A Family Vacation to Remember

The ocean was calling...not just to me but to the kids as well. Relatives were calling too...as in Uncle Wendell in San Francisco. When are you coming to visit??  I have a lot of great memories of road trippin' it to San Fran as a kid.  Like gargantuan redwood forests, cool foggy beaches, infamous Alcatraz, getting real Chinese food in Chinatown. It's where I ate my first squid (and last) and where I learned that some people were gay. (we drove past a gay pride parade in full swing)

Anyway, this week I experienced the better part of those memories with my own kids. For sure, the hardest part was getting there. Such a long drive! We ponied up a chunk of cash for a DVD player installed in the van. The kids watched movies with headphones while Brandon and I listened to an audio book. Pretty great way to travel if you have to drive.

To break up the drive a bit we spent the night in Las Vegas with our very kind relatives. The kids first experience after getting out of the car and into the desert heat was catching a squishy white lizard. They also enjoyed playing with Emma the Chihuahua. The next morning we started off.  It was a good thing we had our riveting audio book about the end of civilization (Maze Runner)  to keep us going as we passed through the middle of California...

 We passed miles and miles of joshua trees and then miles and miles of fruit trees: oranges, tangerines, almonds, apricots, cherries, etc...and sometimes miles and miles of no trees.

These were the man-made trees or windmills.   We stopped at a roadside market selling fresh fruit and tried our first taste of Plumcots--a mix of plum and apricot. They were delicious!
Finally, our GPS announced that we had arrived at our destination, a hotel just outside of San Francisco. The kids were eager to jump on the beds and splash in the outdoor pool.  So it began...

DAY 1: Sunday in San Francisco: death-defying ride on a moto, model T, and a visit to the Oakland temple.
We joined Uncle Wendell and his family for 9:00 a.m. church.  It was really cool to experience the same church with a new group of people--a very diverse group too. Speaking was a woman from Africa dressed in full African regalia and a man from India. Wendell's wife was made Relief Society President, which means she will be responsible for the spiritual and temporal welfare of all the women in her area. She'll be great.
After church, we hung out at Wendell's for some unconventional Sunday fun:

Wendell's wife wasn't too happy about this purchase so if our smiles and laughter didn't ease the pain, at least him selling it the next day did.
Next we toured the grounds of the beautiful Oakland Temple overlooking the Bay area.

We might have been a little irreverent...what with the water fight and all.
Lastly, we took a ride around town and to the beach in the famous Model T...circa 1919

 Crown Beach in Alameda

 Talkin' sports Greg came up from Palo Alto to join us.

 There was no keeping the kids dry.

DAY 2: Alcatraz and all of San Francisco's downtown attractions

 After a brief ferry ride we debarked and watched a movie history about the notorious prison.

 The audio cell tour was awesome! We got to hear excerpts of interviews from the prisoners and a reenactment of the escape attempts. The Birdman has been creeping me out ever since.

 There was some beauty on The Rock

Trucking along to Pier 39

Wendell says this was Al Capone's yacht so it must be.

Every good sailor knows that Eagle Cafe is the best restaurant on the pier.

 At the Nature center we learned the difference between seals and sea lions--very good to know!

 No Way? Laguna doesn't have the only Candy Baron? We bought our favorite lavender mints and Wendell bought us $26 worth of taffy!

 Lombard street. We only had to drive down the world's crookedest street 3 times.

 Shopping in Chinatown was a blast! This is THE place for souvenirs and all things ninja. Cannon got a sword.

We ladies all got sweatshirts! because San Francisco is cold!
What a day. We dropped off Wendell, drove to our hotel, watched some TLC and went to bed.

DAY 3: We hiked through the magnificent Redwoods, had a picnic at Stinson beach, stopped for ice cream in Sausalito and drove home across the fog enshrouded Golden Gate Bridge.

 We loved our time in the Redwoods! What a magical place.

Next we drove the coastal Highway to Stinson Beach. All visitors were greeted by a friendly sign that reminded us that these waters were home to Great White sharks and that an attack had happened in as little as 6 ft. of water. If that didn't deter us from swimming-- the freezing water did....almost.

 We found us some moon jelly eggs..(.at least that's the closest thing I could google identify it with.)

 And then threw them all back in the ocean.

DAY 4: Beach Day: kayaking, sailing

 A good day to chill on shore

 and off shore...

 Back at home we dried off and Brandon and I picked up a legendary stuffed crust deep dish Chicaco style pizza from Zachary's in Oakland. The thing weighed a ton!  Wendell took us out for an evening sail around the estuary.

 We learned a lot of cool sailing terms like...well, I forgot. We're no seamen but we learned the ropes so to speak.

 During our sail we found ourselves smack in the middle of the Oakland yacht club race. I think we placed for having the youngest crew.

 The quintessential San Francisco style house

DAY 5: Carmel and Monterey. My heaven for it's beauty and wildlife. A 2 hour drive from San Francisco and well worth it, is Point Lobos State Park and Nature Preserve. We hiked along a spectacular coastal trail past wildflowers and down into tide pools where we spotted crabs, mussels, and anenomes. The creatures only got more and more exciting...

 Wendell caught a lizard, or thought he had, until it released its tail and skittered off.

 An adorable harbor seal looked up to see where all the commotion was coming from.

 Brandon insisted this was the place to break out some yoga moves.

 How could the seals get any sleep around here with all those barking sea lions?

 As our hike continued we were met with vista after exciting vista. I saw sea otters through my binoculars and more harbor seals and a monk seal.

 Like a tender scene out of Bambi, we walked through a beautiful cypress grove and were met by a deer and her little spotted fawn.

 I loved this place in Carmel! I think I will be a marine biologist in my next life.

Fantastic lunch in Carmel. Would you believe my insistence on stopping in Monterey for some afternoon beach frolicking was met with some resistance...

 Who would have guessed? Sometimes Mom knows best.

Monterey beach was beautiful!! Cold yes, but that didn't stop the kids all from getting wet--whether by accident or not...

By DAY 6 we had accomplished everything we wanted to and though it was hard to leave, it was time to go home and get warm.       We left our hearts in San Francisco...and Brandon left his underwear! 

So Long, Farewell...

Auf wiedersehen, Adios, Adeus, Ha det bra, Hei Hei

My beloved 2013/14 exchange students are leaving for home this week. I had so much fun and learned so much from them.  We had our end of year party. Maren from Norway put together a video slideshow of the year. Each of the students came up and said many tearful thanks to their host families. They presented me with a framed photo from our Six Flags trip which I will love forever.  They all said this whole year was the best experience of their lives.  I wish them well! and I hope they come back and visit someday or I will visit them!

Last Day of School

Jump for joy because 

School's Out...

We all couldn't be happier.  The girls ended school with a bang. Apparently we have some Field Day extraordinaires...

Kate's relay team took first out of three schools. She also placed 2nd in the 100 meter dash. She lost to some long legs from another school. Out of her whole grade, boys and girls, Brynn placed 1st on the 100-meter dash, 2nd in the 200-meter, and 3rd with her relay team.  Adrie beat out all the boys and girls in her grade in the 400-meter and long jump. Cannon has some catching up to do with his sisters. He says he is the 4th fastest of the kindergartners.  

School Spirit

My morning routine has been thrown to the wind because of the various and sundry school programs of the last week. Even though my house hasn't really recovered it was worth it for some of these special moments:

 1. Adrie's 3rd Grade Talent Show: Adrie bravely played "Country Gardens" on her violin. There were quite a number of pianists and some singing and dancing. Most unique of all was the little cowboy who showed off his roping skills.

 2. "Snips and snails and puppy dog tails, that's what little boys are made of..." Sure enough. Cannon proudly sang Mother Goose rhymes in his Kindergarten program.

3. I went to the post office to deliver a package and guess who I saw?  Cannon with his kindergarten class on a fieldtrip. Pretty great timing, I say. Each of the kids got to mail a letter. We received ours the next day and it said, "Dear Mom and Dad. I like when you play games with me. Love, Cannon.

 4. At Brynn's Award Ceremony she earned a gold medal for NWEA test scores and the "Great American" award along with all the other kids who memorized the Gettysburg Address, the Preamble, and their States and Capitals. She got a citizenship award and some others that neither she or I can remember for now. They sang heartwarming patriotic songs. Her teacher who was also Kate's and who has been just wonderful is retiring after 30 years.

You know the saying, "when one door closes another one opens."  Brynn's grade was supposed to have a party at the swimming pool however, that same morning they found out that a pipe was broken and they had to cancel. Instead, the local firemen graciously agreed to bring their trucks and hoses and give them a full- blast squirt party! That was a pretty awesome consolation prize and one that all the kids thoroughly enjoyed!!

5. My new haircut

6. Kate had a field trip to Thanksgiving Point. To her it is already summer. She has been swimming in the canal. Later in the week she got a little stomach sick. It could be something is going around, but we are kind of blaming it on her following up on a dare from one of her friends to drink the canal water... 

7. I had the opportunity to perform with Miss Sevier and the Pageant. With 5 guys, one of them a beatboxer, and myself on cello, she sang "Say Something."  Kate and Dad came to watch. We enjoyed all the pretty dresses and the talents of the contestants. Those girls have a lot of courage!

Plenty for one week, the kids are looking forward to the last week of school which basically means more parties...

On Top of the World

Happy Mother's Day

St. George, Utah

We spent a fun-filled weekend doing all the things that make a vacation great. Only low of this trip was the sunburns! Every single one of us. ouch. welcome summer!

 There is something better than pina coladas by the pool and it' s sorbet in real fruit shells! We found them at Costco. Turned our vacation into a tropical paradise.

 We spent hours at the pool. The weather was parfait. 80's and hot enough to swim but not so hot you had to swim.  Cousins came to play with us at the pool. Quinn and Brandon played tennis then we all played volleyball.

More outdoor activities at Snow Canyon. Even though I've been here plenty of times the scenery is still striking!

 A short but steep climb up to Pioneer Rock

 A hot walk along the Whiptail trail, where we passed cacti, Mormon tea, flowering yucca and heard desert lizards skittering in the bushes.

 Theme song for this trip: I'm on top of the World--Hey! by Imagine Dragons.

Besides all the outdoor activities, we saw the Amazing Spiderman 2 in the theater and went shopping. The kids tried their hardest to all get along all weekend. It was my best Mother's Day ever.

Flips and Hikes

Brynn had her first gymnastics meet of the season. She did well, competing against some really experienced  big gyms from the city. She placed seventh overall and has some cool medals to add to her collection.

Brandon was on-call so he stayed home with Cannon. Kate went to Bryce Canyon with her young women's church group. So, just Adrie and Brynn and I left for a day in the city.

We went out to lunch and did some fun shopping. Adrie finally got a set of scriptures and a carrying case. Her sisters each got a set when they turned 8 and so it was time, which Adrie liked to remind us every Sunday when she didn't have a set to take to church. I am glad she will value them so much now. 

We had to leave at 5:30 a.m. to get here in time for Brynn's meet. It was hard, but luckily I didn't fall asleep driving on the way up or back. 

Kate enjoyed a much warmer sunnier day then when we went as a family last month. Our favorite season, summer, is here! 20 more days of school.

For date night this week, we were supposed celebrate the beautiful weather by playing tennis but the courts were being resurfaced.  Instead we walked to the nearest restaurant and shared dessert. I was reminded how nice it was to have an uninterrupted private conversation!

Brynn chose watermelon cake with frosty blueberry sprinkles for her family night treat. Very refreshing.