By Plane, By Train, By Bus and Car

Girls weekend 2011 took place last weekend in beautiful Davis, California (outside of Sacramento), home to Wiscomb-Davis Funeral Home that my sister owns and runs.
That's right, we stayed in her home above the mortuary. Actually, I slept downstairs in the mortuary, just because I wanted quiet. She did have a ummm, client there, but he was quiet and didn't bother us!
We all arrived Thursday evening, some by car, and some by plane. The next day we took the Amtrak to San Francisco and then caught a bus right to pier 39. We spent the entire day there sightseeing, eating and shopping. We started the day and ended the day the best way possible--eating hot mini doughnuts from shop on the pier.





The next day was spent with a little more shopping, taking in the local farmers market and nearby attractions. For dinner, we had my first experience with Thai food. I am in love with Thai food! I can't wait to try it again and get something different!


It was a wonderful weekend, although I missed my family terribly. I feel so lucky to have a loving, supportive husband and kids, as well as sisters, brothers, parents, and in-laws. I am also forever in awe of the love our Heavenly Father has for us and the little ways that He shows us that He loves us and wants us to be happy. Going to girls weekend wasn't a need, but a want and He still provided a way through some sewing jobs to earn a little extra money so that Veronica and I could go and not have to feel a strain on our families budget. We were able to create some wonderful memories and strengthen relationships.
I am suffering from Girls Weekend Hangover, though. A little too much food, too many late nights, and too much traveling (13 1/2 hours each way for Veronica and I) but it was totally worth it!

Take a child on a field trip to the dentist, entertain her for an hour,


Give her her own mask and gloves, she entertains herself for an entire afternoon!







Braelynn

Dish Duty

Apparently there is more than one way to empty the dishwasher.

This way

And this way








(Brenna)

State Wrestling

The reason it was such a long day yesterday (see previous post) is because we went to see Tyler wrestle. It was State for middle school wrestling in Richfield, Utah 1 1/2 hours away.
He did awesome! He took 5 th place in a 16 man bracket, winning 4 matches and loosing 2. Middle school wrestling is grades 5-9, separated into weight groups, not age groups so since he is in 5th grade, it was his first year doing Middle school wrestling and not wrestling kids his own age.
The bad news is that it isn't the end of wrestling season. He will do Bantam wrestling (the equivalent of Little League) for another few months. If you think it is a little excessive, especially since we didn't really have a break after football, I agree! But he loves it and is good at it and it is good for him. He is a happier boy when he is doing it and when it comes right down to it, we support each of the kids in the things they want to do, whatever it may be.

He really does know how to smile but, you know, it is just not cool to smile for pictures!

Tyler pinning his opponent

Tyler is on the bottom, the one that looks like he is in pain!

Tyler is the one in the black with the grey stripe

Its been a long day...

And it was only 4:30 when they all crashed in a stadium full of blowing whistles and screaming people!

Endearing

Disclaimer:
You know how we all have quirks? And how when you love someone you embrace those quirks and love that person all the more because of those quirks? And when you joke with that people about those quirks, they (and you) know it is all in fun?

Well...you might have to really know Veronica to think this post is funny. If not, just remember that she is known for falling on her face in the middle of the grocery store, running into things (she has run right into our rose bush more times than we can count) and dropping things (She broke her big toe once dropping a whole frozen chicken on it!).

On Friday Veronica was riding her bike home from a neighbors house. She crashed. She was okay, just some scrapes, bruises and a sore wrist. The next day she was a little sore and mentioned it when Brenna and Braelynn were in the room. They asked why she was sore and the told them that she had wrecked on her bike. Here is how the conversation went:

B & B: Did you wreck with a car?
V: No
B & B: Was a dog in your way?
V: No
B & B: Did someone run in front of you?
V: No
B & B: Was there something in the sidewalk?
V: No
S & B: Then how did you crash your bike?!?!?!
V: Good question!

Veronica and I were laughing so hard the whole time, just thinking what the outcome of this conversation might be. The fact that most of the time Veronica can just hop up and laugh about whatever she did and embrace the fact that that is just how she is, and not try to be someone she is not just makes us love her the more!

Fortuitous

happening or produced by chance; lucky; fortunate; accidental: a fortuitous encounter.
The fact that 1. the kids were off of school, 2. Joe was off of work, 3. We had no other obligations and 4. the weather was beautiful in the middle of January was nothing less than fortuitous.
We took advantage of our National Parks Pass that we purchased with a friend and headed to Zion National Park for the day yesterday. It was a fun day of hiking and family time. We couldn't go on any of the harder hikes that we wanted to do because of snow and mud but we had a great time exploring other trails that we had never done before.
We also took advantage of the free admission to our new aquatic center on Saturday. After all these years of not having a pool with a shallow end I was willing to brave the huge crowds that I knew would be there just to let the kids play.
Add in the fact that Joe and I were able to go to the temple Saturday morning with friends and then to dinner that evening with some other friends, it was a wonderful weekend.