Cozette's Birthday Wish List

Cozette wanted to type her wish list on the blog since her birthday is coming up on August 21.

1. zoingo boingo
2. iPod
3. clip on earrings
4. light blue Mary Jane shoes size 2.5
5. lady bug umbrella
6. sweater poncho
7. shorts for school
8. light green bath robe (fleece)

A Date to Remember

Last night Jeremy and I went to the fair to catch the Demolition Derby. Since we were kind of late, our friend Joey saved us some seats in the Grand Stand. Upon arriving, we got something to eat before we headed in there. Jeremy had a Polish Sausage sandwich with garlic fries and I got a taco. When we were all done eating, we walked towards the grand stand and realized they had shut the gate due to too many people in the stands. We'd never been this late before and the races had been going for over an hour, but I guess the Fire Marshall was threatening to "shut the whole thing down". At least that's what the security guards said. I would hate their job.

We walked up to the gate to see if we could even get in and Joey even came down to tell the guards that we had seats in there, but it didn't work. We even tried to go around to the pits to get in, but no go there, either. It was a little freaky at the gate because there were some angry people who really wanted to get in, but the guards kept saying no. At one point one guard came out and started yelling at everyone to move back from the gate. It's amazing how well people listen! (Not!) At one point I was right next to the fence and envisioning myself being squashed up against the fence! Fortunately that didn't happen and they opened up the gate in the end. We got in in time to watch the last two races and then for the finale of the Demolition Derby. Why is it that we love death and destruction? There's just something so funny about seeing cars get smashed up. A friend of ours had a friend driving in it and he actually won, so we got to go down on the track and see the car and him with his trophy.

That's not all....at about 2:30 AM, Jeremy and I both woke up to food poisoning! I finally convinced him to get out of bed and throw up and as soon as he got to the toilet, out it came! And boy did he feel better. Mine was coming out the other end...really fun! I'd never had that before. We decided it was either the garlic fries since I had some of those or the funnel cake that we got after the derby!

So that was our date to remember! At least we could laugh about it even in the middle of the night!

We love Bass Lake!

So after a week at home, we got to go on yet another vacation thanks to Jeremy's Papa and his parents. Papa rented this five bedroom cabin at Bass Lake for a week. It was complete with an air hockey table and indoor mini basketball court, that the kids really enjoyed. Wyatt also loved to play hockey and dragged a coffee table over to one side that he could stand on and reach the table.

We drove up Saturday and on the way stopped at a honey farm in Piru and then had lunch at Uncle Peter's Lassen's store. It was very nice. Thanks for the free lunch, Uncle Peter! We also stopped again on the way home the following Saturday.

After getting settled and having a nice Mexican dinner, we went to the lake for a bedtime swim. The water was so nice and calm since it was about 8PM. Our kids are such water bugs and would linger in the water for as long as possible. Wyatt would get out and jump up and down that he was "freezing" until he got his towel around him.

Sunday was a nice day where we had a thunder storm and rain throughout the day. It was fun and smelled so good.

Monday was Atalie's birthday and we rented a boat, mostly for Jerm and Brian so they could wake board. I was very tempted, but due to my size, thought it would be better to not chance it. So I rode in the tube with Wyatt. The kids had fun going really, really slowly in the boat and Wyatt did not like going fast. He was pretty scared when Jeremy and Brian were on the tube and Phil was trying to throw them off. Poor kid. I was worried he might get nightmares! Hopefully he won't have any permanent fears of boats!

I have to say the cake was really yummy. It was two layers of chocolate with homemade chocolate mousse and homemade butter cream frosting!

Atalie and Uncle Buddy! A fire truck puzzle!

Jerm driving the boat.

Tuesday we relaxed and hiked "The Falls". That was beautiful, but Jerm and I were nervous about the poison oak that is everywhere. He's very allergic to it. Fortunately, we didn't get it. Also, when we got to the top, the rocks were very slippery and I was nervous the whole time that Wyatt would slip and hit his head, or accidentally slide down, etc... The water was pretty cold, but we still got in!

Twyla (one of Erin and Tom's friends) Jerm and Tom

Gary and Melanie

Wednesday we went into Yosemite which was beautiful, but a very tiring day. Wyatt wanted me to carry him a lot on our hike through the Mariposa Grove (the trees at Calaveras are much more impressive) and also on our walk at Glacier Point. We enjoyed the gorgeous scenery. We also got to dip in the Merced River in the Valley which was flowing pretty good. Had we gone up further, we could have floated down it, but we weren't sure how far up to go.

Testing out the Merced River. It wasn't too cold. Although Wyatt was pretty shocked when Jerm dunked his head under to get all the sand off that he poured all over himself.

Thursday we took the Sugar Pine railroad out for a picnic lunch and boy was Wyatt terrified when the train left us there in the Picnic area! I had to keep reassuring him that it would come back to get us! He also named one of the conductors on the train "Nice Guy". It was very cute because he kept calling him that every time he saw him.

Friday we spent the day at Willow Cove where Pappy fixed a rope swing for the kids. It was perfect for them and the girls went off it over and over.

Atalie going off the rope swing.

We had a great time with everyone, playing games, eating, celebrating Atalie's birthday! I can't believe she is 6!

Hopefully this wasn't too long and boring. This Saturday we are leaving again to go camping at Carpenteria State Beach! Another favorite place!

Calaveras

Audrey trying to fish at Beaver Creek.
Family minus Wyatt. Kirsten was nice enough to take him back to camp so we could enjoy the walk. Otherwise we probably would have been carrying him most of the way.
These girls love to pose! Check out Audrey!

Sassy Addie!
Pregnant Me
Beaver Creek. Jerm was trying to fill in the pool a little better. But Wyatt was undoing it as he worked! Dam! :)
Cozette and her Daddy
Hercules (the tree, even though I know you were all thinking Jeremy)

Wyatt is trying to say "Cheese".
Our one rainbow trout that we caught by default. Jerm and I were out canoing with Wyatt and Cozette when we saw this live fish stuck under a branch. We realized he was caught on a line that got tangled in the branch, so Jerm pulled it up. We even ate it that night, thanks to Gramma doing all the dirty work of gutting it and stuff. It was very good and mild. Cozette liked when my Mom put the rope through it's mouth when it had died so she could "walk" it around in the water. It looks small in the picture, but it was about nine inches long.
A giant tree!
Cute Isaac on the way to Jr. Cubs (they taught the kids about butterflies that day)Atalie

Atalie and her fish that we let go. We weren't sure if you could eat them, so we just did catch and release.
Wyatt casting in the water

The meadow Kirsten trying her hand at fishing at Alpine Lake. It was about 8,000 feet up and very beautiful. We even saw a bald eagle.
Wyatt and Jerm on the way to Jr. Cubs.

Our trip to Calaveras Big Tree State Park was really nice. We left Camarillo on Wednesday and made it up there by 3PM to find that it was at least 95 degrees! Luckily we got to go swimming at this little reservoir. Thank goodness for water. The air was a bit yucky due to all the fires in Northern Calif, but the pine tree smell was still very prevalent.
Atalie caught her first fish that afternoon after only a few casts into the water. Wyatt loved sitting in the water or right next to it casting his little Superman pole into the water. His came with a red plastic fish that he could practice casting with and he had a blast. Good thing, too, because I don't think a hook would have been a great idea!
Cozette gets the most patient fisherman award. She fished all week without a complaint and didn't catch a single thing. At Beaver Creek later in the week, she had a trout bite on her hook, but we didn't get it in time. Too bad we didn't just have a net that we could've scooped it out with. She was great and enjoyed it a lot.
We really enjoyed the 1.5 mile walk through the grove of Giant Sequoias. They were just amazing! The mosquitoes loved us, especially Audrey. She had fourteen bites just in the first two days I think. Poor thing. The girls loved their Jr. Ranger and Jr. Cub programs and hope to find one close to home. I'm hoping maybe Carpenteria has that program, but we'll see. Supposedly every park is supposed to have it, but according to the Ranger, there are only a few.
I was so grateful that Jeremy could get the time off work to come with us and relax. He's such a great camper and he's great at preparing the meals, too.
We didn't see any bears, but we saw lots of chikarees which are these little squirrels that try to steal your food and lots of Stellar blue Jays. We camped right next to a meadow which had a boardwalk going right down the middle of it to prevent it being trampled and the kids loved that. Even Wyatt and Isaac went out there one time when we weren't looking. Otherwise these two boys were busy pushing their trucks in the dirt and were soooo filthy by the end of the day.
Thank you Mom and Dad for letting us come up with you. It was a great trip! We also enjoyed seeing Ben and Leslie in their new place as well. Thanks for the lunch, Les!

My Brother the Fire Fighter

I believe that there are only a few times in someone’s life when you just feel overwhelmed with pride on behalf of someone else. I am not talking about “one of the best days of your life” like getting married or having a child, but rather a huge sense of accomplishment on behalf of someone else and the great feeling that comes because you are lucky enough to be a part of their life. Well, this is the first time in my life, so far, that I have felt that. You see, my brother Brian, is officially a Fire Fighter/EMT for the city of Tucson, AZ.
I was able to attend his graduation ceremony on Thursday 6/19 and Friday 6/20. I would believe that most of you that read this blog know Brian and the kind of person he is. Brian has a huge heart and doesn’t have an enemy in the world. If for some reason you don’t like Brian, there is something seriously wrong with you. Brian is a carefree soul yet a great friend to many and will be there to help you out in a jam. (Why do I feel like I am writing an obituary here?!)
Those who are going to be working with him will realize quickly that he is loyal and will have your back in whatever you do. You are lucky to have such a friend. I have always looked up to my little brother (literally and figuratively) and have even more of a reason to do so now.
I think one of the reason’s I am so proud of him is that he is so passionate about everything he does; he seems to want to do everything! It seemed for a few years that he had a new passion about a career every few weeks. I will be honest and say I was a little worried about him for a while, yet at the same time a little jealous because I don’t have that passion towards any career. Except for maybe a few years ago, when I was intent on being a fire fighter myself and realizing it was too late for me because I wouldn’t be able to care of my family if I did (no regrets!). So, for him to follow through on this was a real big deal, especially because he has been working at it so hard for at least the last year or so. He went through EMT training, community college fire academy, and then was blessed enough to get hired his first time through for TFD (22 week academy). I understand that even in Arizona it takes three to four times through the tests before they will hire you and he got through on his first try!
So here’s to my little brother the Fire Fighter! Good luck bro and be safe!
(I finally got a picture up, too bad it's really dark. Brian is in his uniform and has his badge on his left side. The badge is a lot heavier than it looks!)

Jeremy's Birthday

This Sunday, the 22nd is Jerm's 32nd birthday! He'll be going out of town this Thursday until Saturday night to go to his brother Brian's Fire Academy Graduation. We are very proud of Brian! And, Jerm is also getting his new bike, that, thanks to my Uncle Scott is awaiting him in Mesa. Jerm is very excited about it and I'm sure will be posting pictures of it on here for all of you to enjoy! Anyway, I wanted to post his wish list for those of you who may be interested. Please don't feel obligated! It is a wish list, so there are some expensive things on here!
Here it is:

Tools
Sawz-All
19V Cordless drill
Jigsaw
Big Tool Box on Wheels

Movies
Return of the King (Extended Version)
Jason Bourne Trilogy
Transformers
Indiana Jones Trilogy
Long Way Down

House Related
Entertainment Center
Matching Couches for living room
Railing for upper backyard
Lighting for outside house
Wood to make a work bench
Lighting for inside garage

Motorcycle Related
Gift card for Cycle Gear
Helmet Cam (ebay user “extremehelmetcams” seems to have the best ones)
Hydraulic Motorcycle work stand (approx $200)
Camelbak backpack w/ new bladder (not too big of one. Probably HAWG size)
Riding gear
Scott 89Xi Desert Goggle ($50)
No Toil brand air filter cleaner and oil

Other
iTunes Gift Cards
Apple A/V cord to use video iPod as output ($20)
garden kneeling pads (one for work and one for the garage)
Bike light for his bicycle and a flashing red one for the back

If you want to know what I got him, you'll have to call or email to find out. I don't want to give anything away! We're going to celebrate with a little cake and ice cream on Sunday and his favorite meal of homemade taquitos and guacamole. I hope it's not too hot!

Santa Barbara Trip

Jeremy and I decided that since we are having a baby for our anniversary, that we better get away for a couple of days before I get too huge and before the baby comes. We chose Santa Barbara which is always so nice. The weather could not have been more perfect! We found this great Bed and Breakfast with awesome service and very yummy food. It also had a double jacuzzi in the room!

We got up there on Friday night about 6 and rented Segways. When Jerm told me what we were doing, I was like, okay, what are Segways? I did know what they were, but had forgotten their name. His mom had the idea to do it and it was sooo fun! These machines are so cool and you can just relax on them, as much as you can while standing. The guys who took us on a tour took us all the way down to Butterfly Beach which happens to be in front of the Biltmore in Montecito. It was gorgeous! No butterflies this time of year, but the sun was starting to go down and it wasn't too cold.

After the Segways and a great missionary experience with Bill our guide, we went to the FisHouse which was soooo good! Jerm and I shared some Mahi Mahi with Mango salsa on top, and for dessert we had Bananas with pastry on top, drowned in a caramel cinnamon sauce and vanilla ice cream.

The next morning we got up to a delicious breakfast on the patio that started off with homemade granola, fresh cut up strawberries, than a Baked Egg dish finishing with Blueberry muffins. We were full until about 2PM. We strolled around the Mission and saw all these cool sidewalk chalk drawings. We're not talking kids drawing, but portraits and amazing works of art! Then we drove up to the Botanical gardens and did the mile walk around and saw some gorgeous red Woods. Poor Jerm was a little nervous for most of the walk because the trail was lined with poison oak and he is pretty allergic to the stuff.

After a nice nap and lunch at Anderson's on State Street, we got a one hour massage! Wow, was that heaven! These two ladies who worked on us were so good! Mine had been a midwife before and knew exactly what to work on to make my hips feel better. I definitely want to go back before I have this baby. We walked out of there with these huge smiles on our faces! If you've never gotten a professional massage, it is well worth the money!

Our dinner that night was descent, but I don't think Jerm and I would go back there. It was a little too pricey for the quality, but we still had a nice time.

It was just great to get away and relax. Thank you Mom and Dad and whomever else for watching and loving our kids.