Utah and Idaho

We had the opportunity recently to go to Utah and Idaho! The trip was mostly to go and help Dana’s sister, Elina, pack her stuff up and return home. But we decided to stop by Utah and visit some people first.

We missed the pretty mountains and Dana had to take lots of pictures of them all covered in snow.

 

This panoramic is the view off Uncle Sherman’s deck. We were able to stay with them and had a great time!

 

We also got to see my friend, Jackie, who just got back from her mission in Holland. Here we are after eating some tasty In’n’Out.  For the record, it’s just as good as I remember it and not over-hyped.

In Rexburg we got to see the temple all completed and Elina took us on a tour of the rock and mineral collection on campus.

Dana’s mom was even brave enough to come with Dana and I to Craters of the Moon. It was very snowy (and a lot of the park was closed) but it was still fun.

We also took a day to drive down to Idaho Falls and go through the temple there. We also got to see my cousin, Jessica, and her kids. It was a quick visit, but nice.

While in Idaho we stayed with my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Bruce; Thanks for letting us stay with you guys! (And for the tasty brownies!)

Here are some shots of the drive from Felt to Rexburg. We were quite happy to see a moose making its way across a field and for being able to see the Tetons come out from the cover of clouds. Yay for Idaho!

We were also able to see Ruth’s brother Dave, and he even came home with us to Washington for the week between classes. Our next post will be our adventures with Dave in the Great Northwest.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, everyone! We hope that this season of renewal and rebirth is a time of growth and improvement for all of you.

And we hope you get lots of candy from the Easter Beagle :-)

Super-Cute Adorable Baby! And some other stuff…

This last Sunday we had the opportunity to go to Cheney, WA to see Will and Courtney’s new baby, Whitney, get blessed. We had a great time spending time with them and were happy to see them. Whitney is a wonderful baby. She even let us hold her.

Will seemed especially proud of his new baby.

 

So here are some more shots of Whitney. We enjoyed her awesome hair, and how pleasant and happy she is.

On the way home we took a small detour to Palouse Falls State Park. It was a neat place that we had never seen. And like the last waterfall we stopped at it had a cute little animal pose for us on the edge of the cliff.

 

Here is a close up of our little marmot friend.

We want to say thanks to Will and Courtney for putting up with us and letting us come and visit, and we hope to see them again soon.

Wahkeena Falls

Recently, we decided to go on a little hike. The only problem was that everyone else had the same idea. We headed to the Columbia River Gorge and many of the trailheads were packed with cars. We decided on Wahkeena Falls since Ruth had not been there yet.

 

It is a very nice waterfall with a beautiful cascade below the main falls. An added bonus was this little salamander we found by our car in the parking lot. It lives near streams and waterfalls and wanders around in the moss and rocks. He is a cute little guy.

Message for Matthew

It was our nephew Matthew's birthday yesterday, and we thought we'd celebrate by posting these videos we made for him.

Their coolness was too massive for us to post them ON the blog, so the above link will take you to them.

And if you're worried that it's late, just remember that in Russia, it is terrible bad luck to wish someone happy birthday too early.
So, Happy Birthday, Matthew!

We love you and miss you!

More About Clyde

Clyde's story continues: http://rfblogopolis.blogspot.com/

Let’s Take a Walk

Recently we have been going out on walks around the area here in Vancouver. The weather has been nice recently and we have enjoyed being outside.

One of the places we have gone a couple of times is down the Salmon Creek Trail. It is a nice trail that goes along Salmon Creek and sometimes you get to see some wildlife. One day we also took a side trip down Cougar Creek. We always like seeing the plants and animals.

 

 

We also did the trail at Fort Vancouver. That is always a place I like to go.

We also went with Dana’s brother, Anton, around a section of the Ridgefield NWR. We saw lots of animals, including a muskrat, blue herons, and a funny little bird called a creeper that climbs up the sides of trees.

 

A walk in Whipple Creek Park was also a lot of fun. There was a lot of wonderful moss to look at on all the big trees.

 

Hopefully we’ll be able to keep walking and find some new places to discover.