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.

It's Almost April

Last week-end we went back to Alyeska for Easter. It is so beautiful there and the bed and pillows are the most comfy ever. There was a Sunrise Easter service and an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids on the lower mountain. We watched the staff hide the eggs and then the kids find them from the window in our room. It is so relaxing there and one of our favorite spots.

The week has been steady at work. On Friday we had a fundraiser for March of Dimes. We did free tax prep for everyone and asked them to donate. We did 70 returns (which is phenomenal) and raised $2010! We were very pleased with the results. It was a crazy busy day but just getting us ready for the April crush. Lee and I worked on Saturday for a few hours, then relaxed the rest of the day (well, shopped for a few souvenirs).

Here are a few more pictures taken from the top of the mountain above the home we are staying in. It's cloudy but what a beautiful view. The home is where we are living - also beautiful!

CAST OFF

I went in for x-rays today. He wanted to put my cast back on because he said the scaphoid bone is healing, but not healed completely. Fortunately, he reconsidered and said if I faithfully wear my splint day and night and only take it off to shower, I don't have to have a new cast. I go back on April 14 for more x-rays, then he wants me to see a hand specialist when I get back to Utah.

So at least the bone is healing and not dying (I guess that can happen and then it's surgery for sure). My thumb is beyond sore and I will be a complete weakling when I eventually get this splint off, but it's better than a cast!

Work has been pretty slow this week. (Our slowest day is busier than Bountiful was on our busiest day!) We took Wednesday afternoon off and that was great. We are doing well but anxious to head home.

Pictures of Homer Alaska

Week-end in Homer

We drove to Homer for the week-end and had a great time. We stayed at a resort called Land's End. It is literally at the end of a "spit" of land that juts out into the Bay. The view was incredible with ocean and snow covered mountains on the other side.

Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about earthquakes, tsunami's and water. Well, let me tell you how narrow this spit was and I certainly gave the above much thought. And by the way, during the great Alaskan earthquake in 1964, the spit sank 7 feet. So, after Lee read me that, I had trouble sleeping.

It was, however, very awe inspiring. We saw seals playing and diving for fish, and many, many golden eagles. There is a woman called the Eagle Lady. She is the only person ever licensed to feed eagles. She does it every morning at 10am and there are hundreds of eagles. Some fly for 150 miles to get fed by her. She never misses.

It was a great week-end. We come to Lee's office each Sunday night to post, as the Debenhams have a family dinner and we like to give them their time together. It should be an easier week at work so not as much stress hopefully.

I am trying to plan my trip in early April to come for Shelly's baby. Now this little baby just needs to cooperate! Have a great week!