Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Grandchildren

Heavenly Father was so very wise in giving us children to adore!
We are privileged to have these children call us "Grandma" and "Grandpa."
Timothy would do a little piano playing, then swing around and pose for his photo.  Loads of character, that one has!
Angela--our little miracle granddaughter.  Look how big she is at 5 years old. 
Remember?  She was born 2 months early!



What a Blessing!

A Wedding

Hawaii is Paradise. 
And to attend an
LDS Temple Wedding? 
Double Paradise.

G.O.B.


G.O.B.
a.k.a. Jobey, Gob, Goblin
Our beloved cat now resides in Cat Heaven.  He was born in May 2007 in a garage in Cedar Hills, Utah.  Vickie first saw him when a student brought three kittens to school for Show & Tell.  Vickie asked the student’s mother, “What are you doing with the kittens?”  The mother replied, “We are moving and we have to get rid of them.”  Vickie told her that she wanted the orange kitten when he was ready to leave the mama cat.
In June, the Richey family received their new kitten—a long haired male orange tabby with hazel eyes.  He joined two other cats, Meisha and Ashley/Hunter, and one dog, Milo.  He got along great with Milo and they would play and chase each other.  Milo sometimes dragged him by the ear across the wooden floor and the kitten would just complacently sit there.  Our new kitten was named after a character from the TV series, Arrested Development: G.O.B. after Gob (pronounced Job, like from the Bible). G.O.B. stands for George Oliver Bluth from the same TV series.




The family had difficulty keeping GOB inside the house.  He loved being outside and would sneak out whenever the garage was opened.  He became increasingly crafty at eluding capture.  That first summer, 2007, someone from the road construction crew in front of our house, took him home thinking he was lost.  After a little investigating, he was returned and quickly fitted with an identification collar.
Jobey loved to be petted, brushed, and cuddled.  He had a daily morning routine which began with his “sonic meow”, followed by being brushed, eating canned cat food, and nursing his fleece blanket while purring.  He would then wait in the garage until Brent and Vickie opened it to leave for work each morning.   Then he would shoot out of the garage and dash across the street to the big pine tree.
Jobey was a very affectionate and mischievous cat.  He was friendly to everyone and every animal in the neighborhood.  There were numerous reports of his affection for neighborhood dogs:  Jobey would simply lie down in front of the dog and pat the animal.  Dogs were very confused by his behavior.  Small children could easily pick him up or pet him.  He loved and was loved by everyone.
GOB loved to curl up at night in any comfy chair, especially the rocking chair in the upstairs family room--and that’s the last we saw of him.
Early Monday morning, August 1, 2011, the family received a call.  “Do you have a cat named G.O.B.?  He is in the street, not moving, maybe hit by a car.”  He was about a block from home, 1540 N 200 W—safely across the busy 1600 street and probably hit by a car on a seemingly quiet side street.
The family grieves for their sweet pet.  He will truly be missed.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Colorado Summer 2011

Sterling
My brother and his family invited me to vacation with them.  First we went to Sterling, Colorado, to visit Erin's mother.  We also visited her father's graveside.  We saw Erin's sister, Megan and, in Matthew's words, her "obese dog, Lucky."
The family home was recently sold and we were able to go inside and see the renovations.  







After visiting Sterling, we traveled to Breckenridge, Colorado:  A truly beautiful area of Colorado. 


Breckenridge
Biking on the most beautiful trails ever.  Paved for bicycles through gorgeous countrysides.


Hiking through woods and across streams.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Wyoming Summer 2011

 Jackson Hole, Wyoming


 

Vickie, Ryan and Jason spent a few days in the Tetons with the Olson and Jensen families and Vickie's mom Joann.











Thursday
We started with a boat shuttle across Jenny Lake.








 Then a short hike...


















to Hidden Falls.











That night, we cowboys rode the ChuckWagon up in the hills to wrestle us up some grub.











Erik, the lone cowboy gets the phone number of a local squaw.

Friday
Vickie and Ryan went horseback riding.
Giddyap!




 In the meantime, Jason went Whitewater rafting on the Snake with his uncle Steve and his cousins, Erik, Jordan and Stefani.





The Snake River is at its peak--making great rapids!






 This is where we stayed:

 Teton Valley Campground
Victor, Idaho


 Our cabins were four walls, beds, a small table, a chair, and a lamp--reminiscent of Walden.

On Friday night, we showed a movie on the back of the cabin. Ryan was our tech and set everything up for us.  We had popcorn to eat and blankets to keep warm.















These were our bunks.
We provided our own bedding.
Yippee-o-caye-yea!




 
Megan and Vickie riding bikes at the Campground.

 

Happy Trails to you Wyoming!
Until we meet again.


Sunday, August 15, 2010

NEW YORK CITY - Summer 2010


New York City--Brooklyn Bridge:
We actually walked the Brooklyn Bridge.  It is a very busy place.  There are lanes painted on the bridge for walkers and bicyclists.  And all the bicyclists had little bells they used to honk at the walkers.  There are some pretty serious people in New York.
We went with our little group of 6--Brent, Vickie, David, Luci, Laura, Matt.  Is that the Empire State Building in the background?  I think it is!                                      

New York City--World Trade Center Memorial:
There is currently a lot of activity at the 9-11 sight.   We took a tour and the WTC is being rebuilt.  The World Financial Center was part of our tour.  It is right across from the WTC and it had the most beautiful tribute to the eleven of the 9-11 casualties.  These 11 were employees of American Express in the World Financial Center and were killed when the towers plummeted down and blew out the windows where they were working.  The memorial is entitled, "11 Tears."  It has 11 facets--one for each employee killed.  The families were invited to write 11 words or less about their loved one.    Favorite Tribute was for Sigrid Wiswe:  "Loyal  Beautiful  Thoughtful  Determined  Loved Family, Adored Cats".  Every minute, 11 tears drop into the pool.  It was a very quiet and peaceful area.  One can see the new WTC construction through the windows behind us. 

New York City--Staten Island Ferry:
Did you know that it costs $$$ to walk around the feet of the Statue of Liberty?  $$$ to climb to the crown?  Did you know the Ferry to Staten Island is free? 
God Bless America!

Sunday, August 8, 2010

MAINE--Summer 2010

MAINE--Bar Harbor (Pronounced Bah Hahbah):We started out sightseeing with a Whale and Puffin Tour.  We saw an island full of puffins. Three puffins flew over and landed in the water next to the boat we were on.  


The scenery was beautiful, but the boat ride was a little rocky and wavy.  (Whew!  Glad that's over!)




MAINE--Acadia National Park:  Brent and Vickie rented bikes and rode on the Carriage Trails in Acadia National Park.  The carriage rodes were originally actual carriage roads where the cars are now not allowed but you can ride your bike, walk, or jog.   Quiet, peaceful,and serene.  We met one family that comes to Acadia every summer, just to ride their bikes on the carriage rodes around the park.  I think they have to live nearby.  Although a very nice ride, it's a long way to travel just to ride your bike on the carriage roads.


Brent and Vickie at the top of Cadillac Mountain.



And did you know that Cadillac Mountain is the first place in the US to see the sun rise?  (Well, just October through March, but still--that's pretty cool!)  And they had the best gift shop at the top!