Family Vacation

This last week we were able to spend a few days at a little resort in Discovery Bay Washington. The cool thing is it was only a couple of hours away from home so the kids didn't drive me crazy in the car. I was just excited to get away. It is very rare for me to have vacation while the kids are out of school. All that mattered for the kids is that they could go swimming any time the wanted.
When we arrived we spent the first hour or two walking the beach and throwing rocks and shells back into the water. Then it was off to dinner in Port Townsend. When we finally got back to our room and got ready to go swimming. Blake and I were the only ones to stay in the pool for any amount of time. Kolby was more interested in watching and laughing at us. The next day we went down to the dock and saw some cool animals that live in the water nearby.

Later we drove to a wild animal park in the area. At first Blake was afraid to go, but as soon as we got there he calmed down and had a blast. One of our favorite moments came from the petting zoo. There was a very cute Lama that Blake really liked. He would frequently run back to pet her when the rest of us were petting the other animals.

Well after a few times she was tired of Blake running up and scaring her. So she did what lamas do best she spat at him. She got him right in the back of the head. To my great astonishment Blake did not scream like a little girl and run away. He stood there stunned and then started laughing.

We spent a good portion of the day driving around that park and looking at all the cool animals.

White Rino

Peacock

Yak

Lots of bears



He was huge and only about five feet away.

Nice Rack!!

He was bigger than our van

I think he was more scared of the boys than they were of him.

We loved our trip but it is good to be home.

Beautiful Klamath Falls

This last week I had the opportunity to help redesign the approaches for the Klamath Falls airport. The trip was very productive and I learned a lot. Tuesday morning at 0630 meet at Seattle Air Traffic Control Center in Auburn Washington. Now you might be thinking Government trip, fly down first class and the best hotels in town right, no way flying is for wusses we got to drive in a beautiful 2000 Chevy Blazer. The good thing about that car is it has four wheel drive and we needed it. The drive down was great until Eugene Oregon. Then the snow came. I was the fortunate driver. We were driving in near white out conditions. Visibility was down to about thirty or forty feet. I was very fortunate to find a big rig to follow, I was able to see the faint outline of his trailer and hope that he would not lead me into the ditch. After 10 1/2 hours we made it to Klamath Falls. We then went and checked in at the Best Western. Now as far as hotels it was the best in town, and that is not a dig. I was shocked at how nice the hotel was, and how good they were to us. Wednesday was a full work day. We spent hours on each approach. It is crazy that one little change can have a huge impact on our traffic flow in and out of the airport. Thursday was a short day, not that we didn't have a lot to do it is just that we were hit by a blizzard and they closed down the airport and the military base. We were able to get all of our work done before we had to leave, but we were the last people left on base. One of the fun parts of the trip was seeing and climbing on and around the F-15's. The Drive home was not much better than the drive down. We drove for almost 13 hours, through some really nasty passes. Over all the trip was a success, and I learned a lot.

Base Motto

Checking out the F-15E

side profile

The business end, watch out
Left out in the cold

one of the many hangers

Base Mascot

I love this Church!!

As many know, the LDS Church has lost a great man this week. Our leader, prophet and President of the Church, President Gordon B Hinckley. It may seem sad at first, for we will miss him dearly, but there are two great things that keep me cheerful still. They are first, the fact that we need not worry about the state of the church after the passing of our leader. This is because it is all laid out before us who will be next to serve our Church and the world. We never need to question who will be next and is there someone out there worthy enough, good enough, or what will happen in the meantime. The Church has many willing servants and they are laid out in a line so to speak. There is an order to things and everything will fall into place. We also know that although each president has had different strengths and things they may focus on, the Gospel remains the same. There will be no changes in doctrine and thus no need to question our membership in this great church. The other thing that keeps us all positive in this time, is the knowledge that we have of the afterlife. We know what comes next and it is nothing to fear or be sad about. How do you feel truly sad about a wonderful spiritual man dieing? Instead the members of the church are happy for him, he will be reunited with his lovely wife, something that is will be a true joy for him. We believe in eternal marriage and this is a time when we can all reflect on how wonderful that is. I am very comforted by the fact that I can be with my husband forever. He was out of town this week, which is rare for him, and it has heightened my awareness of how much I love him and love to be near him. I am grateful for this opportunity, I am grateful for this gospel and I am grateful for the service and love of President Gordon B. Hinckley.