Bragg Family South

This has got to be one of the hardest blog postings I've ever had to do...As some of you are aware, on November 12, we lost Ann Pruden suddenly.  She is pictured above with Kenny from a visit to the Monroe (Louisiana) Zoo in about 2008.  Ann was an infinitely kind and compassionate person who doted on her family, and she will be sorely missed!  The day after she passed away, we drove up to Michigan to be with Rick and the rest of the family and friends.  On Sunday, we had a memorial open house at the Pruden family home in Whitmore Lake.  As the picture shows below, the day was warm and sunny, just like Ann: My brother Bob (pictured with Stephen below) also joined us: Bob had gotten to know Rick and Ann pretty well through a number of visits he'd made to the area over the years, plus the holiday visits Rick and Ann often made with the Bragg Family in Wisconsin.  The house was a hub of activity most of the day, with many different family members ...

Above, Kenny plays with the rest of the 8th grade "marching" band for one of the local football games. I put "marching" in quotes because, well, they really don't do any marching yet...at least not while they're playing.  They go out onto the field in formation, play a couple songs at half time, and then return to their bleachers to periodically play during the game.  Good practice for the future, though!  Below, Stephen and his best buddy Logan McAlpine also enjoyed this game: Beth turned 11 a couple weeks ago, and had several friends over for a "Dr. Who"-themed birthday party.  For those of y'all who don't know, Dr. Who is a British sci-fi series that has been on for what seems to be an eternity (since the mid-1960s, actually), and that Hope and the kids love (and I pretty much can't stand).  But I indulge my family...  Below, Beth and her friends (and Stephen) enjoyed a dinner based on food references from this show: ...