Take Me Out...To The Pool?

This summer some friends invited us to join them for a Fresno Grizzly baseball game...poolside.  I totally didn't get how that would work.  I hadn't been to a game before and just couldn't wrap my head around watching a baseball game by a pool, in my swimsuit, but I am always up for a new adventure.

We met some new friends there and looked on with anticipation at what a $20 bill will motivate some to do...

We walked over to the concessions and got an ice cream cone and swam in the pool.  I knew there was a game going on somewhere in the background of all of this, but really none of us had a clue what was happening in it.

As I look back on the evening what I really remember are the FIREWORKS...talk about some serious sparks!

Visitors Make Me Happy

Especially when they are my Grandparents.  The whole time I was growing up my grandparents lived about 15 minutes away.  They would come see us a couple times each week.  We would get together for  every holiday you can imagine.  Mothers Day,  Fathers Day, Labor Day, 4th of July, you name it!  We just love being together, and expected to see lots of eachother.  Grandpa escorted me to a few Daddy daughter activities as I was growing up when my dad was out of town.  I can tell you exactly the design on my grandma's white and blue porcelain bowls we would fill with Cap'n Crunch or Sugar Smacks while we watched game shows in the morning while we were at their house.  I remember thinking it was amazing how low my grandma could make her ironing board go so that she could sit on the couch and iron while she watched the game shows.

As we got older our visits always included lots or card games with grandma or helping work at Grandpas various gas stations he owned.  I always loved working with Grandpa.  Wheather it was at the Deli of the station in Eldorado Hills or the cash register at one of the smaller stations in Davis it always made me feel so grown up when I could help out and proud that my Grandpa seemed to know everyone, and they all loved him!

I love that my kids have spent so much time with my grandparents and are just as close to them as I always was.  A couple of years ago my grandparents bought a house in Utah and they now split their time between there and traveling all over Califiornia for various shows and events, or across the globe on thier many cruise adventures.  We don't see them nearly as often as we used to, so we were all excited when my grandpa called to say they were coming to spend the evening with us last weekend.  Laughing, teasing, doot-de-doots, and hugs were in abundance, and we were sad when it was time for them go.

The previous weekend I had another fun visitor, one I hadn't seen in over 15 years!!  Kyle Miller was one of my favorite friends from the time we were in the first grade.  We were in the same elementary school class all but one year.  I spent countless hours playing army guys, and various sports in his front yard, and probably just as many at his various sporting events.  We rode bikes with a pack of other kids from the neighborhood all over the place.  From the creek to catch crawdads to the field where the all the boys built jumps for their BMX bikes.  I remember once his grandma referred to me as "Kyles little girlfriend"  and we were both quick to correct her.  We were just friends, nothing more, and that's how it always was.  Kyles mom recently moved to Fresno, and when he and his daughter came to visit her, I invited them to our home for a visit.  We had so much fun introducing eachother to our families, and just catching up. We are looking forward to their next visit...Kyle is a sushi chef, amongst other things, and he is sure he can convert me. It's always interesting to see where and how your childhood friends end up.  Its even better to discover they still make great friends, after all these years!

Some Old, Some New, Some Blue

Back to school is old hat for the boys, but entirely new for Miss Brynne

By 8th grade I guess it's pretty typical to be about this excited about getting back to school.

Brynne was so excited all morning for her new adventure into Kindergarten!

Thrilled to have an old friend in her class.

There's nothing new about getting together with some of my favorite friends on the first day of school to eat and celelbrate Shelley's birthday, but it is ALWAYS a good time.

The blue for the day came not only in the shirts that Drew and I were wearing but also in the glass we found on the driveway in the wee hours of the morning.  I wish I could say the scoundrels who broke this glass were just borrowing Jeff's laptop from the back seat.  

  So I guess we pretty much had our bases covered for the first day of school.  Some old, some new, something (permanently) borrowed and some blue.  

Seriously LOVING This!!

Loving the idea of the largest balloon fight ever.  Loving that it was held at BYU.  Loving the atmosphere you can feel through the video.  LOVING THIS SONG!!!  Not loving the Quaker beard this guy is sporting though...I'm just sayin'!
(You can thank my cousin Tawna for sharing this with me, so that I could share it with you.  You're welcome, and ENJOY!)

Half Dome...Do's and Don'ts of Round Dos

Do as Kirsten and use your cell phone to call ahead from the beginning of the trail to put in your order for that smoked hamster, rattlesnake, or marmot sandwich you've got a hankerin' for, from the top notch dining hall they have at the top!

Appreciate the flat parts of the trail, even at the beginning when your toes and knees don't hurt!

Take in the beauty around you...don't I have cute friends! 

Be sure to check in with your other friends and play as much Words With Friends as you can.  You never know how long you are going to be stuck with your friends on a hike like this!

Enjoy the company you're in!

Be leery of strangers on the trail who agree to take your picture but stand way too close.  Especially if they start singing Happy Birthday!

If you want to make record time, make sure Corey is in the lead

Blaze the trail ahead of you...literally if you want!  This sign is was placed here due to Reeds near striking experience last time we hiked the dome.  I'm sure there's a dedicatory inscription on the back or something!

Respect the Rock

Don't be fooled by this cute furry face, Porky here is a thief, and everything is fair game.  Whole sub sandwiches, backpacks and trail mix...He'll run off with them all!

And in case you're wondering, yes you can update your facebook status from the top of half dome. Now I'm not saying Kirsten did, but one of us did and it wasn't me!

Only look down if you dare

Either way, hold on tight!

If you've ever wished for a Mary Poppins like bag, that carries everything including the kitchen sink, or even just a grocery store, have Corey pack your bag for you.  If you want to find any of it, ask Reed.  Just don't let him have the forks, or you may end up eating pasta salad with your fingers!

This is what the sky SHOULD look like if you're hiking Half Dome

Don't listen to the guy who recommends these bathrooms, he doesn't even use them himself.  While they lack running water and flushing toilets, and you must be capable of holding your breath while inside, they are still a better option than the Greenlaw's downstairs bathroom when privacy is a concern.

Smile like Shelley if you were smart enough to use the "pretty potties" (a.k.a. bushes) at the top of the mountain rather than hold out for these ones! And hey, check your email one last time while you're waiting, you never know when your phone will decide it's time for swimming lessons.

If you decide to rest for a bit on the way back down and cool your feet in the calm waters just before the falls, we highly recommend you take your iphone 4 out of your pocket and put it in your pack.  But if you happen to make the same mistake Corey did, no worries, the ebay market will pay a hefty price even for a non working water damaged version!

While Pepito may be accommodating and smile for a picture with you, don't expect him to have your back. When the road closes for construction right in front of you, he will not even let you through the tunnel first!  Resist the urge to yell out the window to him, "July to me Julyer!" It's best to just delete him out of your life forever and get over it!  But first be sure to thank him for the extra half hour with your annoying friends and the abs workout you will get from laughing with them in the mean time!

Plan to do this again and again, it always makes for the most enjoyable of days!

Invincible or Not!

I like to think that I am invincible.  I like to think there is nothing I can't do.  I even think I'm pretty tough most of the time.  Maybe in my head I think I'm a bit like Wonder Woman...

As you can imagine, this kind of thinking can sometimes get me into trouble.  Sometimes it just shows how truly brainless I can be.  One such occurrence happened this week.  Here is the simple equation.  This

Plus an empty lake smooth as glass,

plus a bit of my wonder woman complex, equaled a sprained knee. Trying to take advantage of the great water conditions at the lake wouldn't have been quite so stupid if this...

wasn't in just 5 weeks! While I did finish it last year, I didn't get to RUN it.  The doctor says its just strained ligaments, that I should be able to run again soon.  I say it's just time wasted on my couch icing my knee  instead of training like I should be.  Nope, no Wonder Woman here, just your average brainless scarecrow!