Wrapping Up 2012

This  year is rapidly drawing to a close and it appears that we have been a little slow updating our blog.  Since we have been back in Colorado, our life has been a whirlwind of watching the grand boys, helping financing our doctor's latest toys, and visiting with family at every chance.  Not exactly exploring new backyards, more like enjoying the backyards of our family.  It has been really nice but as with all of our adventures we will be starting a new one the first of the year. 

We will be traveling to Georgia to become "golf hosts" at "The Creek at Hard Labor".   The course is located  half way between Atlanta and Augusta and boast the toughest opening hole in Georgia .  What does a golf host do?  The "work" will consist of being a Starter, a Marshall, inspecting the course and raking sand traps, and picking up golf balls on the driving range.  In exchange for all that "work" we will be provided a place to park our motor home and of course play golf when we are not "working".   There may be other perks but we will find that out when we arrive in January.  This is something we have never tried but it can't be too bad since we get free golf. 

 

We thought you might want to see a few pictures we have taken since our Balloon Fest trip in October. 

The "boys" watching the Broncos demolish the hated "Raiders".  Of course they have their box seats right in front of the TV so they can get all of the action.  We got to be with the boys when Kris and Amy went to the games...we had more fun because we got popcorn, great seats, and were with these two great fans during the games..

 

Who is that guy on Grandma's lap....oh it is Karsten in disguise!

 

 

Halloween is always fun, Kasey alias "Buzz Lighyear" and Karsten as our favorite Denver Bronco!  Is Grandma really a witch?  No - but the boys wanted her to wear the hat.

 

 December brings Kasey's birthday and Christmas celebrations.  This year we celebrated both a little early since Kris and Amy are taking the boys north to Fargo for Kasey's birthday and Christmas.  Yes, I know what you are thinking --- North Dakota in December???  But it appears Grandma and Grandpa Mattson need to have a little Kasey and Karsten time also (so I have been told).  We did offer to watch them while the old people went north but that didn't seem to get any consideration from Kris and Amy.

 

  Can you believe Kasey will be three in just a few days!  It won't be long before Kasey won't fit on Dad's lap!  But for now -- Dad and son smiling is Priceless!!

 

Being with family at this time of year, it just does not get much better for Mom, especially since she is surrounded by her guys!  They really make her look tiny!

 

 

Amy and David showing off their favorite NFL team apparel!

 Don't know how we got these Viking's and Bear's fans but they will be rooting for the Broncos come the playoffs -- seems their teams might not be playing in January!

All the presents were unwrapped and the boys are playing with their....wrapping paper!  Well, their toys will last longer that way.  What fun to watch.

 

Since Kris and Amy are heading north for the holidays, David said he would sacrifice and go to Las Vegas with us for Christmas.  David told us that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas so we might not be able to post much from Sin City...we will see!  After we come back from Vegas, we will drive to Georgia.  Our stay at The Creek at Hard Labor will last until March when we will return to Colorado for another round of Chemo for George.  Our doctor told us today that he thinks we should continue the maintenance treatments for another couple of years.  It seems the "experts" think a continuation of the treatments will allow George to remain in remission longer and they will have a lot more information on this type of cancer in a couple more yearsto make decisions .  Since he is not having any side effects with the treatments he is a good candidate for continuing.  We will keep you posted on this latest development as time passes.

 

The events of the past week and past few months have caused many of us to  question the values and resolve of America, tested our faith, and made many of us wonder what is happening in America.  We don't know the answers but we are holding our friends and family closer to our hearts, we have faith in God, faith in this great country and we believe in our fellow Americans.  We will pray for those closest to these horrific events.   We also remember our military members, they are the real heroes of this country and deserve our thoughts and prayers throughout the year but espeically now.

 

 To all of our friends, we hope you have a very Merry Christmas and 2013 brings you health and happiness.

Albuquerque Balloon Festival - Awesome!!!

Just another family outing - not by a long shot!  David, Kris, Amy, Kasey, Karsten, Pat , George and David's puppies - Mylee and Ty decided to go down to Albuquerque and visit our good friends, Mike and Rita.  We also wanted to enjoy the largest hot air balloon festival in the world.  Several hundred balloons all taking to the air in a matter of a couple of hours --- it is truly amazing!  This balloon festival is the most photographed event in the world for good reason.  We have witnessed the balloon fest many times over the years but it never gets old, there is always something new and we are so fortunate to have our friends, Mike and Rita host us whenever we are in town.  We have included  just a few of the 155 pictures we took over the weekend,  unfortunately we did not take one picture of Rita's outstanding meals, of Mike and Rita's family and extended family that were there for the Balloon Fest, and we also did not take pictures of the night on the town  or Casino night --- what is wrong with us!!!  But we can guarantee all of you that this backyard adventure was the best photo op we have had in a long time.

Kasey and Karsten coloring with Grandma on the way to Albuquerque.  These guys woke up at 5:30 and were just wonderful the entire 8 hour trip.

David and Kasey playing games on the IPAD -- yeah I know what is new, David has been playing computer games forever!!  Is the next generation taking over from Uncle David.

Grandma could not be happier - playing with Karsten makes her day plus it keeps him busy during our 8 hours in the motorhome.

6:00 AM and the balloons are lighting up the sky

David, Pat and Kasey walking through the balloons as they are getting inflated!  What an experience!

Kris had to hold on to Pat, she kept wandering off.  Besides it makes a great picture

Pat and Karsten, Amy and Kasey seem to be enjoying the morning's mass accession

There were so many shaped balloons like the Upside down elephant and the Little Girl!  Who thinks these things up?

The sky is filled with balloons of all shapes and sizes!

Some take off while others are getting inflated - wave after wave!

More Balloons!

Karsten, Pat, and George enjoying the beautiful weather and also a few balloons

 

We are so fortunate to travel and see the amazing sights this country has to offer.  However. what we appreciate more is our friends and how they open up their homes, allow us to join their family, and go out of their way to make us welcome.  We think we have the best friends and families in the world and we hope that we never take any of you for granted.  If you are reading this blog - that means you!

 

We are still traveling and still enjoying this life.  Our house hunting --- We have looked at a lot of houses but none have seemed like "our new backyard" so we are going to keeping traveling until we find that certain place.  Our next major trip maybe near Christmas but we will keep you posted as we find our way down life's path!  We hope you all are enjoying your life and if we could say it one more time -- Each of you are important to us, please take care of yourself.

The Boys with Grandma and Grandpa

Life is really good if you are grandparents and you get to spend time with your grand kids. 

We are so fortunate to be able to come back to Colorado and spend time with the family and so happy that every once in awhile we get to play with Kasey and Karsten.  Over the last few weeks we spent time together while Mom and Dad took a mini vacation to Las Vegas, attended a Bronco game or we just picked them up early from their daycare and played together.  These little guys might not remember Grandma and Grandpa playing with them but we will have these memories forever.  We took a few pictures (about 60 but will only post a few) with them over the last few weeks and thought we would post them for our friends and family to see how they are growing up.

 

 

Grandpa and Karsten at Buckley AFB in front of a F-100

 

Kasey and Grandpa in front of the same airplane

 

 

What kind of plane is this Grandma?

Karsten and Kasey in front of a F-86

 

These two deer happened by the front window at Kris and Amy's house - the boys went nuts and so did Grandpa and Grandma. 

Daddy, glad you got home.  Want to go for a ride on our new toy?

Kasey coming down the slide at the park

 

Karsten loved going through the tunnels at the park

 

Time to rest with Grandma

Kasey showing Karsten how to work Grandma's IPAD

We are so proud of these two guys.  We sat and watched them tear up the paper, throw it up in the air and laugh and laugh.  After it was all done and the picture taken, Kasey told Karsten that they needed to help Grandpa clean this mess up -- Problem was Grandpa didn't know he was going to clean it up!!  Got to love them.

Kasey loves to help Grandpa make blueberry pancakes and he is getting pretty good at it.  Karsten is not feeling so good but Grandma is there to cuddle with him.

 

We thought you would enjoy our little expose' on our time with the grand kids.  If you are a grandparent, aunt, uncle or just have friends with little kids that you love, you know the great feeling of just being around them, loving them,  and watching them explore, play, and grow.  It is the best feeling in the world.  Maybe not so much if you are the parents and trying to work, raise a family, deal with the stress of everyday life and of course doing the best you can to teach your kids to be the best they can be -- but just  maybe that is why God invented "Grand"parents!!!!

 

As we close this post, we wanted everyone to know that George's last PET scan came back completely clear of cancer.  He has taken his last chemo for this maintenance round and has started with a speech therapist to help him with the swallowing problems he has experienced.  This weekend the entire family will be visiting Mike and Rita in Albuquerque for the big balloon festival.  We think the grand kids will go wild walking through all the air balloons and watching the different shapes of balloons take off in mass ascension.  It should be a lot of fun for all the adults too!  We will take a lot of pictures and of course will share our time at the balloon fest with you, our friends and family.  Life is still an adventure for us, we hope you enjoy our view of the world's backyards.  

 

 

 

Denver Zoo with the Boys

 

Kris and Amy invited us to go to the zoo with them and the boys.  We had a choice, watch Ohio State and California play football on TV or go to the zoo.  Needless to say, it was no contest.  It was a beautiful day and watching the excitement in Kasey and Karsten's eyes and voice was ...Priceless.  We never seem to tire of doing anything with Kasey and Karsten.  They seem to always have a smile and always want to include Grandma (sometimes Grandpa) in everything they do and we could not be happier.  Here are a few pictures of our day at the Denver Zoo. (sorry I did not include all the pictures of the animals but you can visit your local zoo to see animals)

 

 

Grandma and Grandpa with the "boys"

Amy, Kasey, Karsten, Kris and the hippo statues

How far can you jump? Grandma, Amy and Kris help out the "boys"

Kasey compares his arm span to a monkey

Karsten doesn't quite spread his arms but he knows he wants to do what his big brother does

Grandpa has to do what the "boys" do.   But did you notice his OSU sweatshirt?

Playing the bongos together at the zoo

Grandma and Karsten, Amy and Kasey with the climbing bear

 

Grandma with Karsten and Kasey with the lizard

The only way to travel, Grandma looks a little tired but the boys are doing fine!

 

We hope you enjoyed the pictures of our outing at the Denver Zoo.  As you can see, not everyday do we visit Mt Rushmore, the Grand Canyon or go to Vegas.  Sometimes the best days are with family just doing things together.  Life is good for us and we hope you are enjoying these late summer days and your families.  It  does not get much better than holding your grandsons and watching them grow.

 

Family, Friends and the Grand Boys!!!!

As you know we had a little damage to the motor home while we were staying at Pat's brother's house in June.  We took it over to Decatur, Indiana to the Fleetwood factory for repairs to the roof, rear window, coverings on both slideouts, and a crack on the side of the coach.  While in for repairs, we took the Jeep and headed to Nashville and Pat's sister, Linda.  The repairs were estimated to take three weeks but we were hoping for maybe a week and a half.  While visiting with Linda and her husband, Bill we were delighted to see both of their daughters and their families.  We stayed a little over a week and enjoyed great meals, good times, and caught up with all the families.  We were joined by Kendra and entertained by her daughter, Rory and son, Archer.  Tami, Tony and their son Connor joined us several times even though they were in the midst of finishing up their new house.

 

 

Linda, Archer and Kendra at breakfast

Uncle George and his buddy, Rory

 

 

Pat and Tami relaxing after dinner

 

We left Linda's house and headed back to pick up our coach and start our trip back to Colorado.  We got great news from Fleetwood ... our coach would be done early. 

 

 

Our new roof -- they did an amazing job!!!

 

We left Decatur and could not wait to get back to our family in Colorado.  Karsten's birthday was just around the corner and we did not want to miss the build up to his 2nd birthday celebration.  Lucky for us Kris and Amy wanted to have a night out and we got home just in time to watch the boys.  It was wonderful to have them in our arms again.  The hugs and kisses, the showing off for grandma and grandpa, showing grandma and grandpa how much they learned while we were away and just holding them made our day, week and year!  They are so special and we wonder why we would ever leave them again!  We know it won't be for awhile. 

 

Amy suggested we have a little family BBQ at the motor home when our long time friends, Tom and Maryann Graue came to town, so we all joined up on Buckley AFB.  What a great idea and what a great time.  We have said this so many times but it is true...no matter how many days, weeks, months, or years you are separated from your friends, friends will always be friends and getting back together is just like never being separated!

 

 

Karsten, Grandma and Kasey enjoying sometime together - does she ever let them get too far away from her???  The answer is:  NO!!  It seems like they have grown so big while we were gone.

 

Grandma we still love our watermelon

 

 

Grandpa and Grandma are back so Kris and Amy can relax with a cool one

 

 

David waiting on those hot dogs on the grill.

 

 

Tom and Maryann arrive and the boys are there to greet them.  Kasey welcomes Maryann with a hug!

 

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Tom and George

 

We didn't do much with Tom and Maryann but we enjoyed every minute we were together. 

George and Maryann, Tom and Pat --- that seems to be the pairing when the four of us are together!! 

 

 

Maryann and Pat saying, "It doesn't get better than this" !!

 

 

A quiet night around the fire pit on Buckley AFB...a perfect ending to the day!

That is not what you think.  It is Tom telling George that he has been married 40 +1 years!!  At least that is what we said all day long!!!!

 

It was great visiting family and friends in Ohio.  We had a very good time and everyone made us feel like we had never left the great state of Ohio but we were a little homesick on this trip.  This was the first time in the last five years that we could not get on the road when we wanted to, we were dependant on Fleetwood.  We hope that does not happen very often.  As a last note to all of our friends and family - George had a PET scan and the results is that he is Cancer free!  As David said, Woot!!!  (which we think means, Great)!  We hope you take care of yourselves and know that no matter the miles between us, we think of you often and cherish each of you!!!