don't have one...all i have is really slow internet right now

Sorry.  No updates recently.  Not much time, I guess.  I have pictures from our trip. More, I mean.  But I don’t have the time or energy to downsize and upload them I guess.  I need to be gone now. I’m supposed to be running over to the family I babysat for this summer and visiting and dropping off a scrapbook and I’m already late.  Thanks to the slow internet.

We are so busy.  But it is good busy.  Except for the day that I was sick with the flu and couldn’t do anything and had to reschedule.

Soon our xanga may be different.  Probably will end this one.  We’ll have a site of some sort, but not sure if xanga or another.  If it is xanga, outside access will be limited, so sorry to those of you that aren’t able to access it.  This isn’t personal, just security concerns.

Love you.

The wild, wild west is the life for me

 Hello from Alberta!  It is almost freezing out here, but I don't think it is quite.  It is sort of raining today, though.  Hopefully that clears up since Arlin is working on building a deck for his parents.  The lumber is supposed to arrive anytime now. 

Every time I come out here I'm reminded why I love the west.  There are a few places in the world I love, and heading West in the States is in the top 5.  We hung out in Montana (Thompson Falls) with John and Wendy (above) for a few days. 

Now I have a picture for names such as Plains and Thompson Falls.  Saw some old acquaintances at church on Sunday, too.  So that was cool.  ARlin gave a nice, long talk on the WL and our work, etc. that day.  Thompson Falls is such an interesting town.  It doesn't quite seem like it should be a town.  I just think houses and things in the west are so different from the east.  Thompson Falls has deer in town like Yellowstone has bears and Chincoteague has ponies.  Although I think there are definitely more deer in TF.  At any time Wendy might have 10 in her yard.  Between drought and deer, it is quite difficult to grow plants.  But we did plant 32 daffodil bulbs and 15 crocus bulbs while I was there.  On Sunday we took a 5 mile hike up to a lake and back.  That would be 2 1/2 miles up for those who can't do math.  It really wasn't that horrible of a trail--I've done worse ups--but I really struggled.  THankfully the hardier among us (namely John and Arlin) kindly waited during my many breaks.  This eastern gal just doesn't go up real fast at 6,000 feet altitude.

Cabin Lake, the destination of our hike:

Of course, being Montana, we had to travel back a dirt/gravel/stone/whatever road to get to the trailhead.  On the way back we heard a suspicious hissssssssssssing sound.  Aha:

That's a really big stone (practically a rock) in a really big tire.  Trust me.

And, the irony is, we stopped by this sign:

Which, by the way, is a very funny sign. 

On Saturday evening Ken and Ann drove down to Montana. Sunday afternoon the four of us headed back to Alberta.  We drove around Glacier Ntl. Park on our way back.  The Going-to-the-Sun road was closed at the top of we might have taken that. Whatever the case, I had my first opportunity to see a sunset over those mountains:

Can anyone tell why I love the west?  Yesterday Ann and I were driving home from somewhere and we saw saw guys rounding up cows.  You know, I think that was the first time I every saw someone really ride a horse.  I've heard about riding horses.  I've seen people on very slow, strong-willed half-horses, but have I ever actually seen a horse and rider really run?  It looked kind of fun.  I could have stayed and watched awhile.  Maybe I'll even like horses someday.

Until next time!

Ode to the Harvest

Well, normally a sequel is never as good as its predecessor.  But I would argue that Harvest Party II was definitely as fun as Harvest Party I.  I bumped around all day that day with Cheryl and Jen as they rounded up fitting decorations for the evening festivities.  I would say that from the corn stalks to the rotten pumpkins, that part of the evening was definitely a success.  Even better was the bicycle with the really bad seat, the sight of people jumping across the field in sacks, and the people that served as wickets in the game of human croquet.  What a blast!

Latest and Greatest

Conn. mom breaks record for biggest baby

NORWICH, Conn. - Oh baby! Marie Michel's fifth child was one for the record books. Michel gave birth to a 14-pound, 13-ounce boy Tuesday at William W. Backus Hospital.

"He's built like a linebacker," said Dr. David Kalla, who delivered the baby by Caesarean section.

After nine months of carrying Stephon, 36-year-old Michel said she was more tired and happy to have given birth than all the attention her baby was receiving.

"I was miserable," Michel said. "I couldn't sleep at night. My 13-year-old son had to help me get in and out bed."

The baby's size came as no surprise to his mom. Michel's oldest son weighed 9 pounds at birth, her 8-year-old twin sons each weighed 8 1/2 pounds and her youngest son, age 3, was nearly 12 pounds.

Michel's husband, Vijens Louis-Jean, a truck driver, was coming from Florida to see his son.

Less than 24 hours old, the baby was fitting into clothes for a 6-month-old and was too big for newborn diapers.

"I have baby clothes but I don't think they will be able to fit," Michel said. "I think I will have to return them."

And on a more personal note:

Your Baby At the end of this week, your baby officially enters the second trimester of development. Although only 3 inches from crown to rump and weighing just half an ounce, she looks, well, human! Her eyes have moved from the sides of her head to the front, and her ears are in their normal position. She's also got reflexes--if you prod her, she'll squirm (although you still won't feel it), and her hands and feet respond to stimuli by closing or clenching.

Youth Camping Trip

Well, "tropical depression" Ernesto did indeed keep the youth from their camping trip.  At Shad Landing, that is.  As of 5:00 Saturday evening, Shad Landing did have electricity, but no water.  So...well, we decided to camp in Kenton and Cheryl's back yard.  Well, some of us.  Some of us spent the night at home.  Anyways.  I got lots of great pics from the whole deal.

Since Frisbee Soccer or golf or something seems to be the rage right now, we played it.  One end of the game area included a rather large lake left over from the storm.  The star lake-dweller was Kenton.  He gladly sacrificed his dry pants and shoes in order to make some goals.  (By the way, I think I look a lot more active on these pictures than I actually was.)

Here we are eating breakfast Saturday night.  (well, you see, our meals kind of got all mixed up, especially since we didn't start hanging out until Saturday afternoon.  And then we couldn't even have hamburgers for Sat. lunch because the store was closed due to an electrical outage.) 

Sunday evening we had the brainy idea to have church out at Kenton and Cheryl's around the campfire.  So we had song service there.  It was actually pretty cool.