Merry Christmas!!!

I don't keep up with this as I should but I want each and every one of you to know that I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! Dad and I Love each one of you!!

We spent the Labor Day weekend at Bean and John's helping them with some last minute finishing up around the house. It was really hot but we enjoyed it. We went to Pinnacle Peaks for steaks and then to Dairy Queen for deserts. Just like when Grandma and Papa were here. On Sunday we went to Sacrament meeting in my old home ward and then went to another ward to hear Bean and John give a presentation on the Recovery Addiction Program that the are serving as missionaries for. It was really great! That evening Bean and John had a open house, to say good bye to some very special people in the neighborhood and the ward. It was really neat to visit with old friends. Then we left at 3 am Tuesday morning and are now working our way back home. The weekend before we went on a 130 mile motorcycle ride. I will write more about that as soon as I get the pictures.

As you can see, I have been busy posting. But I am still new to this. So every thing is out of order, but its on here. To see it all you will have to go back on the "older post" 3 pages worth. It took me all day. And help from Becky!! I will try to be better at this. Grandad and I love you all!!

For a date night Aunt Becky watched all the cousins while Mike and Amy, Grandad and Grammy went to see Harry Potter. Boy did they have a party!!! Thanks for being such a cool Aunt!!!

Anika Loving on her Daddy!!

Just having fun! Reading books and playing games!

Colton really enjoyed playing with all his cousins. Especially Anika!!

In July, Mike Amy and the kids came for a visit. It was great!! We had a wonderful time and hated to see them leave. Mike left a week before Amy and the kids but we had to go to work so we didn't get to see them the last few days they were here. They visited family and friends in Logan and went to a family reunion. Amy is really a brave one. Driving all the way home by herself with the kids. But we were glad for the extra time. We miss living close to them. Maybe some day!!

On the way home from Canada we stopped for a brief stop at Mt Rushmore. It was really neat to see.

A couple of ground hogs in Treherne

We camped one night at the Internationational Peace Gardens. They were beautiful. It lies on the boarder of the US and Canada. The only undefender border in the world!

The Peace Chapel is in the background. The post is the exact border.

These buildings were made by an old couple in their 80's as a hobby. When they died the family donated them to the city of Treherne. They are made of glass bottles.

In Manitoba they grow sunflowers. This field is just starting to bloom.

The blue plants in the back are flax and the yellow is canollia. They had miles of fields in bloom with these plants. It was beautiful.

Canollia up close

view from the deck

Dad's big Pike!

A water fall across the river from where we were staying.

Geoff's neighbor

More of the Bird River and Lake. It rained every day we were there, but I didn't stop them from fishing!!

Bird River

The house we stayed in

Geoff and Dad getting the poontun boat ready for our tour.

Dad's first Northern Pike or Jack

Dad and John didn't want to waste any time. They trolled while we were being given the tour of the river!!

Canada

Bonnie's "Bed of Flowers"















Sandy and Bonnie

We spent 3 days in Treherne, Manitoba Canada and 4 days at Bird River. It is a beautiful country. Every thing is trimmed and mowed. People will come on their days off and pull weeds or mow grass around town. Its all done by volunteers. We visited a niece (Bonnie) of John and Sandy Easley (Don's fishing buddy). She gave us a tour of her town, then took us to her son's in-laws place on Bird river to stay for a few days. Her son's Father-in-law opened his cabin to us and acted as a fishing guide. It was a beautiful place. Geoff (the father-in-law) gave us a tour of the river on his pontoon boat the first day we were there. It was beautiful! The river flows 5 miles then opens into Bird Lake. The next 2 days he took the guys out in his fishing boat. Don caught a big Northern Pike. They call it a Jack.

Week in Reno

We spent alot of June in the Reno and Truckee area. On the weekend we went up into the Sierra Mountains and camped. It was really beautiful. The Lord has truly blessed us with a beautiful world. Its hard to imagine what the celestrial kingdon will be like.

Colton was helping me cook dinner by doing the dishes,needless to say there was more water on him and the floor but he had a good time!!

House

ok I finally took some viedo of the out side of the house. We haven't finished the inside entry way. It still needs to be painted. But that will come.

I was asked to list 5 positive physical things about myself . Last night as I laid in bed thinking about how the 5 positive physical things I could list were mostly about my face, and how hard it was for me to think of positive physical things about me! I started to think about my body and what I didn't like about the rest of me. As I was doing so, I realized that I was being very ungrateful for what I had. My legs are fat. But they support me and I can walk! What a blessing. My Mother didn't have this blessing for the last 15 years of her life! My stomach hangs and is fat! But it works right and I can eat and enjoy food because it does. A blessing that Terri Holden and Donna Funk don't have. My arms sag and are fat. But I bet any one to the many soldiers who have lost an arm serving our country would gladly take a fat saggy arm. My hands are old and wrinkled. but all my fingers work and I can write, crochet, crosstich and play with my grand kids. I have many hours of enjoyment because these old hands work. My hair is gray. But I know of cancer victims who would gladly take my gray hair just to have hair. There are so many blessings that I have with My body just the way it is! I want to learn to love it now, and make it healthier for the future. Losing weight, if it happens, will be a great side effect. But I will be concentrating on taking better care of this wonderful blessing called ME! I hope and pray that each of us will come to know what a blessing our bodies are, especially me.

Well I decided I had better post again!! I keep thinking I should wait for pictures but my good camera is still not working right. So anyway we had a wonderful hail storm today!! Complete with thunder!! I love a good thunder storm!! The hail was has big as marbles. I was fun to stand on the porch and watch it. And it sounds wonderful on the tin roof!!
The house is coming along slowly. They are doing a good job but don't work on it every day. I guess they have other jobs that they have to do also. I was going to have a garden window in the kitchen. But after I found out it would cost $900-$1300 for one I decided that my window was just fine. I haven't seen the new side windows for the front of the house yet, but it will be nice to have ones that actually close.

Updates of Porch and Landing

Becky took these pictures and videos for me. With all the cameras we have not one is working right. But this is how far we are now. They have started on the siding, but we got a huge snow storm this morning, so I don't think they will be working today on it. I love my new door and chandelier. The roof is the hunter green the same as the garage roof. It will be so nice to have the hole house the same color.