Timber.....24 cabin trees gone!

We have now had our little cabin at Wizard Lake for 12 years on June1st! It has been a wonderful place to escape to and relax when things get too hectic in the city. On a recent visit out there, we noticed a large tree had broken off and a big portion of it lay in the yard. Luckily it didn't hit anything! Well, this caused us some concern, so we called in a tree cutter and he came to investigate! After an hour of him hugging and marking our trees, we were told we need to cut down 24 (!!) of them! Wow!!

The tree cutting started today, we went out after work and twelve trees had been taken down. It was amazing to us how they could cut them down and lay them in perfect position on the ground and do no damage to our property! These are tall trees, many of them 70-80 feet high!! Doug counted the rings on one of them and got to over a hundred!

Sad to see them coming down, they are so majestic. However, it is better to be safe than sorry. Doug bought a quad trailer so we can move and stack all of the cut up logs to one side of our yard and make a log fence. If anybody needs firewood come get it at the cabin!

Doug and I were at the cabin Friday and Saturday, cleaning, sorting and Spring cleaning. It was so much fun and so necessary!! We had so much stuff to take to the dump! We even had to load up the trailer! We love going there on Saturdays, the dump manager is such a nice guy, we always save our bottles and take them to him.

When we returned home to Edmonton Saturday afternoon, I noticed something different about my yard. My flower bed in the front yard had secretly been planted by Lindsay while we were at the cabin! What a fun surprise!! And she did it so professionally, I thought she had help from a garden 'designer', but it was all her own planning! She even put a sign in the garden saying 'Thanks for helping me blossom!" It was so cute, and it was so wonderful to talk with all the kids on Mother's Day!!

The extent of my gardening this year has been to go to Costco and buy their extraordinarily inexpensive, but beautiful flowers! It was like a mad house at Costco today, everyone trying to get their flowers bought before the long weekend. I barely made it out of there alive! I felt like I had to guard my flowers with my life or someone would steal them out from under me! it was so wonderful to get them home safe, they look great on my step, I think Rachel likes them, too!

Well, we are off to Vancouver tomorrow for a four day road trip. We are going to Jasper, then to Whistler, and down to Surrey to the new Vancouver Temple. We have never been to the Vancouver Temple and we are excited to go Saturday night! We hope the weather is nice, but it will be so good just to spend some fun time together!

 

 

 

Temples and the Mountains

Dad and I worked our first shift in the Temple on Friday afternoon and evening. That night we were set apart by President Hogg, a member of the Temple Presidency. Our blessings were very special, with specific blessings promised to us individually as we do this work! It was very sacred, and reminded us how much our Heavenly Father knows and loves us.

 

Saturday morning we got up early and drove to the mountains to go skiing. We got caught in a spring snow storm through Airdrie and Calgary, but we pushed through it, arriving at Lake Louise around noon! Luckily the snow had stopped and we were so glad we kept going to get there! It was so beautiful, just being in that beautiful setting refreshed us! There is something so spiritual about the quiet and beauty of the mountains that it is very comparable to the Temple!

We were supposed to meet up with Mark and Jon on the mountain, but it didn't work out, so we ended up meeting them in Banff for dinner. We drove into Calgary with Mark and saw his basement suite. It was just renovated, so it is very clean and modern. He has moved in and is really enjoying his own place!

We had gone skiing because Doug bought me new skis and boots. He is doing all he can to encourage my skiing 'hobby'...I do it mostly because I love him. But I really like my new skis, and enjoyed a few good runs on Saturday.

Grandma is now in the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital. She will be there for about a month while a team of doctors try to figure out how to get her well and on her feet. She is very lucky to be there, it is a great facility, with top doctors. I don't think she is very happy about being there yet, I know she would rather be home or at our house!!

Lindsay and I hosted a baby shower for our friend, Asha Livingstone. It was so fun! We put together a 'Crepe Bar' with Italian sodas. Linsday could be a caterer... She is so good at doing these 'events'...

We played some crazy games, including one using play dough called 'making babies'. It was so funny to see how each 'baby' turned out, they were are all so unique!! I visit teach Asha, so it will be great fun to visit her and the new baby each month. I'm hoping she needs lots of babysitting! It's been a great week!

 

Moving Mark and Mowers

We went to Calgary on Saturday to help Mark move into his basement apartment. He couldn't move into the apartment because the previous occupant hadn't moved yet, so we just brought his stuff down from Edmonton and stored it in the garage of his new place. As we were driving down Mark's street, Dad saw a sign that said "free lawnmower"! Wow! He was so excited he immediately sent Mark back down the street to get it! This was a great find...not only was it free, but it worked! The only problem being that the self propelled transmission needed repairs. Doug brought it home, mowed the lawns, and happily stored it in the back yard! Another one of Dad's 'collections'!

While we were there we stopped in to have lunch with Jon, Tiff and the kids. It was so fun to see them again. Joshua was his smiley self and Ava had just gotten back from getting groceries with her dad! From what we hear, she is getting to be a great little helper! We were in heaven having seen all four of our Grandkids in the same week!

Knowing that we were going down to Phoenix, Dad had ordered some backpacking equipment for us, which had been delivered and was waiting for us when there. We brought it back with us last week from Phoenix, and we are so excited to start using it! We now have new lightweight backpacks that weigh under two pounds each! New down filled mummy bags, about two pounds each...and a new backpacking tent-weighing in at 1.5 pounds!!! We are hoping to get our first camping trip in sometime this month. Fun! Doug had to try out his new bag and Rachel loved it, too! She kept nuzzling into the soft down and loved the smell.

We have finally finished our Temple cleaning assignment. We were sad to give it up, we had finally learned how organize and direct the wards coming in to clean each night. We had a farewell dinner at our home on Friday night with our co- workers. We had become very good friends working together these past six months! We start our first assignment as Temple Workers this Friday from 3:00-9:00...a great opportunity for us to continue to serve.

 

Glad Reunions and Sad Farewells

We had a delightful get together with Cam and D in Phoenix this week. It had been over 6 months since we last saw Deana, Brookie, and Mckinley. The last time we saw them was here in Edmonton last October when D surprised us by showing up on our doorstep with the kids! Wow! Mckinley has sure grown up in the last six months, preferring pearls over toys!!

Luckily (or not) we were there during a 'heat wave'! Temperatures in the 100's, so hot for us cool Canadians. We quickly took advantage of the pool, which was a life saver. It was fun to play around together, Brookie is becoming a great little swimmer.

Tugger, their new puppy, wanted to get in, but just didn't have the courage. He is a cute puppy, very fun! He is a wonderful pet for their family! Looks like Dad has him hypnotized!!

 

 

While we were there we had time to go visit my sister, Konnie and her 4 year old son Mark. She lives in Mesa, about an hour's drive from Phoenix. It was so good to see Konnie again, we had a great visit! She and her husband were just sealed in the SLC Temple last month.

We met at Desert Ridge Mall, they have the neatest Mall's in Phoenix! This one had an outdoor splash pad that had water shooting up at the kids. They loved it as they screamed happily, trying to catch the next shot of water!

During our stay in Phoenix, we had to fly up to SLC to attend the funeral of my step brother Brad. He had died the previous Tuesday, and the funeral was at noon on Saturday in Kaysville. He died of a tumor on his brain stem.

I am so glad that Doug and I were able to see him in March at Kris' funeral. He is pictured here with his son Andy, who has served in the militray for 15 years, as well as mom, Arlene, and his wife Michele.

We didn't think he would leave us so quickly, but he suffered a lot the last few weeks before his death, so it was a real blessing that he died quickly! His funeral was so sweet, each of his 6 children gave a little "remembering dad" talk, and his wife Michele gave his biography. Lots of love, laughter and tears, but what joy the gospel brings to these tough times! It was a sad farewell to Brad, but a wonderful reunion with many friends and family!

We flew back to Phoenix Saturday night, went to church and spent Sunday with Cam and D and the kids. So wonderful to be in their home again and to spend a few more hours relaxing and enjoying time together. We flew out that night at 8:00 PM and arrived home around 1:00 AM.

So much flying and visiting this weekend, we were so tired for work Monday, but it was worth it! Seeing and strengthening friendships with our close and extended family means SO much to us!

We are truly blessed to feel the love and support of our wonderful children, as we visit their homes we feel the Spirit and it thrills us to know that they are living and growing in the gospel!!

 

 

 

Home made Oreo's and a bad dog

We had a week full of exciting experiences!

Mark was home with us again this week, his school had Spring Break, so we had some fun together while he was home. We went to see Mirror, Mirror, he was a good sport to go with his mom, however, I think we both enjoyed it. He spent some time putting some lesson plans in place for the coming months, visiting with friends, as well as looking for places to live in Calgary. We just found out he did get a place last night in North Calgary, a basement suite in the Coventry area. That's exciting news...he moves in May 1st.

Lindsay and James were over a lot this week, to visit with us, as well as Mark and Rachel. Lindsay loves Rachel, and cuddles with her whenever she gets a chance! I think she needs to get her own dog. She kidnaps Rachel whenever she can and will take her home for a 'sleepover'. Rachel loves it, she is so spoiled at Lindsay's house!

Speaking of Rachel, we have discovered she is a chocoholic! We have never known a dog to love chocolate the way she does! It has created some real problems for us! If we happen to leave her in the study over night with any chocolate in the room, she smells it out and devours it! She has done this at each holiday, at Christmas it was an Advent calendar, Valentine' s Day with little chocolate hearts, and now this week she rummaged around even eating my new book "A Mother's Touch' looking for the Chocolate Easter eggs left over from my Primary party!! She finally found them and ate them...tin foil and all...and she never gets sick! Silly dog...just shows she' s a girl! Good thing we've grown pretty attached to her!

Dad is loving his call, one of his young men had a birthday this week, so he made Oreo cookies to take to class on Sunday. We had to hide them from Rachel here at home and even tried to hide them at church but they still got pilfered! Luckily there were enough left for his young men to enjoy two a piece! They were delicious!!

Dad and I had an unexpected visit with a member of the Temple Presidency last Friday night. He asked us if we would be willing to be Temple Workers!! We were excited, and immediately said ' yes', when do you need us? Well, he said, we only have two shifts that are still open, Sat at 6:00 AM or Friday afternoon from 3-9 pm. So we has a little discussion in front of him and decided to work Friday's. We know it will be a little bit of a sacrifice for us to be here on the the weekends, but we also know the wonderful blessings that will come as we serve and sacrifice. We truly feel it is a privilege to be called!

 

 

A 'Hoppy' Easter

It has been a busy weekend, but so much fun!

It all started last Thursday afternoon when we hosted the "The Excellent Easter Egg Event" for my Primary class. We have been working in class for 10 weeks to earn this party! The kids had to read their assigned reading and bring their scriptures to class each week. They did wonderful, most of the time... so we had a good time celebrating together! It is a privilege to teach these children, they are only nine, but ask very significant questions! I feel that we are really learning the gospel together.

Lindsay and Cam's birthday were part of our weekend... It was wonderful to 'celebrate' them and to take time to reflect on each of their lives and what they are accomplishing. Wow!! Cam is 31, and dad was just reflecting that he was writing his last exams for dentistry when Cam was born and he would come over and visit us during exams...does that sound a little stressful? Lindsay is now 25... yeah, she can now rent a car without paying extra premiums. Aging does have its benefits!

The snow is disappearing in the back yard as Spring approaches, this is the good news...however piles of dog poop are appearing everywhere back there, this is the bad news!! Lucky that Dad got a $45.00 pooper scooper for his Easter present! Speaking of Rachel, we have certainly grown to love her these past few months, she is so perfect for us!

Today we had our Easter Sunday dinner, but it was a little different, we had such a diverse group over that we all really didn't know quite what to say to each other. We don't remember this ever happening at our dinner table before! Things kept going downhill when we started cutting up the Easter Bunny cake and nobody wanted any!! Oh OUCH! I had spent at least 2 hours making the cute cake and it ended up in squished pieces going home in someone's backpack!

However, this weekend, we have felt so grateful for the sweet gifts that our Saviour has given to us! What a wonderful time to reflect and express thanks to Him for His infinite atonement!

 

A Weekend Full of Surprises

A Wonderful Weekend

So....birthday's come and go, but this was a wonderful and memoriable one for Momski! It seems that there had been some planning in the works to contribute to this fun and surprising weekend. What a sweet treat to be welcomed on Saturday at Jon and Tiff's with all the 'stuff' of a great party... balloons, cute decorations, Hawaiian lays and lots of MEXICAN food!!

Then shortly after the second session of Conference ended, Lindsay and James show up with a birthday cake!! (Lindsay had said she wouldn't be there.) Another wonderful surprise to have them there with us!

Because Mark is currently 'dwelling' with Jon and Tiff, we were all there this weekend... Except Cam and D!!!! So the only thing to do was to SKYPE them so they could join the party, too! What a great visit we had with them! Brookie is a great help in keeping us updated on the happenings in Phoenix!

As we sat around the table for lunch on Sunday, I asked Ava if she knew who we all were...well she then went around the table and named us all, but stopped before she got to Jon. I asked her who that was and pointed to Jon...she said "That's my daddy!" and then a little quieter she said "He's my best friend!" A sweet moment!

As I contemplate the joy and awe- inspiring events of this weekend, my heart is so full of gratitude for my family!!

Thank you so much for sharing with us your sweet personalities and the opportunity we had to share so many things together...especially love and laughs!

And what a wonderful Conference!! Our testimonies have been strengthened and 'refreshed'!