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!