A Pathetic Recap is Better Than None at All...

April through June was such a busy time for our family, but filled with so many blessings!  It was a roller coaster of emotions for me, and I won't deny that I was a walking time bomb.... liable to bust out bawling at the slightest thing.  Given everything going on, can you blame me?  :)

The mission call envelope... it came while I was in Southern California doing Ragnar.  Taylor patiently waited for me to come back and opened it Sunday night, April 21.

Here it is!  Taylor was called to serve in Texas San Antonio, Spanish Speaking.  He would report to the Mexico MTC on September 4.

Ian borrowed my Ragnar knee high socks for luck at his track meet.

Ian running the Mile.  It's his favorite race.

Eric and I hiked Flat Iron together with the Luke's.  It was probably the hardest hike I've ever done.  Here we are at the summit above Flat Iron (in the background).

Brayden turned 8!  He insisted that we eat dinner at Golden Corral... because what 8 year old doesn't want unlimited ice cream and cotton candy for dessert!

Despite the "less than enthusiastic" looks on our faces, we really were thrilled that Taylor graduated from High School.

The first of many Hamilton High Graduates!

Megan's trek family... Ma and Pa Boix were awesome!

Taylor's trek family... Ma and Pa Shkapich were amazing!

My trek kids... Megan sewed her own bonnet and apron!  Taylor insisted on having suspenders this time around.

Brayden doing crafts at Cub Scout Day Camp.  He was exhausted from the late nights, but he had a blast!

Look who got her braces off!  Doesn't she look gorgeous!

Brayden's baptism blanket, made by Grandma W.  He did all the pictures!

On our way out the door for B's baptism

Taylor's first baptism.  He baptized Brayden and Eric confirmed him.  It was a great day for our family!

My beautiful YCL's at camp!

Another amazing year on the 4th year hike.  I feel so lucky to have this opportunity to bond with the girls and share my testimony with them.  They are so amazing!  The week of girls camp is the result of months of meetings and planning, but sooooo worth it when you are up there with the girls.  Can't wait to do it again next year!

Ragnar Repeat

In April, I traveled to Southern California with some friends to do another Ragnar.  It was a blast!

This was our team name... we all wore cute neon tube socks and neon shirts with headbands.

This girl organized our van.  I love her.  She is such a great friend!  

Party at the Half Way Point.... I think we started running our second leg at about 1 a.m.  

Getting ready to send Sheri off on leg 2... uphill in the dark.... she rocked it!

Passing off the baton to Kim, who sprained her ankle 10 minutes into her next run.  Running at night didn't work out so well for her.  :(

My night run was my favorite.  I felt great... it was cold, but not TOO cold, and it was mostly flat! 

While I was running at 2 a.m., Sheri napped on my steering wheel.  :)

The starting point for our final runs.  Too bad we didn't have time to go enjoy the beach!

Showing off our adorable socks.  I actually never wore mine while running... it was too hot!

Sheri and Kim. :)  Kim came up with our adorable team name.

Me hanging out with all the girls from the other van.  They are officially done running and soooo exhausted!

This was the starting point for my final run.  (Yep, that's an LDS church.)  My last run was six miles with the last two being straight uphill, but I made it!  I thought I was going to die on that never ending hill,  but I survived!  Best feeling EVER!

Shots from the finish line...

 The gorgeous San Diego Bay...

 Van 2... my new BFF's

Megan, Elise, Me, Sheri, Merilee, and Kim

Our entire team in front of the finish line

The windows on my car after I got home.  Ragnar is such a fun community experience, I didn't want to wash it all off.  I eventually did, though.  I promised Eric and my cousin, Heidi that I wouldn't do another Ragnar without them.  So in 2014, we are going to find a race and get a group of couples together to do it.  I can't wait!!!!

Overwhelming.....

In the six months since I've last blogged....

Taylor got his mission call...
Megan got her braces off...
Taylor graduated from High School...
Brayden got baptized...
Taylor and Megan went on a Pioneer trek...
Ian went to Scout Camp for a week...
Brayden went to Cub Scout Day Camp for 3 days...
Ian ran track and made the Bogle Football team...
I ran another Ragnar, went to Girls Camp and planned an epic family road trip....
Eric became a cycling addict and has started a major backyard BBQ remodeling project...
We all survived the two week Church History roadtrip in July....

And...
We said goodbye to our first born son and put him on a plane for two years to become a full time Missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Yep... it's been a little crazy around here.  I really want to start blogging again, but I don't really know where to start.  So there... I just caught you all up on the insanity I call life lately.  I'll probably post a couple posts with pics of recent events.... especially of our road trip and sending Taylor off to the MTC.... but don't expect a full recap of the last six months... I just don't have the time or energy!

And in my blogging absense, Google Reader bit the dust.  Well, crap... now what do I do?  Help!

Labor of Love

Years ago, I was visiting teaching a newly married gal in my ward, who's mother had just made her this awesome quilt pieced together with tee shirts she had collected over the years.  I immediately knew that was something I wanted to do for my kids.  So each kid got a new box in their closet labeled "quilt tee shirts".  Every time we clean out the dresser, we throw a couple more shirts into the box.

My plan was to make Taylor's quilt as a graduation gift, but since he'll be leaving not too long after graduation to serve his mission, he begged me to get it done now.  And NO, we don't have his mission call yet.  We are close to getting it all sent in, but we're not there quite yet.

I found a pattern idea on Pinterest, and used it to cut out my squares in varying sizes.  I used my queen sized futon to lay them all out and move them around until I was happy with the overall look.  Every piece got a numbered label, just in case I got them mixed up.

This is the top all sewn together.  Can I just say I would have LOST my mind about 20 minutes into this project without my serger?  I LOVE that machine more than I can say!  Also not sure how the ugliest shirt in the stack got center stage.  Darn you cub scout day camp.

Here's the back.  I struggled with what to do.... Taylor wanted soft and cozy, but buying flannel sheets in anything other than white was hard to do.  I ended up getting maroon and black flannel and piecing it like this.  Thanks Kate for the suggestion.  If you know you have to have a seam on the back, you might as well make it look good, right?  It was also Kate's idea to quilt it using big stitches and embroidery floss.  I ended up buying the thick silvery floss and it looks awesome!

Here's the front after I added the binding.  How many episodes of Downton Abbey did it take to get me through all the sewing and quilting?  A LOT!

This took me so many hours to complete, but I am so pleased with the results.  And, no, he will not be allowed to take this baby on his mission.  It will stay here and be safely boxed up awaiting his return!  

Choosing Happiness

Two and a half years ago, we got a new Seminary Teacher.  Brother Goss was a welcomed relief after a string of teachers who didn't exactly get the job done or connect well with the kids.  Half way through the first school year, they received the devastating news that their baby girl, Abigail, had cancer.  Her cancer is called Neuroblastoma.  It's very rare, and very deadly.  When I heard the news, my heart sank.  No parent should have to go through such an ordeal.

With all the odds stacked against her, Abigail beat cancer.  She spent about a year in remission with no sign of disease.  During that time, they were constantly working to make sure the cancer didn't come back.  Kids who get Neuroblastoma might be able to beat it once, but they never beat it twice.

On Christmas Day, the Goss' found out that Abigail's cancer is back.  Again, we are all heartbroken.  Even with the Chemo that began immediately, Abigail isn't expected to live past April.  Over the last two years, my kids have grown so close to the Goss family.  They skype with Abigail and her siblings on a regulary basis and they genuinely care about her.

In January, we attended a Fun Run for Abigail.  It was long in the planning before they knew Abigail was back.  The proceeds benefitted several families dealing with pediatric cancer.  Brayden and I just happened to cross the finish as Abigail ran across with her daddy.  It was the sweetest moment I have ever witnessed and I will always treasure that memory.

Just before the Fun Run, a big group of boys (including Taylor) decided to shave their heads for Abigail.  She was sad that she would have to lose all her hair doing chemo again.  Just after the Fun Run, a couple of girls from our ward put together this sweet video.  If you haven't gotten teary yet, go grab a kleenex now, then hit the play button below.

The thing I love about the Goss' story, is that they are making the conscious decision to "Choose Happiness".  Despite this terrible tragedy in the making, they continually inspire us with their faith, love and optimism.  We have been so blessed to be a part of this journey and we pray for Abigail every day.

The Beauty of Home

As a teenager, I wanted to see the world.  I couldn't wait to go to college and move away from my little corner of Northern California.  Now that I've lived in the desert for almost 8 years, I see the ordinary beauty of my hometown with new eyes every time I go home to visit.  This park was always the source of negative memories as a teenager... I worked a summer job here that I hated, and my track coach liked to make us run up the hills here for training.  Needless to say, I didn't have fond memories of Pena Adobe.  

Cousins

My brother-in-law is now raising his family in my home town, so while we were visiting, they suggested hiking together in Pena Adobe.  Not only was it fun, but gorgeous too.  Early winter rains had turned the hills green and it was beautiful. 

There's many fire roads and trails that lead to the tops of surrounding hills, so we tackled one my nieces   and nephews are particulary fond of.  There's a super big oak tree with lots of low branches for swinging, climbing and playing.

          

             

 

               

   

Almost done with our hike, we made the kids pose on these rocks for a photo.  

 We had so much fun, I'll think we'll make hiking Pena Adobe a regular addition to our "must do" list while we are home visiting.  Maybe next time it will even be a bit warmer.  ;-)