Like the Energizer Bunny...

... the Christmas festivities keep going and going and going and going and going...

I loved them at first but truthfully, now I'm starting to get tired because of this growing belly. Only 2 more weeks to go! Doc says it may still be a minute because the baby hasn't dropped at all. Due January 5th, but praying for a December tax/insurance break. I don't think it's too much to ask, considering all the money we spent just getting the baby to grow!

Trying to maintain my Christmas energy (wish I could recharge like a battery) for our little Christmas delight. Emma has been having a wonderful time celebrating. Here she is in her GORGEOUS Christmas dress last Sunday. We love well-dressed cousins who pass along beautiful dresses such as this one. :) Thank you!! Emma's favorite part of the dress are the accompanying tights, which remind her of Angelina Ballerina. She also spent most of our Sunday church "fishing" for compliments by asking people if they thought she looked pretty.

Last Monday we enjoyed the trains and Christmas lights at Scottsdale McCormick Railroad Park with the Lorenzen Fam. So inexpensive, but so festive. Emma was thrilled to discover that they had characters walking around "just like Disneyland"! Frosty was her first stop, but she obliged some of the other characters as well.

Our church party was Friday evening. We got Emma all dolled up in her Christmas skirt that my talented friend Michelle made her. Again, the tights were the highlight. And if you couldn't tell, Emma loves to pose by the tree. Anytime I tell her I want to take a picture of her, she runs straight to the tree and strikes a pose.

She even got to perform with the Primary kids for the FIRST time. They have been letting the soon-to-be primary age children into Primary "singing time" for a month, so they gave her permission to join them for the Christmas performance. Needless to say, we did not have to persuade her to join them. As soon as she saw them get on stage, she SPRINTED to the stage and stood front and center very proudly. She sang the songs pretty well, although a few she did not know.

This shot is fuzzy, but it gives an action shot of her "checking it twice"... which she had been practicing ALL. WEEK. LONG. At any given moment she'll start right into "OH! You better watch out..." And at Wal-Mart this week, she full on BELTED the "GLORIA" chorus to "Angels we have heard on high" in the check out line. I would have stopped her normally, but it was so cute (albeit LOUD) and so many people were watching her and smiling. They even clapped when she finished.

While in tithing settlement the Bishop offered her chocolate if she would sing a song for him. She promptly replied that she would like to sing him TWO songs for TWO pieces of chocolate. The Bishop's response? "You must have learned your negotiating skills from your lawyer Father". :) YUP. And yes, she sang two songs and yes she got her two pieces of chocolate. Two going on seventeen I tell you.

ALMOST better than Christmas Eve, was the eve before Uncle Glen flew to Arizona. She was so excited it took us THREE hours to get her to bed. And every time we went in to threaten her life, or, uhhhhhhhhhhhh, lovingly guide her to bed - she would tell us something about Glen. "Isn't Glen so nice? Will he be so excited to see me? He will tell me my hair looks beautiful like Rapunzel. He can be Flynn Rider!"

Greg was in a performance called "Before Tonight" last night and tonight - so Emma's lovely Aunt Laura offered to babysit to so that Glen and I could attend. Laura took her to her ward FHE to make gingerbread houses and Emma had a BLAST. What could she dislike about tables full of candy and all the single adults in the world giving her undivided attention?? She even gave an impromptu performance of "I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus". Too bad she hates attention so much. :) Wonder where she got that?

The whole Krebs Family comes in tomorrow and we couldn't be MORE EXCITED to play and play and play and play and play...

Hope you are enjoying your Christmas season as well!!

Child Labor Laws

From the U.S. Department of Labor:

The most sweeping federal law that restricts the employment and abuse of child workers is the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Child labor provisions under FLSA are designed to prohibit their employment in jobs that are detrimental to their health and safety. FLSA restricts the hours that youth under 16 years of age can work and lists hazardous occupations too dangerous for young workers to perform.

So we bend these "so-called laws" just a bit in the Adams household.

With a smile like that, how could anyone REALLY report me for inhumane conditions? And would it help my cause that she BEGS to cut cantaloupe (with her IKEA knife) and other such fruit for dinner prep?

Complete with bed head and PJ's - this child in servitude was SO PROUD that she could juice an orange without her task master's assistance.

The only thing that could land me in prison would be the sticky mess that engulfed her chubby little fingers.

Please don't report me to the U.S. Department of Labor - at least not until I give you the photographic evidence that I also make her put away her own laundry.

Sincerely,

Slave Driver Extraordinaire

And so they begin...

CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES! Lay them on thick Mr. Holiday Season, because I'm loving every single minute.

Kicked off the month with my Tempe Symphony Christmas Concert. Always well attended by the public (cause it's FREE) and a great way to start the season. Complete with community choirs and a sing-a-long.

The first weekend of December I had my annual party with friends from my Masters program (MSW) at ASU. We graduated almost 8 years ago, and it is always fun to get together. Wish I had a picture to show you how darling they are. I don't see them as often as I would like, but every time I leave their company, I am reminded how lucky I was to attend school with such impressive, intelligent, fun, and genuinely kind peers. The world is a better place with social workers like these women in the field.

Also enjoyed the Christmas concert of East Valley Mormon Choral Organization (EVMCO). Attended with my Aunt Sharron and sister Laura and what an incredible concert. Really got you in the Christmas spirit! Hand bells and all! Nothing says Christmas like hand bells... am I right?? Again - no pictures - must be the pregnancy brain.

This week (Thursday) we had our ward's Relief Society party. Always super fun, but this year especially memorable because it also included Emma's first public singing performance. She sang for a group of about 50 women and was adorable (if I may say so).

She first sang "Away in a Manger" with Greg and I as back-up singers. Then she sang "I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus" as a solo. I'm sick because I forgot to record her that night (complete with applause, laughter, bowing, and darling Christmas skirt).... so I had to get her singing her songs, the next day at my grandparents home. Not quite the same, but you get the gist.

Here is Away in a Manger:



Friday evening we attended a Christmas event through the City of Tempe. It was fairly crowded, so we didn't stay exceptionally long, but I was THRILLED with their fantastic Santa. And we only had to wait 10 minutes.

This is Emma's first year that she has agreed to sit on Santa's lap (sans screaming). She finally gets it. She finally gets that he is the man who brings her presents. And this smart little thing never does anything altruistically. When I asked her is she was excited to sit on Santa's lap, she replied, "YES! And I'll ask him for a Baby Belle doll and then he will put it in my hands!". We had to break it to her gently that she would just TELL him now and then she would have to wait until Christmas morning to see if he honored her request. She seemed fine to wait for the goods and was still pumped to sit on his lap and give her LONG list of requests.

Could you EVER get a more darling Santa? He was SO sweet with her. Just love this picture.

The event also allowed Emma to decorate and eat her own Christmas cookie. She was mostly interested in the eating part. Duh. That's what they are meant for.

Then she met up with her pal David and they ate cookies and chatted around the "campfire"...

Saturday we tried to continue the Christmas Spirit and attend Tempe's "Boat Light Parade". They let over 50 motorized and decorated boats onto Tempe Town Lake for a holiday parade. Should have been really cool, but unfortunately, we could not see the boats. At all. Very disappointing. Guess we'll know for next year to arrive extra early.

We even met up with JJ, Zac and Alex. But, Emma and Alex had more fun playing with the stroller that watching the boats (that they couldn't see). Shocking.

We finished the weekend festivities with a super fun evening with Greg's family. Linda is spending the holidays with Jamie and Gina in Texas, so we celebrated early before her departure. We ordered FANTASTIC Mexican Food and gorged ourselves silly on homemade tortillas, yummy tamales, tasty meat and treats, treats, treat! Again, forgot the camera, but let it be known that Emma was spoiled rotten by her Grammie Lou and then proceeded to be a complete 2-year-old and steal all of her cousin's toys that were suddenly better than hers. LOVELY. Should make Christmas morning with even more cousins super fun.

Merry Christmas to all! We have many more festivities ahead... so more to come!

1 point for Mom!

Scene takes place at bedtime (or sufficiently WELL past bedtime)...

Mom: (turns off hall light)

Emma: Mom! Please turn on the hall light, I'm scared of the dark.

Mom: Emma, you have your night light that keeps you safe.

Emma: But Mom, I'm scared of the dark and I need the hall light on too!

Mom: No you don't, you never sleep with the hall light on.

Emma: (panicked) Mom! PLEASE leave the hall light on, I'm scared of the dark.

Mom: Well then close your eyes and it won't be dark anymore.

Emma: (after long pause of pondering this option) .............. OK. Good night.

*******************************************************************

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAA??????????? Could it be that I won a battle with Miss Sassy Pants of the world???? I actually out smarted her???? Guess my Masters degree was worth it after all. :)

The Christmas Season does truly bring miracles.

Why I live in Arizona.

There are many reasons that we live in Arizona... here are just a few.

#1 - 75 degrees and sunny. All week long. Sorry if you are stuck somewhere in a blizzard. We deal with our mother nature wrath during the summer.

#2 - Amazingly sweet oranges from my Grandpa Hancock's citrus trees. Turned into amazingly sweet orange juice every morning. Seriously incredible. You should move to Arizona, just so you can experience this culinary joy. Straight from the tree to my taste buds... Mmmmmmm....

#3 - Aunt Laura. There are some things parents just won't do. Like take their daughter to "Tangled" for the SECOND time in the REAL movie theater. Or let their daughter wear a ridiculous dress-up costume that resembles Rapunzel in PUBLIC the ENTIRE evening. And then take that same daughter to a restaurant for dinner (still in dress) and on to hang out with grandparents.

Even before the "girls night out" began with Laura, Emma asked if she could write a note to Laura that said, "Dear Laura, I love you and you are my best Aunt". Ha Ha.

There really are so many other reasons, but these are a good start.

A Thankful Weekend.

Yet another holiday with not-your-traditional activities...

But another holiday that was wonderful and enjoyable.

We spent Thanksgiving with Greg's family this year and decided to try some new traditions. The old traditional Thanksgiving dinner seemed to bring about too much heartache with Greg's Dad gone. Why not venture out of the ordinary?

We enjoyed our meal at a restaurant and REALLY enjoyed not cooking or cleaning up afterward. Generally I truly enjoy cooking/baking. But my 8 month pregnant self opted for simplicity this year - and it was an excellent decision.

We followed our Thanksgiving lunch with the movie "Tangled". We were pleasantly surprised at what an entertaining movie it was. Would recommend it to anyone.

Emma was mesmerized. Move on over Ariel, Belle and Cinderella - there is a *NEW* princess that has stolen her heart. She happened to have a purple dress-up gown given to her by cousin Anna, which has been transformed into her Rapunzel dress. Greg is now consistently "Flynn Rider" and I am "Rapunzel's Mother". She even told Greg yesterday that we could take the "other costumes" back to Grammie Lou's because she didn't need them anymore. Ouch. Hope the abandoned princesses don't have depression problems, because Emma's neglect could send them spiraling.

After the movie was over, Emma asked Greg to dance with her in the front of the theater. As we were the only ones left... Greg obliged.

We spent the rest of the weekend enjoying family, friends and Greg's time off work.

We went to the zoo on Saturday where Emma's only request was another stop at the "Mermaid Shell" where she could take yet another picture.

We took some Christmas card pictures. We're having our professional pics done in January after the baby is born - so this year's card comes courtesy of the ever talented Tammy Adams Photography with the good ol' point and shoot. You'll have to wait for the picture we decided to use, but this was one of the rejects. That sweet little smile melts my heart.... most of the time. :)

And NO. Greg and I will not be making an appearance in the Christmas card picture this year. Seriously? Why would I want to be pictured anywhere this pregnant?

One of the all-consuming activities of the weekend was Christmas-tizing our home. We got our real tree at the super sentimental Home Depot parking lot. :) And we love it. Almost 8 feet tall and consumes our living room. Just how it should be. The only benefit to having a small townhome is that the Christmas tree fills the entire home with it's wonderful aroma. Yummy.

Greg does the tree every year, with my "supervision". I think it looks lovely.

We truly have so much to be grateful for and this weekend was just another reminder of our tremendous blessings. Hope you also enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!!

Let's eat turkey in a big brown shoe.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Adam Sandler sings it best...

5th Annual - Adams Fall Festival

I LOVE FALL. Hence the need for a party. DUH. When we moved back to Arizona in 2006, we had our first annual Fall party.

We invite Greg's Elementary/Junior High/High School/College/Adult friends. Don't get confused. It's the same group of people. They've just lasted as friends for awhile. Oh and they happen to be my friends now too, lest you think they ONLY belong to Greg.

In 2006, we hosted 6 adults and 2 children.

In 2010, we hosted 15 adults and 17 children.

My how things change.

My Aunt Sharron generously allowed us to use her ROCKIN' back yard for the second year in a row. The kids love the fort/swings/slides/rock wall/ sand box/ jungle gym equipment/ volleyball net/ trampoline - and the adults love that the kids are occupied.

We did have children hit by swings approximately every 7.54 seconds, but other than that, injuries and crying/whining were kept to a minimum.

I had some music playing during most of the party, but once "Thriller" came on, the kids felt that it was time to DANCE. I'm telling you, Michael Jackson is truly an entertainer for all generations. Brilliant.

And maybe some of the adults got in on the fun...

We always serve soup in bread bowls and everyone else brings sides or treats.

In 2006 I made 1 kind of soup. In 2010 I made 3. It really is so fun making them every year because of the anticipation for the festivities.

This year, we held the party a little later in November than usual, so we decided to add a fire pit and hot cocoa to increase our warmth. It was a fun element. Something about a fire, always makes a party seem authentic. :) It appears in the picture that it is snowing, but I think it was all the flurries from the fire. We don't get much snow here in Phoenix.

Much thanks to all our awesome friends who come and make the party super fun!

We look forward to it every year and can't wait for the next one...

HAPPY FALL EVERYONE!!

You can take the girl out of Princess-land...

But you can NOT take the Princess-land out of the girl.

I know this may come as a shock to most of you - but I am not a girly girl. Never have been. Never will be. I played with GI Joes when I was little, because that's what my brothers wanted to play. There may be a few slightly true stories floating around of a time long ago when I actually "sacrificed" Barbies belonging to younger play mates. They may or may not have floated down a river tied to sticks. (Dial-A-Kearl to confirm)

I don't care for chick flicks. I really don't like sappy chick books. And I would much rather slip into some comfortable sweats than get all gussied up for a formal dinner or event with the law firm. I'm a low maintenance dresser (read: often frumpy) and I like to spend as LITTLE time as possible getting ready in the morning. Minimal hair up-keep. Minimal make-up. Minimal jewelry.

I'm not a tom boy though, don't get confused. I just am not a girly girl. Maybe it was growing up with 5 brothers and only 1 sister? Maybe my parents just didn't encourage or promote girly girl behavior? Or maybe I'm just genetically predisposed to not liking frilly things?

In any case, I SWORE on my life, that my precious little miracle daughter would not be "girly". I would not encourage it. I would not support it. I would not condone such behavior.

But alas... you can try to take a girl out of Princess-land, but you can not take the Princess-land out of the girl.

It crept in slowly. A Disney movie here and there. A Disney book now and again. A trip to Disneyland. And all the beautiful Disney princess dress-ups at Grammie Lou's house. The Disney princess inside Emma was just SCREAMING to be released.

And finally, we all relented.

There are a few rules that one must follow when entering Emma's Princess-land... should you dare:

1. Although the princess dress-ups were still not purchased with her Mother's dime, whenever she goes to Grammie Lou's house, she MUST try on every. single. princess. dress. in the wardrobe and she MUST wear one home. Her favorites are Ariel, Belle and Angelina Ballerina.

2. Any SECOND she is inside the confines of her "palace walls" she MUST have on "said" princess dress. It is the first thing she asks for in the morning and she will only take it off to sleep (so it doesn't rip) and to go run errands with Mom (so it doesn't get dirty or so other kids don't take it from her).

3. When she is wearing the costume, she can ONLY be addressed as costumed princess. If you say ANYTHING at all to her it must be using the appropriate princess name. And EVERY sentence spoken to her must use her name in the sentence. For example, "Ariel would you like your breakfast?" - "Belle would you please clean up your toys?" - "Angelina Ballerina do you need to go to the bathroom?". If you do not address her as such, she will not respond, or QUICKLY correct you and say, "My name is Ariel - could you say, Ariel would you like your breakfast?" If you even DARE call her Emma, she will shortly retort, "I'm not Emma. I'm Belle."

4. Anyone within the proximity of Miss Princess, must also be in full character at all times. When she is Ariel, Mom is Ariel's Friend and Dad is Flounder. When she is Bell, Mom is Mrs. Potts and Dad is the Beast. When she is Angelina Ballerina, Mom is Alice and Dad is Angelina's Dad. She will ONLY address us with our proper make believe names. Unfortunately for Greg, she is Belle quite often, and he is then the Beast about 98% of his day. She used to tell him that he was the "best Daddy in the whole wide world" - but this weekend she told him that he was the "best Beast in the whole wide world". I don't think he's crazy about his title, but he has slipped easily into his role and dances with her almost every night to the "Beauty and the Beast" theme song.

5. All music associated with referenced princesses must be played regularly and sung LOUDLY. No surprise to any of us that know Emma well, she quickly learned all of the words to her favorite princess songs and will sing them happily on demand for an audience (and chocolate bribery).

SCORE BOARD:

Emma - 1

Mom - 0

Zoobilee Zoo

You know you watched this show as a kid.

You Tube the opening theme song to refresh your memory.

And no, Zoobilee Zoo has nothing to do with my post, but I was trying to think of a "catchy" blog post title and the theme song kept running through my head.

We have been enjoying the beautiful weather and FINALLY began using our annual zoo passes again.

In all fairness to myself, I did tell Greg that I would not be attending the zoo if the temp went above 90, and he agreed to let me buy the annual pass anyway. Don't judge me. Our zoo has a veritable plethora of horrible hills and LONG walks between exhibits. Pushing a stroller with a 35 pound heavy weight toddler in a temperature over 90 could very well put me into early labor. :)

Believe me, when the weather is nice, with the zoo a mere 10 minutes away, we get our money's worth.

This time - we got to go with cousins!

The kids were so great during the funeral process. While the adults were madly running around trying to secure details, the kids played quite contently at Grammie Lou's house for hours on end.

By the time Monday rolled around, they were all getting restless and we decided a trip to the zoo was in order. It was so fun to go with Anna and Isaac (Jamie's kids) who live in Texas and Taytum (Kurt's daughter).

The kids had a great time together. And Monday is the PERFECT day to go to the zoo, because nobody else is there!

Love this shot. Anna playing hide and seek. Taytum anxiously running to find a place to hide. And Emma standing there looking completely void of excitement for the game and/or the rules.

The goat petting station. It reeks of mammal urine... but the kids love it. What's a Mom to do?

The girls chatting it up with Mr. Horse. Of all the animals at the zoo... they loved the horses the most. WHA? They have koalas, komodo dragons, tigers. Nah. We'll stick with the horse.

And the favorite stop of all? The sea shell that looks suspiciously similar to the one that Ariel is supposed to sing from at the beginning of "Little Mermaid". Each girl had to take a turn pretending to be Ariel and for the rest of the zoo trip, they were all referencing each other as Ariel or Ariel's friend.

All in all, a very successful trip to the zoo. And going with cousins always makes it that much more enjoyable. Thanks for a fun day!!

Not your typical Halloween weekend.

This was not our typical Halloween weekend.

We had pumpkins purchased, but they never got carved.

We had costumes purchased, but they never got finished.

We had candy purchased, but it was never given to trick-or-treaters.

We had parties planned, but they were never attended.

Raymond Arthur Adams (Greg's Father) passed away after a long battle with cancer on Wednesday, October 27th around 6:00am. We had the honor of spending the rest of the weekend surrounded by friends and family celebrating his life.

It was emotionally and physically exhausting, but we were all comforted and uplifted by the Spirit of peace. We know that families will be together forever and this death is but a short separation.

We worked together to plan the entire funeral and burial details in three days. WOW. I had no idea there was so much involved. I kept telling people that it was like planning a wedding (which generally takes 6 months-1 year) in three days. I spent a lot of time scanning old pictures into a digital format for enlargements and a video to capture Ray's life. Thank goodness for so many generous friends and family that lent their helping hands to the cause. We never had to worry about food, because there were always new meals brought into Linda's home. Ray and Linda have served so many people through the years and it was very evident when so many wanted to give back in small and simple ways.

I did not get many pictures, so a second post may come around sometime with additional snapshots from other's cameras.

Below is a picture of the display table that was set-up for the viewing and funeral to capture some elements of Ray's life. He loved all things mechanic - big trucks, sand rails, race cars, quads, etc...

We have had so many tender mercies through his death for which we are grateful.

He was diagnosed with lung cancer (never smoked a day in his life) almost 5 years ago - and the doctor's initially told him he would only live 1-2 years. He fought hard and we had him around 3 years longer than expected.

He died relatively quickly and with little pain - which is not always the case with cancer. He never became completely confined to his bed or unconscious.

Only three days before he passed away, we enjoyed a steak dinner from "Outback" take-out style in their kitchen. Ray and Linda always treat their pregnant children to a steak dinner to celebrate the upcoming baby arrival. Ray sat with us at the table and although he knew he couldn't eat a steak, he ordered one anyway, just because.

For the last 10 weeks I have taught an evening class at South Mountain Community College on Tuesday evenings. And for the last 10 weeks, Greg has taken Emma over to his parents home to visit while I teach. Last Tuesday (October 26) was my last class and last Tuesday Greg and Emma went over for their visit. Ray died the following morning. What a blessing that they enjoyed special time together for the last 10 weeks of his life, and most especially that they were able to see him the night before he passed away.

When Greg and Emma went to leave on Tuesday evening, Ray was asleep. Not wanting to wake him up, Greg told his Mom that they would sneak out. Stubborn Miss Emma looked up at her Daddy and said, "I can not leave until I give Grandpa Ray a kiss and hug". So she promptly jumped up onto his bed, which woke him up, and then gave him a kiss and hug goodbye. Ray was appreciative that she did so and lovingly gave her a kiss and hug in return. Greg was then able to also say goodbye to his Dad for the last time in mortality. Although Emma's insistent personality is bothersome at times, Greg will forever be grateful that she pushed her agenda that Tuesday evening.

Of course the greatest tender mercy is the peace that we have felt through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It has been our constant companion. Prayers have been felt as we have been lifted up and blessed tremendously.

The viewing was Friday evening and so many people came to pay their respects. The funeral was Saturday morning and the church was packed through the entire cultural hall with hundreds.

Below is a picture of the funeral luncheon that Linda's ward generously hosted. I would say there were easily 100+ people in attendance and the food was remarkable.

The four sons comprised the funeral program and they did an outstanding job. Jamie gave the life sketch, Greg and Kurt shared short memories, and Jeff talked about Ray and his beliefs in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They each did such an incredibly accurate job of describing Ray as a man, with all of his various attributes. The four boys also sang, "Nearer My God To Thee" and Jamie and Greg each sang separate solos. Amazingly, Jamie and Greg each sang their solos without breaking down once. It was a really beautiful service.

Even had you never known Ray, you could tell that he was a wonderful man by his four boys.

At the luncheon, Jamie told a great story about his Dad requesting a "nice hat" from a car race to be held in Singapore while Jamie was visiting on a business trip. Jamie attended the car race and purchased a hat for Ray and for Kurt and Jeff (who also love car racing). He never got to deliver the hat to Ray in person because he lives in Texas, but he passed along the hats to his brothers and gave Greg the hat that was intended for Ray.

Here is Greg with his Dad's hat and little Missy.

Emma loved her Grandpa Ray and he loved her so much. It breaks my heart to think that she will have to grow up without him. The boys all said through the funeral, that Ray was a great Dad, but an even better Grandpa. He definitely kept Emma smiling and happy. She will miss him and so will we.

Although Saturday was exceptionally long and exceptionally tiring, we decided that the kids needed a little bit of "Halloween Fun". We threw on Emma's giraffe costume. Greg and I were supposed to be trees that she could eat. I was intending to sew the leaves all along our green shirts, but that never happened. So, Greg threw on on a green shirt and just wrapped the leaves around his neck. Emma was pleased as punch. I just went as the picture taker. No costume this year for me.

Here is Emma the giraffe with Greg's grandparents, which was the only home to which we trick-or-treated. Luckily, Emma is still so young, she never knew the difference. We also went to a Halloween Haunted House that Linda's friend invited us to.

Emma with Isaac/Blue (Jamie's little boy). Must be cousins, huh?

It was not our typical Halloween weekend.

But we truly enjoyed being together as a family to mourn, and celebrate the legacy that Ray has left behind.