My new car!!!!!!

So after waiting and waiting for things to be perfect for us to buy a new car for me, we finally did! Gary decided his wife who is now an LPN deserves a shiny, brand new car. Lucky me!! Katelyn has been telling me our car isn't worth five bucks but she thinks this new one is awesome! Anyway, I had to share....

Lake Blanche

This week's hike was another in the beautiful Wasatch range. I traveled to Big Cottonwood Canyon and up the Lake Blanche trail. The river was most impressive with the huge amount of spring run-off. The trail itself was very pleasant in the morning but got a little warm and sunny in the afternoon on the way down. The area surrounding the lake still had quite a bit of snow as is evident from the photo. I waited for quite a while for the lake to be still for the photo of Sundial Peak at the top of the photo and in the reflection. All in all this was the most pleasant hike I have been on this year with the best payoff at the top. The second photo shows Blanches little sisters Florence and Lillian. Then a look down the canyon from the top.

SlideShow

Hello Friends and Family,

After much time and frustration I think our new slideshow should work much better. Hope you enjoy! These pictures include a preview of the last two years for us. It starts with pictures of Gary doing his favorite things. It also has pictures from many hikes and trips including Donut Falls, our honeymoon in Mexico (including Gary diving), our trip to Zions, Capitol Reef and Alton. There is a legendary shot of Uncle Ed trying to go sledding at the sand dunes on a plastic bag, something everyone should see. We have had lots of fun times and want to share some of our memories with you!

Belle's Canyon Hike

Today I went up the Belle's Canyon Trail. I have included a couple of pictures. It was a beautiful hike, filled with trees, flowers and wildlife. We are looking forward to many more hikes during the summer.

Other Fun Blogs

So as we are adding to our blogging fun we realize it may be fun to reference other blogs as well. If you go to Doug and Heather's blog you will be able to see some very fun pictures of our visit to the Treehouse Museum last week. Also there are such fun pictures of Doug, Heather and their family. The link to Heather's photos will take you to her photography site which contains some pictures of our wedding down towards the bottom. There is also a link to Dani and Joel's site which has fun pictures of our cute grandkids too! Happy blogging!!

And Now We Blog...

Hello friends and family....

It has been one year since our new family officially began. As we were perusing Doug and Heather's blog we decided that we should have one of those too! Gary is most excited to show off his excellent photography as well. Hopefully you will all enjoy sharing some of our family's adventures with us. Our first year has been filled with many wonderful times. As McKenna Mae stated the other day, "it has been one year...the best year of my life!" We all emphatically agree. In our past year Gary and I have traveled to Mexico for our honeymoon where Gary became a scuba master (while I fed the fishies some of my breakfast), we have turned the little girls into hikers, rock climbers, bikers, campers and lately fishermen, (which Katelyn thinks is fun as long as she gets to hold her pole!) Katelyn told us a year or so ago that she was still getting used to nature. I think she would now say that she is definitely used to it, except for the bugs. We have been able to go camping several times. We have been to Zion's National Park, Capitol Reef, on the beach in San Diego, and up Big Cottonwood several times. The girls enjoy exploring with Gary as their guide. He has helped them to expand their horizons and he makes them laugh constantly. Words cannot express my gratitude for the role he has filled in their lives'. Leslie is living with us here in our "apartment home". We are so grateful to have her here. She is doing well up at the U of U and we hear she is going to follow in her father's noble footsteps and become a nurse. I have secretely adjusted to the role of "grandma" (although I have to pretend I'm shocked when they call me grandma) and love having Dani, Joel, Garrit and Kalee and their darling kids here. We just wish we could see them more often! Leslie, Gary and I both continue to work in Emergency Rooms and love to regail each other with the crazy stories we have. Gary now works at the "Death Star" otherwise known as Intermountain Medical Center, the huge new flagship of IHC. He looks forward to working the trauma and saving some lives'. I remain at Jordan Valley Hospital for now. I have completed my LPN and have one more year to go with my schooling until I will finally be done, hooray!! McKenna is just finishing 3rd grade and Katelyn is in 2nd. They have had a great year. They are both reading Harry Potter and have turned into quite the wizard masters complete with their very own specially crafted wands. Well that gives you a brief update of our past year. Gary will have to get on and add some pictures for you all to enjoy.