We had such a lovely time in Seattle with our boys and their families. We had the opportunity to babysit the Peanut one day. We helped Amy and John move into their new home. It was such fun to see where they will be making their home. We had several meals with Janelle and Matt, which we always enjoy. Grandpa put together several pieces of furniture. He is amazing with a screwdrive, wrench, and hammer! We love these folks who live in the northwest.

We are back from a wonderful vacation in Williamsburg, Virginia. The Weavers, Allens and Maddens had such a grand time exploring some of America's historical sites. We felt like we were steeped in the U.S. history--both the Civil War and the Revolutionary War. We visited plantations, museums, battle fields and water fronts. Of course, we also laughed a lot, played Mexican Train and shared many yummy meals. It was definitely a memory making week with friends.

It was another great visit to Seattle in mid-October. We got to hug everyone's neck, which is the highlight for us. We admired the cutest 8-month old baby--who is so cute! We had fun at a baby shower for Amy and "Fritter" Weaver. Strode attended his ACCC conference during the week so we stayed downtown for a couple of days. We moved into Bonnie and Beau's Bed and Breakfast for the weekend. We will look forward to returning to Seattle the first weekend in December!!

The Weaver Units spent the last weekend in Des Moines, Iowa with the Houghton tribe. We had a grand time enjoying some decent fall weather. Our first stop was at a nearby pumpkin patch to select our perfect pumpkins for carving. On Sunday we spent a lovely day at the Omaha Zoo checking out all of the great animals. As always we enjoyed our time with our very cute and smart grandgirls. We love the hugs, the stories and the laughter.

It was an amazing day in the Colorado Mountains. The Weavers drove up to Echo Lake to admire the "color" of the Aspens. We had a lovely snack at Ponder Point, took many photos, smelled the air, and generally enjoyed a perfect fall day.

It is the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy. Strode is on his way to sing with a huge choral group at the St. Andrews Methodist Church. The chorus will have 2 performances today. The music is lovely and will be a wonderful tribute to those who lost their lives and to those who carry on their memories. God Bless America! May we continue to work toward peace in our world.

It has been a lovely Labor Day Weekend-2011. Today the Weavers drove up into the Rockies to Echo Lake--for a perfect walk, picturesque setting and yummy weather. We walked, took photos and had a lovely lunch to top off our visit. On the way home we stopped at Ponder Point--(we will return) and the cemetery near Idaho Springs. We continue to feel blessed to live in such an amazing place. Oh the smell of those pine trees--A-h-h-h-h-h!

We could not imagine a more perfect reunion! Gearhart, OR was a perfect spot to gather with our 11 family members. The vacation rental was just right, the weather cooperated and the beach provided hours of entertainment. The Denver Units are so blessed to have such a wonderful family. Our hearts are so full of joy! We will have memories to last us a very long time. Life is good.

The star of the weekend was "Marvin Moose" who we happened to meet on our way up to Adams Falls near Grand Lake! He was HUGE! It was kind of him to raise his head so that our photographer could get a good shot. The other two photos are of Mom at Meadow Creek Reservoir and Dad in front of the creek running down to Adams Falls. We had great weather including several downpours. We got in a couple of good walks and some short shopping excursions. Winter Park provided us with a comfortable VRBO in a good location for sightseeing and a generally good time. We even caught the USA ladies soccer match at a local pub.

Here we are with 2 adorable grandgirls at the Omaha zoo. Could it get any better than this? We had a lovely time with the Houghton family in Des Moines these last few days. Grandpa Strode could only be with us a couple of days, but we still had lots of good family time together --playing cards, tasty meals, watching incredible swimmers & an amazing diver (Sara), & a dramatic model (Lori). We even got in some extra time with Daddy John. All in all, another memory making trip.

I am back from Seattle after an amazing visit with family and friends. The focus of the trip was for Grandma Judy to provide day care for Camille for an extra 2 weeks before she goes to day care. It was a privilege to take care of our adorable grandgirl. While in Seattle, I had the opportunity to see several friends, attend soccer games, share meals with both family and friends. It was absolutely a grand time--rain and all! My heart is full knowing that our kids and their children are well and happy. Next stop--Des Moines, Iowa!




Is this the cutest 3 month old in the universe? I believe she is. Camille and Grandma got along quite well. We did lots of laughing, hugging, and talking. What a precious little peanut!

Mother's Day weekend in Denver was gorgeous with unlimited sunshine and mid-seventy degree weather. Judy and Strode took to the hills for their first hike of the season. This pic is from the Three Sister's trailhead up in Evergreen. We could see for miles and miles on this beautiful Colorado day. On our way back down to Denver even saw some elk grazing in the front yard of one of the cabins.

As always, these three couples together can make their own fun! It does not matter that it is raining and chilly in Phoenix--we are not about to let it spoil our time together! We ate yummy food, attended a D-Back game, played cards and Mexican Train, and shared stories. Thanks to the Maddens for sharing their lovely condo with the six of us. We are so blessed to have friends that call "family"!

We spent a long weekend with our family in Des Moines. This is a photo of our group in Iowa City. We toured an interesting dry stream bed. There were abundant "fossils" of shells, plants and small water animals. We had a grand time stooping, pointing and exploring the area. Our trip also included some "head & foot" games, swimming for the grandgirls, good eats (including some elk steaks) and a little shopping. As always, the time flies by and is entirely too short--we will look forward to our next visit!!

Earlier in this month (March) we had a great visit with the Rob Allen family and the senior Allens--Janet and Byron. We had a great round of Kubb at the park across the street after sharing some pizza together. Janet and Byron extended their stay for an extra 3 days. We got in some super visits, yummy meals and some exciting Mexican Train. Great time with dear friends.

No surprise that Grandpa Strode and Grandma Judy have some photos of their new granddaughter on their blog! We are so thrilled for Janelle and Matt as they add the beautiful Camille Kendall to their family! We spent a long weekend in Seattle getting in lots of snuggling and rocking the new little one. It was a great visit with our sons, their wives and a new grandgirl. We even had some good visits with friends Bonnie and Beau--who are always so gracious about opening their home to us. Life is Good!!

VALENTINE WEEKEND IN ESTES PARK

We drove up to Estes Park on Friday afternoon for a "Units Get Away". The two pedestrians shown here were a little uncertain about the cross walk. The elk were all over Estes Park this weekend. We stayed at a comfortable condo unit complex, had a fabulous chateaubriand for two at the Twin Owls Restaurant. Would you believe chocolate fondue for dessert. So on Saturday we bundled up, put on the snow shoes and worked some of the calories off on a hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. As you can see we had beautiful sun and the snow was about 3 feet deep on the trail. A great weekend!

What a great weekend we had in the "Big Easy" As you can tell by the photos. We had amazing weather and we saw some wonderful sights: a plantation tour with all the historical stories, music and great food on Bourban Street, and terrific walking tours of Jackson Square. Did we mention the yummy food? We could not believe the number of places to eat -great restaurants on every corner. It was a perfect weekend getaway. We hope to do more in the future.

Yes, you are correct...this is San Diego and it is about 73 degrees on the beach. Judy joined her buddies (commonly known as the Fab 4) for a long weekend on the Mission Bay strip. Bonnie, Christy, Erin and Judy had a sunshining good time! We fit in a lot of fun in one weekend: Mexican food, wine country tour, Italian food, Starbucks (several times), more wine, Seaport Village, Old Town and beach walks. We were sorry to say good-bye to the sunshine and the beach. We will be back for sure!

Happy New Year to all! Here we are--the Units with their special grand girls--Sara and Lori. Note the additions of 2 American Girl dolls...Rebecca and Molly:-). We have had such a lovely Christmas holiday with our family. We spent an amazing few days in Seattle with Matt, Janelle, John and Amy. There were celebrations for a birthday, Christmas and an expected Baby Weaver. We saw friends and spent time with our kids. Who could ask for anything more?

Soon after our return from Seattle--the Houghtons (Michelle, John, Sara and Lori) arrived to spend 10 days more of celebration. We took in the Children's Museum, Botanic Garden's light show, American Girl store, Mexican food, Elk hunt (for John), movies and much, much more.

It has been a glorious season of celebration. Life is incredibly good.