Date Night in the Marriott Center

Tyler has season tickets to BYU Basketball.  We love date night at the games.

Till We Meet Again

LILY JAMES (nee Skerratt), beloved wife of the late Larry James of Magrath, passed away on Thursday, November 29th, 2012 in Lethbridge, Alberta at the age of 84 years.
Lily was born in Edmonton, Alberta, on October 14, 1928, second youngest of ten children, born to
Richard and Emma Skerratt. Lily spent an idyllic childhood in the midst of tough times in a home she
cherished. By age 15, Lily was working at Eaton’s in Edmonton, dressing windows and serving ex-
servicemen at the candy counter. Larry James spent a lot of time at Eaton’s candy counter wooing Lily
relentlessly. He prevailed, and they were married on August 31st, 1946. Together they raised six children
as they moved from Edmonton to Calgary to Vancouver to Australia to Idaho, and finally home to
Magrath. In 1985, Larry and Lily built a new home in Magrath on the large corner lot where Larry’s
childhood home once stood. The family grew to include 26 grandchildren and 31 great grandchildren, and
visiting family were a constant and welcomed fixture in Larry and Lily’s retirement home. In her fifties, Lily
contracted a rare degenerative disease of the muscles, which she struggled with mightily. It is a tribute to her ongoing strength and courage that she was able to enjoy an eventful and fulfilling life until very
recently. Babies and young children were a source of special joy to Lily. She was happiest in the midst of the youngest members of her very large family. Larry and Lily spent 58 happy years together before his passing in August of 2004.
She is survived by her sons Dennis (Janet) of Mill Bay B.C., Bob (Pat) of Ferndale, Washington, Barry
passed away January 2000 (Sandra) of Mt. Vernon, Washington. Her daughters Susie (Roger) Riley of
Rexburg, Idaho, Debbie (Cam) Cook, and Barbie (Lee) Stringam of Magrath. Lily is survived by her two sisters Bess Bussenius, of 100 Mile House, B.C., and Doras MacDougall, of Kamloops, B.C. She is also
survived by her sister-in-law, Marjorie Dickson of Toronto, ON, and brother-in-law Terry (Kim) James of Queensland, Australia.

To say that Lily appreciated our local medical services would be an understatement. She was so grateful for the unwavering care provided. The family extends a very special and heartfelt thank you to Dr. Ken Dahl and his able staff over the years, also to the recent care she received in the Raymond and
Lethbridge hospitals.
Friends may meet the family at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Garden Place Chapel,
Magrath, Alberta on Tuesday, December 4th, 2012 from 7:00-8:00 p.m. or from 10:00-10:45 a.m. prior to
the service.
The Funeral Service will be held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Garden Place
Chapel, on Wednesday, December 5th, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. Interment in the Magrath Cemetery.
E-mail your condolences to: legacyfh@telus.net
Funeral arrangements entrusted to Berry Gorham of Legacy.
Legacy Funeral Homes Ltd.
P.O. Box 208
Cardston, Alberta T0K 0K0
Phone (403) 653-3222

Magrath

It's been 8 years since I've been in Wild Rose Country.  It's fall break for Utah, so Coleman and I loaded up the focus and are here for the weekend.  

My "Happy Place"

Coleman and I were so blessed to be able to spend 10 days here:  

My parents house.  

Ferndale, Washington

It was the best vacation!  We had so much fun.  

I love the pacific northwest.

always have...

...always will

Care for a dip?

Coleman literally went hot tubbing every day when we were in Washington.

...sometimes multiple times a day.

This is how I found Coleman and grandpa one morning.  They finished breakfast and went directly to the hot tub.  

I can't blame Coleman, it is pretty terrific.  You're out in the county with total privacy and you have an amazing view of Canada.  Practically perfect in every way.

The Cruikshanks

A trip to Ferndale would not be complete unless we visited the Cruikshanks.

They were my next door neighbors from 5th grade till my parents moved a few years ago.
I love them

I babysat these girls and it is so great to see what beautiful young women they have become. 

The crew: 

awkward smiles? 

all right y'all, fix your hair for pictures. 

 Coleman and Brett rough-housing

 Jessica

Laura

 Erin

 Love these girls

17 Again

Meet Nathan-

Nate and I grew up together.

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for him.

His parents invited (or I invited myself) over for dinner.

Nate came down from British Columbia to surprise me.

I may or may not have cried.

Ok.

I cried.

 Nate and I dated a little in High School.  He took me to Prom and our Prom picture is one of the ONLY good picture I have of the two of us.  EVER.

After dinner, I told Nate to take a picture with me to mark the occasion.  Suddenly, I had an instant flashback.  It was 2002 all over again and I was trying everything I could to get him to smile for a darn photo.  I had completely forgotten how much this boy HATES getting his picture taken... maybe that's why it never worked out between us ;) 

Sadly, this is the best we ended up with.

But I'll take it.

After dinner, Nate and I went for a drive around the county.  We went out to Birch Bay, up to Semiahmoo, over to Lynden and then back home to Ferndale.  It was just like old times.  I couldn't help but smile.  Nate would ask, "You feelin' 17 again?"  I told him I could believe how 10 years could feel so long ago and yet seem like it was just yesterday.  He laughed and told me, "Don't fool yourself, Kate.  It WAS a long time ago."   Haha.

So true. 

But it felt great to be 17 again....

...if only for a night.

Baby-sitting at the beach

 Today, Coleman and I went to Aunt Mandy's house to play with Gunner while she had a meeting.  After about 5 minutes of playing cars, we remembered we're 5 minutes from the ocean!  So, we packed up and headed to Birch Bay to enjoy some salt water and seaweed.

Coleman tried his darnedest to get this log out of the water.  Eventually, he decided that it was best to leave it where it was :)

Gunner (age 5.5) and Coleman (age 4.5)

This is my kind of baby-sitting!

Sunset at Birch Bay

Just another day in paradise

Birch Bay State Park

Birch Bay, Washington

 The cure for anything is salt water; sweat, tears or the sea.  - Isak Dinesen.   

I couldn't agree with this more.

Coleman has loved coming to the ocean.  He had a lot of fun.   He threw rocks into the water and tried to pull logs out.  But mostly, he avoided any and all contact with seaweed.  Honestly, I can't blame him.

Grandma Great

How we want people to think we act:

How we really act:

I love my Grandma

forever your Rosebud

Need a lift?

I'll see you in the morning

Grandpa Coleman passed away July 17, 1998.  Today was the first time I've been back to see the headstone.  It was a nice experience to be able to bring my Coleman with me to see the resting place of the man he was named after.

Please don't cry when I die, tears are just for sorrow.

Keep a smile, in just a while it will be tomorrow.

We've had such mirth on this old earth, don't spoil it now be grieving.

No heavy heart, we're not apart, I just drew first in leaving.

Our earthly stay is but a day, then we leave without much warning.

Our wedding vow assures me now,

I'll see you in the morning.

Mallards

This place is a gem.  It's located in Downtown Bellingham.

Mallards Ice Cream

I love it.  We use to go there in High School.  They are famous for their "earthy" aka "hippie" flavors like Ginger and my favorite, Lavender.  Yes, lavender ice cream. 

We met up with Kellie Goodwin.  She and I grew up together, we were neighbors.  Kellie moved to Ferndale in 5th grade.  We played volleyball together, sang in several choirs, went on countless field trips/choir tours, swung on the rope swing over the pond and spent hours talking about boys.

It was great seeing her.

Me, Coleman and Kellie

Holiness to the Lord

Auntie Laurel, Me, Sister Komm, and Linda Walker 

These sisters happened to be outside planning the flowerbeds when we got there.  

Poor Coleman, he was very tired.  Thankfully there are these lovely benches all around the temple to sit and rest.

House of the Lord, Holiness to the Lord

The Vancouver LDS Temple

Langley, British Columbia