Stones Family Reunion in Southern California

It is hard to explain how much fun we had at the family reunion in California but to sum it up here are 20 highlights from the week:

1.       Every morning we got to wake up in a cabin ON a private beach- no alarm, no hurry, just the waves and the surfers.

2.       We learnt to boogie board and we got to practice… a lot! By the end we were good and we looked like we were natural born CA surf bums!

3.       San Clemente Donuts- enough said!

4.       We got to build sand castles and sand apples with the nieces and nephews!

5.       We went to the San Clemente Pier to see creatures and new sites!

6.       We got to play with Nieces and Nephews!

 

7.       We got to play guitar hero- and watch Mom and Dad play guitar hero!

8.       We had a phenomenal talent show!

9.       Ben got to play air soft with “da’boys”!

10.   We had a fantastic FHE about the Ammonites and burring out weapons!

11.   We had a triple August Birthday Party with a HUGE cake!

12.   We got to be slightly mischievous…

13.   We got to go to Dana Point and see the boats, rocks and sea creatures.

14.   We got to eat delicious food all week long!

15.   We got to see Michael get married in the San Diego Temple and got a new Sister (Yay Taylor)!!

 

16.   We got to party and dance all night long!!!

17.   We got to see Best Friends!! (aka Charlotte)

18.   We got to go to the Mormon Battalion Memorial Site and pan gold.

19.   We made angry faces in the bonfire light! (well…we tried)

20.   We spent time with Family… which really is the BEST!!

There and Back Again

This year instead of flying to our family reunion, we decided to drive (more cost effective), little did we know that this drive would be so exciting. We planned our journey from Louisville, Colorado to San Clemente, California; passing through five states in about 17 hours and roughly two days. We planned stops in St George Utah (to sleep at Ben’s brother Tobin’s house) and then at in Las Vegas to eat and look around… here is how our trip went.

We left Louisville around 8:00 on Friday August 8 and started our journey. The drive was easy and we had lots of excitement and anticipation for the trip. The drive took us down through Grand Junction and through the Rocky Mountains, they are beautiful. The day went by quickly and 10 hours later we arrived in St. George, Utah where we would be staying at Tobin’s house. We got there early enough to have a light dinner at I-Hop and go to Costco (where we got a camera and our picture journal begins).

The next day we left Tob’s around 9:00 and headed west towards… nothing. Arizona had some pretty rocks and mountains but was mostly a hot dessert. Nevada was…the same. Then we came upon SIN CITY- Las Vegas. Neither Ben nor I had ever been to Vegas before so we decided to take a while walking the strip and eat some lunch. It turned out being really… HOT!!

 

We didn’t pack any water with us we were not used to the 100 degree weather. We stopped, exhausted and parched, to eat lunch at the Planet Hollywood (good food, crazy waiter and exciting movie crud everywhere). Our overall view was of Las Vegas was not great. I was super disappointed that there were people gambling and drunk out of their minds at 10am and the Casinos were all dark, twisted and filled with smoke- I guess that’s why it’s called ‘sin city’. There was nothing magical or exciting about it! So I guess we will skip it on the way back through!!

So on to Andrea’s house, or so we thought until… the tire blew…somewhere in….??

Good thing we are married because we make a GREAT team. We had that tire off, a new one on and were headed down the road to find a repair shop in no time. We ended up being 4 miles outside Victorville, CA and pulled into a Tire Repair Shop only 15 minutes before closing (yay). In total it was only an hour detour and we were on the road again!!

We arrived to Andrea’s (well Orange County) just in time for Jasen’s Birthday Dinner at In-N-Out (Yum)!! It was great to finally be there but we had fun on the way.

AND FAST FORWARD ONE WEEK TO THE RETURN!!

So I am writing about all travel in one posting- I thought that would increase suspense about the middle week AND I could overlap pictures!! So it was pretty much the same except in reverse and we had two teenaged boys with us; Yes, Michael and Jasen came home with us!!

Although there was a lot of sleeping, eating, ‘Psych’ watching, and listening to books on tape… we still tried to make it a cultural experience for the boys!! We stopped and let them see the scenery! Yikes- that’s high!!

All in all it was fun to drive and I enjoyed the scenery and the time with Ben and the boys! I would highly recommend a drive for anyone wanting to get away and have a fun, bonding experience!!

So I haven’t written in a while, I feel like I have been kind of a downer lately and anything I have to say is… well… down! But I have enjoyed seeing my siblings writing more lately- so I guess since I enjoy it, maybe they would enjoy it if I wrote! So I am going to try!


I am backlogging a little bit and so… here it goes!!

Jonah vs Plunger

At one point in Anne of Green Gables, Anne collapses on the bed and declares, “Oh, Marilla, it is such a Jonah day!” (For those of you who don’t know Jonah was a Bible prophet who got eaten by a whale.) Yesterday was one of those days.

I have had to work a lot this week and work has… not been fun. I am at the bottom of many totem poles. Yesterday I got yelled at for things I didn’t do. I came home ranting and yelling for a whole 15 minutes to Ben. Then I realized that Ben needed me and I was insensitive- that made me feel like a bad wife. So grumpy and depressed I go to have one of the most fun afternoons of the week with my nephews and…we got lost and got pulled over for speeding. I see the cop and our destination at the same time so I pull into the parking lot and park, the boys take of their seat belts to get out and…I get busted for speeding AND teenage boys with no belts. I called Ben to tell him and got chewed out for not sticking up for myself and not driving right. The afternoon was fun- go carts and lazer tag (plus my stirring bad mood). Then we go have ice cream (skip the dinner-starving) with the boys and their friends and take them home… where there is a lack of communication, I get lost and…more frustrated. (Probably my frustration level wouldn’t have been so bad, had I not already been in a heightened irritable state.)

Then after it all I get this text from my sister, “Toilet back ups are my favorite. Just saying.” The “whale” spits me back to earth and I am forced to wipe a bunch of humble spit off my face. I was just in a bad mood; life wasn’t THAT bad… I got off work early. I spent a day playing with two of my favorite men. I have an amazing husband. And I got ice cream. Minus the slight stink of fish... it was a good day!!

P.S- I forgot to set my alarm last night and woke up late. 14 minutes later I was showered, clothed and out the door. 21 minutes later I was clocked in at work. Not the best way to start Jonah day #2… but I just keep thinking of those dang toilets!!

Truth or Lie

I have been contemplating the difference between a lie and the truth. 

To lie by definition is to mislead or deceive; yet is it bad to tell your child there is gold at the end of a rainbow, that fairies do exist and that if they cross their eye’s they will stay that way? Those things could be considered ‘lies’ yet they do not cause pain but generate dreams and creativity.  They cultivate imagination and the joys of childhood.  Other lies such as stealing, cheating and manipulating can be so harmful to businesses, countries and families, they are corruptive. It is interesting how a lie can be so painful but others can be so great.

Likewise, the truth can ‘set you free’ yet the truth hurts if it is harsh or biting.  You never want to hear you look fat in a dress or your new hair cut is awful.  The truth also can teach you diligence and hard work; you must work harder to get a raise or hit that goal.

So which is better?  Which should we strive for? I recently learned the ‘truth’ to my beloved brother’s death and it hurt.  It did not give me warmth or joy, yet neither did the lie. With this new found truth I am no longer able to create a childhood imagination of dreams but am harshly brought back into reality with a thud.  It hurts and I am left wondering if I would have created a different ‘truth’- had I had the choice.  I am confused and I am sad.  That is the truth!

3 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!

Another year gone by…

We’ve got a job and worked.

We’ve graduated.

We’ve served.

We’ve celebrated.

We’ve got laid off.

We’ve worked.

We’ve mourned and cried.

We’ve grown.

We’ve loved!

We celebrated at Cheesecake Factory- YUM!