Mr. & Mrs. Bennett Honstein

Becki and Ben had an absolutely beautiful wedding day. It was perfect in every way. All the pictures are pretty self explanitory so I won't bore you with written commentary.

Some Summer, July

The 4th of July was absolutely beautiful--high 70s, clear skies. We

decided to hike a bit in the mountains. We even took the dogs.
Along one of the trails we've hiked frequently this summer is the "water hole." (At least that's what we call it.)

The water from the stream is super cold, so therefore, very refreshing--for both man and beast.

Our family had a BBQ at Jason & Tammy's. We brought our kayaks and along with theirs, we all got a chance to get out on the lake. Here's Pate, Dan, Jordan, London, Grafton, Shane, and Tammy in the kayak.

Mr. Outdoors!

Yordie Yames.

Beck and Ben.

I had to take this picture of Katana sitting so well in her orange life jacket.

We have a poplar tree in the back yard that has been naughty. It's been reproducing babies and they have been sprouting throughout the back yard and into the neighbor's yard. When it was decided that it had to go, Dan jumped at the chance to take it down. We had a tree-chopping activity the other night with everyone having an important part in the process.

Adam's was pulling on the top to pull it over.

Even tho' it looks like Aaron is doing a rope trick he actually helped pull the tree down as well.

Becki began as the belay person (I don't know if that's correct spelling.)

Here's Dan making his way up, up, up...

He's making the cut...

And here it goes!

Ah yes, Dan is mighty proud of his handiwork.

Some Summer

It's the first day of summer and our family has already had some fun.

These guys are lazing on a Sunday afternoon. I can't believe Jordan. He continues to grow. He's surpassed Becki and is within 1" of Dan and Aaron. Good for him!

Above, I went with to a girls camp with our Young Women at church. Very fun to be with those girls. Even tho' we got some rain, some hail, and some sun, it was a still a great experience. The camp theme was, "All You Need is Love" with 60's style decorating. Groovy!

Jordan went on a campout with his scout troop. Those guys are awesome! He has most of his merit badges before he can work on his eagle project. For Jordan, camping out with friends the best. They definitely know how to really camp, none of that sissy stuff like going to the campgrounds with running water and flush toilets.


The campsite. :)

Mark & I took a weekend trip to Las Vegas. We attended the Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian. That was my birthday present. It was so nice to have an extremely relaxing weekend. We enjoyed it so much, we'd like to do it again.

We're not very good at taking pictures of both of us. Either Mark needs to get shorter or me taller. Here's the ceiling at the Venetian.

The entrance to Phantom.

Here's some random pictures from earlier in the year. These 2 pictures were taken in Seattle at the Music Experience Project. Yes, I know, I don't act my age. Oh well.

Here's a picture of Dan's condo. There's 3 units in the building. He's got the biggest one.

Let it Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

That song was on my mind yesterday as I watched the fat, heavy flakes come down in the morning. I don't think I've ever seen it snow on my birthday. Definitely a first for me. Fortunately, the snow did not stick around long. By afternoon the sun was out and there was no trace of snow. This has been a crazy spring. You know the old saying, "the snow has to fall 3 times on a robin's tail before it's really spring." Well, the snow has fallen on the robin's tails about 10 times!

Let's look on the positive side. First, our grass is very green and we haven't had to turn on the sprinklers once. Second, we won't worry about water shortage this summer. All the run-off will fill our reservoirs. Third, because it's been cooler than normal, I haven't had to turn on the air conditioner either. So...snow in May can be good :)

I'm Falling...

behind, that is, with updating this blog. Lot's of things to keep us busy: school, sports, church activities, etc. Aaron went to North Carolina to give sales a try. After 1 month and approx. 5,000 miles on his car, he's back home. It just wasn't for him. But I have to admire him for at least trying. It definitely was an adventure for him.

In the end of March Becki and Ben announced their engagement. We are so thrilled. Here's a few pictures of the darling couple.

No official date has been set but they are hoping to be married by the end of the summer. Isn't that exciting? Ben is a wonderful man; he treats Becki like a princess. It's so nice to see her happy.

I've discovered the perfect thing to do for Mother's Day...go visit my mom. This year Dan, Becki, Adam, and Jordan accompanied me back east. Aaron met us there on his way back from NC. It seems these kids of mine are never without a camera and a little fun.

Our flight was not bad going out. It's unfortunate I can't say the same about our travels thru Chicago. The GPS in our car suggested the fastest but, not necessarily, the best route out of town. Believe me, Jim Croce said it best when he sang, "Oh, the south side of Chicago, is the baddest part of town..." Remind me not to fly into Midway airport.

Remember what I said about my kids always having a camera with them for a little fun? As we were cleaning out a cupboard at Grandma's house, the kids discovered a bootie of booze Grandpa had. Aha! Their acting talents came alive! For the record, it was in jest...not for real. They loved the photo ops. Notice the top on Adam's bottle.

This reminds me of the drunken sailors you see at Disneyland when on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

After all was done, the contents were dumped down the drain. Grandma probably has the clearest running drain in town. She was concerned; however, about what the recyclers would think when they saw all the empty booze bottles in the recycling bin!

Here's Grandma with all the grandkids and Ron.

We were able to take care of some projects for Grandma while having a great time visiting. It's just too bad we always have to bring cold, wet weather with us. They have told me I need to come back in the summer.