Hello,

We finally got my family together for the family picture. I hope more of the cousins use this blog site. I was thinking our blog would also be a good way for everyone to post prayer requests. I know we all need extra prayers now and then, even if they are unspoken - just a thought.

Our picture was taken 1/17/2009. Matt is 26 holding his youngest Taylor (3); I'm holding his oldest Skyler (7); and my daughter Nikki (19) is finishing her second year of college. I'm not ashamed to say that I am 46. Hope everyone tries to make the reunions - we have alot of fun and like Amy says, our Aunts and Uncles are not getting any younger. One of these days we will have to take over and carry on the reunions. Hope to see everyone soon!

Charlene

Greetings from Maryland!

Hello family of mine!

Kudos to Laurie for getting this underway! We had talked about how we cousins are really spread out all over the US at the last family reunion, and were throwing around ideas for a webpage but this really fits the bill! Now we have a way to talk to each other no matter where we all end up. ^_^

For those of you wondering who exactly I am, I'm Amy, Jim Parkhurst's daughter. (Hi!) My younger brother Tim and I both currently live in Maryland where he is working as a financial analyst for Bose-Allen and I am a lab technician for the Jeffery Lab at the University of Maryland, College Park. I would post a picture of him too but its hard to get him to stay still for a photo. Both of us keep pretty busy working hard at our jobs and participating in our churches. Tim plays sports year-round while I'm in Ladies softball for part of the year. And though neither of us are married yet, Tim does have a promising girlfriend who's an absolute sweetheart.

Currently I'm also the keeper of the raw data for our family tree and records. I know that Aunt Shirley has been collecting items and info on our grandparents in her travels about the States, but it would help me out a lot if you, my fellow cousins, would also think about passing on some of your own family history. Being the youngest of the first cousins, I don't really remember Grammy Marie and I never knew Grandpa Everett at all. Anything you would like to see recorded will do: birthdates, health histories, photos, stories, that sort of thing. It will be a slow project because I'm a novice at this and have my hands full with a lot of other things, but I think it would be a neat gift for our parents to have something to give them from us maybe in a year or two. After all (and I'll probably get shot for saying this), they're not getting any younger and it's going to be up to us to keep the family together soon.

I don't know how often I'll post news here since I have my own blog already, but you are all more than welcome to visit me there at "To Run Unhindered". I hope to hear from all of you soon, and God bless!

~Amy

Well, since that was so easy, I'll put our most recent family pic out there too. Some of you got our Christmas card and this was one of the photos taken that same day. Adley's 4 1/2, Cammie's 7 10/12 and Hallie's 10 (going on 16). Shane and I are both 29...I'll let you know if that changes.

Hope everyone has the most blessed year ever! We're planning on it!!

Ok, I'm going to try this...I'll post a picture from the Mervin Parkhurst Family Christmas celebration last week. We were all together for 7 days at mom and dad's house. There were 21 of us...11 of whom were 10 and under. (two more are on the way!) It was INSANE!! We had a great time and everyone made it home safely...it was a good week!!

Here goes with names, etc. Start on front row: Adley (mine), Avery (Brad's), 2nd row: Shane (mine again), Brad; 3rd row: Paige (Carrie's), Carson (Brad's), Leah (Daniel's); 4th row: Cameron (Brad's) Cammie (mine), Amber (Daniel's) Hallie (mine); 5th row: Carrie, Connor (hers) Angie (Brad's), Mom, Mandi (Daniel's); Back row: Ben (Carrie's) Dad, Kim, Daniel, Joshua (Daniel's). There you have it. I know how sad you ALL are that you weren't there to spend a few nights with us!!! 8-)