Hello Again

Hi there, to the one person who reads this blog... did you miss me? : ) We've been busy for the past several weeks. We travelled to Montana for a good visit with my Dad and with Mom and Norm... it wasn't long enough and was too long all at the same time. I don't know about you, but I sure love sleeping in my own bed! Plus, we are spoiled now with a king size bed, and anything smaller is just a wee bit cramped.

We spent several days helping Dad put in the baseboard trim in his house... finally ready to get some carpet! (Dad? Are you listening??? GO ORDER THE CARPET!!!! : ) Dad and Jeff got some good time together, time to get to know each other. It occurred to me while we were there, that short of two breakfasts and a lunch, they hadn't spent any real time talking. (Things were kinda hectic at the wedding). Having the baseboard project was a good thing for them to do together, although, they both worked their buns off. Thanks Jeff, for helping Dad. I know he appreciated it. I didn't do much other than cook meals and smash my finger with a hammer. Oh yeah, and I cleaned a little too. : )

On Memorial Day we had a family reunion picnic in the almost rain at Lump Gulch. Lump Gulch is the place where I grew up, running barefoot through the woods, fishing in the crick (creek) and sleeping in the back of our pick up. I have a lot of wonderful memories of our time at Lump Gulch... really, it defines my childhood. I was thankful that Jeff finally got to see it, although I'm sure it wasn't anything like he imagined! He got to meet our family friends Joe and Carla, who have known my dad for over 50 years. They love me like I was their own... especially since they had all boys. Mom and Norm came up too, and we had a great burger cookout and a real campfire. Even used the outhouse a couple times. Boy, I sure don't miss that!

We then spent the remainder of the week in Great Falls at Mom and Norm's house. For all of you who regularly ask about them, they truly love it there. They have a great house, which they have made a home and it is just perfect for them. The yard might be a wee bit too big, especially on days when Norm has to mow. They even have some little bunnies living under their shed... Norm likes to call them "Fuzzy Butts" because if the grass is just a little long, all you can see is their white fuzzy hineys bouncing along. : ) They've gotten very involved in the CofC there too... Norm even teaches classes on occasion. Much to my dismay, it was evident that they have built a life there and plan to stay. I'm not sure even Grandkids (no, not yet) will persuade them to come back. Anyway, we spent a lot of time visiting and relaxing, which is exactly what we wanted to do. We did spend an afternoon at the Charles M Russell Museum and at the Heritage Center there. If you are lucky, I might post the pictures of me trying to squeeze into child size chaps... Ha! When we weren't watching the really cheesy rendition of Andromeda Strain on TV at night, we played Hand and Foot (a great card game) or just visited. It was a good visit... I was glad we got so much time together.

But pretty soon it was Friday and it was time to head home. It took us 14 hours from Great Falls to Portland, but we did it all in one day and couldn't have been happier to see our own house. It really made me realize how much our house is our home... I love it there. I love it that I get to share it with Jeff. We are so abundantly blessed.

So now it's back to life as usual... and it is a good life!