Autumn in Southern Utah

We spent a week at our house in St. George enjoying the beautiful weather.
We rode our bikes in Zion National Park one day, another day riding down the
very nice bike trails along the Virgin River and Snow Canyon and we visited with
friends and went to see Footloose at the Tuacahn Ampitheater.
A nice way to enjoy Fall!

A Few Images of Japan

Now that we are home from Japan and Alex is back, I
wanted to share a few favorite photos of our trip in that
beautiful land. It was wonderful to spend time with our
son and see the amazing areas he lived in, like Osaka,
Nara, Kobe and Kyoto, as well as Wakayama. After spending 5 days
in the Kobe Mission area, we took the train back to Tokyo and spent
4 more days there before heading back home to the U.S. Alex was a great
tour guide for us and was very patient with our little
group.

WELCOME HOME ALEX!!

He's finally home after almost 25 months away on his mission to
Japan. We are all so happy to have him back with us.
More photos of our trip to Japan to follow soon...

Alexander's Homecoming

This summer Alex will be returning from his mission in Kobe Japan. We are excited to have him
with us once again and can hardly wait for his arrival. He has had an awsome mission
and it has been a wonderful learning experience. He has loved the people in Japan and we think the
folks in the Kobe and Osaka area have been lucky to have him serve in that beautiful part of the land of the rising sun.
The countdown begins!

A Busy Winter

Can't believe it is almost May and I haven't updated the blog for months. We have been busy, between
celebrating Mark's 60th birthday with a big surprise party then a crazy camping trip with friends to Santa Fe,
Roswell and San Antonio, then later in March heading back to Virginia and DC to visit
with Nate and Kellie, a trip of skiing with great friends in Telluride Colorado, and visits with our kids....well,
life has been hectic. I was going to put pictures on of our trips but if anyone is interested, please
just log onto Kellie and Nate's blog and Sara and Dan's blog.....they have all the good photos!! Sarah
and Jeremy just keep us happy with their wonderful blog with Elliot photos!!

Chance

Yesterday Chance our 10 year old paint Tennessee Walker came back to our house after spending several months grazing on a field a few miles away from us. Chance had a large open wound in his rear hind quarter just below his tail. It was quite large and draining so we immediately loaded him in a trailer and took him to the vet. The vet told us that the wound was a carcinoma and that there was really nothing he could do to help him. He said that paint horses are especially susceptible to these on the white part of their skins. Sadly the decision was made to euthanize him to prevent him from suffering. He will be buried on the farm next to ours by our good friend George Holmes as we could not stand to watch the process.

Chance was a member of our family, really more of a pet than a saddle horse. He would come when we called him he never required any chasing. He would follow me around the field like a dog when I was working outside. Chance would stand outside the fence by our backyard and call us when he wanted an apple, a carrot or just a little companionship. When he was being trained a saddle went on him the first time and we rode away, never bucking or fighting like so many horses will when they first encounter what man has to offer. He was never moody or unpredictable any child or person could climb up on his back, he would calmly accept strangers and family members alike. Chance had a large heart and an intelligent mind.

Bruce the vet was very kind and said that he knows how hard it is to lose a friend like this and the question is whether it is better to avoid the pain by having no animal friends, or if life is better with them in spite of the risk we take in losing them.
George drove me home after leaving Chance and told me that I could have one of his new colts if I wanted one. I told him thanks a lot, George is a good friend and that I would think about it. I don't think I am ready yet.





Chance was just another pretty face he would always come when we called him
Chance running with his lady friends in in our back field (Thanks to Brian for the great photo)

Kelli Our Daughter-in-laws first horseback ride on Chance