Christmas Morning

Merry Christmas David, Julia and Andrea.  We had a nice time.  

Dave is displaying his awesome new gift, a head massager!

Decorating the Tree

Andrea was the only child home to decorate for Christmas--much more quiet than usual.  She didn't have to fight anyone to put the star on top of the tree. :)  Julia came home from school in Idaho in plenty of time to enjoy the decorations.

Thanksgiving 2013

For Thanksgiving, it was more quiet than usual.  Julia and Daniel were away at school, and Andrea was the only child at home.  We invited  missionaries to join us.


Dave helped me weigh the turkey.

The elders were excited about the mashed potatoes! It was even more than they could finish off.

Good friends and a great family.  We have a lot to be thankful for!

Andrea at NATIONALS

 This is Andrea's third year playing the piccolo for her high school marching band.  They went to Nationals, which were held in Annapolis at the Navy stadium at the Naval Acadamy in Annapolis.

Dave was head of the pit crew this season--the fathers who run on the field before they start and put all their visuals and props in place.  The band did an awesome job. Congratulations, Andrea!

Happy Halloween!

Dave and I had our first Halloween without children.  Andrea was invited to represent her class at Ocean City for a conference, and is gone through tomorrow.  

We still carved our pumpkin and cooked the seeds, and enjoyed the trick-or-treaters. We exchanged pictures of our pumpkins and costumes with our children to share the holiday with them.

FALL Leaves are turning

Andrea enjoys the changing leaves in our yard.  Fall is a pretty time in Maryland.

Bye Bye Van

After 14 years of having a van to take us on vacations and help people move and take kids to boy scout camp, girls camp, treks and hikes, we sold our green van.  It wasn't cool to be picked up in it at high school, so Andrea wasn't too sad.  But, we did have lots of family memories in it.

My New Series: Being the Best Me

It was exciting to see the first copies of my new series arrive.  'Be Positive' and 'Feel Confident' are the first two of twelve in the new series.  They are larger than the previous series, and come in both hardcover and paperback.  While I have always loved the 'Learning to Get Along' series, which are paperback,  I am very excited about the hardcover option.  They have more of the feel of a loved child's story that is read over and over again.  I hope that this series will also be a resource to children, and that it will help them to understand their worth and potential.

Off to BOISE

Mid-July, Erika and Tyler carefully loaded up their car and drove to their new home in Boise, Idaho.  They were here in Maryland with us to years as Tyler went to school here.  We are happy that they also have family out there.  Erika is a counselor for military families, and is able to work from home--so it's great that she will continue to have her job out there while Tyler finishes school in Boise.

I graduated from high school in Emmett Idaho, about an hour from Boise, and think it's a great place to live. My parents were also both born in Boise, so Erika has family roots and extended family there, too.  So far, I think Erika and Tyler are both really enjoying the mix of urban and rural life there. 

Daniel is Engaged!

As part of our family get together, Daniel's girl friend, Meg Humpherys, flew in from Dallas Texas to join us.  She arrived on July 4th, and I got a picture of them before they went out that day.

When they came back that night, she had a ring on her finger!

 We are very happy for both of them!

Our Staycation

Dave's mother and sister, Julie, flew from Columbus, Ohio to join us for a few days while James and Tammy flew in from Seattle and Meg flew in from Texas.  James was leaving for his flight and we orchestrated the picture in about 60 seconds.  We only took one picture, so I'm glad it was a good one of all of us together! [It would have been a complete portrait of our nuclear family if we had Kara, Luke and our grandsons Jacob and Blake.]


THE C&O CANAL

After James, Tammy and Meg arrived on the 4th of July, we spent the first day together hiking along the C&O Canal near Great Falls and Potomac, Maryland.

The National Park website is here and has this description:  C&O Canal follows the route of the Potomac River for 184.5 miles from Washington, D.C. to Cumberland, MD. The canal operated from 1828-1924 as a transportation route, primarily hauling coal from western Maryland to the port of Georgetown in Washington, D.C. Hundreds of original structures, including locks, lockhouses, and aqueducts, serve as reminders of the canal's role as a transportation system during the Canal Era. In addition, the canal's towpath provides a nearly level, continuous trail through the spectacular scenery of the Potomac River Valley.

 Everyone but Dave and I continued on the Billy Goat Trail--which is actually quite rigorous and involves climbing up and across hot rocks in the humid, summer heat.

 Dave and I enjoyed some other scenic points.

The Canal has been around and operating since 1828.  The historic looking boat here is in the lock, so that water runs in on one side, but is locked in because the other side is closed off with a huge wooden gate--

  causing the boat to raise several feet and be able to travel upstream

with the help of these mules.

ANNAPOLIS

 
The next day we were off to Annapolis, capital of Maryland.  We went to visit the Naval Acadamany where we met seafarer J. Paul Jones, who looked a lot like Julia.

I had reminded everyone to bring their ID to get past security there. When we arrived, I was the one who had ironically forgotten my ID.  The nice man asked my 8 children and their spouses/fiance and my mother-in-law if they knew me and they all vouched for me, so I was able to get in. :)

All 11 of us then took a touring boat around the bay.  Tyler and Erika were enjoying their last view of Annapolis before the moved west the next weekend.


THE CAPITOL, WASHINGTON, D.C.

The next day Dave drove us all down in the van to the capitol where we had tickets for a tour.

Afterwards, we had lunch and then spent a few hours at the National Museum of Art--making a full and enjoyable day of history, and a nice get together as a family.

How many Meiners' does it take to change a lightblub?

Thank you Dave, for changing that high light bulb and Julia and Tammy for helping.  I couldn't watch, and I will take it off future to-do lists. :)

Bathroom Spruce

 In honor of our family visiting during the summer, Julia painted the walls, and we went with gray and yellow accessories.

It will be all ready for you when you come to visit!

Family get together

 Beautiful sisters!

Even though we had just seen Kara in Logan, she had been planning a trip to Maryland.  Daniel and Julia were home from college and Erika and Tyler were still at our house--they moved soon after.

 We took some day trips

 around Havre de Grace where Dave has a project.

 At the top of a lighthouse--the glass on the left was what made the light highly reflective and visible from afar.

 at the pier on Havre de Grace

My Dad's Space Missions

 My Dad was a mechanical engineer, and designed various things for space missions over the years.  On the table were a collection of patches he received.  Each patch represents a mission.  Some of them were joint missions with the Soviets or other countries.

 These symbolize some of the great work he did in his career that served his country.  He was honored a few years ago with a Lifetime Achievement award by NASA, of which he was rightfully proud.

Logan Canyon

 While in Logan for my Dad's funeral, we took a trip up Logan canyon with James and Tammy and Kara's family.

 This is a cool place where water comes up from underground.

 With our grandkids Jacob and Blake.

 Exploring the cave openings.

 We drove further up the canyon and actually got stuck in snow and had to turn around-- in May!

These aspen trees are my favorite.  It was nice to see the canyon again where Dave and I went on our first date 30 years ago.