Blessing Day for Baby Brady

Today was a marvelous sabbath.  

I had lots of tender feelings as the day passed by.  First, Brady was blessed by his father.  I was overcome with emotion as I saw Brady's father, brothers, grandpas, and great-grandpas walking up to stand in the circle.  My thoughts were centered on the fact that this little boy has many good exemplar men to help him through this journey of life.  While there were only two from Kendra's family present (Rick and Skylar) ALL of Brach's brothers were there along with his father and two grandfathers.  His grandpa Bartlett, while using a walker, slowly walked to the front to be a part of this momentous occasion.  It makes me so happy as a grandmother to know that there are many who will be helping this little one as he travels the path of life, with all of it's sorrows, trials and temptations.  It's hard to imagine what the world will be like in 20 years when Brady is reaching manhood but hopefully with good examples from friends and family he will escape the wiles of the devil and stay firmly rooted in the light of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

After the blessing as I was gazing into his eyes and he was intently looking into mine, I was filled with love for this little one and felt such gratitude for the temple and the sealing power that binds us together as families eternally.  Heavenly Father is so good to us and wants us to return to him.   It is through the cleansing power of the Atonement and the covenants that we make in the holy temple that can make this possible.  There is nothing, nothing more important in this world more important than making and keeping sacred covenants in the temple.  It is what we all should be living our lives for.  I love the eternal truth that.....

FAMILIES ARE FOREVER.

Temple Road Trip Part 2

Saturday morning we got up early and had a nice breakfast at the b&b and then headed off to the Kootenai County Farmer's Market.  It was a cute little market with fresh fruit, pastries and handmade goods.  We didn't buy anything to spectacular....just a few pastries. 

Rick did try the aebleskivers that came recommended by Diane, our b&b host.  He liked them but he was also full from breakfast so it was hard to get them down.

That bottle I am holding is apple cider syrup.  It is used as a marinade or topping on ice-cream.  The man who sold it to us says it's great when making pulled pork.  That sounded good so I bought two:)

After the market we got some much needed laundry done at the laundromat.  We also made a Wal-Mart stop to pick up a few things.  Mostly I wanted to get some trinkets for my littles as a surprise.  A few weeks ago I had a talk with Rafe about sleeping in his own bed every night.   It has become common for both kids to be in Brach and Kendra's bed each night.  Thus, they are not getting enough sleep....especially with a new baby joining in.  Rafe told me that a flashlight and a nightlight will help him so I picked up those things as well:)

After the errands were done we packed up our stuff and went over to one of the beaches by the lake.  We enjoyed resting and reading and playing in the very cold water!

Sunday after breakfast, (and sending an email to Francis) we got to our church meetings in a nice chapel here in Couer d'Alene.  We went to the 10:30 block so by the time we got out we were ready for lunch.  We had picked up some picnic food and supplies the day before so we gathered it all up and headed to a park by the lake.  It was the perfect lunch for us!  Rotisserie chicken, cheese, artisan bread, and some goodies.  After a relaxing lunch (and maybe a small nap) we got back into the truck and took a scenic drive around the lake.  We didn't go all the way around the lake but went as far as Harrison and then turned around and  came back.  It was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Monday was a really fun day!  Last month at my Physical Therapy appointment, I mentioned to my Dr. that we were taking this road trip to Couer d'Alene.  He told me of this fun activity that he had done many years before and recommended it to me.  He couldn't remember the details but that it was a bike path a ways past Couer d'Alene that used to be an old rail track that was converted into a bike trail.  Well, I looked into it after I got home and discovered the "Ride the Hiawatha" trail.

I am so glad that he told me about it because it truly has been a highlight of our trip.  We drove up Highway 90 a little over an hour to the Montana border and got off at the Lookout Pass Ski Resort.  There we were able to rent bikes, helmets and lights for our SIXTEEN AND 1/2 MILE bike journey.  What an incredible journey it was.  We loaded our bikes in the truck and drove the extra two miles to get to the East Gate trailhead.  Our first 1 1/3 mile was through the first and longest tunnel.  (Thus the need for lights) We were in awe of these tunnels hewn out of the rock to make way for the old steamer trains that ran this Hiawatha route.  We went through a total of nine tunnels and over seven trestles on our journey.  We were amazed at the beautiful vistas and the wonderful smells of the mountain air.  My heart was full as I took at God's glorious creation of these beautiful mountains, waterfalls and streams.  I told Rick many times along the trail, "this makes me want to go camping!"  It was such a wonderful experience for the both of us!

We stopped for a picnic lunch halfway through and gave our rear ends a break.  By the end of the sixteen and 1/2 miles I was glad to get off that bike seat!  That is a long ride.....but soooo worth it!

That evening we had another adventure.  Rick had signed us up to do some parasailing.  I had told him a few days before that I didn't want to do anything too adventurous......so when he signed us up I was not too thrilled.  We have been parasailing before (in Ixtapa, Mexico) but that was over ten years ago when I was a little younger and I really wasn't feeling it this time.  I agreed to go because it was something Rick really wanted to do.  I might look happy in this picture as we are taking off on the boat but I was a ball of nerves inside.

There were four couples on the boat and we were the last to ride.  My courage increased as I watched the other couples take off and land and heard their exclamations of how wonderful it was.  Finally it was our turn and it went very smoothly.  Being in the air like that wasn't scary at all and was actually very peaceful:)  Toward the end of our ride the captain dropped us down to "dip" our toes into the water.  After all was said and done, I was glad to have had the experience!

The next day, Tuesday we packed up and left our b&b and headed south toward McCall.  It was a five hour drive.  We stayed in a small motel called the Rustic Inn.  We enjoyed a Mexican dinner that night and afterward took a drive down to Lake Payette.  McCall is a beautiful area!  There were quite a few tourists and campers in town but McCall is nice where it still feels like a small town atmosphere.  I kind of was expecting Couer d'Alene to be more like that but it was much bigger.

After a good night's rest we golfed nine holes at the McCall golf course.  It was sooo beautiful!  Cabins lined the fairways and the course was so green and full of trees.  On the fourth hole as we pulled up to the green a mama deer and her fawn were just a short distance away grazing on the bushes not even caring that we were so close.  We saw a few more deer as we continued through the course.  Just a wonderful setting to play a round of golf!  Pictures just do not do it justice!

After our round of golf we stopped at the McCall (small) farmer's market and bought a few goodies for the road.  It was another 4 1/2 hour drive to get to Sun Valley.  We have been staying in a condo since Wednesday night..  We were supposed to go white water rafting yesterday but unfortunately Rick got sick Wednesday night, and we were not able to go:(  We had a laid back day instead.  By noon I was ready for something to eat so we rode into town to the Burger Grill and got a bowl of soup.  Afterwards, we walked around a few shops while Rick made some phone calls.  We also drove over to the Sun Valley cemetery where Ernest Hemingway is buried.  I didn't care to see his grave so much but I did read that there are some pioneer graves there so we went looking for 'old timers' in the cemetery.

We went back to the condo for more "down time" and then later in the evening went back to Burger Grill for more grub.   

It was a laid back day but a nice way to end our trip.  After dinner we watched not one but two movies.  Pure Luck (one of our favorites) and You Again. 

Here are some pictures of our condo.  It cost us just as much to rent this for two nights as a hotel room would have cost here.

The balcony overlooking the golf course.

The living and kitchen area.

Rick slept in this bed the night he was sick:(  He didn't want to keep me awake.

The master bedroom

The front door

Our two week long road trip is coming to an end!  It has been really great going to FIVE new temples and seeing the North Western area of Idaho.  It is such a beautiful place!  The long drives getting from place to place were filled with wonderful mountains, streams, rivers, farmland, little towns, and lots of sky.  We have made many memories and enriched our relationship by spending good quality time together!  Now we're excited to get home to our family!

Temple Road Trip Part 1

For many months now, Rick and I have been planning to take a road trip during the month of July when the SL Temple is closed.  We thought we would drive through Idaho and Washington to attend some temples that we have never been to.  We have been gone the last week and a half touring through Idaho, Washington, and a little bit of Oregon and Montana.  It has been a wonderful time spent together seeing and doing some special things.

We left on Sunday the 8th after our block of meetings and drove up to Wapello to spend the night with Karen and Dennis.  We got a late start so we didn't arrive to their home until after eight o'clock but we found that Lance and Jen and their kids were still there so we were able to sit and visit with them for a couple of hours.  It was really delightful, especially since we haven't seen Lance and Jen for a very long time.  It was good catching up with what is going on in their family and learning more about Lance's work as a Nuclear Engineer.  It's pretty fascinating how much he gets to do with his work.  Karen pulled out some meat and bread and brownies for a snack which we were both grateful for and we had a nice visit all of us sitting there together:)

We got a good night's rest and just as Karen was heading out for a doctor's appointment, Trent stopped by and we got to visit with him and Dennis for an hour.  It is neat to see these "kids" that have grown up into fine men who have sweet families.  After a while Rick and I drove out to Thomas and the area where Rick was raised.  We saw the old Thomas house and he recounted some fun memories as we peeked through the windows.  The house is for sale so peeking through the windows was ok:)  He remembered how he and Kathy would play in the water from the irrigation ditch as kids and how they had found some beer on the side of the road and laughed as they poured it into the irrigation ditch to "get the fish drunk":-0   Oh, the joys of childhood!

The Thomas house.

We drove through two other places where he had lived then met Dennis and Karen and Lar for lunch at Tommy Vaughn's.  More visiting and food!

After lunch Rick and I got on the road for the hour and a half drive to Twin Falls.  We got checked into our hotel (Fairfield Inn) and then went to explore the town. We had read about Shoshone Falls on

the internet and set out to find them.  Thank goodness for GPS because we were able to drive right to them....and they did not disappoint!  Really beautiful falls.  I had no idea that Twin Falls had such beauty running through it.

After the falls we drove over to an AMAZING overlook of the canyon with the Snake River running through it.  Such beautiful views.  We were able to catch a shot with the sun going down over the valley.  WOW!

After sightseeing we had some Italian food at Johnny Carino's.  We were super hungry and the food was super good!

The next morning we got up early to get to the Twin Falls Temple.  This temple was eighth in our list of new temples attended this year.  We felt really blessed to be able to find family names to do while on this trip.  We started out with nine baptisms.  Five women and four men.  This was a special experience.

After the temple we stopped at a Deseret Book because of all things on this temple trip we FORGOT OUR TEMPLE CLOTHES!!  We both bought some clothing to get us by throughout the rest of our temple stops.  I did a little hemming on Rick's pants because the pants that they sell there are made for GIANTS.  That wasn't too hard with a little help form a hemming kit that we bought, but I was NOT going to hem my dress by myself.  I'm really not that handy with a needle and tread and I did not want to ruin a $50 dress.  It was ok though.  I was able to make the long dress work in the subsequent temple trips.  After a wonderful breakfast at IHOP we got on the road towards Boise.  We drove right up to the temple and got the initiatory done for all of our nine names that we had been baptized for in TF.  

The Boise Temple!  Number nine on our list for the year.  

The Boise temple looks very much like the Las Vegas Temple on the outside....but the inside is completely different.  I loved the picture that Rick was able to get with the panorama option on his phone.

We stayed the night at the Springhill Suites in Boise.  It was nice because the hotel offered the rental of some vintage bikes to ride along the greenbelt just behind the hotel.  We love biking so we rented the bikes for a bit and rode a few miles down the greenbelt path.  It was quite lovely!  The path ran along the Boise River and then on into an affluent neighborhood with beautiful homes and landscapinging.  It was a fun little jaunt for the morning.

After getting ready for the day we drove the few miles over to Meridian.  

Meridian Idaho Temple.....number ten on our list this year.

As the temple came into view I couldn't believe how large the angel Moroni seemed.  It was closer to the ground than most temples and so it was much larger to our eyes.  This was a beautiful temple as well.  It is neat to see how each temple is so different inside.  We did a session here:)

After leaving Meridian we stopped and got a sandwich at Bruchi's.  I should've got what Rick got (the philly sandwich) because mine (The Cuban) was not that good:(  Anyhow, we got on our way to Richland.  It seemed like a long drive (about five hours I believe) but we did break it up by stopping at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center.  I don't know what "interpretive " means but it was a nice museum to walk through.  Boy, those pioneers sure had a rough go of it.  Their trek was nearly twice as far as the Mormon pioneers.

We arrived in Richland by dinner time so after getting checked into our hotel (TownPlace Suites) we found some grub at an Italian restaurant down the street.  Didn't love it but all in all it was fine.

The next morning we drove over to the Columbia River Temple.  

Number eleven on our list.

This also had a smaller steeple so the Angel Moroni was again, larger than normal.  We did family names here in a session here as well.  This temple has a beautiful celestial room with a 35-40 foot cupola ceiling right in the middle of the room with a giant crystal chandelier hanging from it.

Just spectacular!

After the temple we started toward our destination....Couer d'Alene, Idaho.  It was quite a drive another 4 1/2 to 5 hours but we were able to find our b&b snuggled up in the mountains just about a ten minute drive from the town.  We really enjoyed our stay here.  Our hosts Roland and Diane were very hospitable and served up HUGE yummy breakfasts every morning.  If we went away hungry it was our own fault.  Our room was a little small with a tiny bathroom but it worked just fine for us.  It was a good place to 'hang our hat' for five nights.

That evening we drove into town and got dinner at one of the restaurants at the Couer dAlene hotel.  It was called Dockside and had a great salad bar.  That's what we ordered and then I splurged and got their specialty dessert called a "gooey".  It was gooey with lots of ice-cream, fudge sauce, and chocolate chunks.  Wow!  Crazy chocolatey!  Rick went with the traditional berry cobbler.  Good stuff!

The next morning after breakfast (Roland said that it was the first time anyone had come to their breakfast table in a white shirt and tie:) we drove back into Spokane to get to the temple there.

Spokane Washington Temple......number twelve on our list for the year.

This was our fifth temple in four days!  That felt like a lot, but it was all very nice and it felt good to be doing ordinances for our family names.  

After the temple we went down by the riverfront and got some bbq street food.  We love street food!

Then picked up some ice cream from a different food truck.  Brain Freeze ice cream was what was needed on a hot 95 degree day in Spokane.

We took a gondola ride over the Spokane River Falls, and then after that we walked down to them to get a better and closer look.  They were beautiful!

That night after returning to Cour d'Alene and getting a much needed nap we went into town and hopped on a dinner cruise on the Couer d'Alene Lake.  It was so beautiful.  The vistas from the lake were great!  I was surprised at how many lake houses there were lining the shores.  Some older cabins mixed in with some million dollar cabins.  They all had a nice spot on the lake, though.  The dinner on the cruise was surprisingly good.  Usually these buffets are just so so, but this food was delicious.  They served a salad bar with a couple of different cold salads added on.  The main course consisted of roast beef and salmon, three cheese mashed potatoes, veggies and a roll.  Dessert was a cobbler with cream.  We enjoyed watching the sun slip down into the mountains as we were cruising around the lake.  A very recommendable activity!