Before and During

I liked my 70's white tile. It was great. Then...the dishwasher leaked and popped up a couple of pieces and we couldn't find replacements because it is from a few decades ago. Waaa! I called mi hermana Lolita on my way to work on Weds. Before I had arrived at work, I had my tile and where to buy it all settled. I hadn't seen it but I trust her judgment and was in no mood to decide on something so important on my own. I am good at plenty of stuff but design may not be one. I called mi mamacita to pick up the kids from school. After my classes I headed to buy some samples of the tile I was instructed to get. I LoVeD the tile. Thanks Lolita.

Today we demoed the tile. What a pain in the patuti. Not fun, no way no how. Tomorrow SP will sand the floor and Any will come lay the tile. Neighbor Dan does floors and let us borrow equipment. He's a peach! Thanks Neighbor Dan. I repainted the dining room chairs so they will be awesome when the floor is done. So at this moment the tile is all pulled up and things are a bit nutty!

Ow that hurts!

Just missing Grandma GG. I love how everyone in the family thought they were her favorite. What a gift. Grandma GG had a full time job of keeping up on the lives of her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She'd call and get her updates. I remember Grandma GG wanted to come to the boy's baseball game but she wasn't up to sitting outside on bleachers. She had Heather drive her to the outfield fence and she cheered from her car. She has given us a great legacy and gift. Unconditional love. Grandma GG was my grandma-in law but she was mine. She never had to color her strawberry blond hair! That is so cool. Grandma GG was rich in family and rich in love and rich in the number of VHS cassettes she owned. During a difficult time in our lives, Grandma GG sat beside me every single day. She also fed me Mentos while she supported Shawn and I. When Grandma GG passed away, I bought a case of Mentos and gave them to each of the family. I think I might eat Mentos today and visit her.

Today is my grandparents 84 and 85 birthday. It is so cool that they have the same birthday just a year apart. I talked to them yesterday to wish them happy birthday. There is a big family party but we are not invited. Ow that hurts.

Priest-i-zona Reunion

After unwrapping our gifts, we took down the tree and were in AZ by Tues. with all of our Priest cousins. The kids loved being with their Priest compadres. Uncle David and Aunt Natalie planned some fun activities! We went to the crazy town of Jerome (I love that place!), the kids explored a cave, we rode the go cart, bumped along an awesome Jeep trail in Sedona, and played mini golf and monster chess. Thanks to Uncle Josh and Aunt Josie we danced like crazies at night trying to do our moves with the Kinect. On our way home, we checked our ruins at Montezuma's Castle and Well, and played in the snow in Flagstaff (and saw 2 eagles flying overhead.) We spent our last night in Williams, AZ taking the Polar Express to the North Pole. It was magic!

Christmas Magic!

Reflecting on our holidays this year warms my heart. Our children are at great ages and growing a bit too quickly. Yesterday we accused Ty of wearing Cole's jeans because they were quite short. Ty insisted they were his and we checked the label and they were 12 slims. Now it's time for 14 slims. It may sound cRaZy but a blessing I feel really grateful for is we can afford to have Ty and Cole in braces. After a few rough years this is such a blessing to me. Some of my favorite experiences this Christmas season were...

*Visiting the Mission Inn in Riverside to see the lights and ice skate. Grandpa Paul and Grandma Wendy went with us.
*Attending the Nutcracker with Addy and her GS troop. Wow! Loved watching Addy sit on the edge of her seat.
*Attending the Bethlehem Walk that the Methodist Church puts on. This really helps me feel the Christmas Spirit.
*Watching Christmas movies. Elf, Grinch, Charlie Brown...
*Tyler's Christmas band concert, love the trumpet!
*Our tree was $14.99 from the fruit stand. Oh ya!
*Visiting the lights and nativity at the San Diego Temple.
*Cole's Nerf Birthday Party- some $5 pizzas and lots of orange bullets
*Sea World with our W friends we LoVe
*Seeing McWhirter, Horn, Elmore... families and meeting the new babies
*Tyler's Best in the World, oh I love my parents Airsoft Extravaganza
*Christmas lights and Addy's cookies!!!

Yosemite- We love you!

We loved our week in Yosemite! Our camera arrived today. We are so grateful it was returned! We have prayed for our camera for weeks and our prayers were answered. The miracle of the camera. Thank you to those who helped return it to us!!!! Yosemite is the most beautiful place on earth. The water rushing, the views, the steep hikes, clear water... I just feel myself relax and soak in the simple elements. We loved the Mariposa Sequoia Grove and challenging hike through the Mist Trail and on up to Nevada Falls. My favorite spot is at the bottom of Nevada falls. The kids are fabulous hikers and campers. Shawn is like McGyver which is great. He is the guy to be with. We will go back, we can't stay away!

Day 1: Sat. Leave home early am. Drive to Fish Camp, CA to Summerdale Campground. We had fabulous site 28 is amazing with an ampitheater and creek. Bear visited nearby campsite and got into a cooler. Here you leave your cooler in your car. Creek stocked with fish. Met people from all over the world!

Day 2: Sun. Down to the Valley. Loved tunnel view overlook, hike to Yosemite Falls. Road bikes all over even up to Mirror Lake. Mmmm camping cookies, pepperoni and cheese on Ritz.

Day 3: Mon. Checked out Tenaya Lodge in Fish Camp. Rode bikes to a waterfall and up some trails. Played in the creek at our campsite.

Day 4: Tues. Moved from outside the park into Wawona Campground. Took shuttle to Mariposa Grove Giant Sequoias. Hiked there. Prepared for big hike next morning. Went to Ranger Talk about Bears. We are experts on bears. Ask us anything!

Day 5: Weds. Left early for hike on Mist Trail to Vernal and then Nevada Falls. Kids did awesome. Huge hike, really steep and strenuous. Took John Muir Trail back. Love it, very tired. Ate out at pizza place in Curry Village. Lost camera. Soaked our feet in the Merced River by Curry Village.

Day 6: Thurs. Short walk to Bridalveil Falls. Drove out to Glacier Point. Saw amazing forest fire. Loved another lookout on the way there. We want to hike from Glacier Point some day. Went to historic Wawona Hotel. Ate ice cream and drank soda while lounging in white adairondak chairs. It was heaven! Roasted smores and thought about needing another day.

Day 7. Fri. Shawn got up early and went to secure another campsite in Wawona. Kids and I went to Hot Cocoa with a Ranger in the morning. Moved our trailer and celebrated we didn't have to leave. Hiked to the bottom of Chilnualna Falls. Gorgeous!!!! Played in river by campsite. Kids floated in tubes and swung from rope swing. Soaked in the beauty!

Day 8: Sat. Drove home stopping at various shops. Loved Traver Truck Stop. Will be adding to our treehouse to make it like the 5 story one there!