Sunday, December 16, 2012

LIFE WITHOUT WHANAU

Two weeks ago I left my family, friends and California to begin an endeavor that will challenge our family like no other to this date.  I am so grateful for technology.  We visit every night so even though I'm 1,000 miles away, it feels like I'm home with my family in the evening.  I do love being home with my mom though.  She makes a mean salad!!  Yet  there is nothing like being with your own family.  I love all the pictures my family shares with me.  Here is Kylii with her date Dylan, leaving for the Christmas dance, and Kamryn and Berlin saying hi to the camera.  I've also been able to watch Kort play basketball using face time.  The time apart is difficult but there are positives too, like reading scriptures at night and having family prayer.  The weather in Utah has been a new experience.  I grew up in Utah and lived here for 33 years.  Living in California for 11 years acclimated, me to warm weather.  I am now trying to learn how to live in the cold again.  I had to go buy a new coat because Caroline wouln't let me wear my coat from 11 years ago. 


Saturday, August 4, 2012

Lost Socks!!


What to do on a cloudy day.........make your first mystery movie.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Special Occasions Galore

While blogging is not my forte, I feel that special occasions deserve a post every now and again. This past month has been full of special occasions and I wish I could pause time for just a little bit so that I could savor the present for just a little bit MORE. February began with our youngest turning 8 years old.

This included a birthday party with friends at USA Sports,



getting her ears pierced,



and most importantly, choosing to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints.
All of Kamryn's grandparents travelled here from Utah for the event. Our California cousins were also able to attend, along with many of our dear friends here in Hollister. It was a lovely day and we are grateful to the many people who contributed.

Arnell and I also celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary in February. We spent it in San Francisco...one of our favorite places to visit. The BYU Men's Basketball team happened to be playing a game at the Univ. of San Francisco so we began our get-away there. What an exciting game!(BYU won by 85-84) While that might not seem very "anniversary-ish", we are avid BYU fans and will cheer for them anywhere, anyway we can:-) We stayed at The Argonaut Hotel which is at the end of Fisherman's Wharf.


I think it's safe to say it's the nicest hotel I've ever been in. We don't know this for sure, but we have a hunch they upgraded our room (our room was HUGE and had an ocean view....which my husband admitted he did not reserve). The hotel even left us a "Happy Anniversary" note along with some sparkling apple cider. It's the little details that can make all the difference.

The weather could not have been more perfect either. Because of the warm sun, we were able to walk all over SF and not worry about rain (Ghirardelli Square, the Ferry Building, Giants Stadium). But as we were leaving SF, the fog was rolling in and looked very menacing. We drove home along Hwy 1, stopping at several beaches that had been listed on a website Arnell found titled, "10 best places to stop between SF and Santa Cruz". We had fun taking pictures and just walking along the shores.
Our day ended at an Italian restaurant in Santa Cruz called "Kianti's". I was surprised to find all of our friends there waiting! It was actually a surprise dinner for all the February birthday girls (one of them was me:-)). What a nice surprise it was too! And at the end of the night, I didn't want to go home. It's hard to see some things end and this anniversary was definitely one of them. Thank you Arnell for a wonderful time!

My birthday is at the end of what my husband affectionately calls "Mega Week" (valentines, anniversary & my birthday). My only desire for the day was to NOT cook. I just wanted to be free of that responsibility for one day. So we all went to Cozy Cup for breakfast, my friends took me to lunch, and my family made dinner at home. It was the best! Love, love, love my family and friends. You've made this busy month so memorable and fun!

Sunday, January 30, 2011

10 Mile Mission Run---San Juan Bautista, CA

Yesterday marked the 3rd year I have participated in this event. The first year, my two oldest children and I ran the 5k. Last year I ran the 10 miler by myself. Yesterday my youngest ran the 1 mile Fun Run (and did awesome by the way). My two middle kids ran the 5k (awesome as well). And I did the 10 miler again. Unlike past years, many of my friends and their children were there as well to participate and it made the whole morning SO MEMORABLE! I am so proud of my kids for WANTING to do it (yes, WANTED to). If I can instill a love of running (or any other sport/exercise) in them, then I will sleep better at night knowing I did something right as a parent. While I constantly struggle with my weight, I have always been consistent with exercise in my life and feel that my overall health has benefitted because of it. It's a lesson I hope my children are learning. And while I am sorta proud of myself for running 10 miles yesterday, the thrill of the day came from my children running.

Blogging Funk

I've been in a blogging funk for the last 6 months or so. While it's easy for me to spend time READING blogs, I just haven't been able to muster enough strength to write my own. I have plenty to write about and plenty of pictures to post (cuz let's face it, blog posts are much more fun with a picture, right?). But I have always been an inconsistent journal writer, and that's what my blog is, a modernized journal. My journal-keeping mimics my scrapbooking efforts as well. I have attempted on several occasions to organize my pictures in a meaningful, fun way. But to my dismay, I spend HOURS and HOURS trying to design a page and end up disliking the outcome. It's not a gratifying experience. But you give me a sewing machine, a tile saw, or any other power tool and I am as happy as can be! In a nutshell...I guess blogging is not a creative outlet for me, as it is for so many others. While I LOVE reading blogs (it's a source of much inspiration for my projects), I just don't have the energy to blog about my own. I do have another blog that is in the works. This one will be a journal for all my sewing, craft & home provement projects. It's my hope to be more consistent with that blog at least. In the meantime, I WILL do better about keeping a record of our family. They bring me so much joy--it's a shame not to write about it.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Merry Christmas 2010

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Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Toughest Jobs

Next to being a parent, I believe being a teacher is one of the hardest jobs that exists in this world. It's the last day of school and I can't help but feel gratitude for the many wonderful teachers my children have had over the years. Our school district is in serious financial trouble and many fine teachers have been laid off. I feel sadness for the struggle this poses. I wish I had the means to make it all better for them. I wish there was a way to give them all the credit and recognition they deserve. But I can't. All I can offer is my utmost appreciation and thanks. But I'll never really be able to thank them enough. These few pictures are just a small tribute.

Mrs. Deetz-Berlin's 3rd grade teacher


Mr. Talavera-Kort's 5th grade teacher



Mrs. Molina-Kamryn's kindergarten teacher



Mrs. Crepeau-Kylii & Kort both had her in 4th grade



Mr. Rivas-Kylii's 5th & 6th grade teacher + 7th & 8th PE coach