Now you see it, Now you don't

Well I finally did it! I took down the wall between the kitchen and living room. Those that know me know that that wall has been bothering me for years. The people that we bought the house from put the wall up and took 3 feet from the living room and covered up the end of the rock wall. So lame!. That made the living room so skinny. So I finally did it. I'm not finished yet but already I love it! It opens up everything so much so now we can all be together in the same room when we have a gathering. And I can be working in the kitchen and see and talk to anyone who is in the living room.
The before pictures are kind of blurry. My Parkinson's must have been really acting up that day or else I was just excited to get going. So I've included some old pictures that I found that had the old wall and kitchen bar in them. I started out very neatly cutting out pieces of drywall and putting them in the dumpster but then Logan came over and that was the end of that!!! He had a ball smashing and bashing and in the end we ended up with a huge mess but that was okay because he was such a big help and had such a good time. We filled both dumpsters and the trailer.

THIS IS THE OLD







THIS IS THE NEW

Waterton National Park

As a child and teenager I used to spend quite a bit of time here during the summer and I love to go back whenever I have the chance. It is very beautiful and serene. The deer are all over the place and very tame. I had one try to eat my camera. I think she thought I was offering her food. We had a nice family outing with 3 of Douglas' kids, (Aaron, Talmadge, Julia) Darren's 3, LaChelle, Sarahlynn and little Donny. It was pretty windy of course but that didn't stop the kids from playing in the water. We drove by the old Palmer home where we always stayed and it brought back so many fun memories. I was glad to have gotten a picture.

An Outing

Yesterday I took Dad for a ride. We got him into the car, which is quite a task, but he loves to go for rides. I asked him where he wanted to go, and he said that St. Mary's reservoir was really nice. So off we went. I just had Nicole with me for the day and she loved just playing in the water and having a little time alone, away from her brothers. It was a special day. We were able to help Dad onto the picnic table bench where he sat and enjoyed the scenery for a while. Living in a facility and having to rely on others for all your needs is very hard for him but he never complains and has a very good spirit about it all.

O CANADA

Well I'm here and having a great time. You forget about things eh, like the accent and the phrases. Last night we went to a POW WOW of the first nation. They had beautiful costumes and so much energy to be able to dace for a very long time. My sweet little Dad is so frail now. His mind is great but he is growing very weak. I have been taking him for rides every day because he loves to get out and have a change of scenery. We went to the cemetery one day to visit my Mom's and Jacob's (Larry's) graves. My brother Larry came down from the Banff area to visit as well so we have had quite a family reunion. I brought along Logan, Nicole and Jacob, (Darren's) for the trip so they could visit with their Grandparents (Jolayne and Doug) while I visited Dad and to keep me company on the trip up and down. It was also Nicole's birthday so we had a little celebration.

Monkeys and Cousins

What a fun time. I added a new feature to the tree house. A climbing rope!. Well first Hailey and Aubrey tried it by putting their feet on the knots and pulling themselves up the rope with their arms. You know, the good old fashioned way, and they became quite successful but just couldn't go very high but they were determined and kept practicing.
Then of course along came Brooklyn and decided to put the rope between her toes and she climbed right up. Well she taught her method to Bryan and Alyssa and the next thing you know I have a bunch of monkey's swinging on the rope.
Then they moved on to swing upside down on my hammock swings and then, what is more fun that bubbles and cousins. I LOVE IT!!!

24th of July and Apricot Jam

Wednesday night I went home with Liz to spend the night. We went to the Real Soccer game and watched the fireworks afterwards and then in the morning we sat outside the apartment and watched the Parade. So much fun!!!

Then I came home and spent the afternoon making Apricot Jam YUM!!!

Fun on the Big Swing and "LET ME OUT!!!"

Hailey and Aubrey finally got brave enough to try swinging off the windmill and of course now we can't get them off of it!!





Miley J is starting to pull herself up and stand. Everyone else was having fun outside and she wanted out.



"Hooray! I made it!"