Our final Saturday in Helena has arrived after 3 months.  This morning Gretchen and I actually slept in until 7:30. Then our 6 year old visitor came knocking and we were forced to get up. Soon afterwards Joshua was up as well. Our decision about what to do today was hard. Since it was our last Saturday the kids wanted to redo the whole summer in the next 5 days.  Basically do everything again.  We also realized we have opened and closed the summer in MT. When we came the kids here were not out of school and the pool had not opened.  Today is the last day for the pool to be open this year and the kids here start school on Thursday.  In May it was light at 4:45 am and got dark around 10 pm or later. Now it is not getting light until 6:30 and getting dark at 9. We are told that as winter sets in it will not get light until 8:30 and get dark at 4:30 (what a drastic change).  The temperatures are back to what they were in May. This morning it was 47 degrees when we woke up and by noon it was only 62. On the news tonight I saw that in Butte it was going to be 36 but tomorrow in Helena the high is 92.  I just keep hoping for fun that it will snow before we leave.

 While at Yorkfest ( in June)  we had seen some crafts from a man and got his business card so we could visit his shop another time.  I guess the time has arrived. So I went in to tell Rebecca that Gretchen and I would be gone for an hour or so. We got in the car and drove to his shop called "Sawdust and Threads".  This elderly man (military retiree) and his wife have this shop attached to their house and they make all kinds of crafts (175 to be exact).  We had a grand time looking through them. They were all very creative. I didn't know this many things could be done with old barbwire or horseshoes or old jeans. You could say we did some Christmas shopping for some of our relatives. It was fun but we ended up being there more than an hour.

After leaving we phoned home and told Rebecca we were on our way and asked that everyone be dressed for the day.  Our plan was to head to the Helena Farmers Market next.  This has turned out to be one of our favorite activites here,  We got downtown about 11 which gave us plenty of time to walk around. This is also the last Saturday they have it outside for the summer.  We were quite disappointed to find that the Kettle Corn people were not there this week. Joshua had even asked if we could buy 2 bags.  I guess we will have to see if we can find it on the way home.  We did find some more Flathead Cherries which was a treat. The whole time we have been in MT at lots of the activites there has been a vendor selling MT Mud Shirts so I finally broke down and got one as a souvenier.  These are shirts that are died using MT mud. I am betting we can start that same business in MS using Yazoo Clay.  As you well know by now from reading these this is a small town and today proved it even more. During a stop earlier this morning and the farmer's market we saw 3 people I worked with and then on the way home saw another one going on a hike.  Also by the time we got home we had seen our Daily Deer and then some as well.

After the Farmer's market we went home to have lunch and then perpare for a hike. On my Helena Trails map there is a hike that is called the Mt. Helena Ridge Trail. It is approximately 7 miles long.  I initially had looked at my map and thought it started near our house but I was wrong.  So we got in the car and drove to find the starting trailhead (Park City Trail Head). The map looked like this would be easy to find but as always here in MT that's not quite the case.  After about 10 min we were off the pavement and onto a gravel road which we were on for about 5 miles and then it split but there was no sign for this trailhead. After driving for another 3 miles in the wilderness we decided to turn around. Luckily we saw some men having target practice with their guns and stopped to ask if they knew where we were going. In most instances I would not stop a bunch of men with guns in the woods to ask directions but everyone here is very nice and they looked pretty harmelss. Sure enough they knew where we were going and pointed us back down the road we came. The directions were to turn left onto a road just past 2 shetland ponies.  We were just hoping these ponies had not decided to go eat somewhere else or were not being ridden. We never saw the ponies but did find the road. We drove for another mile or 2 on that road which was even further into the backwoods of MT but we did eventually find the trailhead.

The four oldest kids and I got on the trail about 2:30 along with some Mountain Bikers.  This was a beautiful trail. It started doing a long switch back trail up the side of a very large hill or mountain that looked like a prairie. As you rose in height you could see a long way in the distance.  The trail finally got to the ridge and we traveled along the ridge for a while and it would go up and down the different mountains but for the most part was not very strenuous. The views were spectacular.  We were just awestruck several times as we would look out over the valleys and hills below us and see nothing but wilderness for as far as you could see. Occasionally we saw a house in the distance but not very often.  The thing we kept looking for was Mt Helena (our destination).  Finally, after  about an hour and 1/2 we could see it in the distance.  The problem was it was still in the distance. We kept going and finally the trail we were on hooked up with a familiar trail (the 1906 trail). The only problem was that at this point it was still only half way up Mt Helena.  My legs and feet at this point were getting pretty tired but after lots of encouragement from my kids I kept going.  I am not usually the one who is willing to give up but for some reason my legs were so tired I really wanted to today. Of course, after we got to the top it was all worth it.  The view from up there is fantastic.  I have not ever been anywhere that high that has a 360 degree view that you can see so far. At the top we ate a snack and finished off our water. I called Gretchen to tell her when to pick us up at the bottom. Since I was moving kind of slow I decided that I would head down a few minutes ahead of the kis so as not to slow them down too much.  Sarah who is always my hiking buddy went with me and within a couple of minutes Joshua was at our side also. About 10 minutes into the downward hike we looked back up at the top which was towering above us and we could see Caleb and Rebecca standing there. It was not too long before they had caught up with us and we all had a nice slow walk down. Caleb felt the need to show us his climbing skills so he scaled a portion of the rock on the way down as well. Finally as we rounded one of the last bends in the trail and could see the parking lot I saw the most wonderful thing. Our white suburband and my beautiful wife driving it pulling into the parking lot.  Within minutes we see Christina heading up the trail to meet us in her pink skirt which could be seen for miles.

I couldn't wait to get to the car and sit down. Gretchen had brought us all fresh cold water to refresh us.  We all piled in and went home for a fun evening of pizza and a movie.  We also finished up our 2nd 1000 piece puzzle for the summer but as luck would have it we seem to have lost a piece.  As I sit here and write this and reflect upon the day I am so thankful that we were physically able to do this hike. I am also thankful that we have such a wonderful God who created such beauty for us to enjoy.

Gretchen found this quote in a book called One Thousand Gifts:  "O my God if thy creations are so full of beauty , delight and joy, how infitinitely more full of beauty , delight and joy art Thou Thyself, Creator of all!"  Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain.

This morning, Sarah, Christina, and I woke up to the normal smell of fire in our room. I don't usually sleep in Christina and Sarah's room but because Uncle Peter has been staying with us this week, I've been camping out on their floor. It really has been camping!!! I knew that Sarah usually left the windows open(which was totally fine because I like a cold atmosphere when I sleep). What I didn't know, was the smell that came with leaving the windows open! Due to the forest fires near our house, everything is smoky outside. When I woke up, I think my clothes even smelled like smoke. It's weird to be sleeping inside and get the affects of camping outside. That's something you can't do in Mississippi. I guess I've found a new way to camp indoors!

After lunch, Peter and my brothers launched some rockets with baking soda and vinegar. Sarah and I made up the audience. We also took safety precautions and stood back. You never know what's going to happen when you give Caleb and Joshua rockets to play with. It was quite a show!!

While they were putting the rockets together, Sarah and I discovered a pile of  watermelon rinds, egg shells, and rotten onions. I'm assuming the pile belongs to the man up stairs because it's right near his front door. I actually have proof of that because I've seen him eating a watermelon.I don't understand why he doesn't throw his scraps away in the garbage where they belong. I told Sarah that he needed a cow because they absolutely love scraps(at least our Nana's cows do). Maybe we should get him a one before we leave as a going away present.=) I'm just joking! I'm sure that us leaving is the perfect present for him.

In the afternoon, we went to the Hub coffee place in downtown Helena where we got free coffee with a coupon we got from riding the trolley yesterday. It was very good. Caleb wants to go back before we leave. Afterwards, we walked to the Painted Pot where we each painted a tile. We all had a lot of fun painting!! Mom painted three tiles in the time it took me to paint one tile. I think it was because I was doing a detailed rainbow. I can't wait to go back on Tuesday to pick them up. I'd love to find a place like this in Mississippi to go to.

~Rebecca

This morning I took Rebecca to practice piano at Hannaford Church.  They have graciously allowed her practice several times.  She has the new music for Covenant Choir to work on since we will just be getting back a few days before it starts in Sept.  I enjoyed working on  a schedule for school and reading outside in the delightful morning weather.  When we got back Peter had been helping Christina put together some of her new pink lego items.  Joshua also helped.  I returned to find also that Sarah and Caleb were still in bed!!!  This is the latest they have ever stayed in bed - 11 a.m.! 

We all got ready to go out and walk around downtown Helena to show Peter the nice walking mall.  We looked in a few fun toys stores, showed him where Tony works and took him in Base camp the great outdoors store here.  The kids wanted to climb Mt. Helena with him also today.  I took them to the bottom of Mt. Helena and Peter agreed to walk up the Powerline trail.  This is the very strenuous , steep trail.  He made it up but it was very hard he said  Thankfully the girls stopped often with him when he needed to take a break.  Caleb enjoyed having his new hiking backpack with him that has water through a tube.  While they hiked Christina and I went to the library which is closeby.  She played on their computer and I was able to read Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  I am really enjoying that book!!!  She and I also went to eat lunch at 3pm - we were a little off schedule today with meals.  We ate at the A&W so we had their famous root beer - YUM.

If the timing worked the plan was to pick them up from the hike and get on the Trolley tour around Helena.  I really liked this tour and thought Peter would like it too.  It would also be a nice breezy ride for the weary, hot hikers.  I picked them up and we only had about 15 min. to get to the trolley.  This would normally not be a problem but there has been a lot of streets closed for construction this week so I had to find a new way to get there.  We arrived with 5 min. to spare and the trolley had room for us.  There was just enough time to get some water for the ride.  The Trolley ride was fun.  Tony called right as we were getting started saying he was leaving work so he hasn't been able to join us on it.  I wished he could have!  It is really interesting to hear all the facts about the gold rush in Helena in the late 1800's.

The 1000 pc. puzzle is coming along very well!  I think we will finish very soon even though Peter is leaving tomorrow.  He helped us get a lot done.

Today is Christina's birthday. Our baby is 6 years old and it's very hard to believe.  Although to talk to her you might think she was 26. I think having 4 older siblings makes you act more grown up but in another way being the youngest in a large family has its advantages too. The plan for the day was for Gretchen and Christina to go get donuts as soon as she was out of bed and they did.  After eating breakfast they played around the house and decided that Christina could open a few of her presents.  One of them was a text and learn calculator type gadget. I think she texted all day or at least she views it as texting.

Christina's next request was to go to the Lime Kiln with the gang including Peter. So off they went to the Lime Kiln. After they got back they had lunch and determined that it was time to go to the pool. It was a beautiful Montana August day so off they went.

Once they got home preparations began for dinner. Tonigh'ts feature is Broccoli Pasta Toss with a small side salad, watermelon and birthday cake (of course).  We had invited my co-worker Jean over for the celebration. She had hit it off with the kids this summer and has become a surrogate aunt.  Dinner was great. the MT grown watermelon was very juicy and red. The birthday cake was a yellow cake (yellow bread as Christina calls it) with chocoloate icing and sprinkles. Even thought she resisted she finally decided to make a wish and blow the candles out.  After dinner we moved to the living room where Christina proceeded to open the rest of her presents.  We now have pink lego's in the house. One set from Peter and Heather was a camping lego set to remind her of her summer adventures.  She also got a nice stuffed horse/purse combination from Jean and some clothes from Grandma and Mom/Dad along with a few other items.

On each of their birthdays we let them pick a movie to watch. So after the excitement of the presents died down we settled in and started Christina's pick "The Three Stooges".  She had seen this in the theater with Gretchen and loved it so much she wanted all of us to see it too.  It was very funny. Her favorite scene was in a hospital nursery where Larry/Moe/Curly are trying to change diapers.

Once again God gave us another awesome day in MT and we are thankful for the summer we have had and for our family.  Gretchen is still giddy at the thought of going home.

We have learned that in MT in August it becomes hazy or smokey from the different fires across the state. This morning when I left for work I could not see the mountains across the Helena Valley as I usually do and the sun was a deep red.  This is our in between day meaning it is the day between birthdays. 

Since Peter is here he took Caleb out for a special birthday outing to one of the outdoor sports stores. Helena is odd in that it has only 1 McDonalds but 3 big outdoor sport stores. Caleb was delighted because he came home all geared up for repelling and spalunking with a new rope/hook and a headlamp.  One of his presents from us was a hydro pack so now he is all set. They also got to go to lunch and have fun. When they came back Caleb worked on using his new rope, headlamp and letting everyone try out his hydropack.  I guess since we are all related its ok to be drinking out of the same tube. 

Later Peter decided he needed to get Heather's car washed so he took the younger kids on that trip which ended in icee's on the way home.  When they got home they started working some of the puzzles we have received.  They got one done and started a 1000 piece puzzle. So now we are determined we need to finish this prior to leaving for MS next week. The race is on. Of course, it is hard for Gretchen to even sit still knowing we will be loading up the car in about a week. I am sure she will push past it and the team will pull together and get it done.  Being the accountant that she is she was counting how many pieces were completed last night before we went to bed.

After I got home from work and we had dinner we determined that we would take Peter to the Lime Kiln.  It was looking like rain but we decided to do it anyway since the weather here can change every 15 minutes.  Within minutes of starting down the switch back trail Peter and I suddenly found ourselves alone. The kids in their usual fashion had sprinted ahead. The only problem was that I had never been to the Lime Kiln this way. We ended up getting there but we had followed the heads bobbing in the distance which took us off the trail and through a large ditch filled with downed trees. When we got there it was kind of like being in an old western. There were no kids to be found but you knew they were there watching. Sure enough I see a 9 year old blond head sticking out from behind a tree and the tennis shoes of my 11 year old daughter sticking out of the bottom of the fireplace portion of the Lime Kiln. Once they realized we had found them out they made themselves known. Of course, by this time Caleb was climbing up the inside of the Lime Kiln to show Peter he could go to the top. One of his latest things is to climb to the top and use a rope to hoist other things up there. He made sure he had his hydra pack because we were for sure to need water (on a 15 minute hike).  After we were there for about 20 minutes it started to rain so we all ducked inside the Lime Kiln in hopes that it would stop.  It did finally lighten up so we decided to start back on the long journey home. As we rounded the final corner where we could see the road at the top was my wonderful wife and Christina (who had been to Wal-Mart) waiting on us.  Peter and I took her up on her offer to drive us the rest of the way home but the kids would have no part of it and decided to stick it out in the rain.

Once we got home we dried off and went to work on the puzzle again. I will try to get Gretchen to give us an accounting of the puzzle daily until it is done.

Today is a special day.  Caleb turned 14 today. It is hard to believe that he is that old.  He woke up to have his favorite breakfast - Homemade Monkey Bread. Peter & Heather came all the way from CA just to taste it live.  After breakfast Peter & Heather took the kids for a swim in their Hotel Swimming pool and then off to lunch at the Staggering Ox. They all loved the bread and these funny looking sandwiches. 

After lunch the kids climbed the mountain while Peter took Heather to the airport.  After I came home we had Caleb's favorite dinner - Pizza from Papa Johns.  Then we opened gifts. He was very excited about everything he got. Sometime in the day Gretchen made the famous Debbie Barnes Triple Chocolate Cake and frosted by Joshua with chocolate icing (yum yum).  We all enjoyed having a piece of cake. On each of the kid's birthdays we watch a movie of their choice and Caleb's choice this year was "The Hunger Games". Even though he had seen it in the theater he was excited to see it again.

Now that we have 1 August Birthday behind us we will have 1 more this week. 

Gretchen is very happy that we are a little over a week from going home to MS.  She is almost breaking into the happy dance daily. However she is doing most the dances by herself. I think we all want to come home but we will be sad to leave the beauty God has shown us here and the nice cool weather in August.

This morning would have been a great morning to sleep late after a long day in the sun yesterday. However, the Lord gave us 9 good hours of sleep. Gretchen and I got up and started rousing the troops.  We headed to the early service at Hanneford this morning.  The music was great and the pastor had a good sermon. I think we have determined that for a church Hanneford has one of the best worship bands we have seen.  It includes a piano, viola, drums, electric and acoustic guitars, symbols,an electric piano and a regular piano.  A couple of times we thought maybe we were in the radio station. 

After church we headed back to our house and met Peter and Heather. Our adventure for the day was to drive to Lewis and Clark Caverns which is part of Lewis and Clark state park (3000 acre park) about an hour or so away. We made sure everyone had a nice early lunch and we piled into our car (all 9 of us) and headed out.  By this time going on a day trip has become second nature. That means we are packing the cooler with water/drinks, snacks, towels (in case anyone were to get wet) and some sort of long sleeve clothing in case it is cold.  That last one might sound odd but earlier in the week we woke up one morning to 47 degrees (yes, it is August).

We arrived about an hour and 20 minutes later. We got ourselves signed up for the guided tour of the caverns and we were given instructions.  Some of these were kind of alarming. Such as "no flash photography or loud noises to prevent from waking the bats"  or "parts of the hike will require bending, squatting, waddling and sliding". We decided to proceed anyway. Once inside it was explained that it is a federal offense to touch or remove anything from the cave because it is living and growing. We thought this might be the most difficult rule for the boys who want to climb everything and bring home souvenier rocks but they were able to restrain themselves.  The average temparture in the cave is 50 degrees so our long sleeves came in handy.  This was a total of about a 2 mile hike. It was a 3/4 of a mile hike up the mountain to the entrance which was a little strenuous.  Once we got inside it was all worth it.  It was beautiful and so unique. Its amazing how God has formed and continues to form the stalagmites and stalagtites inside the earth.  There were 2 very large rooms that were fabulous. There were also several places where we did have to crouch almost to the ground and one place where we had to sit down and slide several feet to get through. The guide turned all the lights out on us to show us how very dark it must have been for the people who found the cave in the 1800's.

After we got out we snacked for a bit, found some sand for Mr Barnes back home and packed back into the car and headed home. Once we were home we pulled the grill out and had good old fashioned hot dogs and hamburgers for dinner. All day we had kept a secret from the kids about our night's activities which was really part of our meal. The curiousity was about to kill them, especially Caleb.  Peter and Heather ran to the store to get what we needed for our activity.

Once dinner was over and cleaned up we brought them all to the kitchen.  We announced that we were going to be hosting our own version of the Food Network show called "Chopped". This is a show we have been watching since we have been here this summer. The kids were ecstatic. So we created teams, team 1 (Rebecca & Christina) and team 2 (Caleb, Sarah & Joshua). The judges were Peter, Heather, Gretchen and I.  Team 1's challenge was to make an appetizer. They were given ingredients of smoked cheddar cheese,ham, carmelized onions, crescent rolls and cherry tomatoes.  Heather started the timer and they were off.

Team one's final product was 2 different appetizers. Appetizer 1 was a crescent roll stuffed wtih the cheese/onions and tomatoes on top. Appetizer 2 was a crescent roll with the cheese/onion mixture drizzled over the top and then topped off with additional onions and tomatoes. There was also a small tomato bean salad on the side.  Both were quite tasty and it was very creative.  Team 1 accomplished their goal and satisfied the hunger pains of those in the room.

Team 2's challenge was to make a dessert. They were given ingredients of nutella, bananas, pie crusts, whipped cream in a can and pineapple chunks.  Heather once again started the timer and they were off. (the timers were both set at 30 minutes)  This one was interesting for the judges to watch. They took out the magic bullet (like a blender) and put in half the Nutella and several bananas along with milk to make a filling.  Then they cut out pie crust ovals and placed them on the cookie sheet. After pouring on the mixture put a second pie crust oval on top to make a cookie shape. The final product was a couple of different varieties. Dessert 1 was the oval cookie filled with the nutella/banana mixture, topped with whip cream and pineapples. Dessert 2 was the same except with honey drizzled across it.  Team 2 also accomplished their goal and satisfied the sweet tooth of the judges.

By the time we were done it was 10 pm and the judges and contestants rolled out of the kitchen and off to bed for a good nights sleep.

Last night Peter and Heather came in from California to visit. So this morning we woke up bright and early to prepare for a day on the Missouri River.  To start things out Joshua, Christina and I headed to the Helena Farmers Market to get a few things for the trip.  Necessities like Kettle Corn and FlatHead Cherries. The cherries we got this week are called FlatHead Ranier cherries. They are light red and yellow, very sweet and taste like miniature peaches.

Once we were back at the house we started the packing of the car.  One of our friends from church here loaned us a kayak and a small blowup raft. So we had to get the kayak strapped to the roof.  If you read our earlier blogs this summer you will know that I had some chairs fly off the roof. So strapping things to the car makes me a little nervous. Regardless, we got it all packed in and strapped on. Peter and Heather arrived and we all piled in 2 cars and headed for a little town called Craig, Montana which is about 45 minutes away.

Craig is a cute little town that sits right on the Missouri River and has about 3-5 fly fishing shops. We had rented a larger raft from one of those.  We were supposed to pick up our raft around 11:30 but it was almost noon when we got there so while we went to see about the raft everyone else made lunch and inflated the other raft. Once we had the rafts and the Kayak at the river ready to put in we shuttled one of our cars to our destination which was about 8 miles away (Mid Canon) and came back to start loading the rafts.  Our big raft this time was different in that it had a metal frame on top with a rower's seat and 2 big oars. 

After about 20 minutes we started losing people to the river. First the older girls decided they just wanted to float in their life jackets down the river .  Peter and Christina took the kayak downstream while I relaxed in the small raft.  This left Caleb to row the big raft with Gretchen and Heather taking in the view.  Of course, this arrangement changed several times as the day went on.  Everyone took their turns in the different rafts/kayaks except Gretchen. She was quite content just to stay in the big raft.  At one point everyone was quite spread out. The girls were not near us and the kayak was downstream but the little raft was tethered to the big raft so it never floated too far. 

The boys were great with the kayaks and both seemed to be good captains of the big raft.  They both rowed as if they had done this all their lives. The older girls determined that the smaller raft was a nice relaxing place to lay in the sun.  Heather, Peter, Christina and I all enjoyed the kayak very much as it is so easy to maneuver.

Towards the end of the day several people jumped back into the river to float again. This time they all tried to hold onto one of the ropes and be pulled by the big raft. The only problem was that at one point the water was moving fairly quickly and everyone got unattached. This mainly had to do with the fact that in the bottom of the river there is this tall grass that gets wrapped around your legs. So when the kids stepped in it they let go of the rope. The next thing we knew was that we looked back and there was Rebecca, Sarah and Caleb standing on an island in the middle of the river. We were able to stop the rafts and the kids finally floated to us.

About a half hour later we were at our destination and pulled out of the river. We loaded up everything, picked up the other vehicle we left at Craig and headed back for Helena.  We got back to Helena about 6:30 and determined to have pizza for dinner at Bullman's Pizza which is a great brick oven pizza place here. (the only one actually). Needless to say that by the time we got home, unloaded the car and in the house we were all ready for a good nights sleep.

God did provide for us a beautiful day and beautiful scenery as we floated down the river.  We are thankful for a safe, fun day!

On Wed. we accomplished some school and some food shopping to prepare for dinner guests Thurs. and my brother and his girlfriend for the weekend.  When we woke up today it was 46 degrees!!!  We are so surprised by the weather here.  It is supposed to get warmer again for the weekend which is good since we have a float trip on the Missouri River planned with my brother and Heather.

Our friends , the Jakovacs, invited us for dinner too so we enjoyed being with them again.  They have been so nice to have us over.  The kids enjoyed playing together . 

Tony has been wanting to have a few of his co-workers over for dinner.  They came Thursday night so we cleaned , did school and cooked for the 4 people coming over.  The kids were great helpers today to get ready for our guests.   Two of the women were from Mississippi and we have met them before at Tony's office in years past.   A man named Joel and his wife also came.  Joel is the entertainment for their office; he is so funny all the time Tony says.  He has many hilarious stories from work. 

All day on Friday , Christina asked over and over when Heather and Peter would get here.  She has been so excited for their arrival.  They wanted to hike in the Tetons and see a few sites in Yellowstone.  They arrived after Christina went to bed though.  They had a fun, full day that we can't wait to more about.  We found it to take longer than anticipated too to get through Tetons and Yellowstone. 

Also on Friday I took Joshua to tony's work so they could go to lunch together.  Tony took him to the Staggering Ox where they make a sandwich in a round bread that was baked in a can.  Joshua loved it and the time with Dad. :)    Meanwhile , Christina and I walked downtown for a few minutes and went to the library since we hadn't been there in a while.  The other kids diligently did some schoolwork while we were gone. 

Caleb and Joshua now have a new activity to do in our LARGE living room.  JUMP HURDLES!  They set up cardtable chairs and run down the long hallway at top speed and fly over the chairs!  They are doing great with it.  I guess seeing the Olympics really got them motivated to try new things. 

"Show me your ways O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long."

Psalm 25:4-5

Today we did not do very much except for school and the older 3  went  up the mountain by our house. Also,  my dad picked up some Flathead cherries from a friend. They were super  good  and  that is the end of our journey.  Joshua           

The cherries came from Flathead Lake several hours north of here.  Our friends picked 15 lbs and gave us some.  They are the sweetest cherries I have ever had and I am not a cherry fan.  (Gretchen)

  Today Rebecca decided that Sarah, herself and I were going on a 2 hour round trip hike up the mountain by our house. Now what that means is that we were going to climb 2 or 3 mountains/ hills that were 600 ft or taller in an L shape and then either walk through the woods or walk on a road that we were 90%  sure led to our house. Well, we started out  like we usually do when we climb the mountain by our house; the girls walk up a 4-weeler trail while I half way between walking and jogging straight up the hill. Now usually I meet up with the flatest part of the 4-weeler trail(which isn't too flat) and jog till a clearing where it gets steep again. By the time I get to the top I am breathing so hard that if you were there you probably would think that someone had been choking me. Usually I beat the girls by about 2 or 3 minutes. My lowest time right now is 6  minutes and 56 seconds. It sounds like it would be easy to do but trust me, it's hard. It took me more than a week to get that time. Rebecca says she could beat it but I doubt it because she never times heself up the mountain and even if she did I would probably beat it. My lowest time going down is 2 minutes and 43 seconds and I don't think she will beat that either. So then we walked to the highest part of the mountain which I think of as another mountain. I thought it would a great veiw but there were too many trees in the way.Then we went down about 100 ft and  went up the last mountain. There were still a lot of trees in the way but if I walked to a certain place there was a very cool veiw. We think we found some granite so we took some home. Then we went down the mountain and saw a few deer. Unfortunately we almost ran into someone's house and we also saw their dog that could have atacked us(meaning it didn't have a fence around it and had no leash) but it didn't.  We also ran into the same deer 3or4 times! Finally we got to South Hills Rd and got to our house. Later, I got to drive my Dad's company's 1996 stick shift Nissan truck in a neighborhood. It took at least five times to get it going because it would die on me when I let off the clutch. It was very fun. Now I half way want a stick shift over an automatic because they're so fun!