the mandatory evacuations of the coast, but do not look forward to days of heavy rain and wind. I will certainly update this blog as time and weather permit.

Yesterday was our 9th wedding anniversary. It seems so hard to believe so much time has passed since we strode up to the alter that rainy September day in 1996... So many changes have happened to us, not the least of which are two little kids who keep their mother up at night, and rattle their father's eardrums with their noise! These are but the little things that will form our next batch of nostalgic memories--before we know it, the next 9 years will have flown by, and the kids will be thinking of driving and college and their first "true" loves... Anyhow, before I get too sentimental, we are anticipating some impact from Hurricane Rita as it churns towards the western gulf coast. Probably a lot of rain and some wind, but not nearly the risk of danger those closer to the coast will likely experience. Pray for those who are threatened by this next storm, those still suffering from the last one, and those unfortunates who will be hit by both!

Please check out our Bragg Family South Pix link on the sidebar for our most recent pictures of the September '05 trip to Wisconsin!

We arrived back in Monticello late Monday (September 12) night following a largely enjoyable vacation. I say largely because of the lumps our beloved Packers took on Sunday, and that our van's air conditioner decided to act up, leaving us without cooling capacity for most of the trip south. If it were a typical fall up north, this wouldn't have been a problem, but our thermometer in the van read in the low 90s as we headed towards Madison, and it stayed warm the rest of the way to Arkansas. But the kids were great on this trip, and the heat was not as bad as it could have been, so we survived. We had a great trip. Beautiful weather for our camping and canoeing in Sylvania, lots of friends and family were seen, and we finally got some uninterrupted relaxation time (no business on this trip for me!). We took a number of pictures, and I will post them to my Yahoo pictures link as soon as I download them from the camera. Kenny loved playing with his cousins Mike and Emma and his fr...