I can't believe it's been almost 2 months since I posted anything! I guess I better try to catch up on what we have been doing!
Last month Gary and I went to the Annual Pancake Breakfast at old Fire Station 1, and met two of my old coworkers from Personnel. It is always fun to catch up with them and see how they are doing. Only Jo Donovan (and her husbanc Gib) and Jessie Garcia were able to make it this year. I hope Cindy and Janet can make it next year.
A bunch of us went to a Union Picnic at Kiwanas Park in Tempe. Reed, Andrea, and Lauryn; April, Gavin, and Ethan; and Matt, Melanie, Heather, and Connor went with me, and had a lot of fun (except it was too hot!). Gary was working that day, and didn't get to go and receive his 25-year pin from the Union.
Halloween was fun this year. I sat outside on the front porch with a fire in a half barrel that Gary made into a fire pit. I handed out candy and roasted marshmellows. Reed, Andrea, and Lauryn dressed up. Matt, Melanie, Heather, and Connor came all dressed up too. And Tyler, Natalie, Hadley, and Cole also came by all dressed up to Trick or Treat!
We had a 4-day weekend on Veteran's Day, so Gary, Rob Sherker (our nephew from Florida), and I went camping at Apache Lake. It was so beautiful there! My favorite part was going kayaking!! The Stake has two kayaks that we were able to borrow. It has got to be one of my all time favorite things to do! I love being on the lake, gliding across the water with the only sound you hear is the paddle sloshing in the water! It was fun chasing after the wild ducks that would dive underwater every time you got close to them, and then they would pop up about 10 yards away from where they went under!
On Saturday, Pat Rogers, Mark Standage, and their boys Kimball and Joseph came up to do a couple of merit badges with Gary. They learned how to care for and handle a knife, an ax, and a saw, earning their "Totin Chip". But their favorite part of their trip was kayaking! They learned real quickly how to handle the kayak, and had a ball racing each other around the buoys! I even heard Joseph say that he wanted to stay here forever! The only thing he missed was his Game Boy. We ate lunch, then made homemade brownies and ice cream. Yum!!!
Gary had fun teaching Rob how to kayak! He has some funny stories to tell about Rob's first attempts! But after a few trial and errors, Rob thoroughly enjoyed the adventure! He's even talking about buying a kayak when he gets back to Florida to use on the rivers near his home!
The weather was warm during the day, and cool at night. We were able to go swimming (sort of!) in the icy water on Saturday (actually one of us went for a swim every morning at daylight! I don't how he stood it!). Then each night we had a warm campfire. I even roasted marshmellows and made Somemores one night!
Sunday morning my Mom and Ron came up to spend the day. They got there early enough to help us make biscuits and gravy and bacon and egss for breakfast. My favorite camping breakfast! Then Mom and I visited, Ron took a nap, and Gary and Rob kayaked all the way to Roosevelt Dam (a four hour trip - up and back!). We cooked steaks and enjoyed a wonderful dinner, before Ron and Mom drove back home in the dark. What a fun day!
Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and we had a wonderful family dinner with everyone at my house. I totally forgot to get my camera out and take any pictures. But we had lots of great food and enjoyed each others company. Rob, Marie, and Evan were able to come up from Tucson to spend Thanksgiving here! It was fun to see their sweet family. Reed and Andrea went to Utah to spend the holiday with her family, so we missed them. And Joel and Becky had a nice holiday with their neighbors in Pittsburgh. We are looking forward to seeing them when they come for Christmas. I can't wait to see and hold that new grandson that we haven't gotten to see in person yet! And to see how their girls have grown!
