Boise Gullickson Family Reunion

Our time together in Boise was incredibly special. We celebrated Aunt Kathy's life during a beautiful evening together hosted by Alan and Shanna at a local coffee shop that is owned by their friends. We connected with extended family including Brad and Nancy. Grandma was thrilled to have us all in town. The Heritage House was a unique historic central hub and a great spot for an epic evening of hide and seek with the cousins. We got to meet Foster for the first time ever. He is SO chute and chill.

We spent a fun day at a local water park. Thank you Nina and Papa for the cabana! Eric brought bikes and we had a fun afternoon at a local bike park. Colton LOVED it. He will be signing up for the HP Scots Cycling team in the Fall, for sure. We had an outing to top golf, and we laughed a lot playing Tellestrations. Alan, Shanna and the girls were great local hosts and the weather was lovely. 

While it felt bittersweet to not have Aunt Kathy with us, we had the opportunity to look through some of her memorabilia and we found some treasures. I found a letter she had written to Grant and I before we even got married. It was also healing to be together. 

I read this letter at the event in her honor that I mailed to her right after her diagnosis. Aunt Kathy, we love you!

Aunt Kathy –                                        Feb. 2026

As you start this next journey, I wanted to let you know how much you mean to me. I think you know, but it never hurts to say the words anyway.

You have always been a safe place for me, and so many others. You make me feel loved, comfortable, and like my voice matters. I love you so much and am grateful for all the ways you have shaped me.

Your hospitality is inspiring. You love plants, animals, and people. You have been a safety net, letting people stay in your home until they were ready to venture back out into the world. It meant so much to me when you let me, my friend Nicole, and my friend Kit from high school stay with you for our 20^th High School reunion. You didn’t even know my friends Nicole or Kit, but I knew you would make them feel welcomed in your home. The three of us have texted many times about how much that small trip meant to us in the midst of our busy lives. We all three crashed in the king bed in your guest room and even though we had only 24 hours together, it was a very special time for us to reconnect.

You have also welcomed my daughter into your home and into your heart. Thank you for investing so much time in Cadie over the years. She loves you immensely. I know she cherishes her memories of time at your house, visiting Horton and the farm, spending time with family, exploring Kansas City, shopping, reading books, and watching TV together. A place that is so meaningful to me and full of memories, Kansas City, is also meaningful and full of memories for her. That would not have been possible without you.

I have so many happy times that include you, your generosity, and your help. A few that come to mind are:

·      -  Birthday sleepovers and shopping trips starting as early as I can remember. I remember being in your apartment, you staying at our Slater house, your first house with all the stairs, and of course, the Albervan house. I remember spending so much time thinking about places I wanted to go with you during our special birthday time together.

·      -  Horton and the farm will always include your presence for me. You and grandpa singing at church, sitting on the porch talking, or cooking up big meals for family July 4^th celebrations. I loved the farm. The time I spent there with you and our family influences the life Grant and I are building for our family.

·      -  So many times you helped celebrate family milestones. Bethany’s baby shower at your house is a wonderful memory. I have pictures of you, baby Cadie, me, CJ, and Bethany as we celebrated Samuel coming into the world. You worked so hard to make everything special, and it was perfect. I also loved the bridal brunch you hosted for me and my bridesmaid the day before Grant and I got married. We sat around your dining room table and it was so beautiful and special.

·      -  I loved our day together in Dallas when we took a trip, just you and me, to CRC farm. We talked the whole way there and back and I loved showing you all the things that Grant and I are creating to build a legacy for our family.

Thank you for sharing your journey with us. Your love for Alan, Shanna, Harriet and Della is beautiful. Your resilience and work-ethic is incredible. And your faith is grounding.

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

You will be in my thoughts and prayers daily.

Thank you for being YOU!

I love you always,

Erin

 

Zion 6th Grade Trip to Camp Lone Star

By Colton Walsh, "I loved the experience at camp lone star. It started out with a normal school day, but at about 2:00 we boarded the bus and left. The bus ride was torture, but we did get to stop and play at a park halfway through. Once we arrived we headed to our cabins, then we went to devotions. After devotions we went to bed. First thing in the morning we got breakfast, then we did stuff around the lake. After that we had lunch then went to the slip & slide, we also went to the nature center. Then we went to dinner and devotions, and went to bed. the next day was a blur, we had all 3 meals and we went to the pool, but I don't remember the rest. On the final day we had breakfast, cleared out cabins, had lunch, then boarded the bus. The bus ride home was a lot more calm. I even got some sleep. When we arrived at Zion. My amazing Mom helped me pack up my stuff and drive me home."

The kids left Tuesday afternoon and got home around 5:30pm Friday evening. They had a great time and Colton got home happy and exhausted. He has spent most of this weekend recuperating. I am so thankful for Zion, the wonderful environment there, his sweet friends, and his amazing teacher, Mrs. Schkade. Thank you Zion!

Ranger Track Season

By Jack Ranger, "This year was my first season with the HP high school track team, and it was terrific. The long-distance team was very similar to cross country with a few additions of people. My first race of the season was at the Lovejoy practice meet where I ran a 5:19, breaking my personal record by 6 seconds. After each race, I continued to cut a few seconds off my time in the mile. I finished the season with a 4:58 as my mile personal record. Half way through the season, coach started doubling me in the 800 meter because the first time he put me in the event, I won my heat by  a few seconds with a 2:12. After breaking 5 minutes for the first time, I started to have serious sharp pain in my hip and I had to take a week off from running. My by-week then led into spring break where I was not very consistent either. Everything came back to bite me when districts rolled around where I was participating in the 800 and 1600. I ran my 800 first and got a 2:13 which is not terrible, but also not where I should have been. After the race, I couldn't stop throwing up and I felt so sick. I never got a cooldown, and the mile came up fast. I had to run the event because we had no alternatives and I completely blew up. I ran a 5:48, which is like my eighth-grade times. Almost every meet Papa was available for he would come. He was super supportive and loved to make spreadsheets of everyone on the team’s times. Big John was also super consistent and at the meets when he could be. I am so thankful they both made such an effort to show up for me. Overall, I had a great freshman season and I can’t wait for the next one to be even better."

Freshman Class Track & Field MVPs – Hadden Crouch, Christian Holcombe, Ranger Walsh, Logan Jones, Grayson Di Canio, Cooper Humphries, Brock Marsh, Ashton Moody, Slade Stapp

We were so proud of Ranger for getting a spot as a Freshman MVP at the Track Season banquet. He had a great cheering squad the whole season with Papa and Big John leading the way. Papa went to so many meets that for his birthday in March, we got him Scots gear for his birthday presents. Caroline came to a meet and Grant and I went to as many as we could, but it was challenging since most of the meets were during the day. Ranger is a strong competitor and he has a great group of friends on the team.

Mother's Day

We had a lovely Mother's Day! DD and Big John hosted a brunch at their house after church. The kids also surprised me with an adorable mother's day basket with some of my favorite things. They included Jelly Belly's, lotion, bath salts, gum, etc. It was so thoughtful of them to make a secret Target run Saturday so I could have a surprise on Sunday morning. I feel so blessed to have an amazing Mom, have a loving Mother-in-Law, have a grandma (I sent her chocolate covered strawberries), and to get to be a mom to 3 amazing people!

Oh! And I also had a wonderful time on Saturday seeing Accenture friends and celebrating Bunny Mitchell's 50th birthday! I am so grateful for the relationships that have lasted from my time at Accenture.

Cadie's Jr. Year Prom

By Cadie Walsh, "Prom was super fun this year, and Mom helped me find the perfect dress! OK Alterations lived up to their name, but in the end, the dress was exactly what I wanted. Before dinner, everyone went to my friend Regi’s house, and her backyard was an amazing place to take pictures! But before pictures, we all had fun arranging flower bouquets. Each girl brought a couple different types of florals so that we could customize our bouquets using a bunch of different flowers! One everything was done with prop making and pictures, we rode to dinner in the private party van that Regi’s mom was kind enough to rent for us. The ceiling lit up rainbow, and there were a bunch of soft drinks provided! We eventually made it to dinner at Doughbird, and pretty soon it was time to head to the dance. This year the theme was carnival (like Brazil), and the decorations at the venue were much better than last year! My friends and I took advantage of the snack and drink station where they had cranberry juice mixed with sprite, and it was delicious. The highlight of the drink was the dry ice that made the whole thing smoke! After some mingling, dancing, and bit of gambling, we decided to call it a night. Once we made it back to Regi’s, everyone changed into pajamas for some games and movie watching. There were many rounds of chess, and we watched the entire Lego Batman movie. After the movie, I headed home because the idea of my bed is better than a friend’s floor. The drive back to my house was amazing! Some of the most beautiful lighting danced across the sky because we were under a tornado watch the entirety of prom evening and night!"

It was so nice of Whitney to join us for prom prep! I was grateful she was here to help with hair especially! Cadie looked so beautiful and I loved her dress. Even more, I love her sweet group of friends that made the night special and fun.

Happy Easter & Scarborough Faire

By Colton, "We woke up way earlier than any human should ever have to, we all piled into the car and headed  to church. We stayed at church till the end of the service then we went home for an easter egg hunt and gifts from the easter bunny, I got bluey bath bombs with toys in them. I also got a robo dog, a stuffed Peep, a shirt, and 4 rolls of 3D printer filament. After that we got in the car to go to Scarborough faire. At Scar we watched a bird show then did a haunted house, after that we went to the kings pavilion, soon after parker arrived and we went to explore on our own. We got dip'n dots and we rode some rides. When we came back to the kings pavilion it seemed like no one had moved. We got uncle pee-wee to explore with us and he paid for everything like the maze, Italian ice cream, and the torture museum. Over all this was one of the best easters as a family and an awesome birthday for Big John."

It has been a wonderful Easter weekend! Friday morning was spent rounding up a group of baby ducks! Ranger was the leader, but I helped a decent amount. Our neighborhood is infested with ducks and they will be so much happier at the farm. It was quite the feat to get the little ducks. They are fast! Thomas came to the farm with Colton and Ranger's friends Scotty, Max, and Collin joined us. Cadie came for the day and then went back with Big John so they could go to Scarborough on Saturday. 

The Sunday morning Easter service on the church lawn was beautiful. The kids weren't thrilled, but Thomas gave a wonderful message, the sky was pink and orange as the sun rose, and I loved seeing friends as we celebrated Jesus. Then, we had an Easter egg hunt and Easter baskets at home. The rest of the day was spent at Scarborough Faire. We missed last year due to the Cozumel anniversary celebration, so it was especially fun to be back. The weather was gorgeous and I loved hanging out with Whitaker. He is so sweet and cuddly. Ranger's friend Elijah came with us and it was his first time so it was also fun to show him around. 

Today has been spent running errands, cleaning up around the house, and having a family dinner. It was a treat to have an extra day to spend with the family and get a few things done that we normally don't have time for.