Random Ramblings Through the Years: April 2007

My Lifetouch winter meetings were suppose to be in San Diego this year. So Dad immediately said he'd join me. Turned out, the winter meetings got canceled, never to be done again. But Dad and I still took our trip to San Antonio---where he started his military career. It's also where Carolyn had been born on a future assignment there. I had never been there, so I was excited to check out a new place. I wasn't disappointed.

Jan. 2007----

Just a few of my favorite pictures from the trip: Riverwalk

one of the missions we visited

Dad

We were confined to our resort for 3 or 4 days while an ice storm shut down the town!

Yep---this is south Texas. For more of that trip, check---2007 San Antonio

Mad Titans concert


Mad Titans concert

Feb 26-March 10 Kauai----Ken and I took our annual trip to Kauai---our 6th time there: My blog of this trip----2007 Kauai

Some of my most memorable photos from that trip.
Even celebrated Valentine's day there.

our fellow sunset worshippers

one of the most gorgeous sunsets we've witnessed in Kauai---or anywhere.

it went on and on and on

Possibly my favorite place on earth.

the hard to get parking at Kee beach

Even though this was our 6th trip to Kauai, it's the first time Ken finally took the plunge and learned how to use a snorkel. It would be a couple more years before I'd get him to use fins.

way SW

tandum surfers practicing for world competition. We ran into this guy years later at a sand volleyball tournament and heard all about their competitions.

just another Kauai sunset.

Only time I've seen the flowering vines on this barn. So pretty!

only time we found it calm enough to snorkel Mahualepu

Couldn't snorkel Lydgate, it was covered with debris from winter storms and hadn't been cleaned out yet.

view of Kalapaki bay and the Marriott from atop a hill

The only time we made it to Secret Beach.

In March I made it back out to the San Diego area. Several months before, I was with Faith when she was talking to her friend, Rachel, who was living out there. Rachel was talking about finding a photographer for her upcoming wedding and I casually mentioned that I'd do it if she paid my way there. She asked if I was serious and I said sure. So---another trip to San Antonio! This time I booked a 2 bedroom condo through RCI at a WElk Resort close to San Antonio. Turned out to be a beautiful place and convenient to everywhere we wanted to go---like LaJolla for the wedding and Carlsbad for the flowers, and everywhere inbetween for the missions. My sister joined me for the week at the resort. Tim and Faith flew down for the wedding and stayed at the guest hotel. It was another great S. California vacation!
Just a couple photos of the beautiful wedding.

RAchel and the flower girl heading out to put their feet in the ocean

The gorgeous S. California coastline.

We happened to be there when the flowers were growing in Carlsbad, too, so I had to go see them.

Tim and Faith and I even made it to the Wild Animal Park near SAn Diego.

Loved the open range of it---more like a safari setting. They even had safari trucks drive you around where the animals roamed freely.

Checking out the coast near Lajolla---look at all those seals!

the coastline and seals from beach level.

more views of the coast

Dad made it out to St. Louis for a visit. He was still in the feeling good stage of his prostate cancer. We knew he was terminal, but studies said treatment would let him feel good for about a year or 2 before it would take hold again.
He always wanted to see the Air Force museum in Dayton, Ohio, so we drove out there with him.

I think he had a good time.

He served 21 years in the AirForce

Never went to the moon, but got to pretend here.

more planes.

We've been around when there's been "fly overs" by these planes---they're really intriguing

And as often happened when we went on road trips with Dad, we had car troubles on our way home. This was just a bad tire, so Ken changed it and we were on our way.

Back in St. Louis, we continued his visit by running up to the Missouri Botanical Gardens---a place that I usually have a yearly membership to.

Angie and Grandpa. Angie showing off her new tattoo in honor of her grandpa Gagznos and his military career.

grandpa with Tim and Faith.

William was even in town for the Cardinal party room that he always invited us to. This time Dad even got to go. It may have been Dad's first time to a Cardinal game---at least to a party room.

Being the bowler he was, Dad also wanted to go check out the bowling museum by Busch Stadium. I had never been there, so it was new to me, too.

Not sure what Dad was doing here, but this was the only year he sported a beard and cut his hair really short. Actually looked like a little old man then.

June 17, 2007---Ken and Tim in arm slings. Ken had rotator cuff surgery; Tim had surgery on his wrist.

In mid July, I went to Minneapolis for the Lifetouch Summer meetings. They did away with the Winter Meetings, but they still held the award meetings in the summer. This year I received my 15 year diamond (I got a ring after something like 3 years that had 3 sapphires in it. Then at 10 and 15 years I sent it back and they replaced one of the sapphires with a diamond. It's actually a really pretty ring and actually worth something). I had never been to Minneapolis, so was excited to check out a new place.

The rest of our group that was there for awards.

This park was close to our hotel so I walked over to it a couple times. Pretty neat park

another view from the park.

Back in Missouri, David and Jane and their daughter NOra and her family were out visiting Jane's family in Illinois. They made a mini vacation to LOTO to the Worldmark, and we joined them.

Angie and Josh even came down.

we did some hanging out by the dock of Ken's brothers vacation home which happens to be right down the street from the Worldmark--and in a more secluded little cove.

Aug. 18, 2007---Angie's best buddies threw her a bridal shower---at Angie's new house.

HOstess Faith

Sister in laws---so glad they get along so well!

they're both goofy

Another trip Dad always wanted to take was a cruise to Alaska.
More of that cruise here: 2007 Alaska cruise with DAd
So I was happy to go on that with him. So on Aug. 18, we left on a 7 nite cruise out of Seattle.

Alaska was unbelievably beautiful and grand! We did several ship excursions this time---like this one into the Yukon

and back down by way of the White Pass Railroad. The scenery was spectacular!

On the ship, we played cribbage----

ate----

ate some more!

took a boat ride in Juneau where we saw about 100 killer whales!

Went up to the top of the mountain by sky lift.

Even got to see the Northern Lights one night!!!!!

It was a great vacation for me, but hindesite, I think Dad wasn't feeling very well. He got rather quiet and wasn't the enthusiastic photographer that he usually was. I did spend a couple days in oregon before heading back to St. Louis. Even made it to the Portland Rose Garden with Carolyn and Jane.

Then about a week after I flew home, I got a call that DAd was back in the hospital. His tubes from his bladder were closed by the cancer so they had to put a stint in. He also had colon cancer which they started chemo treatments for. He did fine with that, but the reality was his body was beginning to loose it's fight.

But his spirits were always good.

He even went back to being clean shaven

Since the chemo was wrecking his blood count, they put a port into his neck for transfusions. Most times after his chemo he'd have to go back a day or 2 later for a transfusion.

I was afraid Dad wouldn't be able to make it to Angie's wedding, but he insisted on coming to it. So glad he was able to make it. So were the bride and groom!

Josh's family looking on

the bride and bridesmaid checking out their roles.

married---well, in the rehearsal.

Dad at the rehearsal

angie and Josh at their dinner (in carol and darrels back yard catered by Bandanas).

the very happy couple

sealed with a kiss.

her diamond earrings from Josh

they fit!

Sept., 29, 2007---the wedding and reception!

Angie and Josh's first dance

tim and faith dancing at the reception

Angie and Grandpa dancing.

proud father and beautiful daughter

couple shots

Sept. 30, 2007---back to Angie and Josh's house for gift opening.

now that's a head piece.

congratulatory hug

I think this means he's taken

Mother of the groom goofing around.

beautiful new wife.

tim and faith watching on

Then came Angie's birthday and more celebrating.

Also in October---Tim and the Mad Titans had a couple more performances. They really were quite good. I loved their style of music---sort of a surf style. But it was all for fun, they didn't try to make it a living.

We also hit up a Cardinal game in Oct.

And enjoyed the changing leaves of Fall

even taking a ferry boat ride over the river to Grafton.

always loved this ride along the Great River Road.

Also in Oct., Angie had us and Josh's folks down to LOTO Worldmark to one of the presidential penthouse suites for a weekend to thank us all for helping with their wedding.

LOTO worldmark. It was a place we went to frequently for a quick getaway weekend.

Halloween---Tim and Faith were Calamaris. I have no idea what those are, but that's what they said they were. They even made the costumes themselves---pretty ingenious.

Just a picture of Molly and Murphy enjoying their back yard.

In Nov., Ken and I went down to S. Illinois to visit with David and Jane. They ended up buying an 11 acre piece of land with a pond and a trailer on it in Texico near Mt. Vernon so Jane could spend time with her dad before he passed.

At least that what David like to say. But I really think he missed S. Illinois and liked being able to get so much land and a place to live so cheaply.