Summer of Love Part 1

 This past month, I had the opportunity to go to the greatest retreat EVER!! Even though this is the first retreat I have been to, it was still the greatest!

It was a culmination of ladies from Morgan's side of the family. Some ladies were absent due to pregnancy, and Church responsibilities,  but we had a slew of wonderful ladies when the dust cleared and we arrived in, Abique, New Mexico. And thanks to Alicia and Grandma and Grandpa Johnson, we all received BEAUTIFUL shirts in various hues.

 

First, you have to meet the guard dog! (And no, the statue is not the guard dog, but they sure do look like). Beans is the darling rescue dog you see behind the statue. Pat rescued Beans years ago in Mexico at a landfill. And we were sure glad she did because Beans was such a great addition to Pat's "Compound".

But now I feel I am WAY ahead of myself. These ladies are the real reason we had the retreat...And truthfully, Pat (the furthest on the left) is the real instigator. She invited all of us to come up to beautiful Abique, New Mexico and stay in her homemade adobe homes. And when I say "homemade", I really mean that she even build her own adobe bricks to make these wonderful abodes. But everyone was there because of Grandma Martha Frazier who gave birth to these beautiful sisters. (Judi, the youngest is not in the picture. She is Primary President and had to conduct the Primary Program back home)

And here we see the Haglund clan. Actually, there are quite a few more Haglunds, but these were the only ones able to come. From left to right we have : Aunt Gwen, Grandma Frazier, McKenzie, and Alexis........... Haglunds not in attendance include: Jacob's wife, Karleigh, Brook, and Elisabeth, Adam's wife

I thought the area that we stayed was sooooooo beautiful, so of course, I had to take lots, and lots of pictures.

I have to admit, I am very proud that I took this picture! After some editing, it will look awesome!

This was one of the beautiful homes that she built. The "Abique" house is so gorgeous.

This is where I stayed, the "Steelie" house. Also gorgeous! Thanks for sharing a bed with me Alicia!

But this is what it was really all about, connecting! This is Bonnie and Tiffany having a conversation together. Helping each other through the hard times of being a mother.

And this is where I showered, IN A BUCKET!! It was an awesome invention though. Pat is VERY creative and artistic and everything about her homes are unique and original. LOVE IT!

Beans again, she sure made a lot of friends that week.

And this is the studio where we had Yoga classes everyday taught by Juliet, who teaches Yoga in Portland, Oregon.

Here are the Haglund sister's, McKenzie and Alexis. They are such beautiful, humble sisters with the biggest hearts you will ever find. They both came from Las Vegas, Nevada.

And these giggling gals are posed behind our favorite past time activity, the tower of plastic balloons. From left to right: Alicia and Grandma Karen hailing from Arizona and Tiffany hailing from Utah, and Bonnie from Idaho.

And this beautiful piece of artwork called the "Labyrinth", is also a tool for meditation. You start on the outside and meditate as you make your way to the center.

One day we had a Salon in our house with Alicia giving wonderful haircuts and laughs galore. Aunt Pat found all the jewelry I had brought and they had a great time "dressing up"! What a hoot!

And here is the studio that Steve lives in and creates wonderful pieces of art. Steve just purchased this land from Pat, and it is a great building. I especially love the stairs that shoot out the side without any rails. Fun and a bit scary!

Here are the Johnsons in attendance: Top row: Me,(the only non-blood relation), Bonnie, and Alicia. The bottom row includes: Heather, Juliet, Grandma Frazier, Karen Johnson, and Emily. Not in attendance: Ruth, (just gave birth),and  Charice, (health and family issues). Next time we hope to have all in attendance.

And Grandpa Toady just couldn't get enough of us. I found him in the same place two nights in a row. The ladies all thought it was weird that I would pick up a toad, but that is what we do all the time on the golf course behind our home.

Here is our beautiful hostess, Aunt Pat, smiling and enjoying sharing her love with us. Thanks again and again Aunt Pat!

Let's end with some amazing, talented women, the balloon artists, Bonnie and Juliet. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope to add a couple more blogs about this trip since it was such a life-changing experience for all. Bear with me though because I just received a Photo program, Lightroom 4 that I have been coveting for a while. I am very excited about this, but it is very complicated for my chemo brain to understand.