Field trip to the Arboretum

Conor's 1st grade class

Mrs. McQuilken, Conor, Riley and Rachel

Since Conor is a diabetic, I will be the designated chaperone for all of his field trips-forever. This is actually a good thing. It is great fun to see him with his little friends and to get to interact with all of them. This trip we went out to the arboretum and collected leaves and nuts and pine cones and tramped around to learn about all the different kind of trees.

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit!

Apple time at GreenBluff

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!

Grandma and Grandpa Nielsen came to visit on "their way" to Indiana. Last time I checked Spokane was not on the way to Indiana from Utah, but if their map says it is, I'll take them. They got here just in time to have some soup with hard beans (long story) and then to spend a few days shopping for some early Christmas gifts, and the best part was celebrating Grandma's Birthday. We were so happy to spend her special day with her . I can't remember the last time I was with her on her birthday, so it was a treat for all of us. We decorated the house with balloons and streamers and then we went up to Greenbluff and enjoyed the beautiful fall weather. We got a whole bunch of delicious Washington apples and we wandered through the pumpkin patch. The kids had fun playing in the dried pea box as well as chasing a a few chickens and goats. We went out to dinner then came home to open presents and blow out candles. Fun times.

Girls Weekend at Red

Me, Tanya and Hilary (After 4 hrs of riding.)
We were so cold and tired at this point, I can't believe we
were smiling. Oh wait- All for the love of Mountain biking!

After a serious endo, done by yours truely! We look warm but,
looks can be deceiving. It was probably 25 degrees in this picture.

Tanya and Me

Hilary and Tanya - enjoying the beauty of British Columbia in October

A big bear track we came across. We were riding in bear country.
We each had a bear bell on our bikes to warn the bears
we were coming.

This weekend has been a long time in the making. We finally picked a weekend we could all get away and we had a fabulous time. It was a little cold, but that helped us burn 3000 calories in one ride and then contributed to our guilt free dining. 2 whole days with out kids or commitments and of course the riding was heaven. Sign me up for this tradition.