We left Pinetop on Wednesday, November 25th, and drove back to Phoenix/Tempe, where all of us from out of town who were arriving for Thanksgiving would stay for three days. (My) sisters, Teecie and Joyce, as well as Teecie's son, Christopher, all flew in from Florida. (My) brother, Bob, and his lovely friend, Inez, flew in from Nashville. A very special additon to our wonderful family time were Bob and Evelyn Corens (our son-in-law, Paul's parents) from Minnesota, as well as (brother) Bob's grandson, Jason Kinlaw, and granddaughter, Marla Kinlaw, their mother, Michelle, and Marla's toddler, Gabriel....all from the Los Angeles area.

Above photo and the two that follow: Teecie (hairdresser in Florida) sets up "shop" outside our hotel rooms and trims Karma's long hair (while Joyce looks on and Lalo dances). :-)

Teecie beside the lovely Christmas tree in the lobby of The Buttes by Marriott, Tempe, AZ, where we all stayed.

Lobby, The Buttes. In the background, you can see that behind the front desk is the actual mountain on which the hotel is located.

Approaching the lobby of The Buttes, Tempe, AZ.

All of us girls had an outing for manicures/pedicures.

Green is my favorite color! :-)

What a joy it was for us to all gather at Kim and Paul's loft condo downtown Phoenix where Kim prepared a delicious Thanksgiving meal for all of us! (Phil and Bob [Paul's father] are in the kitchen doing dishes while the rest of us relax after the meal.) :-)

Michelle, "Aunt" Joyce, Jason

Teecie, John (Christopher's friend), Jason-Paul (Kim's toddler), and Christopher

Inez and Bob

Everybody has a camera nowadays! ha

Antonio "in" the couch instead of "on" it (with a camera in his hands?)??

The Kinlaw siblings (Teecie, Joyce, Bob and Myrna) with Jason, Bob's grandson

Bless their hearts! They're *still* washing dishes! (Phil and Bob Corens)

Mother referred to us as her "darlings"...Myrna, Teecie, Joyce :-)

Beautiful balloon "bouquet"....a gift to me for my birthday (11/28) from nephew, Christopher.

For my birthday, we all went to Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa, AZ, on Friday evening, 11/27. Very special...and fun place. The organist was Charley Balog, who plays that magnificent theater organ.

After pizza, we were able to capture some photos. Above: Kim and Paul Corens, Julia Jo and Jason-Paul.

Karma Piña and her children: Lalo, Raquel, and Antonio

Bob Kinlaw, and lady friend, Inez

John, Teecie, and Christopher

First cousins-once-removed: Lalo and Christopher

Darling Raquel, our oldest granddaughter

Julia Jo, our youngest granddaughter

Evelyn and Bob Corens (our Kim's parents-in-law) of Minnetonka, MN

The whole family! :-) :-)

Kinlaw siblings - Joyce, Teecie, Bob, Myrna

Myrna with her two sisters, Teecie and Joyce, and two of her daughters, Karma and Kim

Christopher with organist Charley Balog, Organ Stop Pizza, Mesa, AZ

Jason Kinlaw, Gabriel Kinlaw, Michelle

Jason, Gabriel, Michelle, and Bob

Gabe and Jason with (great & great-great) Aunt Joyce

Angel Gabriel :-)

After our time at Organ Stop Pizza (which I chose for my birthday dinner), we returned to The Buttes. Phil and the others surprised me with a cake and lovely gifts to celebrate my 65th birthday!
I thank God for my family. I cherish them all, and am so very thankful for all who love to gather (and put in the travel!) in order to spend Thanksgiving together...regardless of where we happen to meet, be it Chicago, Tavares, Nashville, Phoenix...or San Francisco.:-)