Happy Trails To You, Until We Meet Again.....

Monday, August 4th--Sadly, time to head back to Utah. My niece, Samantha, woke up feeling quite ill. We debated leaving the next day but I didn't want to make the long drive in one day and I had to be back to work on Wednesday. We decided to make her as comfy as possible and pull over whenever she needed. It was hard to say good-bye to my parents, my sister and her family, as usual. Fortunately, they're coming for Christmas so we'll all be together again in 4 1/2 months. Nate stayed behind and he flew out the next day so he didn't have to miss any work. He was able to hook up to my parents wireless internet to work all day Monday. By the time our 2-day drive ended, my sister, Alishia, and I wished we had spent the HUGE amount of money to fly us all back to Utah!
About an hour into our drive, Samantha began to feel better after an urgent pull-over to the side of the road. Elise and Brady were whiny and fighting a lot. I think we were all just needing some "alone time" and none of us were getting that in a cramped car. The sooner we got back, the better! Tuesday morning, after staying the night in Ontario, OR, Brady threw the monster of all tantrums and tripped on some asphalt, scraping his knee and elbow. I got him cleaned up with colorful band-aids and then we sat down for breakfast at Denny's. Another 9 hours later we made it back to the house where Nate was waiting to greet us after a comfy, SHORT (2 hours), plane trip from SeaTac. And once again, I was happy to let Nate spend one-on-one time, all night, with his lovely children while I went and took a very long bath. Aaaaahhhh.........
In all seriousness, Brady and Elise were just as exhausted as I was. We had a great time in Washington but spent our days filling them full of activities. Rarely, did we get naps or quiet time so, by the end, we were all cranky and it was understandable why they acted the way they did. The next three nights, after we got home, they both slept over 12 hours every night!
Our next trip up to Nana and Papa's might just require us saving a little extra longer to fly instead of drive. It will be well worth it!

A'Hoy There Matey!

Sunday, August 3rd--Our final day before the long road trip back to Utah. We all pitched in and rented an electric boat docked in Poulsbo, WA. Poulsbo is an adorable, small Norwegian town, nearby Silverdale. It's a tourist town along the waterfront. The boat was spacious enough for all 12 of us to sit comfy with a table in the middle for the snacks we packed to enjoy during the two hours we had the boat. Our first captain was Nate. It was his first time ever steering a boat and, I must say, the beginning 10 minutes were a little nerve racking. Once he figured out the steering we were good to go. As we drove out of the boat docking area we came across some sea lions making their home on an old, run-down, dock no longer in use. We all laughed at how funny they looked lounging around and napping on the dock. Some were doing the Kate Winslet/Titanic pose and looking at us curiously. Moving along we headed out into open water. I couldn't help but be amazed at all the million dollar+ homes along the waterfront, many of them had their own private piers and docks. I WANT ONE!!! We passed many other peeps in motor and sail boats out on the water. It's proper, courteous, and just plain fun to wave at other people spending a day on their boats as you pass them by. About 1/2 hour into our boat ride we gave my nephew, Jacob, control over the boat. He's only 16 but his mom, my sister, Alishia, assured us he's a pro since he steers their boat all the time. He didn't disappoint! His favorite thing to do was steer us into the wakes made by other boats. We would be rockin' side to side, front to back and laughin' like crazy! A few of them became a little too much for me but I got over it quickly and we were back to laughin' and having a great time. Halfway into our boat trip we sailed pass Keyport Naval Base. Along one of the docks we spotted more sea lions! Only sea lions would make a nuclear naval base home! Yep, that's right, Keyport is where nuclear weapons are stored. Doesn't it just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside knowing you can rent a boat and sail it right past such a place? Let me tell ya! ha ha ha

Anyway, back to our boat ride. The kids had a great time sticking their hands in the water and looking for jellyfish right at the surface. And thanks to the movie, "Finding Nemo", we had to explain to them not to touch the jellyfish AT ALL, not even the tops. There was a little defiance as they explained that Dory and Marlin discovered they wouldn't get stung as long as they bounced on the tops of the jellyfish, so, naturally, it was okay for them to touch the tops. Not so! We let them know it would be best not to risk getting stung because a jellyfish sting hurts like crazy! Since Elise experienced her first bee sting the day before, she decided to listen to her parents for a change!

Our two hour boat trip came and went pretty fast but we had a wonderful time and will plan on doing it again. We loved visiting and enjoyed the sights. It was the best activity to end our trip on. After we returned the boat we rounded up all the grandkids to take a photo. They moaned and groaned but the final result turned out okay. Later that evening we had our traditional dinner, when at moms house. Mom made up some yummy calzones. They are big pizza pockets that I refuse to learn how to make because I have to use the homemade calzones, made by my mom, as a selling factor whenever I want Nate to come up to Washington with me. He's not so much a fan of the chaos that, naturally, comes when my whole family gets together. I guess the calzones make it bearable! ha ha ha!

Nana & Papa's rugrats, er, grandkids:

Top: Jacob (16)

Middle: Samantha (12), Keven (8), Brady (3)

Bottom: Elise (6)

Singles Ward Reunion

Saturday, August 2nd---Nate, the kids, and I went over to Waterfront Park in Silverdale, WA, to meet up with some old friends from the singles ward I attended from 1995-1999. I had a blast in my singles ward, perhaps, even too much fun! The ward wasn't a stereotypical "meat market", where barely-out-of-high-school girls come in hopes of getting married ASAP. No way! The majority came to strengthen their testimonies and hang out with single peeps their own age. I met some of the most amazing people and am so honored to have been friends with them. I miss the activities, testimony meetings, FHE's, and dances. It was wonderful to meet up with some of these people and talk about old times and find out how they're doing now. My sister, Amanda, attended the ward then too so she came with her husband, Ben, and son, Keven.

As I was catching up with friends, Nate took the kids to the beach. This area of Washington doesn't really have "sand", it's more like dirt and small rocks mixed with tons of clam/oyster/muscle shells and large rocks with barnacles all over them. It's a young explorers dream! The tide was out quite a bit so the kids had a blast picking up rocks and finding many little baby crabs underneath them. Elise giggled when she picked the little crabs up. There was lots of seaweed all over too. It made for messy shoes and feet but it was worth all the fun they had. After exploring the beach they walked the long pier and then down to the boat dock. The views from Waterfront Park are breath-taking. On a clear day you can see Mt. Rainier and the Cascade Mountain range. If I can ever convince Nate to move us up to Silverdale I would LOVE to own a waterfront home nearby this park so I can have the view right outside my back door---of course, a house with this view would cost, at least, 1/2 a million dollars. Pocket change, right?

On a side note: Poor Elise, as we were packing up and getting ready to leave she got her very first bee sting. The bee was checking out the inside of her hand when she closed it. She didn't know the bee was there and, needless to say, it hurt a lot. While the whole thing was quite dramatic for her I was relieved to discover Elise is not allergic to bees. Since I am, I got a little worried. To get her to calm down we went over to Dairy Queen and got her an Oreo Blizzard. I think the cold cup helped the redness and slight swelling to go down so she was fine and all was well again. Phew!

Mariners vs. Orioles

Friday, August 1st--Thursday was spent hangin' out with my friend, Donna and her daughter, Sydney (almost 2). We had a great time shopping at the local mall and catching up. Elise, Brady and Sydney loved playing together and touching plenty of things they weren't suppose to (do I detect a trend? ha ha). I was able to find some birthday presents for the many birthdays our family has in August.

Friday was the day I was looking forward to the most. It was the day I picked Nate up at the SeaTac airport. My sister, Alishia, said we could leave the kids with her and my parents and they'd take care of them so I could pick Nate up and then the two of us head to a baseball game in Seattle--the Seattle Mariners verses the Baltimore Orioles. She then made the date night even better by suggesting we get a hotel since the game and traveling across the ferry would get us back to my parents house pretty late. HOOORAYY! Nate's plane was on time and we got to Safeco Field in plenty of time to get some dinner and hit the giftshop. We found small Mariners bats for the kids, purple for Elise and bluish-green for Brady. Nate got terrific seats along third base from E-Bay. We had a great time even though the Mariners lost and played horribly until the 9th inning. We left right before the 9th so we didn't get to witness the extra runs they made, most of the people at the game had left too. Nate and I were able to make it to the Seattle ferry terminal before the crowds got too bad. As we waited, we went over to the pier and I told him some history about the Seattle highrises. The ferry ride was quite nice, just the two of us. With all the small, tired, grumpy children on the boat we found ourselves being thankful for the rare date nights we get, especially for this one. The ferry docked in Bremerton and we were on our way to a hotel, for the night. We stayed at the Silverdale Waterfront Hotel. It's a pretty nice hotel right along Dyes Inlet. The views are spectacular!

While we enjoyed the game, the rest of our family took Brady and Elise to Chuck E. Cheese for pizza, rides, games and prizes. They had a great time and won plenty of tickets for cool prizes. Nate and I felt so blessed to know that the kids, especially Brady, were in good hands.
We had a wonderful evening. I'm so glad we were able to go and all worked out for everyone to have a good time. The next morning we were back at my parents house and the kids were so happy to see Nate again after not seeing him for a week. I was happy to let him spend as much one-on-one time with them as he wanted! he he he

Our Day At the Boeing Museum of Flight

Wednesday, July 30th--In the morning we caught the ferry to head over to Seattle. We got to the ferry terminal with plenty of time to spare so we want the pier and took pictures. The tide was out so it was pretty stinky but still quite pretty to look at the view and all. The kids loved the ferry boat ride! They had a great time going outside, on the deck, and watching the waves. The ferry ride was about an hour long. From there we had a quick drive to the Museum of Flight, right next to Boeing (where airplanes are made). A tour guide met us at the front door and we were off. The very first photo I took was of a model plane built from a scetch Leonardo DaVinci made of his idea of how flying would work. Based on the scetch, it's been proven the plane would never work--too heavy. This scetch and some others, by DaVinci, were purchased for millions of dollars by the richest man in the world---and a local---Bill Gates. Along the way we saw several other exact-scale models of airplanes people tried to invent and get to fly, like the Wright Brothers. The kids were quite fascinated until the tour guide became a little too long-winded. So I broke away from the group and found a kids section. Brady and Elise had a blast climbing into, actual, small airplanes and playing with the all the fun things. Elise tried a hang-gliding simulator. For her age, she did pretty well! Next, Brady got a hot-air balloon to rise, with the help of Papa. There were displays all over telling the children how airplane equipment works. And, of course, the kids wanted to touch EVERYTHING! Some things they weren't suppose to but I was impressed at how safe the museum is for people of all ages. We ate lunch at the cafe, inside the museum. Then we were off for a quick walk across the street to see the first Concord. The Concord is an extremely fast airplane that can cross the Atlantic from the East Coast of the US to Europe within hours. The plane, itself, is a little different looking but the inside looks the same as any typical airliner. Next to the Concord is an original Air Force One. It is not the Air Force One that John F. Kennedy used but Lyndon B. Johnson did, as Kennedy's vice president. Other presidents used the plane prior to the Kennedy era. The inside was preserved with all the original furnishings and equipment from the 50's and 60's. Whoever had the chance to ride in this plane got treated very well! After touring these two airplanes we went over to the gift shop and I got the kids some t-shirts and toy airplanes. The Blue Angels were practicing for the weekend celebration of SeaFair, on a airstrip right next to the museum. I bought Brady a Blue Angels t-shirt. While getting ready to leave we got to watch one of the Blue Angels take off. Within 4-5 seconds the pilot had the plane buried in the clouds. It was amazing! The sound of the jet plane take off was incredibly loud but so worth the small glimpse of what the Blue Angel team is capable of. Had we known SeaFair was in a few days we would have waited to come to the museum and catch the real air show. I can only imagine what a sight! Maybe next time. Once we were all in cars and ready to head back we discovered it was too late to catch another ferry so we drove back home. It's the same amount of time as the ferry, just not as relaxing. What a fun day! Brady and Elise loved it and I loved watching them enjoy their time looking at all the airplanes.

Our 2008 Washington Trip

July 26-August 5: We had a great and exhausting time visiting family back in my hometowns of Bremerton and Silverdale, Washington. I made the 1000 mile, 18 hour (lots of stops!) trip with my kids, my sister, Alishia, and her two kids, Samantha & Jacob. The first day we stopped in La Grande, Oregon, to stay the night. The next morning we were back on the road and stopped in Pendleton, OR, to head to Wal-Mart in hopes of finding a new portable DVD player. The one Nate and I bought 4 years ago was no longer working. I found the perfect one with 2 screens and much less bulk to it, compared to the 4-year-old one. We made it to Bremerton, WA, just in time for dinner. Mom cooked a yummy roast w/potato's. The kids were very happy to see Nana and Papa and stay at their house for the next week. The kids have a hard time comprehending that their own mom grew up in that house. Shortly after our tasty dinner, my sister, Amanda and her husband, Ben, came over with their son, Keven. It didn't take too long before the kids were bouncing off the walls, full of hyper-activity.
We were PLEASANTLY PLEASED to have high 60's and 70's weather the whole time. It was wonderful, to say the least. It was well worth the daily laundry I had to do because I only packed one pair of jeans and one jacket for each of us. The rest were summer clothes---imagine that! The first 2 days were spent hangin' out at the house and around town. On Tuesday we discovered Brady and Elise's feet had grown since they wore tennishoes, a few months ago, so we went to the store to get new shoes. From there we all went to a place that does go-cart racing and had a good time doing that. This was also my moms 58th birthday so we headed to the local buffet for dinner.

Feeling A Little Nostalgic

So, I'm not a huge country music fan but I do like a few groups......ALOT! One of them is Rascal Flatts. They have a fairly new CD out and there's a song on it that is so amazing. It's called "Take Me There". The song is about a rare-gem-of-a-guy who wants to know EVERYTHING about his lady love. Here's some lines:

There's a place in your heart nobody's been

Take me there

Things nobody knows, not even your friends

Take me there

Tell me 'bout your mama, your daddy, your hometown, show me around

I wanna see it all, don't leave anything out

Your first real kiss, your first true love

You were scared, show me where

You learned about life, spent your summer nights

Without a care

I wanna roll down Main Street, the back roads

Like you did when you were a kid

What made you who you are

Tell me what your story is

[Chorus] I wanna know everything about you then

And I wanna go down every road you've been

Where your hopes and dreams and wishes live

Where you keep the rest of your life hid

I wanna know the girl behind that pretty stare

Take me there

Okay, so my nostalgic thoughts are on my "first love". I'm gonna share them. We were six, his name was Jeremy, we were in 1st grade, Mrs. Johnson's class. He had curly hair, freckles and the cutest smile. For class picture day, as you can see, he wore a bow-tie. I'm above him, in the third row, wearing a yellow vest. We are on the left side. Thinking back now, as an adult, I am amazed at his manners and how he treated me---so mature! He had a best friend, Vincent (sitting next to him in the grey sweatshirt), that didn't like me hangin' out with them (girls have cooties at that age, right?). I remember one day, Vincent, was saying some not-so-nice things to me and telling me to go home and Jeremy punched him and told him to go home and not to treat me like that. Vincent ran home crying like a baby. Jeremy would walk over to my house and, along the way, pick flowers to give to me. He was wonderful! Halfway into our 1st grade year, Jeremy had to move. I remember it was quite fast, one day he was here the next day he was gone. He ran over to my house to say good-bye. I was so sad! It's amazing, even at 6 years-old, the kind of detailed memories we hold on to. I never saw Jeremy again, I hope he's doing well. He made a big impact on my life and I'm grateful for that sweet, adorable little 6 year old who still continues to touch my heart 26 years later.

**My semi-pathetic attempt at taking a close-up of the two of us in this

class picture. Sorry it's so dark!

What Heaven Sees In You.......

July 15th, Tuesday--I was on one of my favorite websites http://www.sugardoodle.net/ looking for something totally unrelated, when I came across this YouTube link. I heard this song almost two years ago, for the first time. I cried the first time and still do, every time I hear it. It is such a beautiful song with such a tender message. I am blessed to have a daughter that I've been able to watch and daydream over all her special moments, including the ones she'll have in 3 white dresses. One of those moments have already happened and I treasure her special blessing day. The next is coming soon, only a year and a 1/2 away, her baptism! I tear up just thinking about it. I hope you enjoy this link! Grab a tissue!

P.S.--I have some terrific friends that are "female-producing-impaired", at least for now. I just wanted to let you know your day will come to, I'm being optimistic for you!

*These pictures are of Elise in her blessing dress and pictures I took of her when she was almost 2 years old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMfr9Ewp8o4

I Got Released!

July 6th--Today is Sunday and I was officially released from my calling as Primary President. I've known since Wednesday but today it all sunk in. The ward split last week and most of my presidency went to the new ward. The bishopric felt it was time to release me rather than construct a new presidency all over again. I must say it came as, somewhat, a relief. I've enjoyed this calling quite a bit. There have been many trials and frustrations but none of them can compare to the joy I felt serving the children of our ward. I love them all dearly. I'm thankful for the many people that served and continue to serve in the Primary. I feel kind of an emptiness now. This has basically become a part-time job with all the time put into it but I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. The blessings that have come from this calling are all around me. I see how my marriage has been strengthened even more. I have a better understanding and relationship with my children. I feel more confidence in myself and my abilities. I see the importance of creating a foundation of the gospel for my children, the efforts put into building that foundation are so simple and really don't take much time. Both Brady and Elise seem to grasp all the gospel concepts quite easily, I am truly amazed. I see how important it has become to receive frequent priesthood blessings and I'm thankful to have a worthy priesthood holder as my husband to give one to me at any time--usually late at night. I've discovered that, with any calling, you will be blessed far more than you can imagine. To see the blessings and understand them you have to have faith and courage to recognize them and then you'll see that the blessings are all around you and so very obvious.
I'm ready to, again, take on another calling, should there be one in mind for me now, but I also have some personal goals that have been on hold since Brady's diagnosis and then receiving this calling shortly after. I feel I have time to focus on those goals now. Nate and I received a confirmation of the Spirit, last November, that our family is not quite complete. I remember sharing the answer to our prayers with my dad, at Thanksgiving time. He seemed to get a little emotional and expressed a feeling, he has, that there is still another child waiting to join our family. He wasn't sure which one of his children this child was to come to but was happy that one of us received a confirmation of it. He even shared the gender he felt this child is but we'll wait and see! As we find ourselves getting more comfortable with our current family routine, we realize it will be harder and harder the more we wait so we will be working on another addition to our family soon. Our procrastination has been selfish but if it happens, we know it's meant to be. We're ready for whatever our Father in Heaven has in store for our family.

Happy 4th of July!

July 4th--We had a "blast" celebrating Independance Day with our neighbors and friends. After last years 4th of July party turned out to be so successful, we decided to make it an annual thing. We brought out the grills to cook up all sorts of meats and everyone brought either a side-dish or dessert to share with the rest. It was hot outside but also overcast so it made being outside bearable. The kids had a fun time using our slip-n-slide and a kiddie pool. I think our grass won't need watering for a few days! The kids also spent time playing some games to earn prizes. Thanks to the courtesy of my dad, who ships way too many Happy Meal toys our way. The adults had a great time chatting and munching on all the yummy food everyone brought. We had games planned but decided to just chat. Once it got dark everyone brought out their boxes of fireworks. Nate, and some of the other men, had fun lighting up all the fountains. We all agreed the best fountain was one called "Zombies".

We were all sad to see it end until we realized Pioneer Day (July 24th) is coming up. Another

reason to party! .......and think of the Mormon pioneers, of course!

Pic #1--It's not a firework show without a blow torch! Danny Short and his daughter, Ashtyn.

Pic #2--Brady and me watching the show.

Pic #3--Brooke Saluone with her daughter, Nani, and son, Alema

Pic #4--Meredith Carmon and her daughter, Tianna

Pic #5--Brady & Elise looking pretty tired

Pic #6--Nate pretending to "smoke" the punk

Pic #7--The pyro trio! Nate with James Carmon and Tony Alonzo

Pic #8--The Short Family, Michelle, Avery, Danny & Ashtyn

Pic #9--The Alonzo's, Cathy & Tony with a sleeping, Ahnika