From Philly to Maine

Saturday was a rode trip day. We headed to the beautiful Pennsylvania countryside to Lancaster County, and then on to Gettysburg. We left pretty early, so it afforded us time to take the long, slow, scenic way. I am glad we did. As we were driving to Lancaster, we saw a yard sale and did a little bit of shopping. I found some darling artwork and Rinar rounded up a couple of pairs of shoes that Raef and Zach could wear. 

Then we went to the Lancaster farmer's market. It is the oldest farmer's market still in existence and the place was happening. Pretty much all of the vendors are Amish or Mennonites. We bought some raw honey and various jelly assortments from this nice Amish gentleman. There were lots of samples and things to see and smell. Rinar also made it a point to a get a little explanation of the difference between Mennonites and Amish from the lady at the candy counter.

 Outside was a Mary Poppins street musician. You know what I am talking about? He had a bass drum stuck to his back, cymbals, ukulele, harmonica, horn, etc. It was fun. There was even a bucket of various improvised percussion instruments so that othes could play along with him. Fun!

From Lancaster, we made our way to Gettysburg. We took our time doing the auto tour and looked at the many details of the battle. I tried to explain it the best that I could to two uninterested kids. Oy! But I got a lot out of it and I think that Rinar learned a few things as well. In this picture the kids are standing on Little Round Top, a critical moment and turning point in the battle and hence, the war. Gettysburg is just a very special place.

Raef was obsessed with the idea of finding bullets and artifacts, even though he knew that it was illegal. He tried to think of umpteen different ways around the laws and all. It was a nice consolation that there was a gift shop where they sold actual bullets. We also made sure to pay our respects to the greatest president ever to live, Abraham Lincoln. We stopped at the cemetery to see where he delivered the Gettysburg Address. Like I said, Gettysburg is just a very special place.

Sunday was definitely a day of rest for us. We all needed a break from all of this larnin'! We went to church in Moorestown, New Jersey. And by the way, that is a beautiful little town. It is absolutely idyllic. After church was over, I thought it would be nice to go and see Valley Forge, but we modified this plan when the bishop invited us to his house for dinner. It was pretty darn cool. We ate random stuff for this impromptu dinner party and then they were incredibly gracious and spent valuable time with my kids playing Apples to Apples. Raef and Zach really had a wonderful time. Thank you Bishop Rigby and Sister Rigby.

To wrap up the Philadelphia portion of the trip, we went to The Franklin Institute. I thought it was a science museum, but it is really just a glorified kids museum. More than half the stuff is broken and the place was a zoo because we landed in the middle of field trip hell. In addition, it is really expensive. Holy cow. Let's just say, I really would not recommend it. But at least there was this sweet statue of Benjamin Franklin, one of my favorite founding fathers.

And Zach got to ride the Sky Bike.

I suppose it was not a total loss. There were a few surprises along the way. The Philadelphia LDS temple is getting built about two blocks away and that was an inspiring site. Plus, the boys were able to run the Rocky steps. This is something Rinar really wanted to do. I waited by the car because I really did not want to get a parking ticket!

We were able to get out to Valley Forge before rush hour traffic and just before the visitor's center closed. Good thing, because it allowed us to get another stamp for our NPS passport. Before we got there, we stopped for lunch at the Shake Shack. Holy moley, that place is delish. I would say it is the eastern equivalent to In'n'Out, only way better. Plus they have a whole bunch of shake flavors, which made the kids pretty darn happy.

I am grateful we could go to Valley Forge. The name is appropriate because it is where farmers were forged into soldiers. To understand Valley Forge is to understand the terrain there. It is on a hill and easily fortified. At the opposite end of the visitor's center several miles away is the house where Washington had his headquarters. There is a park ranger there and you can tour the house, which has reproductions and period pieces. Once again, I was just awed to walk in General Washington's footsteps.

We packed up Wednesday and got on the road early so that we would have some time in New York City before we got to our hotel in the Boston area. We parked in Staten Island and took the free ferry to the city. It was seamless and worry-free. Plus we got a great view of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I had originally planned to take them to Ellis Island, but we canceled that plan because most of it is still closed because of Hurricane Sandy. But we still kept the Empire State Building on the agenda. The ticket price it very expensive, so I decided not to go up because we could save some money and I had already been. While they went up, I headed over to the NYC Public Library for the exhibit they had on children's literature. It was an enjoyable solo excursion that I am sure the rest of the crew was happy to miss. But once we reunited, we headed out to the ferry and our car again.

In the afternoon, we went to Coney Island. I had never been there before. We made sure to ride the Cyclone, a brain-rattling wooden roller coaster from 1927. It was fun and I hope to never ride it again. We had eaten pizza in the city and then opted for a hot dog snack at the original Nathan's on the boardwalk. And yes, the hot dog was yummy.

In the evening, we went to my cousin Lindsay's house in Brooklyn. The plan was for our boys to babysit her little ones and then the adults could go to dinner. Mission accomplished. We bought some mac and cheese, blueberries, juice boxes, and got the kids going and then we split.  Since it is their town, we had them choose the dinner location. They did a great job. We went to Giacomo's, an Italian place just around the corner. It was a darling restaurant and a wonderful time with them.

And can I just give a shout out to my cousin. She is the most amazing woman! And she has a blog if you want to check it out. Lindsay just gave birth to her fourth son. She lives in the craziest, busiest city in the world, their apartment is tiny as you would expect, her husband is the bishop, and some how or another she is keeping it all together. I mean, the laundromat is a block away people. She is definitely a tree growing in Brooklyn. And she has the most darling children. My boys were amazed at her oldest son Garrett. They couldn't believe how smart he his. Zach told me that he thought Garrett was a genius. But I was proud of my boys. When we got back, the kids were in bed, the apartment was quiet and Raef was finishing up the dishes. Way to go, boys!!

We actually made great time from Brooklyn to Boston. And on Wednesday, we went to the Plimouth Plantation, a living history center. They have a Wampanoag village and a Puritan village. The Wampanoag are actual Native Americans and a lot of them are descendants of the Wampanoags. They encourage the kids to ask lots of questions and learn stuff.

The Puritan village is fun because the settlers there are reenactors and stay in character faithfully. We came across a man talking to a group and as I listened to him, realized that he was Miles Standish. Man, was he spot on. I thoroughly enjoyed it. He just acted like we were one of them and was a garrulous guy. There were probably about five of them throughout the village and they really look like they live there.

After Plimouth, we made a quick stop at Plymouth Rock and saw the actual rock they landed on. We also ate lunch at a place called the Lobster Hut. Raef ordered lobster mac and cheese. Let's just say, it was not his favorite. But he ate it because that was an expensive lunch. Every. Bite.

We also made sure to visit Cape Cod National Seashore. And like the last time I was there, it was cloudy, misty, and a little bit dreary. But it was still nice and the kids were able to play on the beach for a while and comb for rocks and such. Rinar and I also stopped and talked to a few random couples. One was from Australia and the other was from Connecticut. I tell you, people are so interesting.

It was a downpour Thursday. We made an attempt at the Freedom Trail in Boston and I just was not up for the struggle with the boys. It was clear that they had reach the limit to all things historical.

And just like the esteemed James Otis, I think the history lessons died that day.  We waived the white flag, went back to the hotel, took hot showers and relaxed for the rest of the day.

We drove to the scenery of New Hampshire and Maine on Friday. Rinar wanted to stop at this house for some reason.

Hi Ken! Do you still read my blog?

 We went to the coast and as we were driving towards Portsmouth, New Hampshire, I realized that Maine was just on the other side.  We had never been to Maine and thought, hmmm, why not? We found a lighthouse in York, Maine and took some pretty pictures. We also met the lighthouse keeper and a local artist with a genuine Maine accent.

The kids played at the beach some more and an old-fashioned arcade and then we headed home. There was a lot of packing to do.

 

I would say that the thing I enjoyed the most was talking to the many people along the way in each area we visited. People are so interesting. I learned so much more about where we were by talking to the locals. The trip also reminded me of the beauty and majesty of this great nation. I can really say that I am proud to be an American.

Virginia to Pennsylvania

We have really been packing it in on our blitzkrieg history tour. On Monday we drove to Williamsburg to spend the day in colonial times. You can actually walk around Williamsburg for free, but if you want to go in the buildings and listen to the reenactors, you pay an entrance fee. I am still not sure if it is worth the hefty price tag, but since we were there, I figured we might as well just do it.  I would say it is very similar to This is the Place State Park. 

We were able to go into many buildings , like the governor's mansion, printing press, wig shop, silversmith, and state house.  It was also nice to be there on Memorial Day. They had a parade with a colonial marching band and lots of period costumes. 

 

After we finished our visit to Williamsburg, we headed over to the original Jamestown site, which is now a National Park.  We made it in to the visitor's center with just enough time to get a stamp for our NPS passport and to watch a video about the site. Then we went and looked around. You have to walk on a bridge that goes over wetlands. That was a great experience because we could see a prodigious amount of wildlife: terrapins, snakes, frogs, a muskrat, etc. At Jamestown they have excavated a lot of the original foundations and have several monuments to the big players like Pocahontas, John Smith, and the like. There is also a church there and a cemetery.

We missed the visitor's center at Yorktown, which was kind of a bummer. However, we walked the grounds a little bit and took some pictures. It is quite an honor to be able to walk where George Washington walked. I loved it. 

Yorktown also had some action during the Civil War, so about a half mile down the road was a Civil War cemetery. Every grave was honored with a flag. It is good to know that they are not forgotten.

On Tuesday, it was time to see the Capitol, the perfect place for an American history trip. We first went to the American History Smithsonian Museum. I didn't drag the kids through every exhibit but we did see the highlights like the star-spangled banner, Nauvoo sun stone, military installation, and of course the ruby slippers.

After lunch and as a small mercy to Zach, we then went to the Natural History museum and that is when he could be the tour guide and explain stuff to us. We looked at the rock display mostly, and were able to see the shiny, expensive stuff as well.

We waited in a short line to get into the National Archives, which is next door to the Natural History Museum. The rostrum is where the founding documents are displayed. The room is dark and photography is forbidden. It was kind of sad to see that the Declaration of Independence is severely faded, almost to the point of illegibility. But what an honor it is to be able to see the actual documents that they signed. 

After this, we thought we would try to get a tour of the US Mint. We walked through an interesting sculpture garden, across the Mall, and past many excessively large government buildings to get there. Unfortunately, we would have had to wait another 90 minutes to get in, and decided to bag it. Hence, we went back to the hotel a little early and relaxed a bit. But after dinner, it was time to hit the history trail again. We went back to the Mall to see the monuments. Night time visits are perfect. There are free places to park, it is cool, and not too crowded. They light them all up, so they are easily seen and do stay open quite late. Unfortunately, it decided to rain a lot. 

We pretty much got soaked!

But can I tell you? I loved it! The lightning storm was amazing to witness from the steps of Lincoln Memorial. And then the heavy downpour was a fun experience. You just don't get that kind of thing in Utah, or the west anywhere really. I am glad that my boys could experience it as well.

We saw the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, WWII Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial. We also happened upon a sweet sculpture of Albert Einstein.

Wednesday was the perfect day to finally go see Arlington, which really is a requirement when you visit DC. I have been there many times, but had never gone to see Robert E. Lee's house. I picked the perfect time to go because they had just finished restoring it a few years previously. The park ranger takes you on a tour and they have done a wonderful job with the house. And by the way, I had no idea that his wife was a direct descendant of Martha Washington. Whaaa?

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is such a special place...hallowed ground. I kind of get teary-eyed whenever I am there just thinking about it. The wreath in the picture is from Memorial Day. It is the wreath the President put there. I also learned that the Vietnam grave is empty because they tested the soldier's DNA and now he is not unknown. But it symbolic anyways, so I guess it really doesn't matter.

After lunch, we decided to go to Ford's Theater. I had never been there and was looking forward to it because I had read a book about it when I was in a book club in Reno. It was a worthwhile stop on our itinerary. There is a museum in the basement and they have many artifacts from that horrible moment in history, including the gun used to kill Lincoln. Then we sat in theater seats and listened to a presentation from the park ranger. We could see the president's box, but we couldn't go near it. Darn!

Every night we Facetimed my mom and were able to talk and see the kids. It was such a blessing to be able to do that.  It was a highlight of every day. Noelle would try to eat the iPad and the other three enjoyed making lots of faces.

It was time to move on to our next location. We packed up and headed out after rush hour traffic. Our first stop was Fort McHenry in Baltimore. We spent about an hour at the fort, but it was totally worth it. The visitor's center plays a top-notch movie about Fort McHenry. I am not going to lie, I got a little teary watching it. I am not going to give you the details and ruin it for you. Go someday and see for yourself.

Then we started heading toward Keri and Jeff's house, which was about an hour out of Baltimore. We made an unplanned stop at another National Historic Site called Hampton House. It was on the way and we needed to kill a couple of hours. This was a little treasure we found. The reason it is a historic site is because of the architecture of the house. Hampton was a plantation and the house is early Georgian. Plus, all of the furniture is original from the hundreds of years it was privately owned. There was a lot to see at this estate. And it was raining, so it was good to find a place to kill time that was indoors.

We finally got to Keri P.'s house in the early evening. And it was awesome! Keri and her family, Jen M. and her kids, and Lauren and Nate (way back from our Univ. of Utah days) and all of their kids were all there. It was quite a crowd. Amazingly enough, they all ended up in the same ward in rural Maryland and they all love each other. It was a wonderful visit and I am so grateful I have made the best associations over these past twenty years. These ladies are the cream of the crop. Their husbands aren't too bad either. We ate dinner, visited, had some dessert, and then it was time to hit the road again.

L to R: Lauren, Jen, me, and Keri

This time we were headed for Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. But I really wasn't feeling the love from Maryland to New Jersey because, holy cow, the toll roads! Are you kidding me?!?

I had never been to Philadelphia so I was anxious to put the boots on the ground and check it out. We followed Keri's recommendation and did Once Upon a Nation with our boys. And it was great. They had ten stations where you could sit and a volunteer would tell you a story. I think it helped some of the history to come alive for Raef and Zach. The storytellers were animated and fun. You could tell they loved being there. It also helped us navigate a well-laid path for seeing the most important stuff in the city. I always feel like I never have enough time though!

There was a sign saying that all the tickets to Independence Hall were gone. What!?!?! I was almost gonna be devastated. I really wanted to go in the building. Fortunately, I decided to ask a park ranger and they actually had extra tickets. Never give up...never surrender! 

We made sure to get some real Philly cheese steaks for lunch and to hit all of the story spots. Because if the kids heard all of the stories, they would get a free ride on the carousel. This was the perfect motivation for them. 

And they did it!

On our way back to the car, we saw the Federal Reserve building and it offered tours. We went in and were sad to see that we were ten minutes late for a tour! Grrr... However, the security guard was very nice (and shockingly, a Republican...what???) and he gave the kids souvenir money. It is the shredded stuff that the Reserve gives away at the end of the tour. To pay back that kindness, I gave him my cakey cornbread recipe, courtesy of Our Best Bites.

We also checked out Elfreth Alley and then ate dinner at a Greek booth at the Reading Terminal Market.

Going Home

I can always tell when it is time to go home.  It basically comes down to how much clean underwear is available.  We are about down to the last pair for all the kids. Hence, tomorrow morning, we are hitting the road. It is time to go home. 

Today we went to church and then got around to doing something at about 3:30 pm. We started to just drive around and then I remembered the wetlands in Carlsbad called Baquititos. It was a trail that started close to the freeway. Holy cow, was it loud. The noise started to dissipate as we got along the trail, thank goodness. It was beautiful and there were lots of birds in the far distant waters. I just didn't care for the freeway. The kids enjoyed grabbing sticks and dragging them, racing each other, and trying to throw rocks into the water.

As the sun got lower, I knew we had to try to get to the beach in time to watch is set. Fortunately, the beach was only about 1 mile away.  We made it and it was wonderful. However, I forgot my good camera, so the only way to capture anything was on my little camera phone.

Rinar and I really did not want the kids to get wet. It quickly spirals out of control when a kid gets wet at the beach. And believe me, there were some close calls. But mostly, we got away pretty unscathed.

And now it is time to get back to life and the heartbeat of the every day. It is the place where the magic happens, the day-to-day things we do to help our kids grow and realize their full potential. Raef and Zach only have 6 years before they will be on their way to great things in this world. I don't have a lot of time left to help them with the day-to-day. Time is slipping away. I just hope that all of these little moments we have had and will have will be enough to get them on their way to an amazing life. 

I have been very blessed. I am so thankful that after years of sacrifice and hard work, Rinar and I have ended up where we have always wanted to be. We live in an absolutely beautiful little corner of the world. The more that I think about it, the more I realize that it is everything I could have hoped for my family. And with all of the traffic and chaos of Southern California, I know I have it good. I look forward to going back to my peaceful oasis in the city.

And this is my new mantra. I have been thinking about this quote a lot lately. I have come to the conclusion that if I want to be successful and accomplish the goals I have set for myself, I am going to have to start consistently waking up earlier every single day. This is hard for me. I have never been a morning person. In fact, I can be downright grumpy. I usually set my alarm for early and then when it comes time to wake up, I frequently talk myself out of it. But this is not going to work. I have known for a long time that I need to get up early in the morning. I have procrastinated making that change in myself for far too long. I am feeling the urgency of it now. But changing this will come down to choosing it daily, step by step.

Every single day I make decisions. And the little decisions add up to big things. And those things will determine my destiny.

I am going to start focusing on making better "small" decisions. It is going to start with waking up early. I know this is the key to great successes in my life. I know that if I lead, my children will follow. I have greatness within me. I feel it. I know that it is there. And the older I get, the more I realize that the greatness does come from consistently doing the small things, day after day after day. And when I mess up or get off track, I am going to forgive myself and start over and just keep going. And as many times as it takes until I become master of myself, I will do it.

But not until Tuesday. Tomorrow will be a long drive home.

San Diego Some More

Another day in San Diego, and we sure had a lot of fun.  I wanted to see Coronado Island and my kids wanted to see The Lego Movie. So, Rinar took them all to the matinee and I went for a walk with Noelle. We went to the beach and we were able to see this awesome hotel. I was pretty excited about it.  It is the Hotel Coronado, the very one featured in one of my favorite movies of all time, "Some Like It Hot".  I think the movie is hilarious and stars Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Marilyn Monroe. As I was looking at the hotel I couldn't help but think of Josephine and Daphne frantically climbing down from the third floor of this hotel trying to escape the Chicago mobsters.  Good times.

I had to check out the lobby. The woodwork was very dark and a lot smaller than what I remembered in the movie. So, I am going to take a guess and say that they did not film from the inside of this hotel. But the lobby was pretty fantastic.

After the movie and my little stroll, we had to find some good eats. I got some recommendations from my friend Katie.  There was a lot to choose from, but we went for Hodad's, which was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. We got there just before 3 p.m. and the line was out the door. When we ordered our food, I tried to get less so that we would eat everything, but I still ordered too much stuff. Oh, well. The food was decadent and very filling. Our server was really great and I loved the ambiance. It was a fun afternoon in downtown San Diego.

I also wanted to see the Mormon Battalion in Old San Diego. The church has done an incredible job of making this an enjoyable visit. We watched a movie that was interactive. We moved from room to room. The message was wonderfully uplifting, but it still had a fun element to it. Zach, Julia, and Eli got to wear some period costumes and when the tour was over, they were able to pan for gold.

After the Mormon Battalion, we walked around the old town for a few minutes. There were a lot of people out and the atmosphere was electric. Unfortunately, every ten feet or so Harry reminded me that he wanted to go to the hotel and go swimming.  Yes, it was a very short walk.

And guess who turned 6 today?

As we were driving to San Diego this morning, Rinar's mom called to wish Eli a happy birthday.  They talked for a little while and then I heard Eli, in his innocent little voice tell his grandmother that he was sorry that grandpa died. But then he gave her some consoling words. He told her it was okay because grandpa will be resurrected someday and that when we die, we will be resurrected, too. Yep, pretty much the most perfect little kid. I am blessed, very blessed.

Ocean Beach

It was beach time today. After we got our fill of the amusement park scene, it was time to get back to nature. We drove down to Cabrillo National Monument and thought it would be fun to go to the tide pools. Unfortunately, the tide was too high and a bit too stressful for us to supervise. So, no tide pools. Still, we did a little hike and the kids got to throw some rocks into the ocean. They always love throwing rocks.

We then went in search of a beach and ended up at Ocean Beach. We were there for about 2 hours and the kids seemed to enjoy themselves.

On the way home, I wanted to stop by the temple and get a few pictures.

And since the kids were pretty sandy, we had them get into the pool as soon as we got back to the hotel. They were able to do lots of swimming and were pretty darn tired when they finished. 

Legoland

Somehow, I was able to get all six of my kids down to San Diego in one piece, by myself.  God is good.  We decided to do a little trip with our kids for their birthday present. Rinar went down for work at the beginning of the week and then we would drive down to meet him.

I decided to leave late Tuesday night so that I would not have to stop and feed Noelle mid-drive. We ended up leaving around 8:20 p.m. and pulled into my Grandma's driveway at 12:15. I didn't even speed!

Grandma was kind enough to let us crash at her house. I carried all of the sleeping kids into her condo and put them on make-shift beds. Everyone was pretty darn tired.

After a short visit with Grandma in the morning, the rest of the drive to California was pretty uneventful, thank goodness!  But when I got to the hotel I was beat. Fortunately, I got some much needed sleep/ Thursday morning, we were ready to go to Legoland. My kids were very excited. The weather was ideal and it was not crowded. We were able to ride all of the rides with very few lines. It is definitely true that Legoland is for little kids. Raef and Zach are too big for this place now. Zach wanted to ride the scary rides. The only roller coaster was closed for maintenance. That was a major bummer. But we still found fun things to do. 

This was the 'scariest' ride in the park. Zach actually wanted to ride it twice. Raef did not.

We split up at the end for that second ride and while they were gone, I misplaced my phone. Fortunately, it was turned in to lost and found. Hallelujah! While Harry, Julia, and I waited for everyone else to return, we took some pictures. And this girl really likes to pose.

From early on in the day, Eli had his heart set on winning a Despicable Me stuffed animal at one of those silly midway games. This was another reason we split up, so that he could try. And wouldn't you know, the kid won a huge purple doll on his very first try! He did it on his own. He had to toss a couple of really bouncy balls into a basket. Rinar, Raef, and Zach all tried and failed. But not this amazing kid...

I think the best part of Legoland was the fact that all of our kids expressed their gratitude many times to both Rinar and me. They would give us spontaneous hugs and tell us thank you, especially Eli.  Even today, he gave us both a hug and said thank you for taking him to Legoland.

Staycation, All in the Name of Football

Several months ago Rinar and I scheduled our family vacation time. Rinar has to do that now because of his extensive travel schedule. Unbeknownst to us, we scheduled vacation number 2 the same week as football tryouts.  Yes, for some reason here in Utah 11 year-old boys have to try out for the football team to see where they get put.  You know, because when you are 11, these things are vitally important, on the same level as the North Korean missile crisis and preventing world hunger.  It is that important around here, apparently.

Hence, vacation became staycation.  Bummer. But we tried to make the best of it.

On Monday, July 29th we headed down to Provo to go to Seven Peaks with  my sister Catye and her husband Mike. Catye worked at Seven Peaks last year and she had a whole bunch of free tickets.  Staycation was looking pretty darn affordable.  The kids had a blast, but we had to hurry back to get Raef to football tryouts on time, so we didn't get to stay as long as we would have liked.

On Tuesday, we headed up to Hogle Zoo. But it was blazing hot. The kids only lasted a few hours and then it was time to get some pizza.

And if you are going to get pizza, the obvious place to go is The Pie. Where else?  The kids thoroughly enjoyed the fare.  Then we had to call an audible for afternoon activities, because our original plan did not give us enough time to hurry back for...yep, football tryouts. This meant a quick trip to the Church Museum to see the kid's Book of Mormon exhibit.

Wednesday was my favorite.  We dedicated the whole day to This is the Place Heritage Park. It happens to be across the street from the zoo.  It is a pioneer village with oodles of things to do, a hands-on, living museum.  Harry and Zach enjoyed a "shave" at the barber shop while the other ones waited by playing checkers.

They got to ride the ponies, and totally loved it.  There was also a petting zoo, and lots of historic buildings.

This little pioneer house was a big hit. They washed clothes on a real scrub board, beat the rug with a wire whisky thing, plowed the soil with a real hand plow, played toss-a-ring, and even gave it a go at stilt walking.

When it got too hot, they spent a bit of time playing in the splash pad. I had no idea there was one there, so we were woefully unprepared.  But after ringing out the shirts and staying outside for a  little bit, they were dry in a short amount of time. 

We also rode a train, panned for gold, made an arrowhead necklace, and ate ice cream at the old hotel.  And then we packed the kids up and hurried home. Surprising, I know, but had to get to football tryouts on time.

We were tuckered out by Thursday and hung around the house. Rinar did take them swimming for a little while and then it was off to football again.

On Friday, Rinar took Raef, Zach, and Eli to Lagoon, or as Eli calls it...Magoon.  We made sure that they got there right when it opened.  They stayed as long as they could before they rushed back for football tryouts.  After football, Rinar took Raef and Zach back until closing time.

As for football, I might have been a little annoyed.  Okay, maybe a lot.  We gave up a week of vacation so that he could tryout for teams that were pretty much already decided before anyone showed up for the first day of tryouts. Most of those boys had played in the system before. Everything was predetermined.  There is an A team. Yep, that never happened. There was a B team. Nope, didn't make that one. And then there were the color teams, like gray, blue, white, etc.  The color teams are for all the rest of the boys, whether they tried out or not.

Raef is on the gray team.

I am just so glad we had to lose a vacation and rush back from every activity early so that he could be on the gray team, a team he would have probably been put on even if we had gone to Yellowstone for the week.

But whatever!

Payson Lakes

We headed out of town on June 23 for a week long camping trip in the Wasatch mountains. We were finally able to take our camper on a long excursion and it was a lot of fun. We went to Payson Lakes, not too far from Payson, Utah.

Raef and Zach slept in a tent by the campfire and the rest of us hunkered down in the trailer. I have to say that camping sure is a lot more fun for me when I can sleep on a real bed.

The weather was absolutely beautiful. We were very fortunate.  I made sure to come prepared with things for us to do.  One of my main purchases was an inflatable boat.  The lake was small and close to our campsite. It was perfect for our little family.  Here is everyone on the maiden voyage. The kids were really excited.

 When you are unplugged and away from everything, it makes you do stuff you normally don't do. We started playing board games again.  The favorite for this trip was Rummikub.  The kids loved it. Even Eli and Harry got in on the action. Harry would pick out my tiles for me. He loved it.

We also went on a pretty long hike around Payson Lake and then down to the lower campground.

I brought colored pencils and notebooks and the kids stopped to do a little nature journaling.  They absolutely loved it.

But the highlight of the camping trip was bug discoveries. Harry, Eli, and Julia just loved finding bugs and petting them and watching them.  On our hike, they found a fuzzy caterpillar and they were all smitten with it.

The boys also had fun just playing in the lake.  The water was pretty cold, but they seemed to have fun all the same.

Then Rinar did a little stand up comedy routine. He was in the water trying to find a "boat" and he was cracking up all the kids. They laughed so hard. One of his boats was a shoe, or a hat, or a stick. Whatever. It didn't matter. He was so darn silly and the kids just ate it up.

 Another fun activity was rollerblading and bike riding. They really enjoyed that.  They would just zoom around on a circular course, over and over again.

And then we did some action shots. This was a lot of fun too.  My kids really like to take pictures. And as soon as I take their picture, they like to see the results.

By Wednesday, we were pretty darn stinky. So we headed back to town and went to the city pool to swim all afternoon and take some showers, with soap!  It was a blast. The Payson city pool is very nice. They have a lazy river and a kiddie playground/slide, and two large slides.  It was a nice change of pace from our mountain retreat. We were also able to go out and eat pizza. Yummy!

On Thursday, we packed up and drove the rest of the Mt. Nebo loop, which is absolutely breathtaking, and then headed to Manti for the Mormon Miracle Pageant.  We got there pretty early and had a lot of time to kill. It was so hot, I thought I was going to die. So we went to the public library and killed some time there, in a nice air conditioned facility.  The kids loved reading books, so it worked out well for all of us.  Then we had dinner at a church next door. It was a fundraiser for the community and was typical Mormon fare: turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, a dinner roll, ice water, and a chocolate iced chocolate cake. Typical, but satisfying.

We parked our trailer across the street so that we could just stay the night because the show didn't even start until 9:30.  I had no idea how my littles would do.  They are usually asleep by 8pm.  But they all stayed awake until the last 30 minutes.  But they sure were zonkered by the time we carried them all back to the trailer. It was a good thing we decided to stay the night.

The pageant was wonderful and I am glad that my kids could experience it.

We had an enjoyable time together on our camping vacation. I am grateful for the time I could spend with my little family.