Happy Father's Day!

It's great to have a day to celebrate and reflect on the wonderful fathers in our lives.

First, I'll talk about the one I chose to be the father of my kids. I'm so thankful to have found someone who loves being a dad and wants to be a part of his kids' lives. Travis is a dad who takes his kids to church, prays with his kids, is always willing to take them to a movie or the park, supports them in their activities and loves and encourages them. He would choose to do something with his kids before he'd choose to do something with friends. The kids know he likes to be with them and that's a wonderful thing. He gives them father's blessings and teaches them about faith in the Lord. He teaches them to be practical, thrifty, and hard-working. He isn't frivolous and wasteful and he's teaching all of these qualities by his example. He's a blessing in our lives.Then there's my Dad, a man who sacrificed and worked hard to support eleven children. He's a man who was a great cheerleader, encouraging us and telling us we were world-class in everything--music, sports, etc. He helped us with homework, gave us blessings, taught us the gospel and bore his testimony to us. In spite of limited money, he traveled with us, making sure we saw new places and had new experiences. He's a gifted teacher and to this day is one of my favorite school teachers. He taught us to love good music, to do whatever was asked of us in church and to be loyal.

Travis's dad is funny, generous and thoughtful. He's laid-back and casual and makes you feel comfortable immediately. He's genuinely interested in what is happening in his kid's and grandkid's lives and celebrates every accomplishment. He works hard and taught that quality to Travis. He loves to share with his family, especially good food that he usually cooks himself and fun experiences, like ball games and fine dining.Travis's step-dad is a kind and generous man with a witty sense of humor. He is encouraging and helpful and likes to see people succeed.

We are very blessed to have these fathers and grandfathers in our lives. I'm so grateful for the influence they are on my kids and I love them all.

Happy Fathers Day!

Summer Vacation 2010

(From notes I kept on the trip)



We left just as school got out, drove to Bountiful and saw John and Tawnie's beautiful new baby. Drove on to Idaho and saw our house looking a little tired and overgrown. Oregon was beautiful. Hills covered with green and purple grasses. Pine trees. Beautiful farms, red barns, cows grazing.



Ben Lee singing "We're All in this Together," making me glad to be here with my family. Kids napping. Me napping. Travis driving and cracking jokes. Joe asking how much longer 'til we get there. A little talk radio. Peanut butter M & Ms.



Gas is getting cheaper. We see a sign that the powerball jackpot is 220 million. Travis asks what's the first thing we'd do if we won that much money. I say "pay off everyone in the family's houses." Bruce says, "Buy everyone new houses and get the schoolhouse for Grandpa and Grandma." Sounds like a good plan.



I want to read my book but the scenery is too pretty. Love seeing the trains, even the graffiti covered cars. Joe has read 14 chapters of White Fang. I'm enjoying the old-fashioned power lines--the ones that look like a man standing there holding the wires.



Bruce's graduation is happening right now. We're all glad we're here instead.


SATURDAY - Kids swimming. Ivar's fish and chips. Feeding seagulls. The market--flowers, Three Girls Bakery and more. Disappointed that they no longer make haystacks and smaller mounds cost more. Andre Lovett singing on the street. He's excellent.

(For Mehmet)

SUNDAY - We drive around the city and look at some homes. Veronica has a bad cold. Road-raged, insane flipper-offer. Bags of fancies for breakfast. Challenge getting our parking taken care of, then a crazy taxi ride. Long lines, but finally on the ship.

Safety drill. Unpacking. Sign kids up for teen club and tween club. We read in the library. Delicious family dinner. Bruce can't be in teen club. Bummer. Tween club fun, but no girls in teen club. Bruce and Veronica join us for cheesy show, but Bruce gets called on the stage to participate so we're glad we went.

MONDAY - Basketball. Savannah and Joe climb rock wall. Veronica meets girl from Lone Peak. Rocky Road ice cream on demand. Oh oh. Terrible comedian. I mean the worst. I wanted to boo. Beautiful scenery. Bruce and Travis place third in Sports Trivia. Joe wins survivor in kid's club. Veronica and new friend go to teen club and have fun. Bruce, Travis and I go to fun Majority Rules game.
TUESDAY - Juneau. We rent a car. Neat town. We hit a Wal-Mart and a laundramat for the necessities. Mendenhall glacier. Beautiful. Souvenirs. Drive around seeing the town. Sunny and warm. Ski wall entrance. Bruce tries the highly recommended Russian Dumplings. Lobster for dinner. Dance games in Kid's Club.

WEDNESDAY - Skagway. Very old-fashioned and cute and small. Hot! 85 degrees. Souvenirs. Triking down the 4 miles from the lookout. Fun pictures in panorama at the park. Discovered delicious pecan sticky buns on the ship. Golfing and suffleboard. Funny waiter asks Joe to pay the bill several times, even bringing him a fake bill at the end of the meal. He asks Joe for his room card to pay and asks for Joe's signature. Joe writes at the bottom of the bill: Never. The waiter can't stop laughing. Crossword puzzle with Bruce. Bruce entertains the room with his dance moves at a dance party. Fun juggling show. Too much food!

THURSDAY - Glacier Bay National Park. Over 3 million acres of incredible beauty. Calving glaciers. Stunning ice. Park ranger who said "I'd encourage you to..." at least 100 times during the few hours of narration. Breathtaking!

Delicious lamb, pecan pie, mousse and scallops. Travis, Bruce and I took 2nd place in Olympic trivia. Very funny 2nd City Comedy group. 2nd place in True/False trivia (There is a limit of 4 per team, but we keep losing to a family with four playing, but about eight more "watching"--pretty fishy). Can't take Andy the cruise director. Shuffleboard, basketball, pirate fun, photo scavenger hunt, library, gameroom where we play a really dumb game of Office Trivia.

FRIDAY - Ketchikan. Interesting and charming town. Duck Tour. Eagles. Entertaining lumberjack show. Purchased a couple of pretty watercolors. The girls wanted some rings from a seller there. He started out at $20.00 each. The girls started to walk away so he offered to make them a deal. If they'd buy 10, he'd sell them for $7.00 each. They asked if he'd take $28 for 4 of them and he said, "Well, I don't know. How about 5 for $30?" I quickly agreed and we were on our way.

2nd place in 80's trivia--Again. Hilarious improv show from 2nd City group. Chocolate buffet. Beautiful weather. Another crossword.

This eagle was real. I promise!

SATURDAY - Slept in late. Animal towel folding demonstration. Second City improv workshop. We laughed so hard I almost had an accident. They were my favorite part of the entertainment by far. Good juggling show. Crossword with Bruce. Last dinner in Summer Palace.

Victoria. Carriage ride and bus tour. Beautiful city! Incredible architecture. Gorgeous homes. One of the prettiest cities I've ever seen. Last evening with Joe and Veronica's cruise friends.

SUNDAY - So sad! It's over. Easy exit. Really wish the week was just starting. Wish we'd gotten more pictures with the kids' friends. Raining in Seattle - the only city we didn't have sunshine.

Some final thoughts as we go home:

I'm actually glad Bruce couldn't go to the Teen Club. We loved doing more things with him. Loved all the family time--activities, meals, games, shows. So many fun memories with no blow-ups, everyone laughing together and having fun. A fantastic week.

On the way home we visited for a couple of hours about funny memories and experiences, impersonations of people we met, things we'll miss, etc. So glad we went!