Any Ideas?

I've thought a long time about if and when I should start up my blog again.  Should my focus be different?  I don't know...have any ideas?

Merry Christmas!

RIP Uncle Steve

Steven Sackie

Dec. 16, 1931 - Dec. 3, 2010

You will be missed!

Thanksgiving 2010

I promised mom that we would have Thanksgiving at our house this year too.  I must admit, it really does work out well here with a crowd when there is one.

For some reason, we were a lot more organized this time around.  I decided to start cooking the night before.  So in, went the 21 lb. turkey.  Gobble gobble. Thanksgiving morning, I made the rolls.  Early afternoon, I made the gravy.  I found the best recipe for green beans and bacon online.  Spruced it up a bit and it was very yummy.  Definitely a keeper!  Everyone who was able to make it brought a part of the meal and it worked out great.  There seemed to be a lot of time to relax....how DID that happen!?  It was wonderful!

 We totaled 10 this year.  A little smaller than usual, but we had 

a great time together and enjoyed each other's company.

 Afterward, we plopped our full bodies down and just visited...

 and laughed a lot.

Cousins.

 Brittany brought out her lap top and we watched some funny
videos on You Tube.  Mom really got a kick out of them! It
was almost more fun watching her reaction than the videos
themselves!

A November Old Columbia River Gorge Scenic Hwy. Trip

Lamar had Wednesday off,  and it was so nice out that we decided to take advantage of the fall color and head for the gorge.  It really was a beautiful day.  I think we missed the peak colors of the gorge by probably a week, but there was still plenty of beauty everywhere!  Here are just a few pictures.

The first stop was the Vista House...boy,was it ever windy!

Then, we started driving the old scenic hwy.  Now, this, I'm almost ashamed to admit, but we have NEVER stopped at Shepherd's Dell.  From the road, it looks like it's just a small canyon with rock walls with no water, so we'd always just pass it up because we would want to see the different falls.  Well, this time, last second (we literally backed up the car) we stopped and boy, were we surprised!  There is a beautiful path with a waterfall cascading down.  Don't miss it like we've done all these years!  It's worth the stop!

We grow the leaves big out in the gorge!

On our way back home, we stopped at a park...don't know which one, but it had a boat ramp.  The river was really wild and beautiful.  Before we left, two paddle boarders went into the river.  It was so windy, they could hardly get their board into the water. 

It was a good day. I've posted other pictures on facebook, so if you want to see more, just go to this link.

 http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/album.php?aid=295818&id=668558938




 

Weekend With The Friesens

Lamar's brother, Mahlon and their whole family came for the weekend.  It was such a special weekend.

Here's just one picture of the four Friesen cousins.

Andy, Brittany, Melissa and Matthew

Maui 2010 Day 7

We knew it would go by fast....our last day on Maui had come.  Having a condo  the whole time is really the way to go.  We were able to eat most of our meals at "home" and relax every evening after a full day.  A typical breakfast....fruit and half a costco muffin with oj or Maui coffee.

Most of the time we stayed, we were able to park underneath in the garage where it was cooler, but one night we got back too late and had to park on top.   Even the parking structure was pretty...with the blue ocean in the background...

and the palm trees and flowers all around.

Brittany shot a few pictures of Lamar and I...our last time in the water.....sigh.

Here are a few shots of our condo.  It was very comfy and even had all the beach equipment we needed for playing in the sand and water.

Our last Maui sunset....this one from our balcony.  Ahhhhhh

Then we ran across the street (literally) to the beach to see the sun's final light of the day.