Surprise Visit

My children got a surprise visit from their dad this weekend. He called early yesterday to announce he was in town and would be over "in a few." Aargh! A little notice, please!

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The kids were ecstatic, of course. They hadn't seen him since August. He actually spent some real time with them, and it makes me happy to see my kids so thrilled.

They went over to swim in the indoor pool at the Hampton Inn, where Mark and Diane were staying. My kids think they're fish and love the water.

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Jacob had a church youth activity all that morning, tubing on the slopes near Sunrise Ski Resort, so he missed out on the swimming.

Last night Mark and Diane came over to visit for a couple of hours. Actually, Mark fell asleep on the couch (that seemed so very familiar!) while Diane and I talked.

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We got to meet Knox, Diane's new service dog-in-training. Diane has a bad back injury and increasingly has trouble getting around.

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Diego and Knox found each other to be quite fascinating!

Jacob was gone all evening, working at his new job, so he missed out on the visiting.

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Then after church today Mark, Sarah, and Dylan took a hike along the Mogollon Rim Trail about half a mile from our house.

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Again, Jacob missed out on the hike because he had to go to work.

Recently a new restaurant called Kelley's opened within walking distance of our house. Jacob happened to go there with a friend last weekend, and by the time he left he'd been offered a job.

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Apparently he's training to work as a chef while also bussing, waiting tables, and washing dishes. I'm not too sure how this will work out, especially since this is a really bad time to start up a small business, but we'll see. For now it's a little extra money to put away for that dream car.

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It's just too bad he had to miss out on the fun.

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After the hike, their dad headed back down the mountain to Mesa. But they made some happy memories.

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It's very beautiful along the Rim, which is the southwest edge of the Colorado Plateau. It's often a sheer drop with striking views.

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Sarah and Dylan took some great shots on today's hike, so I thought I'd share. Sit back and enjoy!