August 2009: Thousand Islands and the First Day of School

In August of last year our family went to Thousand Islands, NY. Thousand Islands, NY region that encompasses communities on both sides of the US and Canada border along the St. Lawrence River and the eastern shores of Lake Ontario. The region takes its name from the more than 1000 islands that dot the lake and river along this international waterway. The region extends from Kingson to Cornwall on the Canadian side, and from Oswego to Massena on the US side, reaching inland to the foothills of the Adirondack mountains to embrace the communities that are west and north of the Adirondack Park.
We stayed at the Edgewood resort and our hotel room was right on the St. Lawrence River. We were able to watch the boats, barges, and even canoes go by, it was amazing!

This is a panorama of our view from our balcony.

The Sunset at night was spectacular.

John spent a lot of the down time studying for his residency program and we all enjoyed the views and peace and quiet of the water on the St. Lawerence river.

One of the most amazing parts of the Thousand Islands region is Boldt Castle on Heart Island. At the turn-of-the-century, George C. Boldt, millionaire proprietor of the world famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, set out to build a full size rhineland castle in Alexandria Bay, on picturesque Heart Island. The grandiose structure was to be a display of his love for his wife, Louise. But, in 1904, tragedy struck. Boldt telegraphed the island and commanded the workers to immediately “stop all construction.” Louise had died suddenly. A broken hearted Boldt could not imagine his dream castle without his beloved. Boldt never returned to the island, leaving behind the structure as a monument of his love. For 73 years, the castle and various stone structures were left vacant until Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired the property. Since then, several million dollars have been used to restor and rebuild the Castle.

This is our view of the Castle from our room.

Here is Boldt Castle close up.

We took a ferry to see a lot of the different islands, the kids loved the ride and they even let them drive the boat for a bit!
One of the many boat houses we saw.

This is the shortest international bridge. The small island is officially on the US side and the house is on the Canadian side!

There was a house on every island we saw, yes even this tiny one! Boldt Castle's yaught house sits behind it.

We were able to tour the Castle, here is a picture inside and out.

Here we are on the grounds of the Castle. Then on one of our final nights in Thousand Islands we drove up to Clayton, NY and enjoyed an evening there. Clayton was listed in Coastal Living Magazine as the best small town in the Great Lakes. It was gorgeous! Over 18 years ago John served his mission in upstate NY and Watertown, NY up in the Thousand Islands region was one of his areas he stayed in for a few months. It was fun for us to drive around and see where he lived and hear his stories of living there.

On our way home, we drove along the Lake Ontario shoreline and stopped to let the kids play by the water. Here are some shots from us on the shore of lake Ontario.

Lydia loves the water!

Shortly after returning from our vacation the kids started school and one of the highlights for our family this year was Lydia starting all day Kindergarten. She gets to start Kindergarten one year early than she would in any other state because New York’s cut off is December 1st rather than September 1st and with Lydia being a November birthday she barely makes the cut and she is officially the youngest in her class. But she has been able to keep up with her pears remarkably well and we are so proud of her; she is reading and doing math.

Here are their first days of school pictures!

Update on Carter!

Just a quick update on my little cousin. It has been 2 weeks since the accident and 2 weeks that she has been in a coma; Carters breathing tube was taken out yesterday. Carter's Dad said

"I cant stop crying tears of joy, she did it, she is on her own. Not a single problem. Now she can really rest comfortably. I can't wait for her to wake up. She may not be able to talk or smile but just to sqeeze my hand will be enough"

and not but 2 hours later he said

"she opened her eyes , I said "hey poo bear"... I got the biggest smile, only for a second but it was there. She knows who we are."

Thank you again to all who prayed for Carter and don't know her. It was a Bright Day for my cousins. That same day some of her first words were uttered. Carters dad said

"Wow, a nurse that became very fond of Carter just came in to see her, she said I am the nurse that took care of you while you were asleep, Carter said "Thank you", we all cried again"

May we all be more grateful for the"little things"in life, first words, a smile, a touch, or even a first step.

The latest and most wonderful news is that she is moving out of ICU and into Rehab today! Her dad writes:

"Moving to rehab. Room 361 our new address for the next month. My cheeks hurt from smiling"

At rehab her dad elaberated a little on her condition he said:

"Carter is doing ok, she still tries to talk but can't tell what she is saying"

They still have a long road a head of them, who knows how long, but we know they will be strong. Carter has an awesome family standing behind her.

Carters Aunt created a new website for her on Caringbridge.org. Please go check it out and leave a note of encouragement in her guestbook! She is just starting to wake up and would love to hear from people! We've created it to keep friends and family updated about our sweet Carter Poo. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/carterhudson1

Also, a bank account for Carter has been established at ~United Community Bank~ This is to assist the Hudson's with the financial needs as theybegin their recovery journey back home w/ their sweet little Carter. Donations may be made directly at the bank OR they can... be mailed directly to the branch at the address below:

United Community Bank*

c/o Carter Elizabeth Hudson

2168 Scenic Highway

Snellville, GA 30078PS

*No account # needed on checks; bank president and ALL bank staff will beable to process your donations w/out it. Not sure about being able to do direct on-line contributions just yet.

Thank you to all!

Pray for Carter my Cousin...

This is Carter my 12-year-old cousin who was in a terrible car accident and she hasn't awakened since the accident. The Dr.'s induced a coma to keep swelling down in her brain and keep pressure down to minimize brain damage. They may wake her up in the next few days and they don't know the damage until she wakes up. She needs all the prayers she can get.

Throughout this trial her father has said some very profound things that have touched me so deeply that I wanted to share.

"Hug your children, be patient with them. I am learning life is truly a blessing"

From my Cousin Jeff Hudson (Father of Carter Hudson)

And this is his prayer for Carter:

"I know she is your child, I am Honored that I was given the opportunity to bring her into this world, we have tried our best to instill in her the values that a good person should have. We have taught her that love is unconditional, that forgiving is easier than hating, that giving is really receiving. She has done well. She is passing all the lessons we teach, but I'm not done yet, you see, because its really her thats teaching me.

I pray humbly, you will see fit to continue my lessons."

Carter is the one in the one dressed in white; Jack was just a baby. Another picture from that day is below of her and the cousins. And some of her balerina pictures.

Pray for her that she will make a full recovery!

Jack's Dream for our Country

Today we had parent teacher conferences and I felt this writing from my son was so profound especially given our current government situation. My son who is 7-years-old and in second grade wrote this.

"I have a dream that we didn't have to pay taxes and if democrats were republicans, so we wouldn't be paying higher taxes, so my dad would get the money that he earns so we can buy things. I wish there were more Republicans in the Government too.

I would really like it if killing and kidnapping really did not exist.

I wish our country had peace and other countries without fighting for it. I hope when people have surgery doctors would be much gentler and hurting would stop. I wish kids got what they want and grown ups got what they want.

I don't dream about me, I want life to be good for me and others (even the people I don't know)"

It just goes to show you that children understand what is going on in our country too!

Blueberry Picking, Jack on The News

Every year around August it is tradition to go Blueberry picking at one of the many farms around Buffalo, the blueberries are delicious, especially when we pick them ourselves. We went with the residents wives group on this particular trip and here are some of the pictures from that day, I especially love this one with the frog, it’s there look closely.

Back in July the Channel 7 news was at the Mall while we were there for a playgroup. They were compairing the law makers in Albany to children and Jack was interviewed amongst some other children. If you look closely you can see Lydia playing there with some other girls. Here he is in his small moment of fame.

Beach Party on Lake Ontario and Pearce visit July 2009

I am sorry that it has taken me so long to get my blog updated. So, I have a lot to post. We will start in the summer. In July of 2009 when me and the kids went to a beach party in Ontario hosted by one of the chief residents. John was unable to attend because he was on-call at Erie County Medical Center. We had a lot of fun and it is fun to have beaches so close by… here are some shots from that.

Here we are standing on the shore of lake Ontario with the city of Buffalo behind us.

Emily loved caring this soccer ball around.Then we had John’s sister Anna, her family and his niece Mary and her boyfriend (whom she will be marrying in just a few short weeks!) come visit us. We all had so much fun with them, visiting Olcott Beach, NY on Lake Ontario where they have a vintage amusement park where all of the rides are truly still 25 cents! We also visited the Niagara Falls, the sacred grove and of course the Hill Cumorah Pageant!This is a picture of Niagara Falls taken from the bridge connecting the USA and Canada. The American side of Niagara Falls lets you enjoy more of the beauty of nature surrounding the falls. The Canadian side reminds me of Las Vegas, NV.
Here Jack, John, and Elsa sit on the International Borderline!
All the kids together.
Here are some pictures of the vintage amusement park from the 1940's, it features a 1928 style Hershell-Spillman two row carousel. Five vintage kiddie rides, and a wonderful 1931 Wurlitzer band organ. All of the rides are truly still 25 cents. These boats are amazing they are made of Genuine Mahogany.
It was a rainy day, lucky the girls had their umbrella!


The Famous Olcott, NY lighthouse
This is a replica of the 1873 Lighthouse that now stands in Olcott, NY near the park

The kids standing on the American side of Lake Ontario, Lydia loves to pose!

The kids playing/looking for grasshoppers in the field in front of Joseph Smith's home near the sacred grove.Lydia and Elsa holding hands in the Sacred Grove.

The kids getting ready to watch the Hill Cumorah Pageant, our kids look forward to it every year! It looks like Lydia is already asleep but she isn't :) Or maybe she's praying?

This is a picture of the pageant during one of the battle scenes from our seats.

Radio Show Raising Emotionally Healthy Children

This past month I recorded another radio show and the subject of it was Raising Emotionally Healthy Children. I had two great guests and I felt they offered some really good advice in raising children. Click on the title and it should link to where you will be able to listen.

I am on the Stake Public Affairs committee for our church here in Buffalo and we have been given 30 minutes airtime at 6:00am once a month. I share this calling with 3 other girls and we rotate hosting each month. I really enjoy my calling and it's nice to get back on the radio and sort of relive my old DJ'ing days back in Salt Lake.

Salt Lake City 2009, The Alpine House, 2 weddings and a couple birthdays!

This past summer we took a trip out to Salt Lake City for two weddings, my sisters and our nephews, and John's mothers birthday. John's mothers birthday just happens to be a day before my fathers. My father passed away in 2006, but that didn't stop us from celebrating with him. We went to our favorite bakery (Glauss in sugerhouse), we bought our favorite cake and visited his gravesite and had cake with him. It was nice to be able to be with him on his birthday.

Here I am thinking about my dad.

We had a wonderful time with family, although we kept it low key because we were there for only 5 days and had so much going on in that 5 days. However, we did find time to visit Alpine, Utah. Rumor had it that the home my parents designed and built had been torn down and a new home put it in its place. My heart felt a pang when I heard that. I was 2 years old when my parents designed and built it and we moved in, my family and I lived there for 8 years. We had to move because my father had gotten to ill, he had just fought cancer, had heart disease and it was about that time that he was beginning to have symptoms of Inclusion Body Myositis; which originally was diagnosed as ALS. He was a fighter and he put his heart and soul into this house. I have lots of fond memories of that home and the memories it held for us. As we drove up our old street in Alpine and saw the tractors and work trucks in front of the home, I was afraid it was all true and sure enough there was a new house in its place. Tears welled up in my eyes and I think I jumped out of the car before John could even stop the car. I went up to the workers and asked if the owner was at home, I just wanted to see if he had preserved any part of our house. The new owner of the home was so gracious and kind and offered to show us around and sure enough he had preserved parts of the house.
Here is the home when we lived in it, then below that the owners after us painted it white?

and now finally it was almost completely torn down and this home was put in its place. I have to say the new home is amazingly beautiful and is a big improvement to the original home, although I still am very sad to see it go.

As we toured the home, the owner showed us what was original. He kept our pool, the one I learned how to swim in, oh so many memories!! And yes, that is me jumping in, with my little sister Yvie waiting patiently in back, so how many of you rember the red tank top unitubes?? Anyway, here are some before and afters...

He kept the original storage rooms, part of the lower patio in the back, and he put new walls in their original locations in the basement, he had to tear the original walls down because of termite damage. Most of the house had a similar layout to the original one, which I was glad to see. And finally the back of the home before and afters. My favorite part is what he did with the backyard and accenting the river.

When I lived there our backyard was mostly made up of trees and weeds and weaving through the trees was a river, beyond the river we owned another acre of land (I don't recall ever venturing beyond the river, though). The people we bought the land from back in 1977 had built a makeshift bridge accross the river and my sister R'lene and brother Kyle tried to make it safer to cross by adding more 2x4's and plywood accross the top. It still was not very safe, I was never allowed to cross by myself, nor did I want to. The current owners kept the bridge in it's original location and built a beautiful bridge in it's place. I recall in the winter my brother Kyle and I would play on the frozen river. There was one frightful day though that I won't ever forget, Kyle was walking accross the ice and fell in, we were able to get him out and he was safe, but I will never forget the fear and disbelief I felt.

Here is the new

backyard, isn't it stunning!

Then we went to my sisters wedding and Hugh the 3rd's wedding. Here is my sister and her new husband and then some cute pictures from Hugh's wedding.