MY TRIP TO FINLAND IN 2 MINUTES

I had such a great time in Finland.

Spending time with my family.

Take a peak.

Here are all the photos I took.

Non-edited...non-sensored.

Thanks again for all of you.

My family in U.S. and my family in Finland.

With Love!

BYU, CHURCH HISTORY TRIP AND FINLAND - DIVIDE AND CONQUER

I had an opportunity to go and spend couple of weeks in Finland.

Just me.

While... older boys went to Church History Trip to back east.

Sacred Grove

Niagra Falls

Jason took Niko and Maija to BYU Sports camps.

Niko with Tyler Haws during his basket ball camp

Maija getting ready for her soccer camp

...I thought,

why not...perfect time for me to go and visit with my family in Finland.

My mom and dad...on my dad's birthday

My vacation was wonderful.

Super relaxing and rejuvenating!

Thank you for Jason and kids allowing me to go and enjoy myself.

TEAM JONATHAN

Some of of the TV shows Maija and I enjoy watching are Property Brothers and Brother vs. Brother on HGTV channel.

We were recently invited to their Las Vegas house reveal party. The house was beautiful and Maija got to pose with Jonathan for a photo. (She is totally Team Jonathan).

Maija  in their putting green.

Since the party I have caught even the boys from watching the show.

BACK TO THE DIGITAL WORLD

And so our vacation comes to an end.

What a wondeful time we had...

...and now...

unfortunately it is back to the social media, emails, texts...

no more hiding from all the responsibilities..

Thank you Holland America

Thank you cousins, aunts, and uncles, nieces and nephews

An Most of all

Thank you grandma and grandpa for making this all happen!

We will always remember 

and never forget

this wonderful trip!

THE BUTCHART GARDEN IN VICTORIA, CANADA

Our last stop was in Victoria, Canada.

We went to see the Butchart Garden.

It was amazing!

There really are not words to describe how beautiful the garden is.

You just have to go and see it yourself!

You can read the story of the garden from here.

I will include parts of it here with the pictures.

THE BUTCHARTS

 Robert Pim Butchart, a pioneer in the thriving North American cement industry, was attracted from Owen Sound, Ontario to Canada’s West Coast by rich limestone deposits. In 1904, he developed a quarry and built a cement plant at Tod Inlet (on Vancouver Island) to satisfy Portland cement demand from San Francisco to Victoria. Jennie Butchart became the company’s chemist. Close to the quarry, the Butcharts established the family home complete with sweet peas and rose bushes.

As Mr. Butchart exhausted limestone deposits, his enterprising wife Jennie, made plans to create something of beauty in the gigantic exhausted pit. From farmland nearby, she had tonnes of top soil brought in by horse and cart and used it to line the floor of the abandoned quarry. Little by little, the quarry blossomed into the spectacular Sunken Garden.

Between 1906 and 1929, the Butcharts created a Japanese Garden on the seaside, an Italian Garden on their former tennis court and a beautiful Rose Garden. Mr. Butchart took great pride in his wife's remarkable work. An enthusiastic hobbyist, he collected ornamental birds from all over the world. He kept ducks in the Star Pond, noisy peacocks on the front lawn and many elaborate birdhouses throughout the gardens.

One of the facinating stories our guide told was about how the gardens were saved by two ducks.

One year, while traveling in Europe, the family received word that both of their Woodland Ducks had died after an eagle attack. Since they were already mostly there, Robert insisted on going to Germany to purchase new ducks. 

Jennie would hear nothing of it, insisting that if they went, they would miss their steamship home. Robert put his foot down and insisted and off the family trekked to Germany. After making his purchase and arranging for the ducks to be sent back to British Columbia, the family rushed back to England only to find that they had missed their boat by two days. So they had to make alternate travel arrangements.

What boat did they miss? The Titanic.

And that's how two dead ducks saved the Butchart Gardens. 

On our way back to the cruise ship we drove past Victoria's City Hall...maybe??

DRESSING UP FOR DINNERS

During our cruise we had couple of formal nights, and rest of the nights were smart casual nights.

We would dress up for dinner and show.

It was fun to see the kids in their Sunday bests...and big smiles on their faces.

Such a handsome group...

minus few who were still getting ready.

TOTEM POLES IN KETCHIKAN

After canoeing we visited a Totem Bright, State Historical Park.

I had never really thought of the purpose of totem poles.

I learned a great deal about them.

Our guide was great, and entertained us with fascinating stories.

The meanings of the designs on totem poles are as varied as the cultures that make them. Totem poles may recount familiar legends, clan lineages, or notable events. Some poles celebrate cultural beliefs while others are mostly artistic. Certain types of totem poles are part of mortuary structures, and incorporate grave boxes with carved supporting poles, or recessed backs for grave boxes. Poles illustrate stories that commemorate historic persons, represent shamanic powers, or provide objects of public ridicule.

A community house or clanhouse of this size could have housed 30 to 50 people.

Inside is one large room with a central fireplace surrounded by a planked platform. The walls and floors were hand-adzed to smooth the surface and remove splinters. The dwelling served as living quarters for several families of a particular lineage.

The carved house posts supporting the beams inside symbolize the exploits of Duk-toothl. He is a man of Raven phratry wearing a weasel skin hat who showed his strength by tearing a sea lion in two. The painting on the house front was designed by Charles Brown. It is a stylized Raven with each eye elaborated into a face.