Autumn leaves.....how fun!!!!!

Friday afternoon, Heather came over with the kids and we went out to take some pictures in the park. Here Kalle is trying to throw some leaves in the air!!!

Peekaboo!!!! It is so pretty now with the brilliant colors and the leaves on the ground.

It was quite cold out so Nate has his hands in his pockets and wanted to go back to Gramma's house. We bribed him and Kalle with teddy grahams!!!!!!!

Wedding in Camrose.......

How pretty the trees are now.

Roger busy building his house. So fun to see them all.

Joy and Orv in their new house. It is the exact same plan as the last house they lived in so it does not look too much different. They are hoping they can stay in this one. It is so cute and cozy and very open.
Kirk and Janelle.

This past weekend we went up to Camrose for Kirk's wedding. We stayed at the school because there was no rooms left in the motels there or Wetaskwin apparently because of a hockey tournament. Harold was kind to let us rent out the suite that they have there for the special speakers. Anyway, we had coffee with Harold and Joyce Sat. afternoon and then went over to Roger and Carol's new house. It is going to be beautiful with a full suite for Aunty Ruth, Roger's mom. Roger and Carol were both there working so we got to see them too.

The wedding was Saturday night at a small village outside of Camrose in the community center and Kirk's grandpa Arnold married them. Two of Kirk's aunties sang "You lift me up" by Josh Grobin. Very beautiful. And of course it was fun to see all the boys again and their wives and little Gunnar. He has grown so much. Kjell is a good daddy.

Sunday morning we had breakfast with Joy and Orv and then we went to Resurrection and in the last two months, it has doubled in size. Lots of families with little children. I guess this summer they got a lot of families as a result of the VBS program. Then too, there are alot of students from the school that attend. It was so good to see that. Anyway, it was a busy weekend.

We are all part of God's family..........

Joachim and his friend, Stefan.

Last Monday, our friend Joachim from Edmonton phoned us and asked us if we would have a bed for him on Tuesday night. He had just gotton word that his very dear friend and fellow pastor from Germany was in the hospital in Banff and would be transported to the Foothills to have some tests done on his heart. Anyway, Joachim came down to Calgary to be with his friend and to help him with translation as well as many other things as Stefan does not speak English. Stefan and 20 other friends from Germany had come over to Canada and rented 5 motorhomes and toured through the Rockies, Jasper, interior B.C., Banff, Lake Louise, with the final stop to Vancouver. They had such a wonderful time exploring the beauty and majesty of the mountains and having such fun together. It was the second last day of their vacation that Stefan landed in the hospital. He had his tests and was discharged yesterday. They managed with the doctor's permission to get him a direct flight back to Frankfurt today at around 5:00 P.M. so they just left our house to go to the airport. We were honored to have them both as our guests last night. Stefan is an absolute delight. He has 3 daughters and he is a grandpa, a very warm and interesting individual. What a fun time we had with both of them. They grew up together, are both pastors and have such deep faith. We were able to connect with Joachim again and then meet his dear friend. Of course, Joachim had to translate for us as we chatted. It took me back to when Joachim and Hilda first came to Canada and we had our little English/German book but really talked with our hands and expressions on our faces, sort of like the game charades!!!!! It also brought back memories of Norway when Heather would translate for us and the conversations would take twice as long!!!! But regardless of not being able to converse in their mother tongue there was an immediate connection, a bond......why.......because we are all part of God's family........what a blessing that is.........no matter which country we are from.........no matter what language we speak........no matter what age we are........we have unity because of our God whom we serve! It touched me so when we prayed together just before they left, for Stefan that he would recover fully and then for Joachim as he drives back to Edmonton tonight. What comfort to know that God is with us where ever we are.

Odds and Sods.......

Friday night we had a birthday party for Aunty Ida up at the Beverly with Gramma, (wish you could have been here, Sue so you guys could celebrate together). Jen, Jeff and Cadbury came and of course, he gets the attention!!! Such a nice dog and very well-mannered.

Saturday afternoon and over lunch, Jim's company put on a Family Fun Fair for the employees' and their children and it was fun. They had a beautiful meal, entertainment and outside they had set up all kinds of things to do for the kids. We kept saying to each other that our grandchildren would have loved it and we wished we could have brought them but unfortunately, it was just for the employees' and their stay-at-home kids. Here is one of the things they had set up, learning how to milk a cow and my husband being the farmer at heart that he is had to try it.....even I tried it and we did pretty good. The day was very cool in the morning but it turned out to be warm and sunny later on.

My friend Elda from Edmonton came last Wed. and just left this morning. She is a sales rep for quite a few lines like the John Deere line, scarves and bags, jewellery, etc. and had a show at Spruce Meadows this last weekend. She hadn't been at our house for awhile so it was fun to get caught up. She is a gramma too so we had lots of fun stories to share. I had just worked all night so I look kind of bleary-eyed and not quite with it!!!!! And then this afternoon another friend from Edmonton, Joachim Poetszch is coming to stay the night so I am at present, washing sheets and towels. It never rains but it pours they say!!!!

You probably haven't guessed this......BUT I LOVE BLOGGING.......

I love blogging.....I love writing but only when the spirit moves me........so if you get bored with this.....too bad because I am going to keep on......this is who I am.......

Sometimes the thoughts come in the middle of the night or late at night, sometimes I get overwhelmed with joy and I just have to express it especially when it is in regards to my family, my kids or grandkids......or friends.......sometimes when lonely or sad thoughts come, I tend to keep that to myself or I tell it to my best Friend, Jesus or my next best friend, my hubby.......I find that being positive is alot more fun than having a pity party or being negative all the time. I don't think God intended us to be negative but to "rejoice" in Him and be thankful for all these good gifts that He so abundantly showers us with and He will supply us with the strength we need to keep going day to day. O yes, life can become routine and boring, it can become stressful and we have to go through things, we wish we didn't have to go through but in the midst of whatever, God is there right beside us and for me, that is what makes my life worth living.........knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that God loves me and promises to be with me to the end of the earth.....do you hear it? GOD LOVES ME and YOU!!!

We started our fall Bible Study last night and we are going to be studying about who we are in Christ!! Roy, our leader gave us a bookmark that I am going to read every day.....It says....I AM ACCEPTED AND LOVED.........I AM SECURE.........I AM SIGNIFICANT and it has many Bible verses to go along with each one......How can we not be blessed beyond measure, humbled and so very thankful when we realize that......

Happy Birthday, Sue........

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday, dear Susanne,

Happy Birthday to you!!!!

(That is her hubby, Eric in the background)

One day 35 years ago on September 17th, 1972, a black-haired little baby girl was born. She was born on a Sunday morning at 10:56 A.M. weighing in at 10# 5 oz. We named her Susanne Michelle. She was a happy baby and just absolutely loved her sister Heather. At two years of age her hair had turned blond and was curly. She was a doer and loved to play with dolls, she loved to imagine and loved sports. School was O.K. but mainly because her friends were there, she loved to have fun and kept us laughing too. She would dance down the hallways, I swore she had music playing in her head!! When Nancy was born, she was so excited cause she could help me look after her and that she did. She was a little mother. And now today she is a wife and mother and she and Eric have 5 beautiful children. So our dear Susanne, we just want to tell you just how special you are and how much we love you today and every day. Blessings.

Picture from away back........

As I mentioned in my last post, I dug out my 35 mm camera, got the pics done and lo and behold this was one of the pics. I can't remember when this was but I think we were having coffee at "Field of Beans", right Nanc?

Starting to turn.......

On the spur of the moment yesterday......after I had finished all my errands, I decided to take a drive and take some pictures out at Elbow Falls and Allan Bill Pond. My digital camera is in getting cleaned so I dug out my 35 mm and got new batteries and film (seems so strange now to have to do that) and took off. The trees are just beginning to turn and in a week or so they will be in full, blazing color, the yellows and the oranges with a little bit of red here and there.

I had my coffee, book, chair, camera.......plus the beautiful scenery......not another thing was needed for a relaxing afternoon. I haven't quite figured out how to turn the pic.....sorry.....

The trees are just starting to change color. Not a cloud in the sky.

There is something about sitting beside a river that is so theraputic. It was a lovely couple of hours.

"Thank you, Lord for these refreshing moments in our lives."

Autumn.....

I think that autumn has to be one of my favorite seasons.....even though I am sad that summer has ended with the warm sun and the greens of the garden and trees, there is something about autumn that I absolutely love.......could it be the hint of crispness in the air, the trees all of a sudden, shouting "look at me, I am glorious in all my colors", the crunch of the leaves beneath my feet as I amble down the path in the Park and the cry of the geese and ducks as they prepare to fly south. I read somewhere that autumn is when Nature merely falls asleep and her dreams must be beautiful if we are to judge by her countenance. How true that is.......it is gorgeous in the fall and to take a drive out in the mountains when the trees are in full color is one of my favourite things to do. I feast my eyes on God's creation. I can't get enough. I remember at home in Tiger Hills when September came, yes, it was a new school year but it was also a time when we would work out in the garden, digging potatos, carrots, beets, you name it......we had a large garden.....mom would be busy harvesting and canning.....I can still smell the smoke from the tops of the different vegetables when we would pile it all up in a huge pile and have a bonfire out in the middle of the garden. Jim has fond memories of riding the combine or driving the truck out in the wheatfields often into the wee hours of the morning. Having his mom bring out to the field a wonderful lunch or supper......what could be better and just enjoying the smell of harvest in the air and the twinkling stars at night. There is nothing that is more humbling than being out on the prairies in the dark of night and realizing how small we are in comparison to the vastness of the universe. We so often don't take time to just be thankful for the beauty of autumn around us........

Though nature's beauty may surround us,

It is often UNSEEN by troubled eyes.

With the daily care of living,

Without thought, we pass it by

But to those who are discerning (help us, Lord to be exactly that)

Nature's beauty never cease,

And in its solitude we find

Quiet STRENGTH and sweetest PEACE.

Walking around Lake Alice......

This is one of our favorite things to do when we go down to see our kids in Fergus. Walking around Lake Alice. This was a beautiful evening in August.

Grandchildren + outside + water + sand = FUN

YAHOO!!!!! Church barbeque.......
Playing in the water.....Fairfield Marriott, Minot.......

At the outdoor pool.........Turner Valley.......

and indoor pool........Kaelen, Olson, Noah and Kenna......

At the beach......Hitchcock's Hideaway......

Writing our names......

in the

sand......

Laci's new "do"!!!!!!!!

I just thought this was the cutest........Our miss Laci in her new "do" created by Aunty Nancy at the reunion!!!!! Bet you can never guess what is in there???????

Give up.......

yup.........

a paper cup.......!!!!!!

So clever, Nanc!!!!

Swimming in Turner Valley......and others.......

Yesterday we drove out to Turner Valley to watch our grandchildren swim in the outdoor pool there. They had such fun showing us what they could do.Jumping off the sides and Jemma jumped off the diving board. They have just finished swimming lessons in August. So good for them.
Here they are just having a blast!!

And what a treat to drive into Black Diamond for some yummy ice cream.......

Some pics from the reunion....I like this one.

and this one..... little Breiden......talking to Uncle Ron......

and this one......with Kaia........

Jasper and area.....there are no words to adequately describe how beautiful it is.......

The mountains were calling us this weekend........Jim and I decided to take the Icefields Parkway highway to Jasper and explore a little bit........We hadn't been there since the girls were little and then it was just to drive through. The drive between Lake Louise and Jasper has been called the "most spectacular in the world' and indeed it is an absolutely breathtaking drive.
It was sunny when we started out early Saturday morning but as we got closer to Canmore, it poured!!! We finally drove through the shower and then the sun broke through. As you can see in this picture, the clouds are hanging low on the mountain. The rest of the drive to Jasper was beautiful.........
Jasper is not as big as Banff but a wonderful resort area with lots of little shops and places to see and a personality all it's own.........I loved it and would like to go back.........

The main street is so gorgeous with all the flowers and they were still in full bloom, hanging baskets, containers, gardens.......

These were the gardens in front of the Info Center right in the center of Jasper........

And here we are relaxing with our coffee and a book and the paper in the park right in the middle of town.......... Jasper became Canada's fifth national park on Sept. 14, 1907 so it was celebrating it's 100th birthday.........

We drove up to the closest lakes which are Patricia Lake and Pyramid Lake and on the way stopped for these guys and gals on horses enjoying their trail ride........

There is a lovely resort and lodge near here called the Pyramid Lake resort and just abit further on is a little bridge that takes you to a small island on this lake.......

So we walked around the island.......it was so beautiful and peaceful.........

Here we are sitting......listening to the "silence" and occasionally a loon........ I had managed to find a motel in Hinton, AB which had a couple of rooms left so that is where we stayed. Long weekend, people going out of town, and Jasper was full.....no place to be found plus being expensive!!!! Hinton is about 45 min. east of Jasper and another interesting place. It relies on coal, oil and gas and forest industries. It has been called the "gateway to the Rockies"......

Here we are in front of "Jasper" the friendly bear......

And right beside "Jasper" is......wouldn't you know it...... a 'CAR SHOW'. They just knew Jim was coming!!!!!!!

Today we drove to Mount Robson and what did we see but a mommy black bear and two little ones. I had just said "I want to see a bear" and I got my wish. They were being "berry" aggressive preparing for the long winter.......

Ta daaaaaa.......Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, 12, 972 feet to be exact......another interesting thing is the Fraser River (yes, the one down by Vancouver) has it's beginnings near here, it is merely a trickle here but as it makes it's way down to the Pacifac, it becomes a major waterway........

I didn't want to leave but you would need many more days to explore all there is to explore around this area!!!! We will be back....

This is just one of the many waterfalls along the Parkway.......

And finally coffee at Second Cup in Banff on our way home. What a wonderful weekend exploring places we hadn't seen before in such a beautiful place.