Sheesh!
Well....there was this great update that had been
written to post on this here website....it only took about an hour to write amidst a very busy schedule....and then....POOF!
It vanished into cyber-space....
Oh well.
What's an hour, right?
Sooooo....here we are again.
We can't believe it's time again for back to school shopping
and purchasing of holiday plane tickets and halloween costumes!!!
We think even Wal-Mart Christmas layaways start in the
next month....
Speaking of Wal-Mart....the local superstore has shredded
one of the few sources of stability and sanity in Shari's life by REMODELING THE STORE!!!
Ok.
We won't get off
on that soap box.
Focus.
Focus.
Summer has been really great....just a normal summer
(In the life of people who work and live six hours apart) with the exception of one MONDO trip around the fourth of July to
Utah from south to north, as well as points getting there and back.
We stopped by Vegas and had the ritual In-N-Out burger on
the way to spend four days on a house boat on Lake Powell at the Utah/Arizona border.
Thanks to the Snow family for letting us invade their yearly
ritual - we had a blast!
There was no shortage of water-skiing, jet skiing, swimming, volleyball, sleep, food, fireworks
and 100 degree temps.
Shari tried to kill herself more than once trying to get
up on one ski after a nearly 20 year hiatus - with some success we might add to the more than a few pulled muscles!
Shari's favorite place on the boat was the hammock with a
view on the top deck, accompanied by a good book and Walter and Garrett spent a lot of time at water's edge on "The beach".
From there we took off up to the mountains of Park City for
four days in a bed and breakfast (Old Town Guest House) and more fun than you can shake a stick at.
We took Garrett on a steam locomotive ride in a mountain
canyon...we went to the top of the mountain at Park City on a scenic gondola ride...had some hot tub and spa time as well
as enjoying quality time with friends old and new.
Shari also got to attend her 20 year H.S. reunion and make
some new memories out of what was a really difficult time in her life. It was very interesting to see who had changed...and
who hadn't.
A new and different perspective never hurt anyone!
And back home....we are still hanging in there with
our Dallas / San Antonio lifestyle and enjoy having Walter home every week for a long weekend while Garrett and Mom only
have to travel once a month mid-week.
Our two longhorn cows are pregnant and expecting around the
first of the year.
The doggies are well....
We have added 10 ducks (1 male and 9 females) and a goose named "Fly" (By
Garrett) to our brood at home...we raised Fly right out of an incubator and were laughed at by the neighbors as we would take
him for "Walks"...he would follow everyone - especially Garrett - like a mother goose. It was really quite funny!
We lost some of our treasured sheep to a bobcat that has
been rumored to live on the creek behind our home for years and were saddened by their loss...we have managed to aquire a
few more to lessen our grief. We believe the females in this herd are expecting as well.
We have a horse-visitor staying on for a few months and just
after labor day Garrett will be having a "Cowboy Party" where a new "P-O-N-Y" (You have to spell it to keep the surprise)
will arrive in his honor with whoops, whistles and a big bow.
We are excited for his big day and are pulling out all the
stops by having a big theme party with Cowboy Hats, bandanas,
and sheriff's badges for everyone. Of course there will be pony rides for Garrett and all his friends.
As you can tell there is never a dull moment at the Guess
house!
I think Garrett entertains us as much as we entertain him
and we are enjoying our almost 3 little man.
Garrett's big accomplishment is that he seems to be 95% potty
trained. He's very proud of himself and we haven't been able to bear to tell him what every parent of a newly "Grown up" little
boy knows....that his aim is a little "Off"!
Shari's brother Scott came for a visit in June with Garrett's
niece and nephew and we spent a few weeks painting several towns. We swam, went to the local six flags park - which
we closed down - we had "Farm Day" complete with squirt gun wars and watermelon and thought about getting some pictures of
all the kids made but never got around to that. We managed to fit in a science museum and the zoo .... and somewhere in there
I think we slept.
We did enjoy each other's company for extended periods of
time and there isn't enough of that.
Walter's sister Wendy graduated with her PhD in May and Walter's
sister Claire came in for the occasion with her newest little one, Garrett's cousin Summer. It was fun to spend some
time with them.
Walter is enjoying his work at USAA and when he's not busy
at work or home he usually has his nose buried in a good book.
We've enjoyed having Mom and Dad Sloane back in Dallas for
the last year and will be sad to see them go back up to Coeur d'Alene in October.
They will be living in the short term with Shari's brother
Scott (Now single...and looking if you know any WONDERFUL LDS/Mormon women - he's the total package!) and his daughter McKaylee
in his wonderful house.
We are going to spend this Christmas in the great, white north with them this year and will celebrate
our anniversary on New Year's Eve up there as well.
Pray for some good snow as Shari is "Jones-ing" to hit the ski slopes
after a few years off.
We are excited for this trip courtesy of Southwest Airlines....we
volunteered to let them switch our schedule around by two hours a few months back on our way home from Utah and they gave
us $600 in travel voucher's in return. That paid for Walter and Garrett's tickets. Walter has racked up enough round trips
that Shari flys free as long as she flys with him so she was able to add on too. Pretty cool to get the whole family halfway
across the country at Christmas for free!
We love Southwest Airlines!!!!
We have spent most of the summer with VERY hot, dry weather
and it just last week rained about 3/4 inch - the first semi-substantial rain we've had since Easter. It has rained 1
mile north, south, east and west of us - inches and inches - but not at our home.
Watering all of Shari's trees has been
a real project and we're having to fill up the front duck pond once a week with our water hose to keep all the water fowl
happy.
As if there wasn't enough to do, Shari
decided to obtain her real estate license and is about half way through her course work. She doesn't want to go to work in
the workplace - just to dabble here and there with our own stuff and some for friends and family.
We continue to purchase investment property and enjoy being
landlords and are pleased with the path life seems to be taking us.
We've become more aware of our "Mortality" lately and have
been taking some extra steps to make sure that all our affairs are in order and we are well "Insulated" and protected in case
of any unforseen circumstances. Wills, Living wills, Life Insurance and all that good stuff.
Shari has been having strange "Panic Attacks" that everything
is too perfect and too calm...wondering when the "Sky is going to fall"....hopefully it won't... but we just love life and
are so grateful!
Sometimes the "Weight of our responsibilities" to ourselves
and to others seems very overwhelming.
I guess that's part of growing up???
We have been very blessed with good friends, a good livelihood
and good opportunities.
We are thankful that God cares enough to look out for us
each and every day and pray we can live long enough to get caught up with our "List" and pay back the good earth and
society too for our good fortunes.
Sometimes life just seems too short when you want thw world
to last forever!!!
OK.
Back to today.
Guess that's all to really report
on our end.....so I guess we'll conclude with the same old speech that we really DO want to hear from all of you! We know
who writes back and miss you when you don't!!!
We know who you are!!!!
Love,
Walter, Shari and Garrett
