Just another week in the lives of the Jensens

I have already told everyone about the events as they unfolded at the El Rancho in the past couple of weeks. We really believe that they were supposed to happen and that there has been a plan in place for us to make this move. We certainly didn't anticipate it but it has all unfolded to our advantage. Gayle has accepted the offer from Sawridge Hotels. They have made it very apparent they want him and they offered a most lucrative opportunity. We are thankful for their appearance in our lives and for the bright future they have afforded us.

The beginning of the week went as had been planned for several months. I went to Regina with three other ladies for a Convention for the CAHA (Canadian Association of Hospital Auxiliaries)
I drove and Janice Hall, President of the Cardston Hospital Auxiliary, Lois Hoult, Vice President of the CAO (Chinook Auxiliary Organization) and Diana Carlson and member of the Auxiliary to Extendicare rode with me. We had a good time and the convention was very informative and fun. Saskatchewan was a good host. I roomed with Janice Hall and she proved to be a great roommate.

When I got home on Wednesday, that is when things started to happen faster than we could imagine. Gayle had resigned at the El Rancho and the new company, Sawridge Hotels, had gone into high gear as they made it very clear they wanted Gayle and flew us up to Peace River to see the property, show us the town, and give Gayle the opportunity to spend a couple of hours with the old GM. He is leaving because he has had a heart attack and it frightened him and his wife enough to convince them to retire. All the staff members were a happy group who seemed to love their jobs. A girl named Barbara was assigned to drive me around aquaint me with the town. It is a pretty area with a population of about 6000. Right now it is sooooooo green. They all played down the thought of how cold the winter months are. They said it can get to minus 40º. It can get that cold here too, but we wonder how long it stays that cold. I guess we will find out.

We took lots of pictures but when we showed them to Gaylene and Duane they could not believe that we didn't take any of the hotel. They kept us so busy when we were there that it just didn't happen. The company is just finishing up spending $5M on renovations and it really looks good. Gayle couldn't get over the modern, big beautiful kitchen. There is a couple of restaurants, meeting rooms, lounges, casino, etc., and it is a pretty busy place. Gayle can't wait to get his hands on it all.

He will start work there on June 23rd., Neil's birthday. For right now I will stay here and get a few things finished like the Day Family Reunion, jobs I need to finish up and getting the house settled around. We are not going to sell it. We figure we will be there for a couple of years and we don't want to be trying to buy a house in the market two years down the road. I will be able to commute and Gayle might even be able to come home now and then as they will fly us back and forth. We are excited as this opportunity will make our retirement just that much more comfortable.

You can see the Lethbridge terminal as we taxi out.

The plane will seat five people plus the jump seat beside the pilot.

I asked Barbara to show me where the church was. We had already discovered via the internet that there is a branch there, part of the Grand Prairie Stake. They are in the process of building a brand new building so there must be a bigger branch than we had anticipated.

We couldn't get over how flat the land was just before we saw the Peace River Valley. That area is on either side of the Peace River and it is very hilly and right now, beautifully green.

I took this shot from a hill overlooking the river and part of the town. The town is built of either bank both banks of the river and there is a uge bridge connecting the two sides. Walmart opened there the day before we arrived so we can shop.

This is the plane and the pilot, Barry.

I had almost forgotten what fun it is to fly among the clouds. It was a pretty overcast day but the plane flew at about 22,000 feet so we were above it except for when we were flying up to cruising altitude or coming back down to land.

While in Regina we thought we might as well visit the legislature as it was just down the street from the hotel where our convention was. With me is Janice Hall (L) and Lois Hoult.

The day we came home, we went to see the new Regina Temple. Neither Janice or I had our recommends with us and we were not dressed for temple attendance so we just went into the visitors centre and saw some people from Cardston. Sharon Quinton was working there. She and her husband bought the ten acres on the west side of Mom and Dad's acreage in Cardston.