November - Whoosh!

Two whirlwind months in a row -- Wow.  We were only home for 14 days and I headed out again.  I flew to South Dakota only to get in Jen's van within 2 hours and start on the road back to Texas for the Thanksgiving holiday.  A stop for a Tae Kwon Do tournament in Sioux Falls (fun day with medals all around) started out the trip and then the big drive commenced.  With Louis deployed, we were lucky to have Jen and the kids come and spend some time with us and we enjoyed each and every minute of it -- including the drives down and back.  We were able to play a little tourist as well as traditional family moments for the holiday.  We did the Acquarium trip and were able to spot monkeys that had escaped their cages frolicking above us.  Each person found things they loved and Mister was there when the manatees were fed and so got some great up close pics.

Four boys showing their construction skills and apparently all getting along --- what a moment.  The girls were gone for awhile and Mister and boys were left to their own entertainment.  A picnic was had on the back patio and everyone appeared happy still when we returned.  We also made a trip to White Rock Lake and took advantage of the beautiful weather by using the playground to its fullest.  Mister had his camera out and snapped some great shots of each one of the grands --- this series of Josh was just so precious.

A day to Fort Worth is always required so off we went to the Water Gardens and then to Cowtown.  The kids did the maze which was fun to watch and Jen surprised everyone by wanting a shot of her on a longhorn -- so of course that's exactly what she got.  Those horns have a 6 foot span -- amazing.

It was a great time together and included a trip down south to scope out where Jen was moving, taking in two movies (Twilight-New Moon at the Inland which Bekah described as "cool" and A Christmas Carol), a shopping trip to the mall for fleece jackets all arouond and  Thanksgiving dinner with Misters mom and all of us --- was a full house, but everything tasted so good and we were sure that Jon's skin was going to turn orange from the amount of sweet potatoes that he consumed.  We also found time for making Christmas cut-out cookies, of course, and treasured each moment of  it all.  Then we were off and back in the van for the trip back.  A great week.

Gratitude

Every now and then I think it is necessary to take stock of one's life.  This entry will reflect that by just having a few of my thoughts and absolutely no pictures.  Being grateful for the things that come our way seems to be overlooked way too often and I have found myself guilty of that same behavior.  A few things have happened the last few weeks that have me thinking about just how incredibly blessed I really am.  In the last month I have been able to spend time with most of my children and all of my grandchildren and have treasured each and every one of those moments.  Additionally, I was fortunate enough to have been able to share that time with someone who means so very much to me and have been consistently amazed by how special he truly is and how much I learn how to be a better person just by being around him.  He has taken my family into his heart and for that I will be eternally grateful and know that they will be cared for as he has cared for me.  I am indeed a very lucky girl and need to remember that everyday.  To have found someone who promises to love me and make me laugh each day is an absolute miracle to me at this age.  Thank you Mister -- for helping me to become whole again and to face each day with a smile.


Love, Lady

Road Trip - Long Entry, Sit back and enjoy!

We were supposed to be flying up to Kalispell, renting a car and driving to South Dakota via a night in Billings, driving back to Billings and then flying home.  Was a decent plan but for some reason I got a bee in my bonnet to just drive the whole thing and for a brief moment of insanity Mister agreed (I'm pretty sure he is still questioning why he did that).  So we left two days early and arrived back home two days later, making it a 2 week trip and over 6,000 miles.  Whew.  Mister's insanity continued on for the first complete day by deciding to just drive straight through -- what was he thinking?  The drive was good though (except for a small blizzard in Wyoming as we went through) and the snow peaked mountains in the distance were magnificent to see.  We arrived up at Moms house Sunday afternoon (instead of the Monday  night we would have flown in) and were able to help get some things done since we had a little more time.  The weather was so varied while we were there and so we were treated to snow as well as sunshine.  We were also able to get together with Sis, Joe, Zach, his new girlfriend, Rebecca to celebrate Mom's 70th birthday.  Sis got her a beautiful pair of opal earrings and Mister and I had taken her to pick out a new camera earlier in the day.  Congratulations Mom -- what a milestone.  They were days filled with work, good conversation, and fun -- its Mom's turn now to come down here again.

 

After four days in the beautiful Flathead Valley, we were on the road again.  We drove to Billings with a quick stop in Butte to check out the Quarry, one of the few microbrews we missed last summer on the tour.  Mister pulled out the computer again and we enjoyed our time there getting to know the brewmaster and his wife.  We got to Billings in time for me to help Rhiana get Miss Elena's Halloween costume almost done (a flower fairy - too cute) and then took Matt's and Rhiana's family's out to dinner for a treat before crashing at Matt's house for the night and heading to South Dakota the next day.

 Elena is watching closely before her turn comes.

We arrived at the base around 1 and after getting all "registered and checked out" arrived at Jen's house where pumpkins, tools, and smiling kids were waiting to see how big of a mess we could all make.  Within minutes of getting there, we were literally up to our elbows in pumpkin.

After the pumpkins were finished, the crystals cleaned up, the birds retrieved, the cage put back together (long story, but funny), the boys were dropped off at a sitters and friends and we were off to Bekah's Black Belt Test.  She was amazing and so deserving of it (and I'm not prejudiced at all).  She handled everything they threw at her, never lost her composure and five hours later was awarded her belt.  It was a very long, wonderful and interesting day.  We crashed.

 Halloween Day!  Jen was up and dropping of the three oldest at Tae Kwon Do workshops and so when she returned, we  loaded up the two little ones and headed to the Journey Museum, an excellent museum on South Dakota history which was very hands on and enjoyable for all ages.  The boys were busy looking at rocks, learning about dinosaurs, and digging for fossils.  

 

From there we went and picked up the kids for lunch at DQ and then back to the workshop while we made a quick dash to Mount Rushmore.  Mister hadn't been there since he was quite young and noted how many things had changed.  Jared was working on a Junior Ranger program and so we were busy finding all the things he needed to mark off on his assignment sheet.  One of the items was to draw the different wildlife we saw and we were actually lucky enough to see several mountain goats along the  path.  It was a beautiful day and Mister was able to take some great pictures.

 

 

We then went back into town and picked up the boys and Jens van (another story, lol) and everyone went back to the house to start getting ready for trick or treating except Jared who stayed with us while we waited for Bekah to finish her black belt workshop.  We made a quick stop for some fresh brewed root beer which gave Jared the giggles big time and the Mister took us on a Roller Coaster car ride up to Dinosaur Park -- wow.  After getting Bekah, we headed to the house for a quick dinner and then time to costume and make up all 5 kids.  The kids and Jen and Mister headed out the door for some serious candy gathering and I stayed in to hand out candy.  That itself was quite the chore as sometimes it was not more than a minute between doorbell rings and I stood there with a constant stream of kids for up to 10 minutes at a time.  Amazing.  Upon their return, the dividing of the spoils and the big trades began -- a tradition that never leaves.  Another long day and I was ready to fall in a heap.

 

  November --- where has October gone?  I know!  it went with a trip to the office in Montana, a visit from Matt and Becca, a tip to Ohio, and the adventure that I am in the middle of writing about.  Oh my.  There were very few down days last month.  I wonder what this month will bring.  We slept in a little Sunday morning and then decided to go to Canyon Park and feed the ducks and geese and fish.  It was a good time and nice to just relax for awhile before heading over to a picnic area and making a quick lunch.  When the boys were finished eating (this includes Mister) they were off to play tag and climb on the play equipment until Mister lost his grip and fell to the ground with Jared as his cushion.  No one was hurt (although Mister did complain of some soreness the next day) and much laughter was heard.  Afterwards, we made a stop at an indoor miniature golf that was all in the dark with black lights and since we were the only ones using the course, took our time and had fun -- not too competitive.  We then went back to the house and several of us went down for naps (me included) while others watched a movie and dinner cooked.  We spent the evening playing Apples to Apples and just talking and visiting.  It was sooooo nice.

 

 

That was the end of our time in South Dakota, but are fortunate enough to have them coming to visit us for Thanksgiving --will be fun times.  The next morning we were off and back to Montana so that I could actually work for a couple of days (nice to pay for these trips now and then, lol) and spend a little time with family there.  Becca was getting ready to go to Brazil with Hyrum for a couple of weeks and so we enjoyed our time with them -- Mister even babysat while Matt and I worked and Becca ran errands.  Time with all was great and on the last night -- Matt and Rhiana were doing all they could to stay awake once Elena gave in.  Time for bed and the long drive home the next day.

 

Slight head chop off in this pic, but the expression is priceless.

 

While we were up there, Mister picked up a new camera -- the first picture taken on it was this:

How perfect!!

We then headed back home but I stopped the insanity and we spent the night in Pueblo, Colorado.  Back home on Friday -- a great trip, a lot of miles, and lots of fantastic memories.

Ohio Trip

Looking out the window of the airplane as we arrived in Ohio --- oh my, the colors were already so beautiful and we knew that we were in for a special treat.  Not only were we going to spend time with Amanda and her family, but we would be blessed with natures beauty while we did so.  We had looked forward to this trip for quite some time and were excited to be there at last.  We met Amanda and the boys at the airport and received very warm "Gammy" screams and hugs.  Perfect start!

                                 

After some time playing and yes, there actually are two boys in that first picture, we bundled up as it was raining and cold out and headed for Boo at the Zoo.  They boys were pretty excited to be able to wear their Halloween costumes for the first time that night. They were just oh too cute and Raef even managed to dance with a robot.  Such a good time for all.

Day one ended with us falling into a heap and sleeping like a log until, well, 6 a.m. -- ugh, why must little ones get up while its still dark out?  Friday was filled with breakfast, baths, play time, and naps before we were able to head out and take the boys to the museum to see the new Dinosaur exhibit.  Keeping up with them was a challenge in the museum as they literally ran from one display to the next.  Our next task was to pick Amanda up at work and well, it didn't go quite so easy.  I put the wrong address into Google maps and so we arrived at the beginning of the road we needed, but didn't know that and so turned around, called for directions, turned around again and finally found the right road only to discover that it was still miles away.  We finally arrived at almost 5:30 and we were supposed to have been there at 4 --- leave it to the old folks.  This entire time the boys just played away in the backseat --- poor things.  After finally arriving back at the house, Mister had treats for the boys, the four of us changed clothes, we left Uncle Cameron in charge, and with tickets in hand headed to a Mystery Dinner theater downtown.  We had seats literally next to the stage and the food was quite nice as well --- a good time for all.

All in all, a great day and once again only seconds after hitting the pillow sleep followed.  Saturday we were off to Amish country and took Raef along.  I so love it down there and the trees were so beautiful, it made you just want to drink in all the colors.  We stopped at the cheese factory and I couldn't believe all the people in there -- it was nuts, but I did manage to sneak through and grab some cream cheese fudge for me and meat sticks for the boys.  Then we wandered in Berlin for awhile looking at Amish quilts for Mister's mom -- they are so beautiful and so expensive.  We continued driving down to Walnut Creek and had dinner at Der Dutchman --- old fashioned cooking -- an absolutely huge restaurant.  By the time we got back home it was dark and we were off to bed while Amanda stayed up working on her talk for church.

Sunday brought  sunshine and Mister and I went for a train ride through the Cuyahoga National Forest.  It was so beautiful and we were lucky enough to have seats in the Dome car which had windows up the sides and over the top.  The colors of Ohio were everywhere to be seen and we enjoyed each moment of them.  I had never been on a train before and we went exploring down to the Club Car where we were able to enjoy a quick picture. 

When we returned to the house, we all bundled up and headed off to Patterson Fruit Farms for some apple cider, fresh apples, play at the Fun Fest, and of course the picking out of the pumpkins from the patch.  We all returned freshened by the air and muddied by the corn maze, but a good time was had by all.  We dropped the boys off with Uncle Cameron and went to a wonderful dinner at the Blue Canyon.  All in all, it was a great day and very fun filled.

 

 

The trip was ending all too soon as Monday arrived and we had to pack up.  We took Amanda and the boys to the Public Market and let her shop for fun stuff to take home and had a great little lunch in a cafe there at the market.  It was a great ending to a wonderful time together.  Favorite memories:  Mister and Ryan working on the train, Raef's neverending "boy-girl" questions, the absolute beauty of the fall colors, and treasured time with Amanda and Trent.  I cannot wait to see them again in December. 

One last thought.