This year we decided to go to Yellowstone for vacation. It was a really great time. The weather could not have been better. We got to see bears, elk, deer, antelope, eagles and hundreds of bison. We did some hiking and ran into some fresh bear tracks along the way. We hiked down to get a better look at some of the waterfalls and we tackled the Yellowstone River for our first whitewater rafting adventure. I’ve posted video and photos from the trip.

Well it’s that time of year again. Another busy year is in the books and we in America take time to remember the reason for the season. I hope everyone takes time to be with their family and actually enjoys it. Enjoy each and every Christmas you have together! Remember our troops and support them this holiday season while they’re away from home defending freedom. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

This is the latest addition to the Blackmon family. Dad wanted a buddy to hang out with him during his retirement. Maggie is almost 3 months old. She likes to lick and jump all over you. Oh and for the first few days she barked nonstop. I’ve added some photos of our first day with her. Be sure to check them out!

The vacation is almost over. We leave tomorrow to head back to Raleigh. It’s about 11pm here on the west coast and I’m uploading some pictures. They’re all lumped into one category since I haven’t had a chance to organize them. We stayed at Harrahs’ in Lake Tahoe and visited Yosemite National Park and San Francisco. It was a busy, but very fun time.

Click on the pictures over on the right of the page. Hope ya’ll enjoy them.

Well I made my first trip out west last week. Mom, Dad, Jayme and I packed up and headed out to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon. It was an awesome trip. It was the first time Dad has ever flown on a commercial jet and the first time I’d flown since I was in 9th grade. We stayed at the J.W. Marriott in Phoenix. This is the nicest place I’ve ever stayed at on a trip. It was spectacular. We went to the Grand Canyon on Saturday morning and spent most of the day checking out the unbelievable views. You have to go and see it with your own eyes to appreciate how big and overwhelming it is. We also took a helicopter ride over the northern ridge of the canyon. It was a 30 minute ride and well worth the cost. It was pretty much the highlight of the day. On the way back to Phoenix we drover through part of the Painted Desert. The landscape in that part of the country is indescribable. Jayme has some videos of the helicopter ride on his site. Check them out. Here are some photos of our day at the Grand Canyon: Grand Canyon, Az

On Sunday we visited the opposite end of the state. Anyone that knows me knows I’m a huge fan of the movie Tombstone. I can pretty much quote the entire movie. I wanted to go visit the old town and check out places like the O.K. Corral and the Oriental Saloon. It was pretty neat to be there where Wyatt and Doc walked. We got to see the graves of the Clantons and the McLaurys. They were killed at the O.K. Corral by the Earps. Tombstone was out in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing else nearby except a small town named Benson. We had lunch there and decided to head down near the border and see if we could see a little bit of Mexico. I’m beginning to understand now why there are a lot of Mexicans in Benson, NC. It makes them feel close to home I guess. But anyway if you want to see some photos we took while in Tombstone click the link: Tombstone, Az

Yea it was a short trip to travel that far. I think I’m still suffering from the time changes. It was worth it though. We all had a good time and got home safe and sound. Here is a link to some pictures of Phoenix and the place were we stayed if you want to check them out. Phoenix, Az

Last Saturday Mom, Dad and myself went down to White Lake for the day. It looked like when the day started it might be a total wash. I had been wanting to get on Steven’s pontoon. I was very impressed with it and how it cut through the white caps out at White Lake. You actually have room to move around and enjoy some food and beverages without worrying if you are going to fall out of the boat. I think if I was going to get a boat that I would have to consider getting a pontoon. I could have just ridden on it and been happy. I did get on the tube and wear my arms out. Anna didn’t give me any room and was making it hard for me to stay on :) I had fun and I think Mom and Dad enjoyed it as well. We’ll be back down there on August 19th if anyone wants to catch us playing down there.

Well everything has been going pretty well. Dad is on the way to 100% again. He’s driving now and exercising everyday. He’ll be back out mowing grass and cleaning out the fish pond in a few more weeks. Hopefully he can finish up his shop and get some juice hooked up down there.

The trip to Burlington was really good. I think we were on our game that day. Other than we started 20 minutes early everything else went as planned. The congregation was really into our music and I’m sure they received a blessing from it as we did from playing and singing for them. We have a few more dates scheduled to play in the future. I’ll keep everyone posted. Maybe I’ll get some recordings up on here for you to download.

I think I’m just going to get my knee cleaned out in the next month and get it out of the way. I have a cyst inside and the doc seems to think that is what is causing my pain. I have to be ready for basketball season so I’ll just have the surgery and be done with it. More to come later.

Well I’m sitting here in the waiting room at Wakemed. They took Dad in about 11:30 so he could wait a little more before his triple bypass. He was supposed to go yesterday, but something with the schedule got messed up and he was postponed until today. They probably won’t start until 2 or so. Anyway, I wanted to update my blog a little while I’m here. We have highspeed here at the hospital so it helps pass the time.

Sunday the 31st, our band is going to Bible Baptist Church in Burlington to play and sing that morning. We have been practicing close to a month now and things are getting exciting. I think we are getting better as a group and we sound purty good. It should be a good service. Hopefully everything goes well.

I have been having some issues with my knee again and had an MRI done this morning to see what’s going on inside. It’s been hurting since before we went to the beach. I don’t know if surgery is going to be needed or not. Frankly, I don’t see how you can fix something with your knee without going in, but we will see.

Keep Dad and all of us in your prayers. I know he will come through the surgery fine and will be as good as new.

Only a few more days until vacation. I’ll be off for 9 days straight. That hasn’t happened since I started working. The family is headed down to the beach next week until Friday. I got a little primed this past weekend with a trip to the beach. The weather was nice and the water felt awesome. I’m ready to spend some time there. We’re coming back to go to White Lake for the weekend of the 4th. Some other family members are camping down there for the weekend. I’m going to try and ski this time. I’ve never been able to get up on them. But I haven’t spent a lot of time trying before. I think we are all supposed to be playing some music down there on Sunday morning for the church service. It should be an awesome time. I’m getting pumped.

All the hustle and bustle is over. Everything we’ve done in the last month has been building to this day that is upon us. It’s that time of year where no matter what struggles have come your way the spirit of Christmas still touches your heart and brings you joy. Let us all remember that Jesus is the reason we are celebrating. Don’t get too caught up in the holiday and not take time to enjoy being with your family and friends. Kick back, throw on some of your favorite Christmas tunes and get a nice big bowl of salty grits. Believe me, you’ll remember those grits for a long time.

Update: Jayme now has photos up of Christmas at our house. Click the link below if you would like to see them.
Christmas 2004