Thankful For Family

If you are looking for an update on the house, I'm afraid there isn't one. We are still working on the floor. It is a tedious business. Not only that though, there is this thing called life which keeps happening to us and requiring us to focus our attention on things other than the house. Truth be told, it's kind of nice to have a break from thinking about the house all the time. Sometimes we need a break. As much as we want to finish and be able to move, we don't want to burn out either. And it makes for all around better relationships to sometimes just take a break from the things that tend to make us more stressed.

So that's what we did. 

We like to leave early in the morning for road trips. While it's still dark. Technically, it's still very much in the middle of the night. The children fall back to sleep and we can usually get a few hours of traveling in before we need to stop for breakfast. It's just starting to get light enough here for me to pull the camera out.

Moon set. Is that a thing?

Traffic is very light, thankfully.

The higher up we get into the mountains, the faster the driving conditions deteriorate.

Notice there are no mountain peaks to be seen. That's because we are in them.

Sometimes the road disappears altogether.

 

This is the summit. Even though we check the weather regularly before we leave, conditions can change quickly.  They even have a TV show about the Coquihalla Highway. You can watch live shots of the highway here.

At 1244m or 4,081ft, it is most definitely still winter here!

Thankfully, that section doesn't last too long and we soon come out of the mountains, into a valley.

A very beautiful valley!

Where Spring has arrived...

...and the temperature is much warmer!

What a beautiful view!

I think I prefer to look at the snow from here!

Much more highway than we are used to but mercifully, the traffic is light. I have seen this same highway grid locked.

A trip across a big bridge to the delight of the younger children.

The view from above...

...and below.

But those mountains! Just beautiful! From here, of course.

Time for some big city shopping. Does that say Porsche? 

Aaahh, just around the corner! Now that's more my speed!

An absolutely gorgeous day and 15 degrees! (59F)

Mount Baker is actually in Washington but look at the view we get from here!!

A familiar looking canal and popular fishing spot.

Such beautiful scenery. It's like something on a post card.

Last stop before we head home. Gas and coffee right next to each other. How convenient!

The long road home.

Is the snow getting lower or are we getting higher? I'm thinking both.

The Great Bear snow shed provides protection to an avalanche prone area.

I can see why given the steep incline of these mountains.

The warm weather has done it's work. The snow is broken up and is ready to fall.

A small town nestled in the mountains provides food and shelter to weary travellers.

We are home now! We have been so fortunate to be able to visit with my family and Phil's family, in two different provinces, within weeks of each other, a blessing that doesn't happen very often. We were both able to see each of our siblings and their spouses, which is no small feat given how spread out we all are. Between our two families, that's 19 siblings (including spouses) altogether and between us all (so far) we have 28 children! We just had the first (of many to come, I hope!) Grandchild born to Phil's sister's family, not only making them Grandparents but also making Phil's parents, Great Grandparents! So you can imagine what our family gatherings are like and how special they are to us! No more meeting at anyone's house though. We meet in halls and churches, and parks or wherever will accomodate a big crowd!

For all of this, we have all four of our parents to thank! They gave us the legacy of a heritage of Faith, as their parents did for them and as we hope to do for our children.  They made sacrifices that we don't even know about. Their own lives were not always easy and yet through it all, their desire was for us to know God. To know God. Not just know of  him. I'm thankful today to our parents because we do know him.

And we are loved deeply by Him.

Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Deuteronomy 5:16