Boxing Day

Edward, Jacqueline and family came for lunch on boxing day.  They went out to Taber in the afternoon and returned in the evening.  After super we did our Christmas puzzle.

 Today they all left to go to visit Jacqueline's family in Mountain View.

Christmas in Taber

Christmas Morning

Christmas Dinner

Christmas Breaks

All the grandchildren are on Christmas break.  We are having a break from routine.

On Monday evening Bob watched the Nativity Pageant at the church,  I didn't want to go out on the icy streets.

Tuesday we drove drove to Taber to spend Christmas with the Mosers.

The afternoon started with the "Clash of the Blades".  Two couples withdrew but the other three were very entertaining.  Grandad was disappointed that he couldn't find a partner so couldn't enter.  However, he did put on his skates for the hockey shootout and managed to fall and break two ribs.  He spent  two hours at emergency.

Today the temperature is warming up and the rink will not be in use for several days until the temperature drops again.

Thems the breaks.

The Winning Pair

Visitors in Lethbridge

Nathan, Tara and boys arrived on Friday evening.  Jeremy, Julie and family came on Saturday as did Sue-anne, Darryl and all.  Joan and Earl came on Saturday evening hoping to see the group, but they had all gone home.

Darn, I forgot to get a picture of Joan and Earl.

Earlier in the week we attended the Lethbridge Symphony's production of Les Mis.  The orchestra was wonderful and the whole production went well.  We did enjoy it.

We attended our first basketball game of the season on Friday afternoon.  We went out to Coaldale to watch Taylor and her team play against Okotoks.  It was a close game but Taber won.

O Christmas Tree

We have our Christmas Tree - not yet decorated.  The trees were pretty sparse at the lot where Bob purchased ours.  The lot owner expected to be out of trees by tonight.

Menorah on Top?

Last night we attended our Christmas Family Home evening - a dinner at Shirleys.

Old Grandad on Skates (skates that are old)

Taber - Friday the 13th

Last night after our institute class we drove to Taber.  As soon as we got here Darryl and Sue-anne left for Edmonton.  Taylor is playing basketball in a tournament in Edmonton.  They won their first game this morning.

Sue-anne kindly left us a puzzle to do and it has been keeping us busy!

Although I had planned on indexing while the grandchildren were at school, I couldn't keep away from the puzzle.  (The chairman of the indexing committee in our ward has asked me to do at least one batch a week and I never get around to it, so when I am with the grandchildren I do several batches to catch up.  The last time I did any was when we stayed with Jackson and Mickey in Calgary.)

It hasn't been a great two weeks.  We had over two feet of snow and I have gotten stuck twice.  Luckily there are good samaritans around and I was pushed out both times.  After the snow we had several days of -30 degree weather and then we had wind to blow the snow into drifts.

I had to go to the dentist.  Bob went to the Dr. and is on antibiotics.

One good thing was that I got my visiting teaching done.  We also got our Christmas cards done and gifts sent away.

What more can I say?

2nd Dec - Jeremy's Birthday

Jeremy is in either Korea or Japan so I hope he has a great birthday there.  Wish we could join him.

It has been a bit busier these last two weeks.  We had Family Home Evening at our house on the 18th November.  We had our institute class on the 21st.

On Friday the 22nd we drove to Calgary and stayed with Jeremy's family while Julie and Jeremy were in Palm Springs.  We (Bob mostly) chauffeured Mickey and Jackson; we visited at Nathan's and on Sunday we attended the Cranston Ward where Miranda was participating in the Primary Sacrament Meeting Presentation.  We then had dinner at Edward's house and after dropping Mickey and Jackson off at home we left for Lethbridge.  The sunset was beautiful as we left Calgary.

Monday was a quiet day.  Tuesday I had visiting teachers and we had home teachers.  Wednesday I went visiting teaching and spent the evening at Janet Jubber's home.  Thursday was institute again.  Friday was our Ward Christmas party.

We had great weather last week, but today it started to snow and the temperature started to drop.  There is a blizzard warning, but so far just snow.

Dreary Two Weeks

- Not much going on the 4th & 5th.
- On Thursday the 6th we went to the institute class we have been assigned to teach.
- On Friday, I was hit with one of the terrible colds that I get.  I hadn't had one since we came home from Nova Scotia.  Bob went to the High Priests' party in the evening, but I stayed in bed.
- Saturday morning Bob picked up Langley from basketball and she was here for a bit before going to the movie.  I stayed in bed and didn't see her.
-  Sunday and Monday I still stayed at home.
-  Tuesday I went out for the first time, but still wasn't doing well, so Wednesday morning when Bob went to help at the soup kitchen I stayed home.
-  Thursday morning Mary and Jim dropped in on their way to Winnipeg from Bellvue.  We had our institute class in the evening.
- Friday was a quiet day.
- Saturday we went to Brooks for our quarterly sibling get together.  The roads were bad and we didn't have a great drive, but "neither snow nor rain nor wind" will keep us from gathering together, although Joan didn't make it. The rest of us had an enjoyable dinner and visit.  We stayed overnight and came back this morning in time for church.  The roads had been plowed and sanded and after Taber were mostly clear.  It was a sunny day, but cold.

Visitors During Halloween Week

On the 30th  the ladies from club were here, Thursday Carter and Sue-anne dropped in after a dentist appointment and in the evening 25 "trick or treaters"  stopped by and on Saturday some visitors from the Jehovah's Witness came by to tell us about the resurrection before we were even dressed.

We were also visited by snow, wind, leaves blown into our driveway, rain and today snow again.

Club

Snow Yesterday

Another week has gone by.  We had a lot of lovely warm weather.  Wednesday we went to the Temple.  In the evening I did some visiting teaching.

Thursday morning Sue-anne and Carter came by.  Carter had been  to the dentist and they were supposed to do some shopping and stay until Carter's football game in the evening.  Unfortunately Carter was sick and they went back to Taber. Our home teachers visited us in the evening.

Friday the missionaries came for supper. 

Saturday was a good day.  Carter came to visit in the morning and Bob picked up Langley at 11:30 after a basketball clinic at Gilbert Patterson School.  Langley and I worked on her family history booklet for Young Womens.  After Sue-anne picked up Carter and Langley I watched Skate Canada and then went to Stake Conference.

Carter enjoyed spending time up on the closet while his mother wasn't here.

Sunday was stake conference.  Bob had to be there at 9:00 a.m. so I went early as well.  Just as we were leaving the house it started to rain and by the time the session was over it was snowing.  The snow stopped sometime during the night and it is still on the ground because of the freezing temperature.

Autumn in Lethbridge

We had a fairly quiet week after everyone left on Monday.  We did go out to the genealogical meeting on Thursday evening.  On Friday my sister came in for a visit.  Today Ross and Paulette invited us out to breakfast at the Firestone.  They were coming back from spending Thanksgiving on Vancouver Island and stayed at the Coast Hotel here in Lethbridge.  They can no longer stay with us because Ross cannot get up and down stairs and needs a handicapped shower.

We have had rainy weather and sunny skies - cool weather and warm weather - along with some wind.  Today is a warm day.

It will soon be time to rake the leaves.

Thanksgiving Weekend 2013

After arriving home last Tuesday we had Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to get ready for Thanksgiving.  Nathan and family arrived late Friday evening.  We had Nathan, Edward and Sue-anne and families here for Saturday supper. Courtney was back from Edmonton for the week-end.  Instead of turkey, we had roast beef to the disappointment of some of the family but we did have pumpkin pie..

Monday Jeremy and family arrived.  We went out for lunch at Dono's (a Japanese restaurant) with Jeremy & Nathan's families and then to Dairy Queen for ice cream.

We have seen all our children and nineteen of our twenty grandchildren in the last eight days.  It was wonderful to spend time with them all.

Busy Baines Household

We spent all last week with Darwin, Amber and family.  Everyone was busy, busy:  work, ball room dancing, dancing lessons, piano lessons, Relief Society, etc.

All three children had parts on the Primary Presentation and Caden and Chloe were in a piano recital.

Darwin and Bob went out canvassing for the Boy Scouts.

Bob and I went to the Nova Scotia Mission reunion and enjoyed seeing some of the Senior Couples that we knew and many of the young Elders and Sisters.

The Foley's were the Office Couple most of the time we were in Nova Scotia

Snow on the Mountains showing above the Clouds

The week went by quickly and Monday morning we left about 9:00 a.m. after the rush hour traffic and drove to Helena that day.  The trees were starting to change colour.

This morning we drove home from Helena.  Between Helen and Great Falls there were many trees that had turned yellow and with the sun shining on them they made a beautiful scene.

We arrived home about 1:30 p.m. and received good news in that the cat scan that Bob had the day we left Lethbridge showed there was  no sign of a stroke.

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

Last evening Darwin, Bob and I attended the Oquirrh Mountin Temple.

Visit to Utah

We left on  Friday morning and drove to Idaho Falls where we stayed overnight with our friends, the Okesons, and enjoyed visiting with them.

Saturday it was off to Salt Lake for a couple of hours in the Family History Library and then on to Lehi.

Snow on the Mountains

Homework

Football Week

Carter played four football games in Lethbridge this week.  Bob and I watched two of them.

Our Favorite Player #19

Our Family Home Evening group started up again this past Monday.  We also attended a meeting of the Lethbridge Branch of the Alberta Genealogical Society.

Home till the End of the Month

After arriving home from Idaho we were home for four days and then we went to Calgary to stay with Jackson and Mickey for the week-end.  It was a relaxing week-end as our only duties were to chauffeur and we didn't have to go far.

We did get to visit with Nathan's family and with Edward's family.

Nanjing Teachers' Second Reumion

For the 2008-2009 school year we taught at Nanjing University with the BYU China Teachers program.  There were three other couples in Nanjing with the same program and we became good friends.  We had our first reunion in September 2010.

Last Tuesday morning we left Pocatello and drove to Boise where we met the Slaters and Okesons at the Temple.  After the temple session we went to the shopping mall and had lunch at the food court and then went on to Crouch and then the Terrace Lake Golf resort where Jeannie's father owns a cabin.  Along the way we stopped at Winco to pick up some food and at a post office along the way.

Walt and Marilyn Johnson joined us  at the cabin.

Jim and Jeannie Leaving the Temple

 We were surprised how busy the Temple was.  It had a very big parking lot which was filled.

View from the Front of the Cabin

Walk on Wednesday Morning

What Interested Bob?

Golf Course

Cabin

 Thursday afternoon we were enjoying the swimming pool when dark clouds started to roll in and then we could hear thunder.  We got out of the pool about 4:30 and the lightening began and the pool attendant shooed everyone from the pool. Luckily we were back at the cabin when the wind and rain began. It was a serious storm.  From the front window we watched as a tree fell a little lower down the hill. Another tree fell and knocked out some of the power lines and blocked the road so we were in the dark until 1:00 am and couldn't get down the road.

Tree Blocking the Road

Power Lines Hanging Down

The next day was beautiful and fresh.  We had tickets for "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" at the summer theater in Crouch, but the show was cancelled because the cast couldn't get there from Boise.  The storm had caused a number of wash-outs on the roads in the area.

Can you see the Golden Eagle?

Games

We all left on Saturday morning having had a great time together.  Everyone but us was able to get on the roads they needed, but we had to go a different route than planned because the road still wasn't cleared from a mudslide.
We drove over winding roads surrounded by tree covered hills and then through valleys surrounded by barren hills until we got to Missoula, Montana.  There were intermittent rain showers along the way.

Stanley, Idaho

From Missoula we drove on to Jeremy & Julie's cabin at Echo Lake where we spent the night.  We planned on attending church in Big Fork, but when we got there the parking lot was empty except for another Alberta car and the driver was on the phone trying to find out where Stake Conference was being held.  We went to Kallispell and were not even a half hour late for the meeting.

We drove over the Logan Pass in the rain and clouds and arrived home about 6:00 p.m. Sunday evening.

It's a Long Way to Pocatello

Shortly after 8:00 a.m. this morning we left Lethbridge.  It was beautiful and sunny in Alberta.  There was only one person ahead of us at the border!  We went across Montana under cloudy skies through a few rain showers.  It was a leasurely drive because the traffic was light.  However, when we got to Idaho the traffic was much heavier, but the skies cleared and a bit of sun came through.

We arrived in Pocatello at supper time and after checking into the hotel went to Cafe Rio for supper.

View from the Hotel

Murray Walker Wedding

On Friday we drove to Calgary and visited with Nathan and Edward's families.  Saturday we drove to Rocky Mountain House to attend my brother's granddaughter's wedding.

It was a beautiful day for an outdoor wedding.

Here Comes the Bride

Father of the Bride

Flower Girls

Great Uncle and Aunts of the Bride

Walkers and Murrays

Grandparents of the Bride

We left the reception about 8:00 p.m. and drove back to Calgary where we stayed overnight, attended church, had dinner with Edward and Jacqueline and drove back to Lethbridge.

Jeremy and family were here when we arrived home and will be staying overnight and getting Kennedy settled in for school.