Earlier this month my family and I went on a vacation to Phoenix, AZ.  We were invited to attend the wedding of new friends we made while on our Alaskan cruise last year.  We decided to turn it into a family road trip, and I’m so glad we did. Read the rest of this entry »

A 6-year-old girl who found “a toy”  diamond ring in a Wal-Mart parking lot has helped put a smile back on a nervous Benton newlywed with her missing $9,000 engagement ring.After losing her 1.26-carat diamond ring at a Bryant Wal-Mart on Tuesday, Haley Reep Wagnon reported it missing, and Bryant police reviewed Wal-Mart’s surveillance videos and noticed a young girl seemed to pick up the ring.

“I saw a little girl pick up the ring in the parking lot, but I don’t think the girl was trying to steal the ring and I don’t think the family with her was even aware,” Bryant police Detective Todd Crowson said. “She probably didn’t even know that it is a real ring.” In fact, the way she treated it proved so.

Local law enforcement were able to identify the family’s vehicle and were able to determine which Saline County dealership sold it to them. From there, they were able to use their mad detective skills to find out the truck was registered to a Michael Wheaton of Bryant.

“I received a call about a young lady losing a ring and a little girl picking it up, and I said, ‘OK, you’ve got my attention,’” Wheaton said. “I came down to the station and when he showed me the picture, I said, ‘That’s my brother from Chicago and his kids.’” Read the rest of this entry »

People crack me up…. they think it’s easier to learn life’s lessons the hard way. One thing I’ve learned as I get older is I don’t know very much at all except a few key truths:

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