Benja birthday surprise & baptism and family dinner...all in one weekend!

Friday night Ryan took Ferf to dinner for her birthday...and found the rest of us there waiting.  It was fun to have an adult get together to celebrate that great day when we added Ferf to our little (then) family.  She has been such a wonderful addition.  I even ate (and pretty much liked) some sushi as part of the fun.  Happy Birthday Ferf!  We love you!!!

All ready to get baptized!

Check out that Zader boy's funny face!

Isn't she a cutie!

Oops...blurry, but beautiful!

On Saturday we got together again for another grand "shout for joy" occasion.  Kennis (and her cousin Madi) were baptized.  It's the kind of thing that can make a grandma feel teary-eyed and proud.  Kennis is a sweetie.  We are so proud of her. It's so good to see her heading down the right path.  We love you Kennis.  Keep on CingTR. After the baptism we all went over to Ryan's sister's house for lunch.  What a fun gang to eat and visit with.

Didn't get too many pictures - just these few.

On to the next eating/visiting/celebrating get together - the family "feast of the fast over".  It was at Ferf and Ryan's this time.  We were missing Paul since he is up visiting the northern herd.  We had good food, a little more birthday for Ferf, and the little kids were so busy playing with the new little chicks outside or being Super Heroes that the older set had quite a nice (quiet) time visiting for a spell.  It was good food and good company all in one place.  Thanks for the grub and fun everybody.  See you next month.

Fun stuff along the road from Ashfork

We saw about 8 of these things in all different sizes.

Not my photograph of course.  It is a cool bridge.  

Just needed to add a few of the latest activities - Have been to two Blue & Gold Banquets for Cub Scouts and am going to one more tonight.  I'm liking this part of my calling...don't have to cook dinner!  Wished Grandma Kurtz a happy birthday Sunday evening since we would be out of town on her birthday - she's 80!.  She hadn't felt well that day and couldn't come to dinner, so we went to her later with her present.  No pictures since she wasn't looking her usual stylish self.  She was looking forward to spending the next day (her birthday) at home fielding phone calls from well wishers.  Went to Ashfork via Jacob's Lake/Flagstaff on Monday/Tuesday.  Got the last two chocolate chip cookies for dessert with our lunch at Jacob's Lake - couldn't wait for them to cook up a new batch so we could have more.  Spent the night in Williams and woke up to snow and the weather report saying we would be better off not to go back home the way we came.  We got our stone and then took the Las Vegas route home.  Had a first on the road a little way from Kingman - we saw a bunch of wild pigs - peccary - along side the road.  Wish we could have stopped and taken photos, but it wasn't a good place to pull over.  Then we got to cross the finally finished bridge for our first time at Hoover Dam on the way into Las Vegas.  We treated ourselves to lunch at Macaroni Grill and then took our rocks home so that Paul could get back for the final night of the Scout Merit Badge Pow Wow.  It's always restful to go on a rock trip and listen to #1 Ladies Detective Agency books (or others), snooze while Paul does the driving and get away from the housework that I really should have stayed home to do. 

Oak Grove & Birthday girl

Sometimes we would catch a whiff of pine on the breeze...heavenly!  We saw lots of  turkey tracks along the way and even saw where one probably became turkey dinner for a coyote.

Saturday we slept in too long and had afternoon obligations so we opted to go for a short outing to Oak Grove.  We had hoped to be able to drive to the gate by the campground and then hike up to see a waterfall we have heard about but never been to...but there were two gates...the first one about 4 or 5 miles from the campground.  So we just decided that if we could make it to the campground, eat our lunch and then get back to the truck and home in time that would be the plan.  We did.  It was a beautiful day and we ended up shedding jackets and layers along the trail.  We tramped through quite a bit of mud and then snow near the top - some of the snow in the shade was about a foot deep.  We didn't see anyone else; it was very peaceful.  We always jump the gun on heading to the mountains when we should still be enjoying the desert. 

Unwrapping presents and wrapping up children!

 Today we took B-day presents over to Weed.  It was already past the day and the upcoming week's schedule isn't leaving any room for b-day get togetherness, so we decided to just get on with it.  It was fun.  Derek gave us good suggestions...thanks Derek.  Happy Birthday Weed!  So glad you joined our family those short few years ago.  We love you!!!

Off the beaten path...and back

Monday we finished up our President's Day holiday wanderings.  We decided to head back up to Red Cliffs area to see some of the stuff we didn't have time for on Saturday.  We parked at the Red Cliffs recreation area and then set off...off the beaten path. (Sometimes its just not as fun to stay on the "designated" trails.)  We explored a really beautiful box canyon, saw several dinosaur tracks, and old rusty, bullet-ridden car, some exceptional waterfalls, Indian ruins and lots and lots of beautiful scenery.  We ate lunch overlooking Quail Creek lake before we started.  After we got home Moss and Christie joined us for biscuits and gravy.  It was a very relaxing and enjoyable day off. 
 

President's Day weekend fun

Parade home

Quail Creek Reservoir

 Yea!!! A three-day weekend and good weather...what a great combination.  We started out Friday afternoon by visiting the Parade house that we did work on - it's a very pretty house with a great view.  We took the evening easy by watching Midnight in Paris - it's a fun show - a little strange, but with the Owen Wilson/Woodie Allen combination what can you expect?  Paul went to decorate for a dance this morning and then we did Chinese lunch.  After that we took in the art show at Dixie College.  It is full of beautiful things as usual.  We had the rest of the afternoon to do as we pleased before Paul had to head to the dance, so we went out to hike the new White Reef Trail in the Red Cliffs Reserve.  We aren't too good at just staying on trails when you can look over there and see things that need to be seen, so there was quite a bit of "wicked wandering" off the trail too.  We saw an old stone dwelling and what may have been an old mine, an old mining structure that looked like some sort of loading dock along with lots of other beautiful stuff.  It was a nice walk/hike.  After that it was hurry home and get Paul off to the dance. 

Valentine's Day - a departure from the usual

Today was the most unusual Valentine's Day I have and probably ever will spend.  Paul and I attended the funeral of a good friend who died too soon.  It's sad to see someone go who seems to have so much more of life to live for.  From the sound of the talks, he ended at peace with the early departure.  A poem on the back of the program gives good advice on how to look at it I thought.

You can shed tears that he is gone,
Or you can smile because he lived,
You can close your eyes and pray
that he will come back,
Or you can open your eyes
and see all that he has left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see him
Or you can be full of the love that you shared,
You can turn your back on tomorrow
and live yesterday,
Or you can be happy for tomorrow
because of yesterday.
You can remember him and only that he is gone
Or you can cherish his memory and let it live on,
You can cry and close your mind
be empty and turn your back,
Or you can do what he would want:
Smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

David Harkins 1959

Though it wasn't your usual Valentine's Day, it was a day overflowing with love of family and friends, a day filled with the hope of the continuation of that love for times past these because of Heavenly Father's plan of happiness.  I'm going to call it a very good Valentine's Day...one I can remember and learn from.  I hope his family will be able to smile, open their eyes, love and go on.  

Happy #8 Kennis

In the top picture Kennis receives advice from Grandpa on how to keep her brains from leaking out of the holes created by her birthday ear piercing.  Below - There were some crazy people at this party...some crazier than others!

Tonight some of the family was able to get together to celebrate #8 with Kennis.  We are looking forward to coming together with her for her baptism soon too.  We love you Kennis.  You are a sweetie and we are so glad you are part of our family.  Happy #8!!!  Presents, brownies, ice cream and strawberries sweetened up the celebration even more.

Fun with old friends

L to R - At the arch (too bad William hid in the bushes), White Rocks overlook, on the trail, the men went up there - we waited at the bottom!

What a delightful visit we had on Saturday.  The Pipkins were passing through on their way to CA and were kind enough to stop in route and hang out and treat us to dinner.  We all enjoyed (I hope they did) a hike in Snow Canyon and catching up on life's happenings.  Then we had some great food and more time to visit over dinner at Benja's.  So fun to share time with such grand people. Makes me think what a grand reunion it will be in heaven some day when hopefully we meet up with all the people that have impacted our lives and then have gotten out of touch with for one reason or another.  It's nice that we can still touch base with some of them in the here and now and not have to wait for that grand reunion...will we be able to go out to dinner there?

Feast of the fast over family dinner

Good food, recuperation, puzzling and finishing the dinner. 

We've started the family dinners back up since the holiday madness is over.  We had to compete with the Super Bowl, but we still had a good turn out. Poor Zade and Koen got sick, and Kennis was in recuperation, but we still had a good time...good food and visiting.  We missed Ryan for work and Derek had a family party he had to be to.  Hope we catch them next time.  Thanks everyone.  See you next month. 

Cabin time with Grandpa, Grandma & Bean

Kaebrin enjoying the pie.  She chose which kind we would get.

The guys at the races.

Tasia's alcove

Zade's alcove

Help, were in jail!

Cozy time by the wood stove.

Kaebri's alcove

Kaebri, Tasia and Zade's mom and dad headed north for a teacher convention/parent get away.  The kids divided their time between Moss and Christie's, our place and their Aunt's house.  The Stucki's offered time at their cabin, so we decided to do an overnighter up there for the fun of it...and fun it was.  Genghis almost threw a monkey wrench in the the plan by sneaking out sometime during the day, but we finally decided he would be able to take care of himself for a night on the town and went anyway.  We had pizza, salad and a Veyo mountain berry pie, played the Camping Game and then watched Dolphin Tales for our evening activities.  Bean also taught everyone how to race cars on the Game-boy.  The kids were all so excited to sleep in the little alcoves that the Stucki's kids had decorated.  There were two girl and one boy one so it worked out perfectly.  In the morning we had French toast with strawberries, bananas and almonds on top.  We had hoped to drive down to see if the lake was frozen, but the truck was having water pump issues, so we decided we had just better head home.  Luckily there were no problems in route.  Kaebri and Tasia wished they could just "live there forever".  It was a grand "edventure" in a cozy, homey place.