Opposite World

After my Aunt went home she took this picture of my 90 year old Grandmother with my Aunt Barb (not the one who visited me).

 The children made a Mothers Day Banner for their Great Grandma that she has hanging in her room.  They love "the" Grandma.

 Less than a week after the last of our company left, I got on a plane and went to Canada via Washington for a week without children or husband.  Sadly, I did not miss them until I was on the plane headed home.  It was so quiet and relaxing.

I got to spend some time with my friend Sandy, who chauffeured me back and forth from airports and ferry terminals.  She is so much fun to be around.

 See that tan on me.  That is thanks to three hours on the deck with my Aunt when it was overcast.  Crazy me was so relaxed I didn't think about getting burned.

 My favorite part of travel is on the Victoria Clipper.  It cuts down the trip to Canada by an hour, which gets me to Grandma's house that much earlier.

 I love the bay in Seattle.  Especially all the boats.

The Space Needle changed its top to copper/orange to commemorate its anniversary.  Looks pretty cool from the water.

When I got to Victoria, I was taken to my favorite Chocolatier in the world.  It was yummy.

 I love spending time with this woman.  She is amazing in so many ways.  She has lived a lifetime of stories of things that I cannot imagine living.  She is so strong and kind through all that life has brought her.  So grateful to have come from her line.  I see parts of her in me and some in my children.  I am so happy to have spent three days enjoying the many qualities she possesses.

I got to pend quite a bit of time playing cards... very fun and interesting.  It's amazing how much you can learn about people during a good game of cards.

It was so much fun to be there.  I laugh... because I went to Walmart more there in three days than I have in the past year.  My Aunt and Grandmother love it there.

 The live right across the street from Uptown Mall, a very yuppy mall in Victoria and Walmart is one of the main stores.

 Isn't that nuts?  Here we consider Walmart a low budget store, not something urban and yuppy.

My Grandmother rides in on her scooter like a rockstar and is greeted by all who work there.  Makes me chuckle.  I am glad they are liked and have many people to talk to daily.

 Do you recognize those beautiful blue eyes?  I look at them everyday when I talk to my handsome little boy.  I love that he got her eyes.

She is a truly remarkable woman.

Catchup

 These are a few odds and ends from Miss Boo's Baptism weekend.  Pictures sent to me from my Aunt and MomE.  It seemed so chaotic most of the time.  Everyone wanting pictures and nobody knowing where to look.  This one made me laugh.  We all look lost, except for the Dude.  He always knows where the camera is and has a ready smile.  Such a charmer, that one.

 

 The kids love when Grandpa tickles them.  See the tickle hand, the anticipation on Miss Boo's face?

They are trying to tickle the Dude.  He is smart enough to not be sitting on the lap for maximum escape.

 We went to the Temple on Monday before my parents went home.

 With my Aunt Lois.  So much fun with them.

 I love my Dad.  Was glad to finally have a picture with him.

 I love this one of them.  They are looking at the temple from the Stake Center parking lot.  It is a truly remarkable view.

We spent a lot of time outside on the deck.  We had spectacular weather.

 Unfortunately Aunt Lois took it back with her to Victoria.

 Grandma loved taking pictures of the kids.  You can see who enjoys it more.

 Nyoka brought the girls for Miss Boo to play with.  This is my Konya.

 And Grandma Lois taught them to crochet.

 Maya is the crafty one and soaked up all the new information.  I'm sure she has a blanket made by now.

Beautiful grand daughters.  So glad they were able to come.  Miss Boo loves having her friends around her, especially at special occasions.

It was such a busy, fun, special weekend.  Wouldn't have traded it for anything.

Next post I will catch you up on my trip to the great Northwest.

Grandma Lois

 We celebrated her birthday when she got here.  A little late, but we made sure they knew it was her birthday and therefore subject to the birthday sombrero.

She was a really good sport about it.

 Of course, the Dude had to put it on.

 Miss Boo is a little shier about things, but she was jumping up and down on the inside.

 I have promised her my inside out oreo cake for a long time.  Certainly hit the spot.  You should see all the spots it hit and attached to on my thighs!

She taught me how to can jelly.  We made raspberry blackberry and strawberry blueberry.  Not to mention the yummy cherry pie filling we made.  I was in heaven and so excited to see it "work".

 So beautiful and so yummy!

 She spent a lot of time outside enjoying the good weather on our deck and teaching the kids to play YoYo.  They had a blast.

 Punch ball was next on the list and the Dude was all over that.

 So patient and loving.

 You go girl!

 We have found out that the Dude is crazy (says Miss Boo) and loves to make funny faces and poses whenever I bring out the camera.

We love Grandma Lois and are so grateful that she came to spend ten days with us.  The children go spoiled and so did I.  There is just something about talking face to face versus over the phone.  I love that she loves our children and accepted the job of being their Grandmother.  She is actually my Aunt (sister to my deceased father) and makes a fun grandma and friend.

I talk to her at least twice a week and we burn up those minutes.  Thank heavens for unlimited calling because we would be in the poor house.

Thanks for coming... thanks being the wonderful, kind, caring person you are.

We love you!

Here's more...

A couple more pictures of the baptism.  This picture is an example of having way too many cameras to look at.

The next day was the dedication of the Kansas City Temple and as luck would have it, we all able to go except my Dad, Aunt and the Dude.  Would have been perfect with them all, but it was a great experience for us and a great memory for Miss Boo.

The day after, I took my parents and Aunt Lois to see the Temple.  We had a good time. My Dad was having a good day so it was especially wonderful to spend so much time with him.

 I loved being able to walk and talk with my Dad.  It has been a really long time.  Very nice to have a picture with him that I can post.  Forgive the T-shirt.  He is famous for having these shirts on when he goes to the temple.  The message is actually good, but it made me laugh when I saw the picture.

 My Aunt Lois spent ten days with us and it was fabulous.  We cooked and ate and ate and ate.  My waistline is proof of the fact that we both enjoy good food.  She is so much fun to be around and is full of an immense amount of energy.  She totally wore me out.  She can run circles around me every day and get up the next day and do it again.

 I love this picture of my Dad.  He has been doing that with his teeth since I can remember.  I love that his hair has finally gone all white.  Looks good on him.

 I caught this one of them looking at the temple.  It is truly awe inspiring.

 Magnificent!

 I love that there is so much symbolism in the grounds surrounding the temple.  It makes me think about everything that I see and wonder how that was created to make us ponder the Godhead.  It is truly remarkable.