Kathrine taking her turn with the flowers. All weekend long, she was just being so careful and patient. She wanted a flower so bad, and she finally got one@!

Lucy looking just as cute as she always is

Folding of the flag. If you have never been to a military funeral, they are amazing. The respect shown and given is just outstanding.

Children and spouses.

This arrangement, my Aunt Becky did. It was my favorite, and I stand in awe with her talent.

My mom with her siblings.

Addison placing flowers

Kathy being presented the flag

The back side of the headstone with the childrens names on it.

The flags

My Grandpa, a True Cowboy

my dad and Kathrine

Grandpa served in the Marine Corps during WWII

Their headstone

The pallbearers and the "vurse" long story and funny one, maybe I'll blog it sometime.

My talented Aunt Kathy made this out of clay. It is their family sitting on the third row in church. How cute!?

So, as soon as we got home from camping, my mom called, and told us that my grandpa had passed away. Yes, it was sad, but happy. Lucy and I went to Utah for the week to participate. I really enjoyed myself and I was happy that I was able to be there. My gpa was a great person, and it was fun to hear stories of his life and to remember him. Pictures are above, but this was a poem that my cousin Sarah wrote, and I think it explains him perfectly...

When we think of you...

See... coveralls, and cowboy hats.

Hear... claps, clicks, whistles,a nd "yo-ho's"

Taste... jelly beans, and popcorn.

Smell... farm and country land.

Touch... your hands as you hold and kiss ours.

We think of playing cards at night, horse rides,

riding lawn mowers, and tractor rides.

We think of you tenderness, your love of

nature and pretty things. Your devotion to duty,

and you never complaining.

Thank you for leaving your mark on our lives.

We love you!

the fish at the fish hatchery

Bosston playing in the rocks at the resevoir

The kids and Nick swimming, the water felt great

Yes, we know, she is cute, and yes, that is Joy in the background, she looks amazing.

camping with cousins, oh what fun

Dasher

Not too bad, considering I took this pic!

They love the outdoors!

Home sweet home, or should I say tent sweet tent!

Hot days in the Sun

Well, the week of July 20th, we headed down to Southern Oregon for a family reunion. Every other year, Nick's extended family gets together somewhere and has a camp out. This year the destination was Joseph Stewart State Park, about one hour from Crater Lake. The drive was long, but we made it, set up camp, and started our adventure. The kids all had a great time with cousins and the outdoors. (Honestly, what more could you ask for?) I could've asked for less bees, but they are everywhere.
I love to camp, but I am not all about "primitive" camping. I HAVE to have flushing toilets and showers. Call me whimpy, I call myelf clean. That is why state parks are great. A lot of people fuss over the people, but if you plan it right, (not over a weekend) the crowds are few and far between.
So, Monday, was check in day. Nothing special here, just setting up the tent. Tuesday, we spent the day, or an hour or two in Medford. Yeah, that town is pretty boring, but the stores were air conditioned, and it was hot. The whole week was in the 100s. Wednesday, the guys spent the ENTIRE morning, and then some, golfing. I think it is a waste of time, but it seems that every year they go, and waste more time. After the guys got back, we loaded up the cars and headed to Crater Lake. The drive was nice, all through the forest and with the river there, it was a lovely drive. We never thought we were going to get there. Everytime we would see a mile marker, it didn't seem like we were making any progress. But alas we made it and it was well worth the drive. I have never seen anything like it. The color is so intense, and it was extra nice that the outside temp was 77 degrees. That was cool!!!! We walked along the trail and overlooked the scenery. You are just that much closer to heaven up there. AMAZING!!!
I did however experience my very first panic attack. Now, I am not afraid of heights by any means. I do roller coasters just fine, and climbing rocks is not a big deal, but for some reason, I did not handle looking out over this lake very much. "THE BEST VIEW" area was a little scary. The brick rail is only about 2 feet tall, and the drop on the other side is quite a ways down. My kids, and everyone besides me, kept "looking" over and I just kept seeing them falling over. I kept playing scenerios in my head, and it was not fun. I thought I was going to vomit, cold sweats and my heart was racing. Not fun, but the sight was gorgeous.