Bear Lake - August 28th

I have decided that when we are rich, we will have to own a vacation home at Bear Lake. It is a gorgeous place, has wonderful sandy beaches, and great shakes!
This is the second time we visited Bear Lake. It was a bit cooler and the wind was strong. Fortunately, it was still beautiful. I find it very serene and peaceful.
We went up there this time so Dave could do a 50 mile bike ride with the scouts. Yup, 50 miles. Technically the ride is 53 miles, and Dave "cramped" out at 51 miles. We also stayed with our Bishop's family. Their girls are great! (poor Joshua was left behind because he wasn't old enough).

First Day of School!

Yay! The last two weeks of summer were very stressful - no one was getting along with each other. Olivia (7) locked Emma (10) out of the house because she (O) didn't want to do her chores. The number of tearful phonecalls, screaming matches and loss of privileges increased the closer we got to the first day of school.
They both said that their first day was AWESOME! And they love their teachers. Thankfully, they still feel the same way!
Dave's first day is pretty stressful - new students, students asking to change their schedules, crisis after crisis. But it went pretty well, all things considered.

Ward Campout

Okay, we cheated. We went UP to the campout, but didn't spend the night. We had a lot of fun playing games and goofing off. We wrapped up the night by cooking s'mores and smokies with Cami and Shawn et al. Loved it!

This summer's project

So after living 12 years in our humble abode, we finally were able to remodel our kitchen. No more wallpaper, overhanging cupboards, linoleum or formica counter tops! It was hard work, and Dave did most of the work. His brothers Todd and Rob helped as did his Dad. We used a great cabinet maker and a nice little granite company to finish the job.
I LOVE IT!

Baltimore via Detroit!

Tricia, Syd, Stacy and Addi

I had a business trip to Baltimore the first week of August. One of my very best friends recently relocated to Michigan (Ann Arbor) so I scheduled a layover in Detroit for a few hours. Tricia drove up to the airport with her two kids and we chatted in the baggage claim area. I felt so spoiled! In addition, I actually felt as though I would see her again. I didn't feel the original pain and loneliness I felt when she left Utah. I still miss her terribly, but technology is wonderful and I am attempting to get out there to see her again! HUGS T-Dawg!

Visit to California - The story

This year we went out to California to visit my dad for his 65th (GASP) birthday! My sister let me play Cool Aunt and Jack and Annie traveled with us. I loved it! We actually started out at my mom's house and spent a few days there. Of course there was the necessary Ice Cream night! We didn't order the "kitchen sink" this time...
We also visited Pixieland (just the girls) and I loved how much the girls giggled and laughed. Their smiles say it all!
You would think all the kids were water babies. They took every opportunity to be in the pool or the pond. I can't say that I was too much different, but when there are 5 kids, it makes it more challenging. Jack and Annie took care of Maggie quite a bit - she is still malleable.
When we got up to my dad's, we pretty much just stayed at the Casa de Wallace. The animals, the pond, and grandparents provided enough entertainment for 3 days. My dad enjoyed the kids so much. I know he misses us a lot. And we miss him. I am STILL working on a present for him (it's taking me longer than I thought!). But he did get the present of his grandkids on his birthday!

Visit to California part 3