Who can imagine more fun than the Allens, Maddens and Weavers taking a trip together up the California Coast? We had such a grand time. The weather was absolutely perfect. We toured the Hearst Castle, observed hundreds of elephant seals in their natural habitat, toured a mission, drove through the wine country, ate some excellent meals together, laughed and shared stories! Charlotte arranged for a lovely VRBO home in Cambria--right across the street from the ocean. We had a terrific view from our expansive window. This trip was a true reminder about friendships and how important they are to all of us. We are truly blessed to have some special people in our lives!!

Strode and Judy have just returned from a wonderful (too short) visit to St. Louis, MO. Strode started the visit by participating in the ACCC conference which started on Wednesday. Judy joined him on Thursday evening. Friday, they toured the area near the "Arch" (the Gateway to the West). Strode took a number of photos --no surprise there. Friday evening Judy and Strode joined sister Pat, brothers Tony and Walt and sister-in-law Gwen for the start of an extended visit and wonderful Italian dinner (thanks Tony). Most of Saturday was spent in Cuba, MO with youngest sister, Julie. Lots of memories were retold with laughter and hugs interspersed throughout the visit. It was very special to have all the Weaver "sibs" gathered in one place. Another treat for all the visitors was to celebrate Sunday in Aunt Sally's church as she shared a thoughtful sermon to the congregation. It was truly special to be part of her flock on a Sunday morning. The Weaver clan shared some football viewing and some tasty pizza at Tony & Sally's lovely home before everyone departed to their respective homes and travels. The hope is that the Weaver siblings will plan to do this again in the not too distant future.

Fall is here in Colorado. Judy and Strode took a lovely trip up to the mountains to enjoy the wonderful weather and the color turning on the aspens. It was a perfect day trip. They even made a short stop in one of their favorite little bergs--Georgetown. A picnic lunch was shared under a shade tree to complete a "just right" weekend adventure. We are so blessed to live in this amazing place!

Wow, what a weekend with our son John! It was football, football and more football:-). John arrived late on Friday night -so we scurried to bed to get our beauty sleep. Saturday morning with lunch pack in hand, we headed for Boulder on the famous "Buff Bus". (John definitely lowered the age average on the bus!) We enjoyed a wonderful game at Folsom stadium where the Buffs beat Hawaii. We followed up the game with some yummy Mexican food.

Sunday, looked much the same, except we drove ourselves to the parking lot near Invesco Field to watch the Broncos vs. Seahawks game. It was hot! In fact, it was the hotest game on record at Invesco Field--and we were there baking in the sun. We had a great time in super seats. Sad news with a loss for the Seahawks and good news for the Bronco fans. (We were mixed!) We followed this game with Italian food on the patio.

Needless to say, it was a "just right" weekend with son John.

Here are the "girls" on Labor Day weekend at the Living History Farm in Des Moines, Iowa. We had such a good time looking at all of the "olden" day houses and equipment. We also fit in a pony ride and a freeze pop! Sara and Lori were delightful and charming! Sara was so interested in all of the history and tradition. It was a treat for Grandma and Grandpa to be a part of the tour. During our visit we also got in a couple of meals out, church, and some kite flying. It was wonderful to spend time with this special family. We are blessed.

The Denver Units had such a nice August weekend. We took in a movie and dinner with friends on Saturday. The highlight of our weekend was a wonderful hike with our friends Pat Olive and Dennis Steh. Pat was Judy's supervisor when she was a principal. We had a grand time while hiking a gentle trail for about 3 miles. The view was lovely and the weather was just right. We will definitely go back to this same area for hiking. We are so happy to be able to take advantage of this great outdoors in Colorado!!

What a week we spent in Seattle...lovely weather, our boys and their girls, friends and general good times. We hugged our way through the week. Our days and nights included: a Sounders Soccer game, a Seahawk training camp day, a tour of Pikes Place Market, moving furniture and weeding, Trivia night at Red Hook, two movies, a rousing game of Tripoli and a birthday celebration. We couldn't have asked for a better trip. We are so blessed to have 2 wonderful sons and 2 terrific daughter-in laws. They are always so generous in sharing their time with us. It has been a super, duper summer.