The last birthday of Aub’s that we didn’t get to celebrate with her was in Germany eight years ago. Geez EIGHT?? years? Until this year:( Anyway, It reminded me that I sent her favorite enchilada recipe to her incredible host mother Anne Simon and she attempted Continue reading
Lelu only spent one day surfing – the wet suit doesn’t allow for getting a tan or checking out the multiple young attractive boys playing volleyball
This could be a postcard – Lelu and Landon loving the sunset. I can’t help but think “God loves us!!” every time I look at something this amazing!
The tandem bike is a great idea IN THEORY for kids to have fun….not so much in practice. Note to self -Next time I will not be talked into it.
We ate at a nice restaurant one night. As B and I were enjoying our salads, the manager came over and said “Did you not get food for the children?” I said “no they ate yesterday” What kind of parents do we look like?
You know I almost named him Noah, I thought Noah and Ariel would be cute together….not even knowing they’d be such ocean loving, surfing loving die hards. They were out there for a minimum of three hours for three days.
This is the only photo of me, you know ‘the mom behind the camera predicament’. This is how I spent a bit of the time they were surfing. Walking up and down the beach. As it seems it’s one of my all time favorite activities. I happened upon a seal playing in the surf and wished I took my phone with me to snap a photo, so I sat and watched it long enough to soak in the coolness of the moment and burning the image into my brain.
Did you know this CA boy had never surfed before? I didn’t. But now he has and he was gnarly! Is that even a surfing word? One of these years I’ll get out there too. I took up running at 40, B took up surfing at 50 – so 45 sounds about right? Next year…
We hired the same instructor as last year and he remembered us. Ari was very well named – water and the surfboard just seems a part of her. She hasn’t stopped campaigning to move down there.
We attempted to play volleyball – Me, Christina, Landon, Wyatt, Lelu, TT and Ari. Let me just say it was very evenly matched in a ‘none of us knew how to actually play’. And it was fun until I got nailed in the face with the ball!
We actually came home on Easter Sunday, so this year the Easter Bunny just happened to see us on the street the night before and had no baskets for anyone. It was a little sad, but since we had just spent five days at the beach – the Easter bunny did not feel very much guilt. What’s up with the boys and their hoodies? I just noticed that.
Huntington Beach is officially one of our favorite places to go – especially for Spring Break. We played all day, the kids were wiped out fairly early and B and I got out our laptops – isn’t the tech age amazing? Homework and work didn’t have to be totally neglected while the kids thoroughly enjoyed their spring break. I love those win-wins! We got to hang out with Christina and the boys a couple days, and Jeff, Christina and the boys for a day. Jeff was inspired to try to surf too since B did. I just didn’t catch any photo ops for him. Wyatt showed us all how it’s done and Landon toughed it out without a rash guard – suffering some wicked surfboard rash.
I can’t remember which letters I’ve forwarded or to who, so I thought I’d just add some photos that D has sent to us. He’s still in Ithaca. He’s been there a long time now. He’s only had three areas since he’s been out and we are coming up on fourteen months! I remember Melinda telling me the first six months goes by really slow and then it speeds by. She was absolutely correct. Although, looking ahead ten more months seems like an eternity. Every so often I get these heart wrenching bouts of Master D sickness, I just want to talk to him, hear from him, contact him in some way. Mother’s Day can’t get here soon enough! I miss Aub in the same way, but thank heavens, I can contact her any time I feel that way. (An update for her and her awesomeness coming soon) D told me in his latest email that last week he all of a sudden missed Bikram yoga and then music and then his family – to the level of his first week out:( The funny thing is, I went back to Bikram yoga the same week and a concert of one of his favorite bands (Airborne Toxic Event) I hadn’t been to yoga since he went with me before he left. At the concert I kept saying, D would love these guys! Coincidence? I think not. Today I miss him with that ‘I have a small hole in my heart’ feeling.
His favorite tie, in honor of his Scottish heritage!
Master D and his second companion, Elder Horton. They were together 6 months in Lowville – 17 member area.
Elder McPherson (his current trainee companion) who has a lot of current event info since he just got out there and Elder Simmonds, Master D’s trainer. At area conference
Like his choice of egg decor – he’s still D!
You can give this your own caption…..
D’s comp in the MTC. He’s 6’4″ so he crouched down just a bit.
This family that has adopted D as one of their own. The Mizjahi’s. He skyped from their house on Christmas. They feed him often and celebrated his birthday with gifts, dinner, cake and all. When he gets transferred, I am pretty sure he’ll be homesick for them. They are from Israel and speak several languages. In all senses, an amazing family.
This is a perfect representation right outside of my house of our winter this year. I have a few adjectives – artic, bleak, depressing, horrid. Thus NO running outside for 3 months.
All winter I’ve known I am running the Moab half. Every week I thought the inversion would lift, the temperature would rise, the ice would melt and every week it didn’t. Continue reading
Homework. That’s my excuse. So bear with me in my brevity in order to to pack in a lot of important adventures and experiences.
Valentines Day:
Forget Pinterest. My kids come up with their own valentine box totally representing their personalities. That would be a caesar salad, her favorite meal of all time on there too.
TT’s valentine box, he got stopped in the hallways carrying it in and it spread around the school so that kids were sneaking into their room just to see it.
In honor of the one year anniversary of D leaving, we drove up to indoor skydive again. We went with him the day before he left. TT had gone up there with a birthday party a few months ago and that boy was doing flips and owning that tube. The instructor taught the girls a few flips too. We miss D, but we are now on the downhill!!
Flying makes Lelu happy
The twins had a week off in Feb, but I didn’t so I tried to entertain them when I could and that included a trip to go sledding. My friend Cami came along with my other friend’s kids, since their mom was under the weather. Cami and I even went on a few runs and survived to tell about it!
Jeff and Christina made a quick trip up to go snowboarding. Jeff was a good sport and took the twins both Friday and Saturday. We attempted sledding again, but it was raining and we figured out after getting completely soaked that sledding on snow that’s being rained on is not possible.
They have so many Taylor mannerisms that are similar.