The Toy and Action Figure Museum

Last week, Kevin and I drove from Denver to Fort Hood, and on down to Austin Texas where our sons and their families reside. We took a different route than we usually do, and went east on I-70 and then turned right at Kansas, and down to Texas. I love to look at this wonderful country as we drive along, and I am amazed by all the peculiar things that you can stop and see on the way. We went this particular way because I wanted to stop and see a museum in Hutchinson Kansas. The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center.



http://www.cosmo.org




It was a very cool space museum. They have the Apollo 13 space capsule and a bunch of rockets, an IMAX theater. and an observatory dome. It was worth it. When you get into the museum there is a sign that says the Cosmosphere is one of the eight wonders of Kansas. I asked a young man there what the other seven wonders were and he hadn't a clue. I looked them up, and you can too.

¢ Big Well, Greensburg.

¢ Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, in Barton and Stafford counties.

¢ Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, Abilene.

¢ Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, Hutchinson.

¢ Kansas Underground Salt Museum, Hutchinson.

¢ Monument Rocks and Castle Rock, Gove County.

¢ St. Fidelis Catholic Church (Cathedral of the Plains), Victoria.

¢ Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Chase County.



The important part of this trip is the stop we didn't make. On our way through Oklahoma I saw a sign for the Toy and Action figure museum. We simply did not have enough time to check this one out, so I guess I'm going to take that route another time. For those of you who know me, you'll understand my interest in this Oklahoma wonder.

http://www.actionfiguremuseum.com/main_page.htm

Where Can I Turn For Peace

In this world of unrest, worry, and fear, I often wonder where I can turn for help. Yesterday in church I joined our Ward Choir in singing the lovely hymn "Where Can I Turn for peace" The lyrics really hit home with me. Here they are:

Where Can I Turn For Peace?
Music by Joleen C. Meredith
Lyrics by Emma Lou Thayne

Where can I turn for peace?
Where is my solace
When other sources cease to make me whole?
When, with a wounded heart, anger, or malice
I draw myself apart searching my soul?

Where, when my aching grows?
Where, when I languish?
Where, in my need to know?
Where can I run?
Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish?
Who, who can understand?
He, only One.

He answers privately.
Reaches my reaching.
In my Gethsemane, Savior, and friend.
Gentle, the peace He finds
For my beseeching.
Constant He is, and kind.
Love without end.

A New Kevin and Sylvia Less 75 Pounds

This year Kevin and I are starting January with our new selves. Let me go back many months and say I decided last April that I was sick and tired of being over-weight. The first thing I did was give up my Achilles heel, SWEETS! Sweets include most the things that I like, candy, pie, and anything else with lots of sugar including soda of any kind. I went down to a 1700 calorie diet and stayed at my same level of activity. I tried to fix meals that gave me the most bulk for the smallest calories. I never miss a meal unless I'm fasting and if I have a bad day I start anew the next day. I have been a walker for most of my adult life and would walk a couple of miles every day. The first few weeks nothing happened, but I stuck with it and finally my body slowly began to shed the weight. After the first couple of weeks Kevin joined me in my effort and that made it kind of fun, and so much easier.One of the amazing parts about loosing the pounds for me is that my energy level seemed to rise in direct proportion to the weight I lost. Part way through this effort the weight loss started to really slow down, that's when we picked up our level of exercise. For our anniversary we bought a tread mill and that helped a lot. We can go down and watch a movie or listen to a book on the Ipod and stay fit. At this point I had reached my goal of weight loss and was feeling great. We climbed the mountain and made it to the top. Then I found the spin bike at a garage sale. I started with four minutes, all that I could handle and now I'm up to 40 minutes. Because of that bike I lost another ten pounds. We have each lost 35 pounds and it took us about 7 months. You can do it too. Don't give up. I need to get down and spin a little before work. Good Luck!

Happy Anniversery

Today is Joel and Tobi's Anniversary. Or as we fondly call them Toel and Jobi.
Happy Anniversary kids. I love you.

Name That Foot

Here we all are. Every year as the sister's gather we take a foot picure. You might notice that we had a stranger with us this year. Can you identify the other seven feet?

A hard climb

A couple of weeks ago I climbed a mountain here in Colorado. This past weekend I climbed a different type of mountain; I said farewell to my brother Kirk. It's so hard to say goodbye to someone that you have adored, played with, teased, loved, been mad at, laughed and cried with, shared a room with, and taken trips with. Someone who knows the very best, and the very worst about you, but still loves you. When I reached the summit of Mount Democrat it seemed like I could see into eternity. I felt the same way when I looked into my brothers face and we expressed our love for each other. Kirk, I will see you on the other side of the mountain. I love you dear brother.

What a summer!

Here are some of the highlights from the summer of 2009, and it's not over yet.

Megan and Megan.





July 4th at BYU Stadium of Fire


A Surprise visit
from Tobi, Cora, and Alec.


















Sylvia and Laura posing
as Forest Rangers.



One of the kivas at Mesa Verde.
The kiva is the hole in the ground
and not the person standing next to it.



Another vacation with Laura and Bill
where we failed to play Johnny Cash music.



This picture was taken just to prove we were really there.


This train is bound
for glory, this train.












Two men and a train.

Tomorrow I'm climbing
a mountain and possibly jumping off
because I've done something very wrong and I can't make this blog work.ARRRGGHH














Yes we climbed the mountain and I didn't jump off. Here we are heading up the path. You can see Kite lake in the distance.



Democrat Peak fourteen thousand and some odd feet. On top of the world looking down on creation.


Riley there really is snow on the mountain even in summer.