LOUISIANA Trip to Visit Family - July 2015

Sisters' Benton, Louisiana Home

Louisiana Trip to Visit Family - July 2015 -  July 16-28 I drove from my home in Franklin, TN, to visit my family in Northwest Louisiana.  While there I enjoyed a good time with my family and friends.  Stayed three nights with my sisters in the home pictured above which is located in Benton, LA, on Black Bayou Reservoir and two nights with my niece in Princeton(Haughton), LA.  While still enjoying activities with family I stayed the last three nights in hotels including the last two night in the Hampton Inn, Bossier City, LA.  

A highlight of my visit was getting together in Shreveport, LA, with my long time friend Todd Young and his family for dinner and then a visit with Todd to Summer Grove Baptist Church where Todd is now the minister of adult education.  Todd and his family moved from Nashville/Franklin to Shreveport this past June 2014.  I have known Todd since he was a seventh grader attending youth retreat for First Baptist Church, Nashville.  As a youth worker at FBC I attended most of the youth camps and retreats as a counselor and taught 10th grade Sunday School but I usually stayed with the newly rising seventh graders at the beginning of school year retreat.  Beginning with that early relationship, Todd and I have been mutual Christian mentors for each other through many years and stages of life.  While it was great visiting with him and his family in Shreveport, I so miss him in my life here in Tennessee.  Unfortunately, I did not take any photos while we were together in Shreveport.

I have now updated Reagan's Photo Galleries with photos from this trip in the photo gallery: Louisiana Trip to Visit Family - July 2015.

Next Travel Plans for Me - Starkville, MS, September 10-13, 2015 -  I will be driving to Starkville, MS, to visit with my great niece Kellie Abbott and her parents my niece Sandra and Wayne for a college football weekend.  Kellie will be showing me around her school - Mississippi State University - and I will be attending the MSU vs LSU game on Saturday night with Sandra and Wayne.  Kellie will be with her university friends at the game.  I will be low key but those of you who know me will know that I will be pulling for LSU. 

2016 Travel Plans -  Costa Rica February 9-23 is definite and American Airlines flights are already booked.

I am considering a visit to Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax, Nova Scotia, in Canada in May 2016 with several rail trips on Via Rail including the Via Rail Ocean train from Montreal to Halifax.  Still dreaming for now but hopefully the dreams will become reality.

You can click on any of the small photos in this blog to open a full size photo. Also, click on the "blog title" at the top to view this blog on the web.

All my photos are available to view on Reagan's Photo Galleries website.

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LOUISIANA - Trip Home to Northwest Louisiana July 2015 - Happy Endings

July 24 Sunset Bossier City, Louisiana

HAPPY ENDINGS - Journey Home to Nashville(Franklin) Begins -- These past three days have been days of time with friends and family.  After staying two nights with my niece Sandra and her family in Princeton, LA, I moved to the hotel life and am spending my last night in Louisiana at the Hampton Inn on Airline Drive in Bossier City.  I continued to spend time with sisters and friends ending with dinner tonight together in local seafood restaurant KIM'S.  Tomorrow I begin my journey home driving to Jackson, MS, and with a couple nights stop along the way, I plan to arrive home in Franklin Tuesday afternoon, July 28.

One of the best times of this visit to Northwest Louisiana was reunion time with my long time friend Todd Young and his family in Shreveport Wednesday afternoon.  After eating together at Chic fil a, Todd took me to visit and tour Summer Grove Baptist Church where he is now the Minister of Adult Education.  Summer Grove's buildings are unique in that they bought the old South Park Mall in Shreveport and converted the buildings into church facilities.  I was very impressed.  Most of all I relished my time just being with Todd.  Todd grew up in Nashville and he and I have been mutual Christian mentors since he was in the seventh grade. Until last June, Todd was the Education Minister at Forest Hills Baptist Church in Nashville where I have attended since 2003.  Yes, I miss him and his family very much back in Nashville.

Life In Nashville - Can you believe?  I really don't have any big travel plans for the remaining months of 2015.  Looking forward to getting back to Nashville and working with the 4th - 6th graders in 8:30 AM Sunday School at Forest Hills Baptist Church and enjoying NFL football season supporting the Tennessee Titans.  

Will be planning for and looking forward to traveling to visit my friend Charlie Doggett in Costa Rica in February 2016 and potentially traveling to Eastern Canada to ride Via Rail visiting Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax, Nova Scotia in May 2016.

You can click on any of the small photos in this blog to open a full size photo. Also, click on the "blog title" at the top to view this blog on the web.

All my photos are available to view on Reagan's Photo Galleries website.

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LOUISIANA - Trip Home to Northwest Louisiana July 2015

Reagan and Kellie at the Lake
Yes, that's my Marcus Mariota T-Shirt for all you Titans' fans

Fun Times With Family in Benton(Shreveport), Louisiana July 2015 - Enjoying a fun time with family in Northwest Louisiana this week July 17-25.  Safe two day drive through Alabama and Mississippi brought me to my Louisiana home for a week with family.  Enjoyed a few days with my sisters Shirley and Pat and now at my niece Sandra and her family home for another few days.

Here are a few photos of my sisters' lake home in Benton and our family fun time together Saturday afternoon.

Sisters log home in Benton, LA

Part of the side and backyard at my sisters' home

My sister Pat feeding fish from the dock

If you look close, you might make out some of the catfish feeding

Sister Shirley and Niece Sandra

.Some of my family on the dock Saturday afternoon

Great Niece Kellie and her mom my niece Sandra

Sister Pat, Kellie, and Great Niece Cheri

Rest of my trip is mainly family time so not planning another blog update until I return home to Nashville/Franklin and share all my photos in photo gallery.

You can click on any of the small photos in this blog to open a full size photo. Also, click on the "blog title" at the top to view this blog on the web.

All my photos are available to view on Reagan's Photo Galleries website.

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Fun Weekend Visit to the Hasha Family in Jefferson City, TN July 10-12

Abigail and Everett on the bench and Eric and Cristy Hasha

Fun Weekend Visit to the Hasha Family in Jefferson City, TN July 10-12 - Friday I drove from my home in Nashville/Franklin about 200 miles east on Interstate 40 to visit with the Hasha family for the weekend.  The Hasha's are part of my adopted Tennessee Bradley family Cristy being the daughter of Russ and Margo Bradley.  It was great to "catch up" with them.  The last time I visited in their home, they lived in Honolulu, Hawaii.  It is good to have them back nearer all their families in Nashville and Birmingham.  Eric is the minister to youth and college students at First Baptist Church, Jefferson City.  Cristy is a school teacher currently teaching 4th grade English.  Their children are 5 year old Abi(will always be my Hawaiian Princess) and 2 year old Everett(was born in Honolulu, Hawaii).

Through the weekend I enjoyed the time we were just enjoying being together at their home.  On Saturday we journeyed to nearby Knoxville, TN, to visit the zoo and then on to Pigeon Forge, TN, where we ate at the Apple Barn Restaurant.  After eating we walked next door to the Apple Barn candy kitchen for taffy and caramel apple for me, a big large candy sucker for Abi, a single taffy for Everett, a candy apple for Cristy, and a chocolate covered cherry for Eric. Yes, Everett picked just the one taffy.

Sunday morning I went with the Hasha's to First Baptist Church, Jefferson City, for Sunday School and worship and then stopped by McDonald's for some lunch to eat at home.  After lunch I drove back to my home in Franklin.  I'm only home three days this week as I leave Thursday, July 16, to drive to my Northwest Louisiana home to visit my Frazier sisters and other family for a week or so.

You can check out the photos I took this weekend with the Hasha's in this gallery in Reagan's Photo Galleries :  July 2015 Visit to Hasha's in Jefferson City.

Here a few of the photos:

Getting ready for movie night outdoors

Abi, Everett and friends ready for the movie

Watching "Despicable Me"

Princess Abi

Everett

Abi feeding Giraffe

Everett feeding Giraffe

Abi driving safari jeep

Abi and Everett ready for a train ride

Everett and Reagan - Photo by Abi

Cristy(mommy) with her Candy Apple - Photo by Abi

Abi's Selfie -- Photo by Abi

Abi and Everett Sharing Mom's Candy Apple

Oh, I did have a minor mishap Friday driving on I-40 

Next Travel Plans for Me - Louisiana July 16 -  I will be driving to my Northwest Louisiana home to spend time with my sisters and other family in Shreveport/Bossier City/Benton area.  I will leave my Nashville home July 16 and overnight in Meridian, MS, and continue home to Louisiana Friday, July 17.  Not definite at this time, but I will probably leave NW Louisiana late July and plan to be home in Nashville by July 31.  I will do a couple blog post updates while on my trip.

Fall is Titans Football Time in Nashville - The NFL football season gets started with training camps and preseason games in August and the regular season games fill September through December with playoffs in January.  Being a 16 year Titans season ticket member I'm committed to being home during the Fall so no planned travel for now.  I'm excited for the Titans' new quarterback Marcus Mariota and looking forward to the beginning of his NFL career.  ALOHA MARCUS!  ALOHA TITANS!

You can click on any of the small photos in this blog to open a full size photo. Also, click on the "blog title" at the top to view this blog on the web.

All my photos are available to view on Reagan's Photo Galleries website.

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to receive each new blog post to in your email inbox.