A little bit of fun and a whole lotta scare..

I tend to use this as a journal so occasionally I post things that are somewhat personal - this, in part, is one of those postings.

September started out pretty good around here but ended in a blur.  Carl had been working in Wyoming and was only an hour away from Mt. Rushmore.  I couldn't let him get that close and not go visit.  I flew into Gillette, Wyoming on the 6th and spent thru the 10th up there with him.  The little town he was working in was little but quaint.  We went into South Dakota to see the sights while I was there.  I can now officially cross Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills off the bucket list.

 

 

We decided to take a different route back into Wyoming and I sure am glad we did because we found this beautiful lake that we would have missed otherwise.

 



I returned back home on the 10th and the world fell apart-for a moment.  I hadn't even been home for 15 minutes when I received a phone call that Carl was in the hospital.  He had been taken into the emergency room with a heart attack.  Was this really happening?  Yes it was.  Oh my, I just got back from there and now I find myself making phone calls and searching for a flight right back up there.  Sierra was busy on the computer and I was busy on the phone. 

To make a long story short- By the end of the night, the hospital in Wyoming had transported him to Rapid City, SD where they had better equipment.  The cardiologist there had to go in and insert a stent, I was scheduled to be on the 9:45 am flight into Rapid City and was busy washing clothes only to repack-

I had no idea how long I was going to be there or what I was going to find when I did get there - But all is well.  We were able to return home on Thursday- just three day after the incident.  After seeing a couple different doctors and getting the medicine regulated, he has been able to return to work.  The damage was pretty significant but with time and tests we will see if the heart will be able to repair itself. 

To everyone from Chris (the guy who took him to the hospital), to the wonderful staff at both hospitals to family and friends I thank you for your concern, phone calls and prayers.

Vacation is over - part 3

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Bartholomew



We were so excited to be able to spend this special day with my nephew and his cute new bride.  When we planned our vacation this was not on the calendar, but it just worked out that they picked a day that we were going to be in Utah to be married.  We are glad they did. 

It started out being a beautiful day but unfortunately it didn't end that way.  By the time they came out of the temple, the rain was down pouring.  Of course it didn't quit until most everyone had left.

Here are a few random pictures while we waited for the Bride and Groom to come out of the temple:

Grandpa A and the kids

The Grandsons minus two

Some of Grandpa A's granddaughters

Thanks for sharing my vacation with me.  We did do one other thing that is always fun....Thrift Store shopping.  Stay tuned for our thrift store challenge.

Vacation is over - part 2

One of the things that is always on our "to do" list when heading to Utah  is to go see Great-Grandma Wright.  What a joy she is - and ever so cute.  I know I talk about her every year but she is just so darn special I can't help it.  She turned 93 in March and is still pretty spry for her age.  In just the last year she has had to start using a walker and has gotten hearing aids.  Not bad for someone in her 90's.  She keeps very active at the assisted living place where she lives.  She has lots of friends there and goes to aerobics almost every day.  We all absolutely love and adore her.

We love you Grandma !!!

Vacation is over - part 1

Well, we didn't get everything on our "to do" list done while on vacation at my Dad's.  The only thing we didn't get time for was riding the horse.  Well, maybe next year.  We did get in lots of bike riding if that counts.

We arrived at my dad's house on July 1st after a 10 hour drive. On Saturday most of the cousins went to the Manti Temple and performed baptisms.  Between them all they were able to do 65 names.

Annie and Alexis rode their bikes in the big Mt. Pleasant parade on the 4th of July.  They decked out their bikes all patriotic and even made it the whole length of the parade route and back.

We got to have Kaden for a few days so of course we had to spoil him and help celebrate his 3rd birthday. 

There was lots of food eaten, lots of visiting done and plenty of goofing off during the week we were in Utah.

We even had our very own Princess for the day --

The kids all enjoyed the fireworks at the park on the night of the 4th.

Stay tuned for the rest of the weeks activites.

Spring Break 2011

I am posting this later than I had planned.  A few weeks ago the kids were out of school for spring break.  We decided to take a quick trip down south and see a little of the state.  We had never been down to the Carlsbad Caverns so we decided it was as good as time as any to head down.

We stopped in Capitan and spent the night.  We visited the home of Smokey the Bear and even did a quick stop by at his gravesite - Yes Smokey the Bear really did exist.

Next stop was in Lincoln.  About 30 minutes down the road.  There we were able to hang out with Billy the Kid.  Ok so it really wasn't him but this was as close as we could get:

A little further down the road is Roswell.  You can't go through Roswell and not stop.  If you don't know, let me fill you in.  Down that way they believe in UFO's and Aliens.  Apparently some time back people claimed they found a wreckage sight of - you got it- a UFO.  I personally have a hard time believing it.  But what the heck.

After a night in Carlsbad, we got up and headed a little bit further down the road to the Caverns.  Can I just say -  Pretty Awesome?  It was definitely worth the trip.

At the entrance to the caverns.  See you at the bottom

We all made it to the bottom. A little over a mile walk and a descend of 750 feet below ground level.  If you haven't ever been there and are heading this way, you should take an extra day or two and go.  It's so worth it.

A quick trip

Earlier this month I was able to fit in a quick trip to Wyoming. While there I spent two days in Yellowstone Park. Here are a few of the sights I got to enjoy:

Mammoth Hot Springs:

The water falls at "the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone"

Can't miss Old Faithful:

And last but not least - some of the local residents:

We even got to see a brown bear in the wild but I couldn't zoom in close enough to get a good picture. And of course I wasn't going to get too close.