Sunday, July 21, 2013

Road Trip!!

David went to girls camp, and was gone on our 25th Anniversary!!  He knew he had to make that up to me, and since scout camp was the following week (and Eric wasn't home), he planned a road trip.  David HATES road trips.  But he knew the thing that would make me the happiest was to see our kids.  He emailed me an itinerary one day.  We stuck to the plan...
 
Day 1

We stopped at my FAVORITE store to shop.  (He really does love me, doesn't he???)
Okay, well Tai Pan wasn't on HIS itinerary, but it was mine!!
 






We got to our hotel early, so we rode the roller coaster.  It's been a few years since I've ridden one.  But it was sooooooo fun!!



 
David LOVES the Big Bang Theory.  When I wear my sweats he calls me Penny.





 
We love the movie BIG.  We saw this and couldn't resist taking a picture.  When we got back to the hotel, the movie was on.  That was so funny!

 
It was hot.  Why in the world did we travel AWAY from the Pacific Ocean where there is a cool breeze & where it cools down at night, to this???

We went to see Criss Angel.  That was a lot of fun! 
 
 
Day 2
 
We went to Tooele to visit friends and had dinner with them.  Then we headed off to Salt Lake City.  By the time we got there, Temple Square was almost closed.  But we took a few pictures and walked around.  And it's always fun being with my bestie.

 
Day 3
 
There were miles and miles and miles...of construction.  It was a long, slow, painful drive.  I took this picture for our friend, Jerry, who just left for his mission.  Jerry is going to Boise, Idaho.  Oh, good luck, kiddo!!
 
 
 
The best thing about Idaho are these guys!!
We had so much fun with them.  We laughed harder than I've laughed in a long time.  Of course, when your husband is as funny as mine, you're in for a real treat. 
 
If you're ever in Rigby, Idaho.  This is one fun place to mini golf :)

 
Lillian's shoe kept coming untied, so David had to help her. 
 
Was it worth the drive to see them?  Ahhh, probably once :)  I definitely won't roll my eyes quite as bad when Jason complains how long of a drive it is, though!
 
Day 4
 
There was a some of this.  Thankfully not as much as was forecasted.
Our view for the evening.

 
Day 5
We had to stop at the local boat store and check out to see what is there.  Unfortunately, not as much to look at compared to all the boats we saw on our drive.  We had to check out each one to see if it was the right kind.  There may be a lot of places to boat in Utah & Idaho, but I think we'll stay in our lovely San Diego.  You don't realize how great you have it until you go away for a few days.
Home, Sweet Home!!
 
 
 

June

Well June was sure crazy.  My sister came to town, and we were going to try to find someone to live with our mom.  Mom didn't want anything to do with that, so they went to a few assisted living facilities.  There was one that Mom loved.  We had a family dinner to discuss the plan.  We got into gear working!  We wanted Mom's first morning when she woke up to feel like she was "home". 
 
One thing that she wanted to take was a table my grandfather made her in 1958.  It had a sticker on the back of it with his name and the date.  David carved it into the bottom of the table. 

 
She wanted to use it for her dining room table.  It needed refinishing and a pedestal for a leg...


 
...and chairs.
 
Grandma's new digs...

 Isn't it so cute??? 

 
My sister is amazing.  Instead of being here for 2 weeks she is staying for 2 1/2 months, while her husband travels without her :( She is so thorough and is paying attention to every detail for our mom.  I'm not sure if Mom realizes how lucky she is to have her.  But she loves her new place and is making new friends.  Most importantly, we know she is well taken care of and is safe.

May

May seems so long ago!!!  For Mother's Day we had Crystal make cupcakes for us to hand out to mothers in sacrament meeting.  They were delicious!!!! 

 The boys game me a necklace for Mother's Day.  The one they bought me when they were little was stolen when we had our break in, so they replaced it.  I have the sweetest, most thoughtful boys!

Much of the month was spent working on our RV.  A lot of times with the toyhaulers, they "flip the axles".  I guess that's not really what it is.  More like flipping the leaf springs or something like that.  But let me tell you, it's hard work and really scary!!  David worked really hard to get this done. 


 We got pretty creative trying to get the trailer up high enough to be able to work on it.


 
It's always nice when you have a friend that can stop by to do some finishing touches.
 
It will be so nice not having to worry about ripping off our pipes going through dips anymore!!
 
We also had our annual Memorial Day Pool Party.  We sure had a good turn out.  Seems to be the case anymore.  But it's always fun and we get to visit people we don't normally get to.  Also hang out with our good friends and just be lazy.  Sometimes being lazy feels soooooo good!!
 
Eric turned 17.  We had friends & family over to celebrate after our big Pool Party.
 
Having fun even after a long day of swimming.

 
 
Happy Birthday, Eric!  You'll always be my baby.  Even though you're bigger than me:)

Sunday, July 7, 2013

April

I always get such big hopes that we're going to take great family pictures.  That didn't happen, but here's what I did capture in the few weeks between Troy coming home andTroy, Jason and Lillian returning to school.
 
Everybody was in a little bit of a funk, so I declared one weekend "Mandatory Family Fun Weekend".  Yeah, that didn't go as planned either.  But we did have some fun and/or memorable times.
 
Racquetball at SDSU.  Then dinner at Phil's BBQ with a great Padres fight for entertainment.
Beach day with friends - was the plan.
Lillian had quite the scare.  She was talking to the boys and couldn't get out words.  They pulled over, called us all back, gave her a blessing and called 911.


Jason didn't seem to jealous about the HOT paramedics helping her.
Off for more testing...In a good mood and feeling great again.  Whatever happened to her seemed to go away.  Just in time to head off to college in a week!!

 
 
The kids went back to school.  Troy joined this this time.  Jason could be a little more enthusiastic about having to share his apartment and car with his big brother.  Of course, I didn't get any great family photos, but when they're home for 6 weeks of summer, I'm going to get some!!
 
The triathlon was next.  It seems so long ago..here are some pictures.





It's always one of my favorite activities.  These youth and adults did great!!!
 
Mom had another "little accident" and got her foot run over by a car.  More time off work to take her to the doctor.  It's a good thing I've worked hard for 30 years, or they may start resenting all the sick time I'm taking!!!  I'm so worn out :(
 
And last but not least, David reached his one year mark as a bishop. 
(Post already done about that, too.)  I am proud of him for being the guy who he is.  He takes his calling very seriously and ponders, prayers, and gets advice from the Stake President about his concerns.  I'm such a lucky girl!!

March

This is the month I have waited for for 2 long years!  Our missionary came home!!!! 
 What's a trip without lost luggage?  It finally arrived at 3am the next morning on our doorstep.
Friends & family to welcome Troy home.

 Aren't my boys so cute???
 
There's one that I can't find.  My feet are off the ground giving him a hug. It shows my excitement :)
 
 What a great day!!  We celebrated by going to Islands for dinner, then going home and having an open house for him.  Almost 48 hours of no sleep, and why not have a party????  Welcome home.  Well done.

February

This month marks my 30th anniversary at my job.  Yeah, I know.  I started there when I was 1.  haha
 I can't even begin to say how wonderful my bosses are.  I started there in high school, and when I got pregnant with Troy, my boss didn't want me to leave.  We came up with a plan that I would work at home.  That was great for 18 years!!  (How lucky am I???)  My boss's daughter became a doctor as well and joined the practice in July 2010.  They asked me to come back and work in the office.  I wasn't really ready, but heck, who could complain after all they've done for me?!!!  I definitely love working with these people, and am so lucky that when I wake up in the morning, I look forward to going to work. (well, for the most part)
 (for Christmas the staff all got bathrobes with our names embroidered on them)
 
 
Over President's Day weekend, my mom was in an accident.  She spent a few days in the hospital.  It was determined that she has seizures, and with the episode that she had this weekend, her memory got even worse.  My sister came to town and we (mostly her) set up caregivers, meals on wheels, and all kinds of things.  I managed her medication and visited her at least bi-weekly to check on her.  When I was in jr high, I had a shirt that said, "Raising parents is a tough job"  It was kind of funny then, but so true now. My sister is great and so organized.  My mom and I are very lucky to have her.

We also had our pool resurfaced.  It was long overdue.  It is so pretty and sparkly now...

before
finished with no water


 
 

January

The New Year started off with a bang!  I had been really sick for months, and finally was getting the right procedures scheduled.  My doctor wouldn't do my surgery until I had a mammogram.  I was only a few months behind, but she refused to proceed.  So Jan 2, I went begrudgingly, knowing that it was a pointless thing to do.  Two days later I had to go back for a 2nd one.  They determined that I needed a biopsy.  Jan 7 I checked into this fine establishment where I had a hysterectomy.
I lounged there for a couple days, getting much needed rest and being catered to by some wonderful nurses (except a Vietnamese helper who kept telling me to get out of bed. My nurse finally had to tell her it wasn't a good idea - I vomited profusely for 24 hours after surgery.  My body HATES drugs, especially anesthesia.)   
 
When I got home, the kids were so helpful.  Friends had been bringing dinner and still would drop stuff by, and I had so many calls, texts, flowers and gifts. It was so nice.  I definitely felt loved.  Eric & Jason took me shopping, pushed the cart for me.  Ahhhh, it was great!  I kinda miss being spoiled.
 
Over Martin Luther King Jr weekend, we went snowboarding.  I did post about that.  It was a really fun trip, even though I couldn't participate.  But watching was great, and it's always fun hanging with friends and family, no matter what you're doing!!  The same night was the Monster Truck show.  David and the kids went.  They had a blast. 
 


David was so sweet to keep texting me pictures since I wasn't up to going. 
How thoughtful!
 
Jan 29 I had a breast biopsy.  Jan 31 I had my gall bladder removed.  Kinda over the whole dr thing at this point.  However, I have become quite a pro at knowing which facilities are good, which ones not so much (even if they're next door to each other), and where the good hospital eatin' is.  Yes, it does exist!  Or maybe after puking your guts out for so long, anything will taste delicious :)  The good news was, no breast cancer!  Whew, February -  a new month and a new start...

To Blog or Not to Blog

This year I haven't really blogged much, wondering if I should or not.  Seems like it's dying out a little because of Facebook & Instagram.  For some reason it has really been bothering me that I haven't been, and this morning especially.  So where do I begin when it's July and there's so much to say???  I decided I'd go month by month to catch up.  So much has happened this year and I guess I am just feeling sentimental, or maybe I know the importance of legacy a little more and with this feeling I can't shake, I guess I should just go for it.  It's probably going to be really boring, and possibly a little depressing.  I'll try to keep it as upbeat as possible :)  My sister has my camera, and I haven't been uploading much to my computer, so I will hopefully add them later, or may steal from another blog :)