Hitting Sixty

  I've made it to SIXTY.

YEP. 

 It seems like such a miracle

. . .  and a blessing.

My siblings gathered for the occasion at my brother's new mountain cabin.

I got to be Queen for the Day.

My brothers even zipped up my jacket when the thing confounded me.

It took two of them.  How delightful!

 

 Then four of us went out riding in my brother's Thing-a-ma-gig.

It went straight up a steep mountain road with 2 feet of fresh snow.

I had a fabulous time until we did a bit of sliding 

and I envisioned falling over the edge of the cliff and breaking THESE.

We descended,

because I wanted to

and it was my birthday

and my brother actually responded to my wish.

  

SIDE NOTE: It was NOT my birthday when the very same brother drove his snowmobile the entire length of Yellowstone Park going between 80 and 90 mph while I held on for dear life behind him.  I tried using my pregnancy (with child #1) as an excuse to get him to slow down, but that didn't work.  My 60th birthday gave my a great deal of CLOUT and I loved it.

Here I sit on my throne with brother Ken and sister Tricia.

 

It was such so much fun to have a long evening to simply chat.

  Then came the dearest gift I've ever received. 

My daughter Leah and my sister Tricia created this book of keepsakes

(BELOW inside the lovely gift wrapping)

with entries from 38 of my loved ones.

They each wrote such dear, thoughtful memories about our relationships. Treasures.

If you look closely, I'm crying before I even open it.

 Leah spent many late nights doing page after page of gorgeous lay-outs, including photos.

She used her considerable talents at scrapbooking to make each page a masterpiece.

EVERYONE loved going through the book together.

Ken and Tricia read some of the essays out loud.

I was so surprised and totally overwhelmed by this gift of love, especially knowing Leah's crazy life.

It was very emotional for me.

The next day, another merry group of four went on an expedition in the Thing-a-ma-gig.

My son-in-law Duane is waving from the back seat.  Kelty is next to him.  I've got their toddler and the camera.

Ken and his wife Athelia left for Great Britain shortly after this photo was taken.

 The following evening, they stayed in Oxford, England at my son's home . . .

. . . while we remained at the cabin one more night.

My son's family seems so very far away, but my brother and his wife were with them in less than a day.  Wow.

I'm glad they enjoyed a splendid time together.

We, at the cabin, had a mighty fine time, as well!

My granddaughter, Ms. Rella May at the cabin.

A heartfelt thank you 

to my brothers and sisters and children 

who put so much effort into making my 60th sooooooo totally perfect.

Pumpkins, Costumes & House-mates!

 

 A new family tradition has been founded:

The 1st Annual Pumpkin Carving Extravaganza 

@ Aunt Ginger's / Grandma Ginger's place.

Pulling this off was a piece of cake, 

compared to THIS ACTIVITY which was a beloved, but labor-intensive and creative holiday event.

Here's how we did it: 

Everyone showed up with their own pumpkins and carving tools.

 

Uncle Mark even brought his electric drill. 

 

We set out the tables  

and clan members gathered around.

Pumpkins were carved, 

intermixed with:

 eating, 

chatting, 

and general hanging out.

Voila!

Some of the college-age kids came empty-handed, but still found ways to participate.

Here's Eliza, tossing my very happy granddaughter onto the couch.

Again!  Again!  Again!

And then there was Halloween!

Who wouldn't LOOOOOVE to have these adorable children showing up at their door, 

excitedly modeling their imaginative costumes???

To me, this element of Halloween is just grand.

But the grandest of all is THIS little trick or treater.

  

She's a snow queen and a granddaughter 

AND a house mate.

Yep.  My daughter Kelty and her husband Duane have made the big move back to Utah.

 

Duane is not just a great at jumping into leaf piles - BELOW -

he also is a techno-whiz who had jobs coming out of the woodwork when he returned.

He's thrown his weight with Instructure which gives its employees the coolest canvas bags ever.

They've purchased a home close to my brother Ken and nephew Paul.

Rella enjoying a picnic with Grandma today.

However, until it closes, they are living with me.  Maybe we can even string it out til December.

I am completely thrilled to have them around.

Hawaii - Part 2

 Hmmm.   

Should I wear this accessory to compliment my swim suit 

. . . and demonstrate due caution?

 

I'll consider that ~ next time.

Moving on.

There are really cool waterfalls on the Big Island.

 

There are also really cool (and friendly) Hawaiian people.  

 

Disclaimer: 
I was wearing my post-snorkeling hair-do plus a wet dress due to a wet swimsuit. Ah, well.

  

While my friends were shopping,

I was "Talking Story" with this affable guy - above.

  On the islands, an informal conversation is known as ‘talk story’ where you slow down 

and take time to share ideas, stories, and opinions with the people around you.  

 The Big Island is volcanic 

and there's plenty of lava to prove it.

 

  Wave after wave, the ocean has slowly rounded the lava rocks til they look like giant pebbles.

  You can see the true power of the waves in this little video clip I made:

Ya never know when one of those waves will come out and ATTACK YOU.

However, the waters were always placid at our place.

Okay.  It wasn't exactly 'our place'.  We were just house-sitting.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a good shot of the house itself . . . just the pool, the gazebo and the magnificent view.

Inside, it was CLASSY.

However, you had to get used to the fact that geckos could drop into your lap from the ceiling.

 Yes.  It happened.  

 

Here's my favorite beach @ 10 a.m. on my 14th and last morning in Hawaii.

Nancy didn't 'need' a last round of snorkeling, but I did.

The beach and the waters beyond were mine, and mine alone.

In those waters, you can find the friendliest turtles ever!

(Refer to my earlier post on Hawaii to see one of them.)

Parting Shot:

One of my most favorite-ever experiences . . .

Getting LEI-ED in the Aloha State.

A big SHOUT OUT to Nancy, Shelly 

and most especially Karen 

for making this incredible Hawaii experience possible!

Degree in Hand

My son, Arian, officially finished his graduate studies at Oxford yesterday morning,

when he turned in his very last paper.

The ceremony took place three weeks ago, although papers didn't have to be completed til this Monday.

The keynote address at his graduation was given by none other than his beloved cousin Kenny.

Twelve years ago, Kenny also completed an MBA at Oxford. 

 Since then, he's become a father of five and a successful entrepreneur.  

More than that, he's simply a really nice chap . . . ever so likable.

Hats off to Jill, his wife, who has support Arian 200% during this round of academics.

Oxford's Executive MBA students have been lodged at "The Randolf".

Arian brought his son to spend an evening with him at the during his last official week there.

Little Kenneth LOVED IT!

Let me just say, it's not your average college dormitory. 

Well, Oxford hasn't been an average education and Arian has truly benefited from his his experience there. 

Looks like his family is going to be staying on the other side of the pond.

Now he has switched hats and he's doing a job as the "Business Development Officer"

for a company which brokerages patented technologies to corporations on the London stock exchange. 

If you don't quite get that, you're not alone!

My daughter Leah recently returned from visiting Arian and Jill.

Her Oxfordshire experience is posted HERE.

Gecko Land

At the moment, I'm in Gecko Land, also know as the Big Island of Hawaii,

The geckos like to hide behind the picture frames - inside the house.

With friends, I'm housesitting at a remarkable home in Kona.

(Somebody has to do it.)

BELOW: Nancy and I.  She was my travel companion in Ethiopia.

Here we are, hiking out to a beach, hauling our lounge chairs.

Nancy is carrying two.  She's my sherpa.

I snorkeled for longer than I thought possible.

The tropical fish and this (BELOW) reptilian friend motivated me to keep paddling.

He was swimming close enough to touch, but wouldn't properly pose for the camera.

Good enough!