This week my husband’s Uncle Allan and Aunt Dorothy, who live in the state of Michigan, have been visiting us.  When visiting with relatives you don’t get to see very often, it’s always fun to reminisce as well as to create new memories.

Although there were many delightful moments, stories, and times of relaxation during their visit, I will most remember three things:

1. Uncle Allan and Aunt Dorothy arrived at our home on Allan’s 80th birthday.  They had not yet unpacked before we were heading out to dinner to celebrate this momentous birthday at one of our favorite restaurants.  Before we left the house, we asked if they had any food in their suitcases, explaining that Riley can sniff out food a mile away, and knows how to unzip backpacks, etc.  No, they said. No food.  They forgot about the cookies that were in Allan’s briefcase.  We arrived home to find the briefcase in the library, dragged there from bedroom, by none other than Riley. We also found an empty baggie – which used to have cookies in it.  After 12 hours of traveling, Allan was tired and forgot about the cookies. Totally understandable.  We searched all of Riley’s favorite hiding places, but couldn’t the cookies anywhere. Allan reported he only had 4 cookies in the baggie, so we assumed that Riley had eaten them all.  Thirty-six hours later, I couldn’t find Riley. That’s unusual.  If he’s not around someone, he’s usually getting into trouble somewhere.  I started silently creeping through the house to find out what he was up to.  Seems he had been moving his cookies around the house, from spot to spot, as is his habit when he has a stash.  Someone needs to tell him, though, that this cookie is not hidden.

2. Yesterday we took Dorothy and Allan to Yosemite National Park.  It’s always a delight to visit there, but even more fun for us to see the Park through the eyes of visitors who have never been there before.  The sky was blue, the weather was gorgeous – and they were in awe!

3. Although Rick and I have been to Yosemite multiple times since we moved here, this year we have had more rain than ever – which means the falls at Yosemite were the most full we have seen them. It’s impossible to describe the grandeur of the park or get the sense of its wonder in a photo. All we can do is try.

Tomorrow Uncle Allan and Aunt Dorothy head down to Southern California to visit my husband’s father, Allan’s brother.  I’m sure there were be more memories created and more fun to be had. We just wish they lived here, instead of Michigan, so we could see them more often than we do.

“You are near, even when we don’t see you. You are with us, even if you are far away. You are in our hearts, in our thoughts. Always.” – unknown