Rita and Michael at Church, Prego with Abbie

Our Beautiful Family, Notice all Abbie's hair

Rita with her Mom (Maggie) Grandma (Edith)

Rita and I at Banquet 1990

At our Home in Brush

Rita and I at Managers Night 1990

Lora Wasting a Good NA Beer

Lily and Mejana

Ronny Surfing the Mountain "CRAZY"

Boyles Family Picture Were's Abbie?

Christmas 2009

Mejana and Grandpa hanging out while kids have fun on Beaver Dam

Kids tearing up the frozen beaver dam

Lora taking credit for everything

Alicia The Awesome Mommy and Mejana

Christmas Mess

Christmas 2009 Morning

Ashley, Abbie and Michael Christmas Zombies

Family

Lora finishing decorate the tree

Mejana helping

The Choice Christmas Tree

Still searching for the choice tree

Abbie, Alicia, Ashley and Mejana enjoying forest

Christmas Tree search vehicle since 1994, we actually got stuck for about an hour after this because I back into deep snow

Just like Ole Times

The search is on but we had to ditch the 3 wheeler and 4 wheeler, too much snow

Antique toys I found in one of building i tore down to build cabin

Ashley and Lora making Goodies, Just like Rita

Ashley and I after she got off plane from Hawaii, I made her a Lai (flower necklace)

We had a wonderful Christmas at the cabin and Santa Clause came while everyone slept. We sure missed Rita and her baking.

Let’s see where are we in the Boyles history, ah yes Rita is pregnant and looking more beautiful each day. We had our Schwan’s banquet coming up and they were having a 50’s manager night on Friday and our banquet on Saturday. So Rita went to goodwill to see what she could find and sure enough she found cat rimmed glasses for her and an old suit for me, we looked Great together and she had the belly to prove it. I remember watching her at 6 months along doing the ho la hop contest, she still could move those hips. Rita love the banquets because of all the dressing up and seeing everyone at their best, of course I would be happy in blue jeans but no no Rita always had to dress me, and always did a fantastic job making us look Good Together. The kids are all getting excited about the new baby, which we still don’t know which sex is, as we always wanted to be surprised, but I was sure it was a boy because of how she carried the baby and big she was getting. May 30 1991 Rita goes into labor, how exciting this is our 4th child and just what my goals where for our family, but wait Rita is not as happy as the other births in fact she is really annoyed at me and all my jokes about her contractions and how easy it is and she announces that this is our last kiddo. Yes Dear was my favorite remark to her when I was in trouble and I’m sure I said that and sunk even deeper into trouble. As the doctor was examining Rita her water broke and I remember him pushing back on his chair and saying Whoa! About an hour later Abbie Marie Boyles was born, weighing in at, well I can’t remember either 8lbs 15oz or 9lbs 1oz, I’m sure Rita could tell us. Well she’s a screamer with jet black hair and lots of it. So I’m thinking man little Michael and me are really out number, maybe we should try 1 more time to even things up. The kids are really excited to see their new sister and of course mother Alicia is going to tell Ashley and Michael how to treat little Abbie. That summer all was well, Abbie moved into the cradle at the end of our bed, and was being spoiled by Mom, Dad and family. Except for the family cat, you see we keep seeing scratches on Abbie and couldn't’t figure out how she got them until 1 time I snuck into our room to check on her, only to see the cat at the end of her cradle watching her and when Abbie would move she would scratch her. When I saw that I freak out and tried to catch the cat but couldn't’t, when I finally did it was the last time at the Boyles. Don’t worry I didn’t kill it or hurt it just relocated the cat. I thinks its July and Rita has some good news for me, she says she pregnant and I’m floored but happy and Rita not so happy, in fact she’s crying, so I ask her how does she know and she failed a pregnancy test, so you better make an appointment with doctor to make sure, well she passed the doctors test NOT Pregnant, but for me that’s bad news because now she wants me to go see the doctor and I’m thinking as fast as I can on why I shouldn't’t go see the surgeon, but I lose and that’s when I lost my deep voice. I guess I did make my goal of 4 kiddo’s but you see I always under projected and over delivered, not this time, I’m done making babies.
Now its April 1992 and I won a contest where my boss put us up for a night at the motel, bought dinner and a round of golf. When it came to golf I said no thanks and would rather go on a hike with Rita, so off we went on a adventure up Buckhorn Rd, except I thought it was Stove Prairie Rd, we found a great spot and hiked about a mile or 2 and even found a tree I took home and planted. When we finished I looked at the map and saw the road went through to Poudre Canyon so I said let’s see where it takes us and head home. Now Rita being the shopper always spotted the for sale signs and wanted to check them out. I can see us driving by right now and Rita’s telling me to pull over so we can have a look at this cabin on the side of the road. God knew what was going on but I didn’t so I said we couldn't’t afford it, so why look and kept driving. Well I drive about 4 miles to the road closed sign for Winter and have to turn around and go all the way back we came which is about 40 minutes, so on the way back I slow down enough to let Rita write the number down and off we go back to Brush about 3 hours. The next day I call because now I’m curious as to the cost of the cabin and find out its only $22,000, so I make plans to go up the next weekend and check it out, I find out its been on the market for 2 years and they did have an offer but the guy had to move out of state so that fell through. Rita couldn't’t come up because Abbie was sick so we took the recorder with us and Alicia did all the recording telling Mom why we should get it. Rita was impressed but still wanted to check it out. The next day I called the realtor and offered $15,000 and she came back with $15,500 and I said sold, you see Rita and I were talking about a new car for her and I hate how you buy a new car and how fast it depreciates, besides I’m a salesman and I can talk Rita into it, because I haven’t told her we’re going to buy it yet, but I just did so I’m in trouble, not really, Rita is always so supportive of my decisions, besides this is one of our goals, to own land in the mountains and this one has a cool cabin on it with a stream out back full of Brooke Trout, 2 acres and an outhouse. What I didn’t realize is how important this cabin would be to our family and keeping us all together away from the controls of the world and back to being together as a family should without T.V. or Phone and more about family games, exploring, hiking, driving around and just plain Fun in the mountains. That’s it for now folks. Love Mike and Family

Christmas at the Cabin

All the kids slept together until Alicia turned into a teenager, at our cabin and home, besides there were only 2 beds anyways, notice my homemade rope ladder because this was on the second floor, Looks like a Family to Me!!!

After Santa's visit, he Even ate the cookies and drank the milk

around 2000 Christmas

kids stringing the garland for the tree in new addition

Our Cabin Can you picture yourself there?

Another Boyles tradition from Santa is Silly String which usually ends up on Mom and Dad

Our Brand New 1974 Suzuki 400 our kids plus Cole and Cody Schnoor, yes it still runs and the kids loved it

Look how ready they are for Santa to come, notice the tree with very few ornaments, we just started our collection that year

Rita's tradition the kids get to open 1 present on Christmas Eve and guess what they are always PJ's(this is because my family always opened gifts on Christmas Morning and Rita's family always Christmas Eve, so we compromised as good parents should

Dad in Heaven on earth

Kids in Front of our old cabin

not our 1st Christmas but this old truck has delivered all our Christmas trees to the cabin

2006 Christmas at the cabin with Rita's Parents

Our 1st Christmas at the cabin with kids 1994

This is one of my favorites, I was just reading the story the night before Christmas when all of sudden I saw Santa Claus shooting across the sky in his Sleigh and the kids just had to see and believe which they still do!!

Our Our 1st Christmas in Jacksonville North Carolina 1980, notice Rita Long Beautiful Hair.

Merry Christmas

We celebrated Rita's Birthday on Friday 12/11/2009, all the kids came up except Ashley who's still in Hawaii. Wayne and Amy, Adam, Becky, Callie, and Emily, Tanner and Loren, Mike and Deb, Sara, Matt and of course my Red Headed step child Lora were there to toast to Rita and all the memories she left us. On Rita's 18th Birthday I asked her to Marry me and we forgot to ask her parents if it was OK, so we didn't tell them until her Mom spotted the ring on her finger and of course they wanted nothing but the best for her so when I got over there , they let me have it with both barrels, and I stood my ground, I guess they might have been preparing me for Boot Camp with all the yelling, after all these years I still feel as close to them as I did my Parents. The Cabin is 95% done and so let me tell you about our 1st Christmas at the Cabin.

I'm trying to remember what year was our first Christmas there, has to be around 1993 or 1994, anyways let me tell you how we celebrated Our Lord Jesus Christ's Birthday. It all starts in a 2 story 600 sq ft cabin in the Roosevelt National Forest, with no running water, electricity and any other comfort that we take for granite these days. That means I get to warm the cabin when we get there, because it is usually about 10 degrees warmer than outside which could be as cold as -22 below. Yep the wife and kids get to enjoy the warmth of the car, until I can get the temperature above 32, so you don't have to see your breath, and when they do come in they huddle around the fireplace. Well we can never make it anywhere on time so by the time I get the cabin warmed up, it time for bed, which brings another fun job of mine, warming the beds and pillows so the kids will actually go to bed. I do this using an old aluminum fry pan that I put on the fireplace and then make mad daces to each bed with a hot pan, the kids and Rita loved it as the beds were toasty warm, of course my side never got the full effect as the kids always wanted more warmth, so I would get the Luke warm pan, But I had Rita to warm me up, Ya Baby! (that means good - Real Good). The next morning we would all wake up to the refreshing fell of the mountains and No TV, Radio, Nintendo, and of course NO PHONE, if fact you can't get any service up there and still can't, Thank God for that one. We get everyone fed and dressed up real warm, because its time to go find our Christmas Tree. What a treat 4 kids with 4 different trees and no one is willing to give up their tree so I can cut it down and put it up in our cabin. This goes on for about a hour because I have made a stand that I will not cut anything until they all decide on 1 tree. Abbie was always the winner because she would always throw a fit and the other kids would just give up, never without a fight though, Rita and I would just sit back and film them and laugh and get mad then laugh again. We have always taken the same truck to get the tree, it's a 1968 Jeep J2000 with seats in the back of the topper to fit all the kids, now don't tell anyone but I haven't licensed it since 1997, beside have you ever seen a license plate on Santa's Sleigh? After I set up the tree its time to make some ornaments from hobby lobby and strings some popcorn, cranberries and fruit loops, which we still have. The kids always go crazy making different ornaments and of course they want that special attention that they made the best one, which of course Abbie always had the Best. We have another tradition that the oldest gets to put the Star on top of the tree and that of course is Alicia until she moves out, which is not for about 6 more years. I didn't have much choices then for lights so all I could come up with was a few battery powered ones, but they did just the trick and really looked beautiful at night with the lanterns off. We always have a fantastic meal on Christmas Eve followed by the kids opening 1 present before they go to bed, which turns out to be always PJ's and of course they must leave cookies and a note to Santa. This is the only day of the year I can get them to bed on time because they know if they don't Santa ain't coming down no chimney here, so off they go and of course I get to read The Night Before Christmas and all through the house, you know the rest. If you can believe it just before they fall asleep I see something through the window could it be, I think it is, so I tell the kids Look there's Santa Clause and his Reindeer streaking through the sky, its looks like a plain but the kids swear they saw him so i said you'd better get to bed. Speaking of rest who ever gets any on Christmas Eve, because Rita has always went all out for Christmas, which means I get to wrap, put together and pull all the hidden presents and put them under the tree. Rita's in charge of writing on the presents from Santa and she always had a certain way to do it and make me eat the cookies and leave lots of crumes and Santa would write something back to the kids. Wowser it about 2am and I haven't Even done the stockings yet! Isn't it Great to be a Mom or Dad!! well I finally make it to bed and just before I turn the Christmas Tree lights on and listen for the kids when they wake up to check if Santa's arrived yet. That is always a Special Treat for me, because I could see them through the vent in the floor and listen to them get all Excited that Santa Clause has come. Well I had to tell you our Christmas story and they still are happening today, just this one will be a little lonier, Rita will be watching from the Best Seat in Heaven as we all Celebrate Jesus Birthday. Merry Christmas Everyone and Happy New Year. Mike and Family

Thankgiving and Cabin ready for carpet

Yep this is our outhouse at the cabin and let me say it will wake you up when you sit down when it -14 out, it is in our shed now, the insulation is a trick on the brain telling it, its keeping the cold out. And the sheet used for a door is our 1st water bed sheet from 1980 Yep I'm a packrat, you never know when you'll use it again

Me and the kids on a downed tree in Sioux Falls

Sunrise off back deck this morning 12/03/2009

Kent, Michael and me finishing bathroom counter

No I'm not flipping you off, unless you deserve it, well I'm showing off my finger which I shot a nail through with my nail gun, pretty handy huh!

Rita's Mom making us coffee like a Good mother in law

Boyles gang from my Dad's brother Pat's Side

My sister Michele and her Family

Our Precious Mejana On Grandpa's chair in kitchen

Me and Grandpa stuffing the turkey, notice the wall decor, it hasn't changed in over 31 years!

Well when we make a fast trip we really do, we left Loveland at 8pm on Wednesday and got to Sioux Falls at 6:30 am, just in time to help Grandpa stuff the turkey. We could of eaten on time because we had everything ready except Abbie decided to blow dry her hair and the turkey roaster blew the fuse so we didn't catch that for about 2 hours, Way to go Abbie, I guess she forgot to tell anyone the blow dryer quit working. We got to see everyone and it was Good to be in our Home town again. As usual we flew around everywhere trying to see everyone and everything and left at 3:50am on Sunday and got back to Loveland at 11:57 am, so the kids could go back to work. It was a quick trip and I would do it again. Love the Boyles

Alicia, Ronny, Mejana, Lora, Michael, Kent, Tanner and me will be up at the cabin this weekend moving furniture so the carpet dudes can get it all down, I think someone else is coming too but can't remember oh well Merry Christmas