My Dad

Mom and Dad (circa 1950)
The Shaffer Family, Dec. 25, 1968
There are so many things I love about this picture... It's too hard to list them all!

Dad and Mom with Jim and Judy on August 18, 1988

On Tuesday morning, August 18, 2009, my dad, Royce Shaffer, passed away. He was 84 years old. Although I will miss him so much, I am so glad that he is finally resting and back with my mom. I was fortunate to have spent a week with him just previous to his death. I will treasure those last few days forever. We had some great talks and great experiences. My dad was an incredible father and an even more incredible man. He lived a great and righteous life.

It is strange to be 'parentless'. My siblings and I wondered if we were considered orphans now! (I don't think we are, but we did consider it.) I know lots of people are without their parents, I just never expected to be without mine at this age. It is sobering to know that the generation before me is gone. It has prompted me to reevaluate my goals and dreams. Two weeks ago my dad said, "Family is the most important thing." It's not like I had never heard that before, but he said it with such clarity, it has made an impact on my life. Family really is the most important thing. I need to make family number one each and every day. Of course, this is easier said than done. I have a job, bills, weeds, books to read, and a million other things that get in the way. A lot of the other things aren't even considered 'bad'. I just need to figure out how to not let the 'other things' get in the way of family. Maybe that's what 'life' is all about. Maybe our 'test' is just that simple.

Junior High!!

Alas.... we have no children at the elementary school!! Today Riley and Andrea headed back to school. Riley is in 8th grade and Andrea is in 7th grade. They survived the boring first day and both plan on going back tomorrow :)

Jacquie also went back to school today-- but I didn't get a picture.... seminary starts way too early for this photographer!!

Happy 21st Anniversary!

Its hard to believe that 21 years have gone by!! Somedays it feels like it was just yesterday and other days it feels way longer than 21 years!! :) lol

Either way, I wouldn't change a thing. I'd marry the same man a million times over. The days (and years) just get better and better.

Happy Anniversary!!

This is our engagement picture that was taken by my sister in my backyard!! Not bad for an amateur. Great price too! :) (Thanks Nancy)

FIESTA!!!

My sister, Nancy, brought their dog Fiesta to Oregon. Although she is rather ugly (they say for her breed she is quite cute!), she is talented!! You can't see the bubbles very well, but that is what she is trying to catch!!

Lake of the Woods

Our annual trip to Lake of the Woods was this last week. Our trip to Oregon was a little different this year. Grandpa Shaffer was in the hospital and we wanted to be close to him, so we stayed in Klamath Falls and took day trips up to the lake. It was beautiful and we missed camping, but we know we'll be back next year.We rented a canoe since we didn't bring our boat. Marissa, Riley, and Jacquie are off in the canoe. They did sit down eventually.

Jim and I took a lovely excursion on the lake :) Lucky for me, Jim did most of the paddling. I'm just holding the oar for the picture!!

Jacquie and Marissa taking pictures of themselves, again.

Andrea loves the lake! As crazy as this seems, I didn't get any pictures of Andrea with her bcf (bestest cousin forever) Betsy. They were attached at the hip all week long.

Riley LOVES the lake. I love this picture- he is 100% back to normal with no medication!! Woot! Woot!

More pictures soon.... wait until you see the cool log they found!!

Some more vacation photos....

This morning I was on a different computer- the one where Jacquie uploads her pictures. I had to laugh when I saw this series of pictures. Do they make you laugh too?

Hard to choose a favorite.....

Marissa is an adult!

This little adorable girl is all grown up! It has happened way too fast, of course.

Here Marissa is showing off her amazing water skills at Lake of the Woods, Oregon.

All grown up. An adult already. Soon she'll be off to college on her own. (sniff, sniff from the mom!)

Words that describe Marissa: smart, skilled, athletic, fearless, motivated, funny, ambitious, adventurous, imaginative, musical, performer, spontaneous, virtuous, and above all else, a READER!
Yep, she got some great tools so that she can survive feeding herself at school. We love you Marissa. You are an amazing girl! Happy 18th Birthday!