Prince George - Day 4

We arrived today in Prince George, BC. We started out with snow again, but it turned out to be a beautiful drive. We went through a lovely valley and had dry roads through the mountains. I have never been anywhere that has so many lakes and rivers as British Columbia. It must be so beautiful in the summer. The rivers and lakes which are starting to melt are a glacier blue - spectacular! We have one more day in Canada and then we will be to Lee's sister's home in Washington State. We will visit with them a couple of days and then head home.

These few months have been an amazing experience. At times it was awful, a lot exhausting, certainly rewarding and relationships we made are treasured. I personally grew tremendously in my abilities and understanding of managing 20 - 30 people. I certainly found out my strengths and weaknesses. Lee already was experienced and he just ran with it. His staff loved him (except for the two he fired!) I had to be pretty tough in the beginning and hopefully my staff respected me and I think some even like me!!! I know I made some dear friends who I will miss.

What a unique experience to see as much as we have. The Alaska Canadian Highway was an experience unto itself. There is so much untouched wilderness and so few people. It is 425 - 500 kilometers between towns, so driving is a shorter day or a very long day if you go two towns instead of one. Anchorage seems so small and so little traffic - we love the rural feeling. The traffic in Salt Lake will be overwhelming for a while. However, home cooked meals (even by me) and our own bed will feel good - also green grass and glorious sunshine!

We miss our kids and grandkids and look forward to a great summer with family and friends. How will we ever thank Kara and Justin for keeping our home safe and cared for. Thanks guys. Thanks to you who phoned us, emailed us and kept us in your prayers. An experience to remember.

Tax Season is Over - On Our Way Home

Hi everyone - tax season ended and we had a great season. We almost think it was worth coming! We are headed home and are in Fort St. John, British Columbia. We left Monday morning - Canada is huge! We had beautiful weather Monday and Tuesday and woke up today to snow and had it all day as we wandered through 300 miles of mountains. We have gone 1300 miles and have nearly 2000 left. We have seen lots of wild life this trip - buffalos, reindeer, mountain sheep, and various little critters. We are anxious to get home but want to "enjoy the journey".

By the way, I got my splint and cast off and am trying to exercise and get my wrist stronger. Yea, it's getting better.

We will update as we go - love to all.

WE HAVE A NEW GRANDDAUGHTER!

Shelly and Ryan had a little girl yesterday, April 3. Emily Mae weighed 8 lbs, 12 oz and is 20 inches long. I hear she has lots of dark hair - where did that come from? She was born around 2:45pm (don't know exactly) and Shelly had a pretty easy delivery -3 pushes! We are so happy for them and we are anxious to see her. I am flying to Salt Lake tonight for 5 days - lucky me. Unfortunately Grandpa has to wait until we get home as he is holding down the fort at Zoo central. This makes the 12th grandchild! We are loving it! I will post pictures when I get there.