Our Saint Louis Vacation

Heather & Chad live in an apartment complex that has a pool this summer in Saint Louis, so we were able to go swimming almost every day this last week. There's beautiful landscaping around the pool, so I couldn't resist taking a picture of the grandkids by the waterfall.

Here's Steve right before another enjoyable swim at the apartment.

Did you know Panera Bread actually had its beginning in Saint Louis, and it is named Saint Louis Bread Company?

We went to the Missouri Transportation Museum on our first full day in Missouri with Heather, Kyra, Skye, and Dane.

Here I am hanging out with one of my girls at the Transportation Museum.

Dane loves trains. He was thrilled with this one in particular because he said "it was working." I think he thought that because the light was on. Dane loves his Thomas the Train set that he has at home. Dane also loves trucks or actually anything that has tires.

This car is an example of what cars looked like when Steve and I were born. It's ancient looking, I admit. I've seen pictures that my parents had of our family cars that actually look similar to the one above.

The Mississippi River flooded this year, so our dinner cruise was canceled, AGAIN! This time someone at the ticket office told us that the river floods most every year. Next time we'll book our dinner cruise when we arrive in Saint Louis and after I look at the water level.

In the background of this picture is The Old Courthouse (it's the one with the light blue domed roof) that the famous Dred Scott slavery case was held. He and his wife eventually paid $1,000 each and bought their freedom.

Here's a picture of the Saint Louis Cardinal game we went to in which we saw the famous first baseman, Albert Pujols, hit a home run. We hear that one day our grandkids will be very impressed when we tell them we witnessed one of his home runs. In the picture Pujols is running to home plate.

This is Steve and me after the game was over. We splurged and got some great seats. We enjoyed dinner before the game in an air-conditioned area of the stadium. It was a real luxury, and although I'm not really a baseball fan, it was fun to be part of the Saint Louis Cardinal fever. Every store I went in this week, even grocery stores, had Cardinal clothing or gadgets of some sort for sale. I think it would be fun for Las Vegas to have a professional team too.

This is a picture of Heather and Chad's new home in Chesterfield, MO. It's a suburb of Saint Louis. Right now they live in another suburb of Saint Louis called Creve Coure. Creve Coure is French as well as many street names, etc. in this part of the country. They live temporarily now on a street called Rue De La Banque. Funny, huh? Heather says she can't wait to have her new address. Their new street is Isleview in Chesterfield. It's much easier to say!

We celebrated the 4th of July on the 3rd of July by having a picnic and swim at the apartment. Then we went to Longview Farm and played on the playground, went on a nice trail for a hike, and saw some beautiful horses that live on the farm. You would not believe how many beautiful parks are in this area. It's unbelievable.

Steve and I went one evening to Queeny Park which turned out to be over 13,500 steps just to walk around it once! We had to use our GPS to get back to the car because we lost all daylight and were totally turned around with the multitude of trails and shortcuts, etc. through the park. Queeny Park looked like we were in the middle of a major forest. We walked on gravel trails. I have to admit I was a bit frightened when I realized I had no idea where the car was, and it was completely dark. Why or why didn't we bring Heather and family with us???????

Heather made a 4th of July cake for us after our swim and picnic. This was actually July 3rd.

Melanie flew from Oklahoma City for the three-day weekend over the 4th.

On July 4th we went to Six Flags in Saint Louis. We enjoyed rides plus the water park.

Here Melanie, Heather, and Kyra are having a little fun with a shark while at Six Flags.

Here's Melanie with Kyra, Skye, and Yosemite Sam at Six Flags.

We all enjoyed wearing red, white, and/or blue for the big holiday while at Six Flags. It was a great way to celebrate our country's birthday. This was actually our second celebration since we already had had a picnic and swim at Heather's apartment the day before. We definitely know how to capitalize on a holiday, if I do say so myself.

One day we went to Grant's Farm which is owned by the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company. They have beautiful Clydesdale horses there to view in the barn and out in the field. I learned that Commanding General Ulysses Grant (from the Civil War) married into the Busch family. As a wedding gift, the Busch family gave Grant and his new bride 80 acres of land which is now Grant's Farm.

Well, we're not drinkers, but we still can enjoy looking at the wagon and the huge horses that used to go along with delivering products from the brewing company at Grant's Farm.

Heather, Kyra, Skye, and Dane are cooling off with a water mist while at Grant's Farm.

Heather and Skye are feeding the goats milk at Grant's Farm. There were actually tons of goats in the pen. They are very aggressive animals!

Heather and I are playing in the water at Millenium Park on a rainy day; sort of comical if I do say so myself.

Heather, Kyra, Skye, and I are enjoying a swim in Creve Coure Lake on a rainy day. The lake is about 10 minutes from their apartment. Kyra is a great swimmer, and Skye just learned how to swim in the pool from the shallow end to the midway point. She was so proud of herself, and I was really glad I was there to see her do it for the first time.

Steve, Heather, Kyra, Skye, and Dane are standing by Creve Coure Lake near the apartment. It was a cloudy day, and it eventually rained and rained on us. Chad actually had a small scooter accident due to the rain coming home from work on the same day that we went to the lake for a swim. Someone cut him off, the roads were slick and his scooter slid. He fell off his scooter, and he ruined his new Father's day outfit which were dress pants and shirt. His scooter has some damage, but luckily he wasn't hurt too badly nor was anyone else. As luck would have it, there was a policeman at the intersection when the accident occurred.

This is the Saint Louis, MO LDS temple. It's right off the freeway, and it is just minutes from Heather's apartment in Creve Coure.

Here's Heather, Kyra, Skye, and Dane at the Saint Louis, MO temple.

On our last day in Saint Louis we went to the Missouri Botanical Garden (the balls are made from colorful blown glass). We had so much fun that we stayed for five hours. It's a huge place. This is the third time Steve and I have been there. It's beautiful! We wore clothes we could get wet in because there are fountains you can play in.

Here we are at The Japanese Garden within the MO Botanical Garden.

Here's Kyra, Skye, and Dane at the MO Botanical Garden. I have a picture of this same scene when we went to the gardens when Kyra was only 2 or 3 years old.

These pics are a sampling that show a little bit of our Saint Louis vacation. We've had a marvelous time. My mom always used to tell me that you knew you had had a good vacation if you hadn't done everything and wanted to go back and revisit a past vacation spot. That's exactly how I feel tonight as we pack and get ready to head for Oklahoma City to visit Melanie and Ryan tomorrow morning.

Happy Father's Day

Our Father's Day activities began on Friday with dinner at Natalie and Thomas's house. We had yummy pizza, Caesar salad, and cheesecake w/Reeses on tops. YUMMY!

After an early dinner we headed for Desert Shores Lagoon which is our favorite swimming hole. There were very few people there since it was later in the day, so it felt like we had the whole thing to ourselves. How great was that!!!!!

Cali and Ashton love to play in the sand and water.

Posing......

Two great dads

What would a father's day be without oatmeal cookies for a man who always loves a good cookie! I made cookies for my Sunday School class as well plus I gave everyone in my class one of these chocolates that said "This treat is mint for you. Happy Father's Day!"

Steve received three workout shirts from the girls. I'm sure they'll come in handy since we are trying to go to the LVAC every day this summer. I gave him two pairs of workout shorts and a pair of PJ shorts for our summer vacation. We both had our eyes checked last week, and Steve will be getting his new glasses in about a week. All in all, I would say our Father's Day weekend was great culminating in phone calls from all of the girls and a T-bone steak dinner to end the festivities. Thanks DeBauch grandkids for sending Grandpa such brightful and cheerful cards.

Las Vegas Athletic Club

Linda and I joined the Las Vegas Athletic Club a number of months ago with the idea that we would walk on the indoor track when the weather outside in Vegas was either too hot or too cold. As the months have rolled by, we have actually changed our original idea into something that I never thought would happen. Okay, girls, you won't believe this; but yes, I am going to the gym and actually liking it. We started, as I stated, with an hour once a week walking the track. Then the lure of the group work-out rooms beckoned our attention a month or so ago and before we knew it, we started going to a pilates class on Monday evenings. That class is dang hard! Friday of last week Linda invited me to go with her to an early morning spin class. Melanie went to a spin class when she lived in Vegas, so I was aware of what they were although I myself had never joined in. Well, to make a long story short, Linda and I went; and we actually did the entire hour-long ride although I'm sure the tension on my bike wasn't exactly what the other cyclists were using. Steve and I this last week have been to the gym every day using the machines at the gym. At first they actually intimidated me; but with his help, I'm finding that I can do them as well. Of course, I always have to move the pin to the minimum weight, but I feel okay about that. You have to start somewhere, right????? I'm just glad it's summer, and I have time, and I have a great sister and a great husband to share this experience with.

Iron Girl

Aflac sponsored Iron Girl today at Lake Las Vegas in

Henderson, NV. Natalie was one of the athletes that participated.

We had a great time today watching the three legs of the event.

Natalie is standing in front of the second cabana from the left
by the girl who is wearing a pink top.

Natalie is standing in line waiting her turn to
jump into the lake for the 800-meter swim.

In the picture you can see some of the athletes as they swim
their way to and from the finish line near the Loew Hotel.

Natalie is out of the water and sprinting to the transition

area before beginning the 30-kilometer bike ride

which is about 18 miles.

Natalie is waving good-bye as she begins a difficult

bike ride up and down some tough

mountain grades.

This is one of Natalie's friends named Mynda in the hot

pink top. Natalie and Mynda both work in YW. They had a lot

of fun together as they encouraged each other on.

Natalie is on the home stretch here. She's seconds from crossing

the finish line after running a 5K up and down a strenuous

course around the Lake Las Vegas area.

Here's Natalie with her cute family supporting her

all along the way.

Yes, we are Natalie's proud parents!!

Natalie and Mynda, church friends and now Iron Girl friends.

Natalie's badge that she wore throughout the competition.

Natalie borrowed a bike from a friend so she could participate

in Iron Girl. During the ride the chain came off, and she had to put

it back on. Who says girls can't be handy?

All the athletes got signs. This is Natalie's. Some families

wrote on the back of the signs and held them up and cheered and

hollered as their family member or friend ran or cycled by.

Donny & Marie at the Flamingo

What....lipstick marks!

Marie Osmond's Dancing With the Stars Costume

Donny Osmond's Dancing With the Stars Costume

I didn't know flamingos were gold!

Truly, a remarkable resemblance, I'd say.

We just got home tonight from the Donny and Marie show at the Flamingo Hotel. It was a great show with lots of dancing, songs, clothes changes, energy, and humor. We had a great time, and we even got to see a display cabinet of the tuxedo that Donny wore on Dancing With the Stars when he won the competition. We also saw the dress that Marie wore when she participated in Dancing With the Stars, but it was in a different season than Donny. In the competition she danced to the song Buggle Boy of Company B. Her dad died the next day, so it was pretty sentimental when she referred to her parents and her son's passing in tonight's performance. I enjoyed going back in time to popular songs of different decades as we were entertained tonight. Thanks again to my husband and children for providing such a great mother's day present! The surprise moment occurred at the end of the show when Donny and Marie danced through the crowd shaking hands and yes, kissing certain people's heads. Wouldn't you know it; Steve was one of the lucky guys that caught Marie's attention. She said something to him like, "Love the gray hair."

An Early Mother's Day Celebration

Since Julie and Jace were going to leave for Oregon on Saturday afternoon, we decided to celebrate Mother's Day on Friday evening. We played outside for awhile with the grandkids since the weather was so incredibly beautiful. It truly felt like a spring day in Vegas; go figure! Once Steve had the dutch oven chicken dinner ready along with the girls assistance, we had a fabulous meal together. After we ate, Julie had two games for us to play. One was a word scramble game in which all of the words had to do with mother's day. Then we played another game which had 20 questions all about "How Well Do You Know Mom." Since I was supposed to prepare the "key," I felt somewhat surprised that I didn't exactly know the answer to some of the questions. How funny is that? What is my favorite color anyway and what is my favorite restaurant???? After the games I opened a number of cards and gifts. Everyone joined together in giving Steve and me tickets to go to the Donny and Marie show at the Flamingo Hotel on Saturday evening. I am so excited. In fact, I need to get ready now. It's been something I've really wanted to do for some time, but I never thought we should spend the money. So, thanks to all of my girls and their husbands for providing a "dream date." On Saturday morning Julie and I were able to spend a little mom and daughter time. We enjoyed making cards. Life doesn't get any better than that.

BYU Women's Conference

This year for the Anderson sister weekend we invited our daughters to go with us to Women's Conference in Provo. Although not everyone was able to attend, we enjoyed the combined activity enough to want to do it again another time. The weather didn't cooperate. Driving near Beaver to right before Nephi was a nail biter to say the least. It snowed so hard and lasted for so long that it was very difficult to see the freeway adequately to feel completely safe. We finally arrived in Highland, Utah which is where Marci and Kristie both live. Julie, Natalie, and I stayed at Kristie's along with Becky, Amy, and Valerie. The rest of the gang stayed at Marci's. We enjoyed two days worth of meetings and classes in spite of cold, damp weather. Thursday night there was a great concert at the Marriott Center that included Hillary Weeks, Michael McLean, a group called Mercy River, and a singer by the name of Dallyn Vail Bayles. He has a fantastic tenor voice and has performed on Broadway in Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables. We went out to dinner a couple of times and ultimately, yes, we found ourselves all in the University Mall shopping our hearts away!

Natalie Turns 27

Julie and Jace arrived a few days before Natalie's birthday. We've had a lot of fun with all of them. Coincidentally, both Jace and Ashton have matching summer outfits, so I had to take a picture of both of them sporting their new attire. They are the cutest little boys ever! Their mothers are equally as cute, but I have no reason to be biased, right? On Natalie's birthday the girls went to a matinee while Steve and I stayed home and tended the grandchildren. When they returned, we had an enchilada dinner which was Natalie's pick. Thomas surprised all of us with a beautiful chocolate cake that a friend from their ward had made for our celebration. As it turned out, the friend is a baker at the MGM Grand Hotel. The cake was the hit of the evening. Not only was it delicious but it also tasted divine. By the way, the cake was completely edible.