Our 50th Wedding Anniversary

Back in Las Vegas at the airport.   The whole story unfolds below.

Before we left on our mission to Poland, we started planning our dream motorcycle trip celebrating our 5oth wedding anniversary for the summer after we got home  We were going to go to Victoria BC in Canada.   We were going to go with David and Judith Nielson our dear friends.  They introduced us to the Church and sold Ross our first big motorcycle.  We decided to go to Canada because that is where we spent our honeymoon.  We had the routes all planned, Victoria, San Juan Islands and the scenic way home.  It would be about 10 days of wonderful riding.   

This is who ended up going.  From left to right, me and Ross, Judith and  David, Sheldon and Kathleen Ernsten  and our friends from Las Vegas, Nola and Paul Harber.  This was Monday morning about 7:30am as we were getting ready to depart.

We are on our way.  We are really looking forward to going through Mt. Ranier  National Park.

On the third day out we were in the park and there it is in all of it's glory, "Mt. Ranier"

This is one of the lakes in the National Park.  The weather was picture perfect and forcast to be for the whole ten days we were going to be gone. 

There was some road construction so we got off the bikes to stretch and take a couple of pictures.

We stopped in the town of Yelm for lunch and were leaving and heading to Port Angeles WA to stay the night and then catch tthe ferry over to Victoria the next morning.  However things didn't go as planned.   On our way up HWY 101, a car turned out right in front of Ross and I without looking and there was a huge crash.  WE had an airbag on the bike which everyone laughed at but it saved our lives as it blew up and catapulted us over the car onto the ground.   The next thing I knew was laying on the road on glass afraid to move as my foot and pelvis hurt.  Our friends told me that Ross was ok and then the EMTs arrived and the ambulance and we were taken to Mason General hospital in Shelton WA where we spent the next 2 days. After x-rays, I found out that I had broken my ankle in 2 places and would require surgery and a broken pubic bone on the other side.   Ross has some HUGE bruises and a split lip that required stitches.  That pretty much put an end to our anniversary trip.  Our friends left and took the scenic route home, not going to Victoria, (those are good friends) and we had to arrange a flight home.  I have to be in a wheel chair for the next 6 weeks.   That is so tough.  But it could have been so much worse.

This is what remains of the bike.

Pretty sad!!!!  It was a beautiful bike with brand new tires and we had many great rides on it.

Here I am in the hospital bed.   When the nurses found out that this was going to  be a specisl ride celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary, they went out of their way to make our stay as pleasant as possible.

Ross just got finished getting his lip sewn up and checked all over for other injuries.   

The nurses were amazing and helped us so much.     Christine on the left sent us home with a care package of stuff that she thought I might need, they got the wheelchair ordered and Carol the Social services nurse found us a Cabulance to get me to the airport.   These people were amazing.

There's my wheelchair, my mode of transportation for the next 6  weeks.

Here comes the Cabulance.  It was really cute and just so cool as it could lift me and the wheel chair right in without me having to shift into any other seat.  There was plenty of room for me, Ross and our stuff.

Here we are at Sea-Tac airport.  I'm waiting for Ross to get us checked in.  We arrived back in :Las Vegas and Kent picked us up in our car.  So how did we celebrate our 50th?? by sitting on our sectional eating take-out pizza rather than a wonderful dinner at a quaint resturant in Victoria with our good friends.................  Such is life!!!

Aleck's 20th birthday

 

It was so great to have Aleck here for her birthday.  I was trying to remember when the last time was that we were able to be with her on her birthday.  Matt was here as well as Austen and Aleck's boyfriend, Jason.Add caption

We had just finished dinner and Aleck, Jason and Austen were still at the table.Add caption

Aleck got the most unusual present from her dad.  It was a tool box and an electric drill and screw-driver combination whiich actually all girls living on their own should have and know how to use.  Add caption

We added one more picture.   On the fourth of July Ross and I went out to the cemetary and took some fresh flowers and an American flag to put by Colin's headstone.    We miss him and wish he was here.Add caption

  

Brianhead Planning meeting for our BIG Trip

Nola and I got the most comfortable 4 wheeler

We are at Paul and Nola's cabin at BrianHead.  We rode our motorcycle up and the David and Judith Nielson rode their's down.  Paul and Nola were kind enough to have us come for a very important planning meeting.  We are planning out our long ride in August to Victoria BC.  After we got their Paul aand Nola got us on fourwheelers and took us out to survey their property.  What a beautiful place, the weather was crisp and clear and the cabin was wonderful.  We had a great dinner and then the guys got down to some serious planning.   We bedded down early as the next day was a hike in Bryce Canyon.

David and Judith ready to ride.

Paul is getting ready to fire up one of his four-wheelers.

Nola and Paul are showing us the lake on their property.

The cabin!

 Here we are at Bryce canyon ready to hike the Navajo loop, it is 1 and a quarter  mile down and of course if you go  down, you have to hike up.

This is a man made lake that The harbers made on their property.  I don't know why the picture ended up down  here.

The view looking out over the canyon as we start a series of switchbacks on our way down.

If you look carefully, you will see not only part of the switchback but people way down toward the bottom.

Looking up, you can see the switchbacks we just came down.

Ross, Nola and coming down.  The scenery was breathtaking.  The weather was beautiful. 

There were all sorts of chipmunks eager for a handout aand David just happened to have  some sunflower seeds.

As you can tell we are now on our way back up the trail.  for some reason it seemed longer coming up, wonder why???  

Another beautiful view!!

I have to say after the hike, the ride back to the Harbers, it felt wonderful to sit on a very comfortable sofa and relax!

Paul, David and Ross.  

We are all pretty relaxed.

Time to start helping Nola with dinner.

This is a great kitchen area.  Nola loves to cook and has a huge industrial stove which you can't see here. 

This gives you an idea of how wonderful this cabin is.  Paul and Nola designed and built it using wood from trees that had fallen.  Notice the staircase made of split logs!

We spent the evening in here eating popcorn and watching a movie.

It was getting dark at the end of a great day.

I don't know how these pictures ended up here but we are at the bottom of the Navajo loop.

David and Judith walking ahead.

Ross, Nola and me before we start up.  What  a great three days it was.  The next day we were on our bikes early to beat the heat on the way home.

Memorial Day and Family

Memorial Day weekend is here and we were happy to have our six grandchildren, Matt and Kent as well as Susan and Jacob with us.   It's Friday night and Matt, Susan, Adisyn, Susan and Jacob arrived from Scottsdale and Austen and Aleck came from St. George.When they arrived they were all hungry so the first order of business was food and there was plenty of that.   At our table is Susan, Matt, Aleck,   Ross, Austen, and Kent.  

The next morning, Ross took anyone who wanted to come to Krispy Cream for donuts, as many as they could eat.  Shaun and Maggie were coming later and so Ross got them their favorite, everything Bagel from Einstein Bagel.   After filling up on donuts, it was time to relax.   Then Shaun and Maggie came so it was time for more donuts and bagels.

We decided to have some family pictures taken and brought Warsaw Poland Hardrock tee shirts for all of the family to wear.  Ross and I wore Poland Warsaw mission teeshirts to commemorate our 18 months spent serving a mission in Poland.   It's not easy to keep everyone focused on trying to get a family picture put together.   Adisyn and Jacob were discussing something......  We finally got it together for some pictures and even got the dogs Roxie (the Golden) and Shiloh the German Shepard mix to cooperate.  From right to left in the back row...Aleck, Kent, Susan, Matt, Austen, Ayden, Shaun and Maggie.   In the front is Adisyn, Ross, me and Jacob.

Of course it doesn't stay serious and organized and the goofing off starts.

The kids were hungry and stripped off shirts to have more foodd and then gort back down to the business of pictures.  Well, some of it was serious and some not quite so serious.   When it was all said and done, the result was pretty darn good.   Our family is great!!!  We love wach other and are as close as a family can be.  I'm grateful everyday for my husband, children and grandchildren.  The only thing that would have made it better would be if Colin were still here.