Thailand & Cambodia 2010

Spring Break this year had us taking off for Southeast Asia. We went with the tour group, Fun for Less, to Thailand and Cambodia. (Yes, we had "fun" and it was "for less"!) It was the first time for Jennifer to experience the harsh reality of poverty. It definitely was an eye opener for her and us as well. We are so blessed to live in the USA!

Thailand

Cambodia

Update on Grandson #5

Our last post has probably left you wondering how our little grandson #5 is doing. As you can see by the picture Preston is doing well. Isn't he a cutie? I was able to go with Jaime last week to his neurology appointment and the doctor seemed to be upbeat about his progress. He still has some more follow-up appointments though but so far everything is looking great!
Preston is a sweet baby: he takes his foul-tasting medicine without spitting it out, he likes to face outward when being carried, he likes to be rocked, he likes to fall asleep in your arms, he coos when you talk to him, and he smiles (even in his sleep)! He's definitely a keeper.

Our 'Ohana Has Grown!

Grandson #5 (no granddaughters yet) has joined our family! He was born to Jaime and Nate at 10 p.m. PST on Dec. 9th. 9lbs. 1 oz. and 19 1/2 in. long! Poor petite Jaime...he was a little larger than anticipated. Just shortly after birth he had to be taken to the NICU because of breathing difficulties. The doctors think he has pneumonia and are treating him with antibiotics. They are running more tests today to rule out any other medical issues. His condition is stable and he is slowly being weaned from the ventilator but he's not out of the woods yet.

It's times like this that our family (or should I say our 'ohana) is strengthened as we humble ourselves and draw closer to our Heavenly Father through fasting and prayer. We are so thankful that we understand His "Plan of Happiness". We know where we came from, why we're here, and where we are going. We also know of the profound love that Heavenly Father has for each one of us. Jaime's "little' boy, so pure and innocent, just left Heavenly Father's presence so he could take the next step in the plan. We are glad he's here. He's taught us so much about our Heavenly Father's love in just the last 36 hours.

Remodel Update

Slowly but surely the remodel is getting finished. Our appliances were installed yesterday which means we will no longer need to store our food in the cooler. (We may need to purchase a new cooler since the one we were using was starting to get really nasty!) The tiled focal point of our entryway will be grouted today so by tomorrow we won't have to watch where we step as we go from the bedrooms to the kitchen.

Now if I can only get them to put the washer and dryer back in the laundry room and re-hook them up so I can wash some clothes!

Too Late Now!

There's a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, it's been there off and on for a week now. It started about 8:30 in the morning last Monday just when our home's remodeling project began. My stomach started churning the moment I heard the deafening sounds of a single, tiny jack-hammer chipping away at the tile of our front entry. I suppose I was mostly surprised the tile people started in the living room and not in some out-of-the-way and out-of-sight place. Perhaps they did that so I couldn't change my mind once they started. At any rate our house is a mess!



Today, just as I was beginning to get used to the destruction of our home and the changes being made, I discovered a slight, no, a major error in the placement of the new tile in our front entry! Once again I wondered why it couldn't have been in some out-of-the-way and out-of-sight place where it didn't matter? I'm feeling sick all over again. I've been assured by the tile people they can fix it tomorrow, I hope so. I wonder if I will be able to sleep tonight?

Angel's Landing

The news this morning that a hiker in Zion National Park slipped and fell to her death caused us to reflect on our own hike just two weeks ago at the same place. Our condolences to her family. The Angel's Landing hike is a 2 1/2 mile trek up with the last 1/2 mile being the most challenging and dangerous portion. There is a chain bolted into the mountain that the hiker holds on to as he/she navigates up a narrow, rocky, and steep path. There are sheer drop offs between 900 - 1200 feet on either side of this trail. Signs are posted at the beginning of this last section warning the hikers about the inherent dangers and risks involved. We were surprised that there weren't more controls on who should hike the trail because it seemed to us that it required more experience than what the majority of the hikers had.

Cindy started to climb the final portion to the top but didn't feel steady enough to attempt the steep, narrow path so she decided not to go any farther and carefully climbed back down to wait in the area called "Scout Lookout". Blaine and Jennifer went through the first section of chains and stopped at what is known as "the neck." They felt it was too risky to go any farther. A single mis-step, a loose rock on the trail, or even a whiff of wind could have ended in disaster. Pictures from our hike are contained in our Aug. 6 slideshow.

The article on yesterday's tragedy can be found in the Salt Lake Tribune at the following link:

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_13027047?IADID

We are fortunate that our hike went safely and that we listened to promptings of the Spirit. We feel terrible about what has happened to this family. Our prayers go out to them What a tragedy.

CA to UT

I think I'm getting the hang of PS Elements, at least the slide show was easy to figure out. Hope you enjoy these pictures from our trip in July.