A Veteren's Memorial Service

I've been thinking about my dad lately. He died a couple months ago, and I wanted to post these pictures of his Memorial Service and Funeral on my blog.

My Dad served in the Navy at the end of WWII. He was honored with a military memorial service at Tahoma National Cemetery.

The bugler played the Navy theme song and later TAPS.

Twenty one gun salute.

Mom was presented with the flag which had draped his casket.

This is a beautiful place.

Grandpa Hart's Funeral

My Dad passed away on August 18, 2008. It was hard to say good bye, but nice to know that he is no longer limited by Alzheimer's. The funeral was held at our church in Sedro Woolley.
Dad's casket and flowers were beautiful. Paul, Larry, Wes, Keith, Richard and Devin were the pallbearers.

The guestbook table outside the chapel had pictures mom & I had put together a year ago for Dad's 81st Birthday.

Aunt Marilyn, Christina and Larry enjoying a nice brunch put on by our Relief Society after the funeral.

Mom with some dear friends who came up from Marysville
More pictures of the luncheon.

Birthday Time!

Keith is looking pretty excited about his "cheesecake" and presents! What a celebration!

Music to my Ears

O Happy Day! Isn't this piano so beautiful? I love it. I have wanted a piano for many, many years, and one day recently Devin said that he really wished we had a piano for him to play, not just a keyboard. I said, hey, see what you can find on Craig's list. Lo and behold, the piano of my dreams just happened to be for sale nearby in Anacortes, for a great price.
But, I gotta tell you, this thing is HEAVY. Four strong men could lift it just a couple of feet at a time. I'm so glad they did. It's a wonderful addition to our home.

Top of Utah Marathon: A short video clip

This is a short video of Diane running at mile 21 in the marathon. Dennis ran with her for just a bit. She was sure looking strong! A lot of the runners were taking advatage of the sprinklers when they passed this point.

Diane's First Marathon

This is just after Diane finished her 26.2 miles. She looks amazing! Each of the more than 2000 participants had their name called out as they finished and a medal placed around their neck.
This is mile 17 where we first saw Diane. Dennis has the GU ready for the quick hand-off.

She dropped off her extra shirt, grabbed a GU from each of us, and made a quick get away.
Nice to see the thumbs up signal as she moved along!
After the race Diane soaked her legs in the icy cold creek near the park. Then she found the friends she had started the race with. First-timers Diane and Mackenzie benefitted alot from the advice of Mackenzie's parents who are both very experienced marathon runners.
This was a great day, and we're so proud of Diane for reaching her goal!