An Alaskan Adventure!

Here we are! Nathan and I decided that we needed a getaway. So when a great deal came on a cruise to Alaska we jumped on it. Day one we flew to Anchorage and stayed at "The Captain Cook" hotel. We walked around downtown Anchorage and went to their outdoor market. While there we ate some fresh fish and chips and had a really wonderful roasted ear of corn! Yummy! We ate dinner ate a place overlooking Cook Inlet and were fascinated by the history of Captain James Cook so we bought a book on his life and I now had some reading material for the trip!

Day 2 we take a train ride from Anchorage to Whittier to get on the cruise ship. It was a beautiful ride and we learned about the mud flats! Then we arrived in Whittier and walked around this large (not) city. It took all of 10 minutes but it is beautiful. We boarded the ship and headed to College Fjords.

Day 3 we cruise College Fjords and see our first Glacier. The colors are amazing! I don't think pictures do it justice! The weather is lovely and we are relaxing!

Day 4 we cruise Glacier Bay National Park and see some awesome Glaciers. We see them calve and hear the sounds of the cracking ice. It is amazing since we can get no closer than 1/4 mile and you can hear it so clearly!

Day 5 we are in a town called Skagway. It is a darling old mining town with the sidewalks made of wood. We take an excursion to Haines and visit an eagle preserve and look for wildlife. We don't see any!!!! Oh well! it was a beautiful day in a beautiful place and we sure did enjoy the scenery!

Day 6 is Juneau, Alaska. The capitol city. It is raining a lot but we have fun! We take a bus tour of town and go out to Mendenhall Glacier! We were here 23 years ago and the glacier has receded a lot!

Day 7 is Ketchican, Alaska. A beautiful town where the salmon run on this beautiful river. It is a bit early in the season so we don't see any salmon but we take beautiful pictures, enjoy the town the weather and eat fresh fish!

Day 8 we are cruising towards Vancouver, British Columbia and the weather is gorgeous! We lay out by the pool and I get a bit of a sunburn. Can you believe it! In Alaska! We have had a wonderful time and can't believe how fast the time has gone.
Day 9 we arrive in Vancouver, head to the airport and before you know it we are home! I finish the book on Captain Cook on the flight home and have learned a lot but the most important lesson in the book reinforces that power corrupts!!!!!! Wow!!!!

Farewell to a Special Man, My Dad

It has been a difficult couple of weeks since having such a good time with my grand kids. On our way home from Utah and staying with the grand kids my sister Jenny called and said that my Dad who has been suffering with cancer had suddenly taken a turn for the worse.

We were able to stop and see him on our way home and I feel very lucky to have had that opportunity. Although he was now in bed and beginning to have great pain, he looked and sounded good and just like my dad had always been. Nathan and I left there confident that we would be able to see him again and that his time to go was still a ways off.

During the next few days things progressed a little more quickly but I still felt like I could get there to see him again. Each of my siblings were able to come and visit with him during this week and I spoke with him on the phone on Thursday, May 14th. We had a good conversation and spoke of some fun times. I think my Dad was so very happy to be able to see and visit with each one of his children personally here at this time.

On Sunday, May 17th I was called again and told he was really going down fast. By early evening I was told he would not make it through the night and he was now non responsive. I made plans to leave immediatly by plane but no more flights out could be caught by then. I made plans to leave at 4 AM and drive to Las Vegas, meet my sister and drive in early on Monday morning. At 11:20 PM California Sunday May 17th (he had passed at 12:05 AM Monday May 18th, Utah time) I received the call that he was gone. He passed easily and quickly. That was a true blessing.

I left at 4 AM and traveled to Utah and met with almost all my siblings and Mom and made the preparations for the funeral. It was a wonderful day to be together and share memories and bond together as a family. Home again the next day and then out for the funeral on Friday.

The funeral although really hard was beautiful. It was uplifting and happy as we, each child shared happy memories and reminisced together of the great example he was in our lives. Our Heavenly Father has a special spirit home with him now to work and serve in any capacity that he is needed. He has given much and will give so much more as he awaits each of us to return again home and join together as an eternal family.

Dad, we love you, appreciate you, are proud of you, have gained much from you, joy in your service and find strength in your example and hope to serve as well as you! We pray daily for you and know that you are close by watching out for us.