1000 Islands

We didn't want to leave Indiana, but it was time to head home.  After passing this skydeck over the thousand islands multiple times, we finally decided to stop and take a look.

I really had to use the bathroom, so we figured why not?

The views were spectacular!  I love driving on that bridge!  You start in Canada, touch down on one of the thousand islands, then get on it again to go over to America.  The St. Lawrence Seaway is huge!

I would love to vacation in one of those houses one summer, but a boat included would be a must!

I loved seeing the steam paddle boat on the water!

There are two observation decks, this was taken from the top one looking down at the lower one.  Hello school bus!  Where do those kids go to school?

Len caught this statue of St. Lawrence (known as St. Laurent in Ottawa) with our mega zoom.

Interesting fact- 997 islands, pretty near 1,000!

I bought some Thousand Islands dressing from the gift shop.  However, it's not my favorite salad dressing, so I really need to make up some Reuben sandwiches!

These Maple Kisses were a hit with everyone!

I want to go back to the Skydeck and watch the fireworks on Canada day and the 4th of July now!

4 generations and lots of cousins!

This was Macy's first time meeting Grandma with Green-eyes.

Macy loved getting all of her kisses!  And Grandpa's too!

6 of 8 cousins with some of their spouses-

Isaac (I promise he did not wet his pants, the kids were playing on the slip & slide all night), Cecily, Derek, Erica, Zach, Clint, Lana, Andy, Grandad, Lacey, me, and Len.

And most of their kiddos.

Back row:  Jacob, Kaleb & Macy, Grandad, Tyler, Noé, Zach & Erica's baby girl, Gavin.

Middle row:  Kolton, Keegan, Conner, Teague, Hiram, Levi.

Front row:  Cecily & Isaac's 2 girls and boy, Chloe, Derek & Bethany's boy, Zach & Erica's 2 boys, Derek & Bethany's girl, Ali.

(I feel so bad I couldn't remember some of the little ones, but besides meeting Derek before, this was the first time I got to meet Zach, Cecily, and all 3 of their families!)

Three generations played sports here!

14 of 19 cousins.  One day we'll get all of them together!

It was such sad circumstances to be in Indiana, but so wonderful to see extended family!  We saw lots more family members, that I didn't get photos of including:  Karlee & Kobe, Adam & Jennelle with Max & Gabe, Bethany, Keith & Gloria, Diane & David, Kelly & Steve with Michael, Kevin, Kasey, Dale & Juanita, Tim & Kim with Rochelle, and Great-aunt Charly.

Fillmore, IN

My parents moved from Idaho to Indiana to be with Wyatt.  They got this cute little rental until they could find the home they wanted to purchase.  Look at the size of their front yard!

And this was their view across the street.  It was so peaceful to sit on the porch and just watch the grass and soybeans grow.  In the evening when all the fireflies (or locally called lightning bugs) came out among the soybeans it was pure magic!

The town's water tower and playground were also just across the street.

The backyard,

and the view from the backyard.  I could get used to all this green space!

Driving down to Terra Haute I had to take some pics from the car of this gorgeous sunset!

Steak 'n Shake

We first discovered Steak 'n Shake in either 2013 or 2014 on one of our summer road trips.  We were so excited to find one near our hotel in Camby.  We had to eat lunch anyway, so we might as well enjoy some burgers and delicious shakes!

Macy slept through it all, but she's too little to enjoy them yet.

Nothing beats a good old-fashioned handmade milkshake!

Indianapolis Temple

I love serving in the Temple as often as possible!  I also love our goal of visiting a new temple every year.  When Len and I were married there were only 49 temples, so you'd think with us having visited our number 43, we'd be almost done.  Nope!  We'll probably only be able to visit all of them if we're able to do so in the Millennium.  There are currently 161 temples, with 12 more under construction, and 28 more announced.  When they are all built there will be 201 (but I believe we will always be building temples until there are thousands of them that dot the earth).

Side view with entrance to the baptistry on the right.

Our traditional "couplie" shot- it was so bright out!

"Holiness to the Lord

The House of the Lord"

The lovely fountain.

All of the temples we've visited have such lovely flower beds.

Hello Miss Bumble Bee!

There were tons of bees, which make me so happy.

I love all hibiscus flowers, but the giant ones I've seen at several temples (Boise and Preston to name a couple) are quite spectacular.

Beautiful stained glass.

Detail of the stained glass and the flower motif this temple has.

It's fun to discover each temple's motif.  Ours in Montreal has maple leaves, some have suns, moons, and stars.  They are all beautiful!

I'm so grateful that we have temples on the earth again.  I'm so grateful for the sacred covenants we make in them and the beautiful ordinances we receive.  I'm also grateful that Leonard and I have been able to to work on our goal all throughout our married life and I hope we'll be able to continue all throughout our lives!

My 43rd Birthday

We drove two vehicles for two days to get us down to Indiana.  Our first day there just happened to coincide with my 43rd birthday.  Early that morning, Leonard and I went to serve in the Indianapolis Temple (actually in Camby).  It's a goal of ours to attend a new temple every year, and this was our 43rd temple to serve in, but of course our time in the temple meant so much more.  Temples are the Lord's houses and there is a peace inside that cannot be felt anywhere else.

We picked up the kiddos and had a quick lunch at Steak 'N Shake.

The reason for our trip to Indiana was to see Wyatt.  Once we arrived at the hospital (in Indianapolis) it made the previous two weeks real.  This picture breaks my heart.  I pray for his spirit and his family every day still.  I so badly wanted his life to be spared.  On this day, I was still so full of faith and hope that a miracle would happen for him.  When I held his hand and talked to him, he squeezed my hand and had tears streaming down his cheeks.  The doctors told me that those were involuntary reflexes, but I believe he knew I was there.  I am so grateful for this time we got to have with him, even though it was one of the most painful times of my life.  I love you Wyatt!  We will always remember you until we meet again.

After we left the hospital, we traveled to Fillmore and unloaded Mom and Dad's U-Haul from Idaho into their temporary rental home.  I just loved all the green and space of small town America.

Dad, Mom, Len, Kaleb, Noé, Gavin, Teague, Hiram, Ali, Macy, Tyler, Jacob, Levi, Clint, Lacey, Chloe, and I then went to the gorgeous guest house Mom and Dad were staying at in Greencastle for some pizza...

...and birthday cake.  It was a happy/sad/hardworking/peaceful day- the best 43rd birthday ever!

We then traveled to Terra Haute to spend the night at our hotel.  I will do a few more detailed blog posts for some of these events and have more posts to share of our time spent in Indiana.  It's nice that we now have some of our family only 800 miles away, instead of 2,500!

Of course, I also got spoiled with cards (and money) from my honey and both sets of parents.  I'm such a lucky girl!