Reunion at Beaver Mines 2013

Our second official family reunion was held in Beaver Mines in 2013. The location was lovely featuring a beautiful lake, mountains and hikes. We took the boats and the kids enjoyed activities of hiking, swimming, boating, fishing, biking, and swinging a stick. ☺ Of course there were more leisure activities to enjoy as well such as games, books and sitting around the camp fire.

The drive up was beautiful with a view of the mountains that came layer after layer, each layer fading a little bit more into the background.

We began with setting up camp, a beautifully treed area with just enough room for two large tents and all our stuff. We unloaded the bikes and no sooner than the tents and bedding were taken care of, the kids began zooming around the camping loop. They loved it because there was a significant hill that lead right to our area. We also discovered, almost immediately, that we had forgotten to bring the ignition key for the moped. Chad fiddled with it for a long time, but finally he figured out to hot wire the thing so he could use it to explore a bit as we camped. ☺

The water was a definite attraction for the kids. With a nice sandy beach, it was nice to walk on and they had an assortment of tunnels, ditches, and sand castles giving the beach character woven intricately along its shores.

Thursday night Chad and I took a short stroll down to the lake to enjoy the view, and upon returning discovered that Melodee had just zipped down the hill on the bike and Charity, who wanted a turn, stepped too close to the bike as it raced past. Melodee overcompensated and wiped out - royally. Her arm was really hurting so we decided to take her in to the hospital to have it looked at. We were surprised at how quickly they took care of us. It was 9:30 before we got there, and we were back to camp by midnight! Melodee, it turned out, had indeed fractured her arm... for the third time in her life! They didn't cast it, this time they splinted it and put it in a sling.

Regardless of her injury, it didn't slow her down in the least! When we hiked, she hiked to, when we swam so did she, and when we broke the pinata's, she was right in there swinging just as hard as everyone else!

It's tradition... every time we have a family reunion, we have to have a pinata stuffed with sugar. This year, with the pivot country fair at home only weeks before our camping trip, we had two pinata's to break. We had a perfect tree with an overhanging limb to work off of but it turned out we had forgotten a blindfold. We ended up using ski goggles and a bright green washcloth to prevent the hitter from seeing what they were swinging at.

 Charity fashioned her pinata after Donald Duck. He didn't take the trip too well though and had a few wobbly limbs. He was still a lot of fun to break open though. We broke him first, on Friday night.

Breanna fashioned her pinata after a Monsters Inc character. She has so much fun making it that it was hard for her to let it be broken open, but in the end, the fun and the candy were all worth it. We broke it open on Saturday after the hike. Below you can see that Melodee is swinging the stick at it as though she had no injuries at all!

The hike... Saturday was our hike day, unfortunately, I was having some health issues and was not feeling well enough to hike. The kids all reported that it was a hard hike, but very beautiful once they got to the top of Table Mountain. I had wondered if Melodee could do it, but she would not be left behind. Everyone had lots to say about their first mountain climbing experience... they all agreed that it was hard but it was worth it. A valuable lesson, for it is true, that everything worth having takes a lot of work to achieve.

This is Table Mountain. They climbed all the way to the top.

Enjoying the view from the top.

Eating a picnic lunch under the shade of the trees.

The view was amazing!!!

While everyone hiked, I pulled out my paints and paper and did a little painting. Having been enthralled with the layers of mountains visible when we drove in, that is what I chose to paint...

Saturday evening we began getting ready for Sunday. Since we were still camping, we heated some water and began the process of washing hair and cleaning up. With 6 girls present, we were busy on the hair for a while. After that was done, Naomi spent some time braiding hair for her sisters.

Sunday was a lovely day for our family. We have gotten so that we quite like visiting other wards, and this time we got to visit Pincher Creek. It is a small ward, but very welcoming and we enjoyed our time there. After returning back to camp, we decided to go for a Sunday afternoon stroll along the lake shore. We saw so much beauty it was truly inspiring. We even discovered a bear print (that's when we decided to head back!) I am so very grateful for the wonderful beauties that the Lord has given us to enjoy and delight in. What wonder!

We had a wonderful time as a family sitting at the feet of the mountains this year. We were sad that not everyone could be there with us, but I know that as the kids get older it will get harder and harder to get everyone together. We will enjoy what we have in the moment we have it rather than dwelling on what we want.

Like this reunion, life is full of so much. There are the hard times - like hiking up a mountain or breaking your arm, there are the time when you have to leave your comfort zone - like going to church in a new place. Life offers you pleasures each day - like cool water when you swim, lapping waves when you boat, provoking aromas as you cook, laughter as you play, and peace when surrounded by beauty. Yet, whether glorious or difficult, there is not a single part of our summer adventure that I would trade. Even Melodee's broken arm didn't hold her back. We are so blessed to have each other! Today is a PRECIOUS, PRECIOUS gift.

A Little Bit of Country

This month some good friends offered us the opportunity to attend a concert in Calgary. They had an extra set of tickets to the Paul Brandt concert and invited us to go along. We accepted the invitation. About a week before the concert we met them at Echodale park and had a picnic and boating outing. It was a perfect opportunity to catch up on each others lives and to get the tickets.

It was a beautiful day and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Even more so, however, the kids really had fun together. We had Charity and Breanna with us, and their kids, Evan and Kya, were close to the same ages. The dads and the kids boated together playing bumper boats in the water and then we had a picnic lunch. Later we all walked over to the swimming area where the adults visited as the kids played. At dusk, it was hard to convince the kids that they needed to go home, they were having so much fun playing in the water.

Before we left the park, Charity took some photos of us...

What a wonderful day... 

While we were playing in the water and visiting, our older kids were having the opportunity of a lifetime at Moroni's Quest. Each was required to dress in Nephite attire to participate. They looked so good all dressed up and ready to learn like never before about the Book of Mormon. They were gone for 4 days - Friday through Monday.

The following weekend, Chad and I traveled to Calgary for the Paul Brandt concert. Having never been one to follow a specific singer, this was an opportunity I likely would never had taken on my own initiative. However, we thoroughly enjoyed the concert... even though we only knew about half the songs. It was so much fun to watch Paul Brandt in his complete enjoyment of performing. He involved the crowd and the enthusiasm and energy he created was palpable. The music was good and it was clean. The lights and special effects were amazing. All together it made the experience a good one that we will remember fondly for a long time. 

Now, among the crowd, there were some examples of very poor conduct. Since we were seated behind a couple that were engaged in each other more than the show, it was difficult not to notice the distasteful nature of their behavior in public. I cannot express how deeply grateful I am, that my husband treats me with dignity and consideration at all times. I am always treated as a woman of worth, and I am so thankful for his respect and honor. It is amazing how witnessing such a contrast to what I have been blessed with makes me so much more grateful for that blessing. ♥

Along with the concert, we also got to spend some time checking out the attractions at the Stampede grounds. As for me, I have never been to the Calgary Stampede before, and we found it interesting to visit the different events that were going on. We also rode the C-Train for the first time. I've ridden the metro in Quebec before, but it is all underground, so the Calgary LRT was a new experience for us both. I must say though, that despite the crowded condition of the train, it was very pleasant to just ride .... for you see, I despise navigating heavy traffic EVEN when I'm not driving. On the LRT we rode from city center to the southern outskirts of the city in good time, and didn't have to worry about ANY traffic! It was wonderful!!!

There is much good in the world, but for all the good that is there, there is also a great deal of lesser activities that one can indulge in. The Stampede and all the events that it offered was a real life example of this principle. With all that we enjoyed on our days adventure, there was a fair bit that we also avoided and found distasteful. I loved the art! I enjoyed the animals - pigs, cattle, horses, sheep, goats and chickens. I even found a few things at the market that interested me, though I didn't like the high pressure sales tactics of some merchants. I loved the sunshine, the country dancing and the companionship of my dear husband. I did yearn however for healthy food... I never found any... I yearned for a little shade, and a little later I yearned for a quiet place to relax. At one point we even had our picture taken courtesy of Enmax!!! What a fun day! ☺

The friends that gave us the tickets, are people that we worked for several years ago. It is amazing how a good impression will stay with people. Chad left a very good impression, he always goes the extra mile for his customers, and they were no exception. When I thanked them for the tickets and offered them a small gift of appreciation, I was told that that was not necessary. I insisted that it was, and I was told that we had done more for them than I knew. I believe, knowing Chad's good heart, that that is a true statement. I am so blessed to have such a husband. Not only does he bless the lives of all those he serves, but his serving nature blesses the lives of his children each and every day as well. We are all so blessed to have each other. I thank the Lord for my good family each and every day of my life.