Erik and Myrna's Midlife Adventures

Christmas time

2011-12-12T10:45:00.001-07:00

I love Christmas time. I love to see the bright decorations all around the town. I love seeing houses lit up. I love buying gifts for people. All these make a wonderful Christmastime, but my most favorite thing about Christmas, is remebering the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I love looking at the stars at night and imagining how it felt when the Shepherds saw that beautiful star in the sky that led them to see the baby, Jesus. He brought such a wonderful thing for all of us. His life was one we all can follow, and His death made it possible. Remeber to take time during this season to thank Heavenly Father for making this possible. Give your family more than just gifts, give them your love. I hope that we will all have a great Christmas and enjoy time with your loved ones. All are precious and we can't take that for granted.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-08T12:39:00.002-07:00

I love Thanksgiving time. I love the beginning of Holidays. I am always reminded to be thankful for all that Heavenly Father has given me. I am grateful for wonderful parents who taught me gratitude for everything. I am thankful for the example that they set for me. For helping me gain the testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so thankful that He died for me, that I can return to see my Father in Heaven again. That I will be reunited with my wonderful mother. I am grateful the I have such a wonderful husband, who loves me, no matter what. I am grateful for wonderful daughters, daughters-in law, sons and son-in law. I am grateful for 10 wonderful grandchildren, who make my life crazy, hectic, but oh so much fun!!!! I am grateful for my parents-in-law. They are a great example to me. I have been so blessed this year. I am grateful for all the friends that surround me with love and joy. I am grateful I have a job. I am grateful that I have good neighbors. I am even thankful for all the trials that our family goes through. Because of these trials, we have become a closer family. Thank you all for all you do for me and my family. I hope that all who read this will remember to be grateful for their blessings. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Freedom

2011-06-30T19:56:00.003-06:00

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the
Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty
and justice for all" . What more can we say at this time of the year. I am so grateful for the freedom we all enjoy. And for the right to worship how, when, where or what we may. We all need to remember the right we have and be thankful for the blessings we all have. I am thankful for all who have helped make my life a freedom I enjoy. I thank all the men and women in the armed forces who fight each day for that freedom. And I pray and thank each day to a Father in Heaven who provides that religious right I enjoy.

vacation

2011-06-01T19:21:00.004-06:00

Well we just got home from a wonderful time in Hawaii. We left on the 21st of May and flew to Kauai. We really enjoyed the island. Everything was so green and alive with color. The beaches were great, fortunately not too hot, so we enjoyed being outside all day. We went to the Ferngrotto, drove up to the Grand Canyon, played in the water and just relaxed. Then off to Oahu on the 25th. What a different lifestyle there. A lot busier and not as much relaxation there. Lots of things to see, and we tried to see everything. I will try to post some of the pictures I took. Best of all it was just the two of us.

Love is in the air

2011-02-14T18:31:00.004-07:00

Well it is official! I am truly in love with my husband. Now don't get me wrong, I have always been in love with him, and no he did not do anything special. I just want everyone to know how grateful I am to have such a wonderful husband. We celebrated 33 years of getting engaged on Saturday and I would do it all over again. Thank you Erik for the wonderful years we have spent together. I look forward to many more years of joy and happiness. Happy Valentines Erik, I love you.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-16T15:34:00.003-07:00

I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. I am so excited for Christmas. I enjoy having my family together during the holidays. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Grandpa Hawkins spent the week with us and it was great visiting with him. For Christmas, most of the kids will be here for our Christmas Eve party. We have always enjoyed a nice dinner and then games after. It is fun to see the excitement on the little faces of my Grandchildren as we talk about Christmas. I hope they remember the real reason we celebrate during this time of the year. It is of course always fun to exchange gifts with each other, but the most important reason we celebrate Christmas is our elder brother Jesus Christ who came to this earth to help each and everyone of us return to our Father in Heaven. We will miss our wonderful Mother and Grandmother this year, but it is the knowledge of the atonement that helps us know we will be with her again. I hope all have a wonderful time during this season and remember that Christ is the reason we celebrate CHRISTmas.

Halloween

2010-11-12T16:17:00.002-07:00

Just wanted to show off 8 of my 9 grandchildren. They were all dressed and ready to go out trick or treating.

New job and new phone

2010-07-25T18:06:00.002-06:00

I thought I better update this blog. So we returned last week from a wonderful family reunion in Park City. Thanks to my dad, we had a wonderful place to stay and had a great time. We relaxed, went swimming, ate and then went swimming and relaxed all while we got re-aquainted with cousins and brothers and sisters. It was a great time and the weather couldn't have been better. Thanks to all who came and made it such a good event. Well, the next new thing in our life is Erik's new job. He will be working for another contracting company for the military, but this time he will be working with one of his loves, the ICBM missiles. He worked with the missile systems while active duty with the Air Force, and was so excited when asked to come and work with it again. He is currently in Virginia at a training course for the week, and then will start the following week back at the base. That brings up the new phone. He had a phone from his old job, but he had to leave that one in his old office. Therefore a new phone was in order. TMobile has a BOGO free on SMART phones. So yes I got the free one and it is a SMART phone. So much for me, Oh I will conquer it!!!!! It is very hard to teach an old dog new tricks, but I am determined to learn how to use it. So the next blog might contain pictures of me using it. Stay tuned.

New addition to our home

2010-07-06T08:20:00.005-06:00

We have been so happy to finally finishing our kitchen downstairs. The contractors did a great job. We are enjoying the extra space and it will be especially great to have during the holidays for cooking! This summer doesn't have too many things going on. We have a family reunion in Park City and a wedding in St George, but other than that we will just enjoy relaxing at home. I hope everyone has a great summer. I will post pictures as event happen.

Life goes on

2010-05-02T08:06:00.002-06:00

Well, by now all of you know that nearly three months ago, I lost my Mom. It is harder than I thought it would be. I know that she is out of pain, and doing a lot of work on the other side of the veil, but I really miss her. Especially with Mother's Day coming up. Dad is trying to be strong, and everyday he is doing better. But we all know that we have to continue in our life and day by day things will be ok. For an upbeat note, Thursday the 29th of April, we added an addition to our family. Katie and Adam are proud parents of another son, Griffin Alexander entered this world after saying goodbye to Grandma Hawkins, weighing in at 5lbs14oz and 19 1/2 in. Lots of dark hair and doing great. We are so excited to get to know him. Also Keli announced another addition to her family will be coming the end of Oct. Yeah for our family, it is growing!!!. May 18th we will be celebrating our 32nd anniversary. We will be celebrating in Washington and Victoria. No it is not another cruise, boohoo, but it will be alot of fun. I am married to a great guy. I love him so much, Happy Anniversary Erik. The years have just flown by so quickly. I look forward to another 32 with you.

Update on our lives

2010-03-04T10:30:00.003-07:00

Well not a lot of things have happened this past month. The most important has been the passing of my Mother. It has been exactly 1 month, and I really do miss her, but I know that she is much better off now that she is out of pain. We are just trying to live each day to be a little better than the day before so we can see her again someday. Stephen finally got a job and is doing well. Baby Kohen is growing so fast, I can't believe he is two months old now. Katie is doing well with her pregnancy, and is looking so cute. But that is a Mom talking. Erik and I are planning a vacation to Seattle in a few months and we are really looking forward to some time away together. It will be a lot of fun to have some time just the two of us.

Happy new year!

2010-01-04T17:49:00.002-07:00

Well now that all the holidays are over(so sad), it is time to get back to the routine again. Decorations are all put away and the house looks a little empty. I guess it must be time to decorate, or get something new in the house. Oh, ya, we are getting something new in the house. Roxana and Stephen are having their baby boy on Thursday. I guess that is about the best thing new you could put in the house. We are all excited for little Kohen's arrival. And then in May we will welcome another new baby boy, Griffin Powell. It is so great being a Grandmother. I think that there really isn't anything better that having grandchildren.

I love the Christmas season

2009-12-01T15:12:00.001-07:00

Well, for all you bah humbug people, check your attitude. Tis the season to be jolly!!!! I love Christmas. It is a time of remembrance, a time of creating memories, and a time for enjoying all the blessings you have been giving. As the year comes to a close, I just want everyone to know how much they are loved. We are truly blessed with a wonderful family and friends. We are blessed with the knowledge of the gospel, and the testimonies we have. I would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and hope you can enjoy all you have been given. Remember that Christ is the reason we have Christmas, and give thanks for all He has done for you.

Our family keeps on growing

2009-09-17T13:32:00.003-06:00

Well, now that the wedding is over, and the newlyweds are settled into their own home, my life is a little less crazy. At least that is what I would like to think. Now we have news that there is another addition coming to the family. Besides Stephen and Roxana's little one coming in January, Katie and Adam announced they will be adding another baby in May. Yeah!!!! Isn't it great that our family is growing. I am so excited when the news of more grandchildren are on their way. Sorry that Katie is so sick. This too shall pass. Well, that is our updates and as of now, no wedding pictures yet to post.

Not quite empty nesters

2009-08-11T15:07:00.002-06:00

Well, the wedding went over without any catastrophes. I can't believe that we had everything running so smoothly. All the other weddings had last minute glitches, but not this one thank goodness. We are so proud of Brett and Breann for choosing to go to the temple. The Jordan River was very pretty and the day turned out to be beautiful. We were a little concerned about the weather, but you could not have asked for better weather. The luncheon was held at the Gathering Place at the Gardner village, and then off to the reception at the stake center. Lots of pictures were taken, and hopefully I will get some of them to post. Thanks to all who came and helped make this a wonderful event in our lives. Congrats to Brett and Breann!!!

FYI

2009-06-09T15:19:00.002-06:00

Well, we are constantly changing things in our life. The latest is the upcoming wedding. Yes, our baby is getting married. Way to make me feel old. Brett and Breann will be married on August 7th in the Jordan River Temple. We are all excited for them. Plans are being made and of course there is always differences in who likes what, but I keep reminding everyone that the only thing that matters is the the couple is happy. Hopefully we can make that happen. As far as Erik and me, we are just getting by each day.

DISNEYLAND: THE HAPPIEST PLACE

2009-05-10T21:19:00.004-06:00

We all had a great time in Disneyland. The weather was great, the rides were wonderful and of course, the company was the best. Our time spent in California was fun and surprisingly there were no mishaps or disasters. I am sure a good time was had by all. I enjoyed being the Grandma and watching the kids have fun. I have pictures to show, but I have to figure how to put them on display. So more to come!

DISNEYLAND: THE HAPPIEST PLACE

2009-05-10T21:19:00.001-06:00

It's SPRING!!!!!

2009-04-04T10:04:00.004-06:00

Well, the calendar says it is Spring, but it sure doesn't feel like it with all the cold weather and snow. It is actually snowing right. I am so tired of snow, but I guess the water will be great for the flowers and grass, soon to grow. We are excited about this month. We are going to take a trip with Keli, Brant and their children, Brett and Breann(his girlfriend) to DISNEYLAND!!!! Yeah for two reasons. First I need a vacation so bad, second, who could not be excited to go to Disneyland!!!. I will put pictures on the blog when we get back.

It's

2009-04-04T10:04:00.001-06:00

Our boring life

2009-03-10T19:06:00.002-06:00

Well, I ask Erik what to write about and he said just write about our boring life. Well it has been a pretty boring life for us lately. But that is alright for me. We have just been doing our normal stuff each and every day. Besides going to work, we have joined a health club. We are at the gym every day but Sunday. We are trying to turn over a new leaf and help each other get in better shape, but mostly better health. We both know that eating right and exercising regularly with help make our life a little better and hopefully extend it a little longer. Erik is losing weight and inches, I am losing inches, but not pounds, yet. But I am not giving up. I will leave more to write to Erik, but for now this is our update

Nothing new around here

2009-02-17T14:01:00.002-07:00

Well, now that Valentines is over and we have all expressed our love for our spouses, let's remember to keep that going in our lives. I just want Erik to know how much I love him for all his support and love. I have a wonderful family and I am so proud of all they do and who they are becoming. I have a new calling in our ward, it is the Primary Chorister. I am enjoying it so much. The children are so full of life and are so eager to learn. I hope we can all be as eager to learn as they are. I am always looking for new help to teach the songs, so if you have any ideas let me know.

Love of my life

2009-02-10T06:56:00.002-07:00

Thirty one years ago for Valentines Day I had the most exciting thing happen in my life. I received the best present a girl could have. That was a beautiful heart-shaped cookie with an engagement ring in it. I almost did not see the ring, but when the light hit that diamond the sparkle was a delight. Maybe I should start from the first. Erik and I had been dating just a few months and had never really talked about marriage, so a proposal was a surprise. From the moment I met Erik, I knew that I would spend my life with him. Unfortunately it took Erik a little longer to find this out. We have been happily married for nearly 31 years and it just seems to keep getting better every day. When we were married, the sealer in the Temple told us that our love for each other would increase each day. Of course when you are young and in love you can't imagine that it could possibly increase more, but it does!!!! Of course, like many others, we have had our struggles, but that is what makes your love increase. It is fun to remember times like these. If you read this blog, tell me about your engagement and finding the love of your life.

Scripture Study

2009-01-15T06:54:00.009-07:00

Recently Myrna was introduced to a web site (www.readthescriptures.com) that was dedicated to providing a convenient means for studying the scriptures. She embraced the concept and was able to complete one reading of the Book of Mormon in a very short amount of time. I, on the other hand was resistant, opting for the tried and true method of opening my physical books. As I observed our progress, I found that she was much more disciplined and thereby more successful than I. I have decided to follow her lead and am now using the same method she has. I only bring this up now because I have found that the web site does indeed work well for me and provides a convenient way to accomplish my scripture study without making it seem daunting. I have included a link to the site in the text above and below for anyone else who is interested in using this as a tool to study with. Good luck and happy reading.

Weird Photos

2009-01-08T15:01:00.001-07:00

I had to post this because I got such a kick out of the photos that had been doctored up with Photoshop or some other photo editor. Enjoy the show.

Erik

Weird Photos

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: divertidas extrañas)

Our Christmas Morning Experience

2008-12-28T12:02:00.004-07:00

We had a great Christmas together with our family. For the first time in two years, we had the whole family together. We truely are blessed.

SNC Music

2008-12-24T05:30:00.008-07:00

Merry Christmas everyone. Last night while out visiting with some friends, they showed me a video that I think you will like. It is performed by an acapella group named "Straight No Chaser" and is a rather unique rendition of the old Christmas favorite "The 12 Days of Christmas." Check it out below but first pause the background music at the bottom of this blog.

Straight No Chaser - 12 Days of Christmas

The week of Christmas

2008-12-21T18:33:00.002-07:00

Well, it is just about time for Christmas and I thought I would tell everyone Merry Christmas. We did not get our cards ready this time, so hope you all have a great Christmas. Things have been pretty busy, getting Brett home, buying new clothes for him and trying to get him ready for school on top of Christmas shopping, oh and working too. So I have not even had time to bake goodies this year. We went down to Provo and Orem on Sunday morning and had dinner with Grandma and Grandpa J. It was crazy to have everyone there, but the food was good and so was the company. We opened "White Elephant" gifts and the first gift I got was Nose hair trimmers. I don't think I really wanted those. Thanks Brant for taking them off my hands. I hope you enjoy them. I have pictures from the party, but Stephen took them so I will try to get some posted later. Then we went to Grandma and Grandpa H. and had dessert. Great cake recipe, thanks Pam. We all love the death-by-chocolate bundt cake. It was a great time and we all enjoyed the visit. Now on to the rest of the week. Christmas Eve at Keli's house and Christmas day at our home. More to follow on the fun we will have. Merry Christmas to everyone.

Family update

2008-12-04T19:43:00.004-07:00

Well, it has been a long two years and it has finally come to an end Brett came home last night. We were all so excited to be at the airport to pick him up. It was really crazy and quite hectic for all at the airport, but there was so much excitement that who cared how chaotic it was. It took for ever to get the luggage, but finally we were on our way home. It was so nice to have almost all our family there. Unfortunately Adam was unable to attend due to school (we missed you Adam), but is was fun anyway. On to dinner and lot of pizza. We ran into the missionaries in our area and invited them to join our noisy group. Fun was had by all. Today we spent time at the mall trying to re-outfit Brett with some new clothes. I am sure there will be many more days spent at the mall. But for now welcome home to Brett!!!!

Can't wait!!!!

2008-11-27T19:28:00.004-07:00

Well, for all who cares, we are anxiously waiting for the return of our missionary, Brett. It has been a long two years and we are so excited for it to be over. There has been so much change in our family in the last two years. Erik finally finished most of the basement and it is nice and cozy to welcome Brett home. We have new grandchildren, Deegan and Cullen. It is so exciting to have our children and grandchildren so close that we can see them anytime we want. Thanks Keli and Katie and Stephen for not going too far away. We hope you can stay around here forever. 6 grandchildren, all who have changed in two years that Brett won't recognize them and they were so young they won't know who Brett is for a while. But I am sure they will come around. Who doesn't love Buddha!!!!Anyway, the countdown is on and we have 6 days left.

Montana Reunion

2008-09-21T09:09:00.015-06:00

It's always fun to reminisce and visit with old friends. Last night I had the opportunity to spend a few hours with some old freinds that we made while living in Montana between 1985 and 1991. Some we have kept in contact with through the years, others this was the first reunion in nearly 20 years and still others this was the first time getting acquainted. The reunion was held at the home of Ron Frost whom I had not met before last night. They had moved from Montana only a few months prior to our arriving there, so we shared many of our friends. I offer my sincere thanks to the Frosts for opening up their home for this occasion. In attendance were the Frosts, Yipes, Bargers, Huggards, Parkers, Andersons, and Garretts. Included are a few pictures taken of some of our friends.

Another August weekend

2008-08-23T07:16:00.017-06:00

Lot of changes happening this weekend. I know it is only Saturday and the weekend is nowhere near over, but we are already in full swing with what is going on. Both Myrna and I took Friday off from work to go help Katie and Adam move into their new home in Providence, UT. We went to Providence Thursday night and spent the night at a very nice Bed and Breakfast called the Providence Inn. It was originally built as a stone walled LDS church and has now been converted into the B&B. The rooms there are decorated themes, and we stayed in their New Orleans Room. Attached are some pictures of the B&B as well as the room we stayed in. They have purchased a cute home in the heart of Providence, which is just south of Logan. The house was originally built around the turn of the century I am told, but was totally remodeled inside only a few years ago. It sits on about a half acre lot and the back yard has fruit trees (apple, peach, apricot, plum, and pear) as well as a garden with grapes, raspberries and strawberries. I even noticed a currant bush loaded with plump black currants. The whole place has tremendous potential and will be a lot of work to keep up, but a lot of joy to them I'm sure. I've placed a few pictures of her house and back yard. While in Logan, we had an opportunity to join some long lost best friends for dinner. Mark and Leisa Firth were some of our most cherished friends when we lived in California (1991-1994). We were both Air Force Officers and lived just blocks from each other. While our friendship never wained, we had not seen each other since we both left California in 1994. The reunion was a wonderful treat to end our day on and we look forward to being able to spend time with them again in the future.

Ogden Valley Baloon Festival

2008-08-17T09:51:00.026-06:00

Well I guess it's been a while since we have done anything interesting since we haven't posted anything since July. Yesterday we (or maybe I should say "I") did have a little fun when Steve and I went to the Ogden Valley Baloon Festival. This is a three-day event held in Eden, UT which provided a spectacular view of hot-air balloons from around the region. Steve invited me to go with him since he wanted to go and take photos of the baloons etc. Even though I have attended these types of events before, I do get a kick out of being there and watching the inflation of the baloons and watching them rise into the air. The day was beautiful with very little wind to disrupt the event. I have included a few pictures that we took to show you what went on. The part Steve and i attended was the Saturday morning baloon launch and competition. Later in the evening was to be a baloon glow, where the baloons were inflated at night and tethered to the ground. The light generated inside the baloon by the propane heaters illuminates the balloon which gives it a spectacular glowing appearance in the dark. We gathered up most of the family and went back to see it. Unfortunately the wind was blowing too hard to allow the glow to happen. it was too bad because I think the grandkids would have really enjoyed seeing it.

"Let's Reminisce!"

2008-08-07T07:10:00.003-06:00

Come out, come out, wherever you are!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and one of us (Erik and Myrna) had together. It doesn't matter if you knew us a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty fun to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Annual Star Valley Male Bonding Trip

2008-07-16T13:22:00.022-06:00

I guess I have been a little remiss in keeping up with the goings on in our lives, so I would like to update everyone with the last event in our lives. Actually, this is kind of a one-sided entry, because it involves Erik and a son and son in law. From the time I can nearly remember, my Grandpa Gardner would come to Utah and pick up my brother and me to take us with him on a fishing trip to Star Valley, Wyoming. As a youngster this was the highlight of my summer because it was nearly the only time I would ever get to go fishing. I never knew the impact those trips would have on my later life. After nearly a 20-year hiatus following the death of my grandfather, My son Steve asked me to take him to Star Valley to go fishing upon graduation from High School. That was 6 years ago and we have begun to re-establish that tradition. As far as I know, my family now has been fishing the rivers of Star Valley for six generations. The fishing is usually pretty good, but even when it isn't the memories generated as a result make it a worthwhile experience. I look forward to the day when I can repeat the experience with my grandchildren and let them walk the banks of the Salt River, Snake River and Grey's river.

I close this entry with a few pictures of our recent trip and a quote from author Norman McLean
who wrote one of my favorite books/movies, "A River Runs Through It." It describes the way I feel about this experience

Now nearly all those I loved and did not understand when I was young are dead, but I still reach out to them.

Of course, now I am too old to be much of a fisherman, and now of course I usually fish the big waters alone, although some friends think I shouldn't. Like many fly fishermen in western Montana where the summer days are almost Arctic in length, I often do not start fishing until the cool of the evening. Then in the Arctic half-light of the canyon, all existence fades to a being with my soul and memories and the sounds of the Big Blackfoot River and a four-count rhythm and the hope that a fish will rise.

Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.

I am haunted by waters.

Alaska Trip Follow-up

2008-06-08T08:56:00.011-06:00

It's been a couple weeks now since our return from the trip to Alaska. Because of the hectic nature of our last stop and final return we did not get the final chapter of our trip recorded for our readers. Following a day of slowly entering the Tracy Arm Fjord to see the Sawyer Glacier we began our journey to the final destination; Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The journey was a full night and most of a day getting to Victoria. We arrived as about 5:00 P.M. which left us with little time to see much while there. After disembarking from the ship we caught a charter bus into the heart of town and spend the few hours we had there walking the streets of downtown Victoria. As cities go, Victoria is a beautiful place (what we saw of it) Impressive to me is the fact the it has the old "downtown" look and feel to it. By that I mean you still walk the streets shopping rather than hiding in a mall with a million stores that are the same stores you see in every mall in North America over and over again. Not far from the shopping was the British Columbia Parliament building. Since we were there as dusk melted into night, we watched as the Parliament building became lit up as if Christmas was only a day away. There are times when Christmas type lighting seems to fit throughout the entire year; this is one. The building was spectacular particularly when seen from a distance. As I mentioned, we were only able to stay on shore for a short time and so about as quickly as we arrived, we had to return. From my perspective, one of the highlights of the trip came as we made our journey back to the ship. When we went to catch our bus ride back to the ship, to our chagrin, we found a line of anxious people snaking around the corner from the bus stop waiting for the same ride we hoped to catch. Oh, did I mention, I really hate waiting in lines. Anyway, as we made our way toward the end of the meandering mass of tourists, we noticed a young man riding a bicycle driven rickshaw with seats for four. Since it was only Myrna, Deryl and Jodi in our group, we decided to hire him to return us to the ship. Even though we had already paid for our bus transport, not having to wait in line was well worth the extra few dollars to have a leisurely ride back to the ship and no wait. The ride took about 20 minutes but was extremely pleasant. Our driver took us through some of the residential neighborhoods and past some other interesting sites that we would not have had the opportunity to see if we had bussed it back. He was a one-man history book that was as pleasant as it was engaging. I really enjoyed that little self-made excursion.

Once back on board, we began the preparations for arriving again in Seattle and departing ship. It was kind of disappointing to think that the trip was nearly over and we would have to get back to the real world of work and worry, but all in all we had had a very pleasant trip. Visiting with the family for a week was at times a little strained, but I'd say was at least 90% enjoyable. I do enjoy getting together with our extended family whether on the Jorgensen or Hawkins sides. I am extremely fortunate that we have a family that loves one another (even if we don't always agree with one another) and has no problem spending time together. I consider my life blessed by each and every one of them. I look forward to the next opportunity to spend another quality experience with each and every one of them.

Rather than posting our few pictures of Victoria etc. I decided to post a slide show of the entire cruise to conclude the postings about our trip. Oh, did I mention, Our next trip will be on land rather than sea. :-)

Tracy Arm Fjord

2008-05-15T14:16:00.004-06:00

It’s Wednesday, 14 May and I find myself sitting outside on the deck of our room as we slowly enter the Tracy Arm Fjord. It is approximately 42 degrees outside, and the precipitation drizzles just enough to get you wet to the bone after a while without you realizing it. Seventy five percent of the year the weather is like this, either in the form of rain or snow. With the weather like it is, I can see why so few people wish to make this part of the world their home. Nonetheless, there is a striking beauty to thei the scenery and even as cold and uncomfortable as the weather makes it, it is beautiful. The fjord is said to drop down from each shore to approximately 1000 feet. The walls of the fjord are virtually vertical and made of pure granite. As we pass by these sheer cliffs, you can see the horizontal striations that were made when this area was covered in ice and the Tracy Arm Glacier extended out to what is now the open sea. Even though the cliffs are made of solid granite, they bear the black stains of a millennium of runoff water and other growths on the rocks. With the overcast weather we are experiencing it is a little difficult to really appreciate the grandeur of these mountains but they have a certain steely ruggedness that must be seen to be understood. As we pass the stately walls of this fjord I can’t help but be taken in by the hundreds, if not thousands of waterfalls that fall hundreds of feet from the feet of melting snow and ice fields that shroud the cliff tops. Many of these cascades fall in the form of rushing torrents, while so many more appear as thin threads of water dissecting each cliff wall. I wonder if they ever cease, or is the snow so everlasting that they remain year-round. Occasionally punctuating these encroaching walls is another prehistoric glacial sluice that extends into the frozen interior. Unable to see the head of these bowl shaped canyons, I can only surmise that they extend into the eternities. But reality bites and I conclude that another world possibly never seen by the eyes of man exists where life and death goes on and the measure of creation is repeated annually with the seasons.

God Lives here. I am humbled by the grandeur of his blessings, large and small.

Day 3 of our trip

2008-05-13T07:30:00.019-06:00

Well, the trip is progressing nicely and we are having a good time. I must admit though, that the logistics of trying to keep track of everyone and ensure that all have a quality experience has bee a bit tiring. I guess that goes with the territory when you are family.

Let's see, if I start where I think I left off on the last entry, we were just wrapping up our evening in Seattle and getting ready to depart for Alaska. After spending the night in Seattle, our time for boarding the ship was not to be until a few hours later. As a result, Myrna and Pam decided to walk into town to do a little shoe shopping and I took off back to the Pike's Market to get a few more pictures. I was so impressed with the amount of flowers etc. that I just had to get some photos. After returning to the hotel, it was getting close to time to check out. As usual, Grandma and Grandpa had gone down to the lobby early to wait for our rides. Shortly after they got to the lobby, some of the rest of the family began showing up. Once we had all checked out, we began preparing for the trip to the ship. The trip from our hotel was rather amusing if I do say so myself. I guess the plan had been to have Myrna's brother Deryl come with his family to help shuttle us to the ship. While waiting for them to show up, someone noticed that there was a promotional table set up in the lobby for the Accura car company; they had offered to take anyone for a ride in and around town in order to demonstrate their cars. Someone in the group decided to see if they would take us to the pier along with Deryl so we ended up splitting up the family in I believe three different cars to get us to the pier. After a short ride and after filling out some customer surveys, we all arrived at the pier. I seemed to me that we went through a lot of hassle just to save a few dollars. Anyway, we all were able to get on the ship without much more trouble.

The ship finally left port somewhere around 4:00 that afternoon and we were on our way. For the rest of the day, we pretty much just sat around and ate dinner.

Sunday saw us traveling up the west coast of Canada toward the Inner passage of Alaska. Just as has been my experience in the past, those days when the ship is just traveling, without any stops become rather long and tiresome for me. It just seems that there is nothing of interest to occupy my time so I end up just feeling bored. Fortunately, because it was Sunday, we decided to hold a little family devotional service. The service lasted about an hour and was held in Lonnie and Claudia's cabin. These cabins are quite small and are definitely not designed to hold 11 full grown adults, but we made due with what we had. The meeting was a nice diversion from the materialistic attitudes that prevail on ship and I appreciated the opportunity. Lonnie spoke to us about symbols in the church and the role they play in helping to remind us of the important parts of the gospel. We all had an opportunity to share out thoughts and thus we sort of were able to share a little of our testimonies with each other.

Other than the devotional, the day was pretty much filled with chatting with each other, eating and napping. This all might sound good to some, but I just am too nervous to do much of that. Maybe, I am just an undiagnosed ADD :-).

We did catch the opening welcome show that night and got to hear a short monolog from a comedian named Steve Moris who is also a pretty good musician. I guess he has performed with the likes of the Beach Boys, Cat Stevens and others. Anyway, he was quite good and we decided to see his full show on Monday night (more on that latter).

Once Monday morning rolled around, after stuffing myself with breakfast, we pretty much just hung around preparing to arrive in Juneau. We had been experiencing some pretty rough seas up until we actually entered the Inner Passage of Alaska so it was now a pleasant feeling for all of us to not have our stomachs trying to figure out which direction was up. We all got nauseous to some degree, but I think Deryl probably had the most trouble. Now that we are on calmer water, I think we are all OK. Once we had docked in Juneau, I think the people on the ship we in a mad dash to exit the ship. We were all looking for some solid ground to get our feet on. Most of us went ashore and spent a few hours look around in Juneau. While it was nice to get off for a while, I was a little disappointed that most of what we saw was geared to the tourists. Just tons of gift shops etc. We split up and went our separate ways so as not to encumber other members of the family with everyone want to go different directions. Myrna, Curt and I went together and started walking the streets. We hiked up a few blocks and were able to visit a Russian Orthodox Church that is supposed to be the oldest one in the state of Alaska. It was very small, but we went inside and got to speak with the Priest who runs the place. It was rather interesting and I would consider it the highlight of the day.

After Monday had come to a close we pretty much went to dinner and followed that up with the comedian show that I mention a few paragraphs back. This guy Steve Moris is really funny, His humor was a little irreverent, but I enjoyed it just the same. I kept looking down at Grandma and Grandpa to see if they were enjoying the show, but I kept seeing unemotional faces for the most part. I think his type of humor just didn't suit them much. Myrna was so impressed with him that she bought a DVD of the show and had him autograph it for her. We will have it available for the kids to watch when we get home.

Well we are now docked in Skagway, and will be going out in a few hours to see the area again. Later we will be taking a train ride from Skagway to what they say is the top of the world. I am looking forward to the trip since it will take us away from much of the commercial confusion that is a tourist city. All in all, we are having an enjoyable time bu miss our kids and grandkids. I'll try and get another post out this evening before we depart skagway, but if I don't, It'll have to wait until we get to Ketchikan.

Our First Day Out

2008-05-09T21:35:00.007-06:00

Hi Everyone

One day down and seven more to go. The day started off with a ride to the airport with Katie and Deegan. It was a relatively uneventful trip but we had a good time chatting on the way. It always seems that we forget something whenever we go on a trip and this one was no different. I left my sunglasses in the car and Myrna left her sweater in the car too. Anyway, we will be alright without them.

After a short two-hour flight we landed in the Seattle Airport and were picked up by a nice limo (yes this is the first time I've been in one) that took us to our hotel. The hotel is a very nice 5-star hotel, but we unfortunately got a room that looks right into the parking garage. Oh well, the room is nice and we should be comfortable.

Once we had dropped off our bags, we took a short walk to Pike's Market where everything under the sun is sold and peddled. The market has been made famous by one of the fish markets there. when a person purchases a fish (usually salmon) they have a guy out grabbing it for you and he throws to the person who will prepare it to be taken home. It is really impressive
to watch how easily they throw the fish around without dropping any of them.

Since it was shortly after lunch time when we arrived we decided to have lunch at the Pikes market. There are all sorts of little places to eat there and we just picked a nice sandwich place to eat. The crab salad sandwich and clam chowder there was great.

The other thing that was really impressive was the thousands of flowers that were being sold there. The whole thing was really beautiful. For as long as you walked down the market corridor you could see buckets upon buckets of flowers. Most of the flowers seemed to be tulips, but there were all sorts of different varieties. Additionally, they had one of the best produce markets I have every seen. There was every kind of fruit and vegetable you could think of. The entire experience was really awesome.

Once everyone from the family arrived, our last stop was at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. The food was good and I feel pretty full at this moment.

We are now back to the room and looking forward to a good night's sleep before going to the ship tomorrow.

Alaska Pictures

2008-05-04T15:52:00.002-06:00

2008-04-20T11:45:00.011-06:00

Click on Picture Above For Our Itinerary

Well, the time is getting closer. Only three more weeks till we will be leaving the confines of Utah and traveling to our Hawkins Family Reunion. We will be leaving on May 9th and returning on May 17th. Our destination is the Inner passage of Alaska. We will fly to Seattle where we will spend the night and board our ship the next morning. Above is a photo of the ship we will be sailing on and will be our home for the entire week. Yes, I know, I'm not a real big fan of cruising, but this trip has some real strong points associated with it, not the least of which is just getting me away from work for a week. The other added benefit is getting to travel to Alaska. I have always wanted to see the wilds of Alaska and even though this trip will not really provide that for us, it will provide an opportunity to see some of the state. Who know, this may be the beginning of many more trips in the future. For those who are interested, we will be visiting Juneau, Skagway, Tracy Arm, Ketchikan and Victoria, British Columbia.
Our State Room is just big enough for the two of us to stay comfortably and has a walk out balcony to see the ocean and ports from. Above is a photo of a representative room like the one we will be staying in.

All in all, Both Myrna and I are excited to get away for a week or so, even if it is to a place colder than here.

Just getting started

2008-04-17T10:19:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone:
Myrna and I have finally succumbed to the pressure of our kids. For some time now they all have been publishing thier own blogs to highlight the goings on in their respective families. Each has linked to each other so they can keep abreast of the rest of the family. For a month or two they have been encouraging Myrna and me to start a blog to close the loop on our family. We have decided to give it a try. The challenge to us will be finding the motivaiton to keep it current. We will try and keep some pictures of our adventures (or misadventures as the case may be) to let the rest of the extended family in on our lives. As you feel the urge, feel free to comment on our blog and the information we provide.