School's Out for Summer!

May finally ended and since school got out on the last day of May, Bob and I headed to Canada on June 1st just the two of us.




Pam was planning a joint Missionary Homecoming for Josh and a Missionary Farewell for Jonathon the first Sunday in June so that gave us a great reason to travel north for a week or so.


Bob and I left around noon and headed for Missoula, Montana. Not the usual way we go north but we decided to take our time and enjoy the trip. We headed up to Salmon, Idaho and over the Lost Trail Pass. It was a beautiful drive and as neither of us had ever been that way before, we had a really enjoyable ride. It was a warm sunny day until we reached the top of the pass, then we ran into a little rain.

We had discussed stopping and soaking in the hot pools along the way but when we pulled in to the one we had picked out, it was raining and the place looked pretty run down. We decided the hotel we were staying at in Missoula had a hot tub so we kept on going and arrived there around 5:00.

We checked in to the Hawthorn Suites Hotel and went down to sit in the hot tub. We were the only ones there and had a great time just relaxing and enjoying each others company. When we were totally comfortable we went upstairs to our room, showered and got ready to go find something to eat.

Since there was a basketball play-off game on we decided to get our meal to go and went back to our room and ate while we watched the game. It was so nice to do what we wanted, when we wanted to without any time schedule to have to keep up with. The next morning we got up and went down and soaked in the hot tub again and again, we were the only ones there. Then we went upstairs, showered, got all ready and went downstairs for breakfast. The hotel served a great little buffet breakfast and then since we didn't have to check out until 11:00 we went back upstairs where I had a nap while Bob watched some old movie. We checked out, picked up some KFC to have dinner with my dad and headed to Cardston to see my parents.

It was only about a five hour drive and we got there in good time. We ate dinner and visited with dad and then left to go to the Care Center to visit with my mom.

It was hard to see her the way she was. She has fallen several times and so for her safety, they have put her in a wheel chair. She gets around pretty good in it but my dad says she'll probably never come home again since she is so reliant on that chair.

You could tell that it saddens him somewhat. He knows that she will never live at home again but I could tell he didn't like having the option of taking her out for the day taken away from him. It's so hard to watch your parents grow older. Actually, not so much my dad but definitely true of my mom. My dad looks better than I have seen him look in ages. I think the responsibility of caring for mom and administering her medications for her was a lot for him to handle. He seems much more relaxed and looks years younger than he did last summer. He even keeps the house up as well, if not better, than mom ever did. It's always such a joy to visit the home I grew up in. (Although sleeping in the same bed I grew up in and on the same mattress I slept on is not always a joy. It makes my back hurt!)

Mom kept the conversation light. I think she's learned what generic questions she needs to ask to make it seem like she remembers more than she does. Bless her heart, it has got to be so hard for her. When we went to see her again the next day, she had forgotten that we had been there the day before. She thought we had just arrived, it's almost easier to agree with her than try to explain it all to her again. I just love and admire her so much.

We stayed overnight with dad Sunday night and on Monday, after visiting with mom again, we headed up to Calgary to spend the week with Cyndi and Kevin. On our way through Fort McCloud we decided to stop at the Provincial Park, Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump.








All the years we've been going to Calgary, we've never taken the time to stop there. It was AMAZING! We started out in the museum with a 15 minute video about the history behind the jump. Then we went up to the 6th floor and started the tour down to the 1st floor again.

We were only going to be there for a half an hour or so, at least that's what we had planned on and that was what I told Cyndi. Little did we know!









After what seemed like 30 or 40 minutes, Bob turned to me and asked me if I knew what time it was. I had no idea. He said we had been there for three hours and it was almost 5:00. I felt terrible because when Cyndi asked us if we could be there in time for supper we had told her we would be. Since Fort McCloud is a good two hours from Calgary, it was certain we wouldn't be.









When we finally arrived at Cyndi and Kevin's we found that they had been holding supper for us and had grilled steaks and ribs. We felt terrible but the food was still amazing as always. Cyndi is an awesome cook!

We so enjoyed just hanging out and relaxing with them and their family for the rest of the week. I know they always worry that we're going to get bored or something but I'm telling you, staying with them in their beautiful new home and with Cyndi's amazing meals, it's better than a 5 star resort, and the company is so much better too. We had an incredible time.

Sunday was a beautiful day and Pam and Ryan had to be so very proud of their boys as they both did amazing jobs in sacrament meeting. We had dinner and a little open house at the McKenzie Lake Clubhouse. It was so nice and we had a great time visiting with all of our extended family as well.

Monday morning came and we had to head for home. It's always sad to see a vacation end but it's also great to be home again. I missed our kids and our grandkids. They are so much fun and I love spending time with them.

I finally talked Bob into buying a Water Slide. We found it at Toys R Us and it's 10 ft. high and 18 ft. long with a little pool at the bottom that the kids slide into. We set it up last week and the kids had a blast in it. I'll post some picture of them in it as soon as I get a chance to.

What Can I Say?

Okay, so it's the 7th of July and I haven't written anything since March. I don't even have a good excuse. I am having a fabulous summer though so with all due respect, I need to post some of the things I've been up to.

First of all, I'd better go back to February 2nd. The day our sweet little Elsie Lane was born.

Brittany was due the end of January and although I'm sure it seemed hard for her to go past her due date, she didn't gain very much and was so tiny with little Elsie that it didn't seem like she was over at all.

Bob and I went down to Salt Lake after school one night and as we were pulling into the parking lot of their apartment complex Brittany called to see where we were. I told her we were just pulling in and when we were finally inside, visiting on the couch, I noticed that she would be quiet every so often. I asked her if she was okay and confronted her on the fact that I thought she was having labor pains. She admitted that she was and that she had been having them pretty much all day long. She said she was glad we were there because she felt certain that when Adam got home from work they would be on their way to the hospital. She said she was so glad that we came when we did instead of waiting another day or two. I was certainly glad too.

Adam got home and they got ready and headed to the hospital. Andie had warmed up to Bob and me nicely and didn't seem to mind staying with us when her parents left. I gave them strict instructions to keep us posted on how things were progressing and Adam promised he would call when they knew anything.

He called around 9:00 and said that she was dilating and progressing nicely so we should go to bed and he would call us in the morning if not sooner. So we did. Andie was a jewel and went right to sleep and slept in until around 9:00. Since Adam had called us earlier in the morning with the news of a beautiful baby girl born in the early hours of the morning, we got ready before Andie woke up so we were ready to go to the hospital when Andie was awake and fed.

True to his word, Adam was holding his beautiful baby girl when we got there. Because of all the threat of the H1N1 flu virus, little Andie wasn't allowed to go in to see her mom or her new baby sister so we didn't stay very long. We went and took Andie to have some lunch and then took her home for a nap. Adam came home to shower and spend some time with Andie so Bob and I went back to the hospital for a quick visit and a chance to hold little Elsie Lane.

Even Papa Bob got in on the baby holding action and didn't look so pained when he got to hold her. He actually looked like he was enjoying himself, which he later admitted.

Brittany's folks arrived the next day and Bob and I headed home. We both had to go to work on Monday so even though it was hard to leave, we promised to return as soon as possible.

Elsie looked just like Andie when she was born but as she has grown she has developed her own beautiful look. I have to admit that she looks more like Adam and the rest of my babies did when they were born. She is such a sweetheart and Andie just loves her. I don't know what I'd do without my Utah girls. They hold a special place in Gramma Dori's heart, as all my grandkiddies do!