A Lovely Weekend

Raise your hand if you thoroughly enjoyed the Bay Area weather this last weekend! I sure did. Jared's sister and her boyfriend came to visit us last weekend and we were thrilled to have such wonderful weather for all of our sightseeing/adventures. I knew it was going to be awesome when the weather map on the news simply had the word "gorgeous" strewn across the west on Friday morning. On Friday we headed to San Francisco and had a wonderful time. We drove to Half Moon Bay and then up Highway 1 to get to the city. However, none of us remembered cameras, so we have no photo documentation of the good times. But, the weather was amazing and our adventures included such things as pizza from Golden Boy (best pizza ever), a drive down Lombard street, a drive-by of the Golden Gate, and some stops at several beaches/coastline sites. Good times.

On Saturday, we headed south to Pacific Grove/Carmel to do 17-Mile Drive. It was another beautiful day and good times were had again. This time, we remembered our cameras, so here are some photos of our adventures for your viewing pleasure:





I told you it was beautiful. The surfers thought so, too.



And who wouldn't want to tee off here, with the waves crashing in front of you (and yes, that really is a tee box)?



What a lovely couple (and great camera skills, Ashlee)!



And here is another lovely couple (though not quite as lovely as the first - JK).



We found some tide pools and saw starfish, hermit crabs, and sea anenomes.



And we spent lots of time carefully searching for sea glass.



Of course, cruising on 17-Mile drive is not complete without stopping to see the Lone Cypress and the 18th Green at Pebble Beach.




We finished the drive in Carmel and Jared practiced his paparazzi skills with Ashlee and David while we enjoyed the sunset on the beach.



After our day on the coast, we drove home, making an expensive stop at the Gilroy outlets on the way. We hope Ashlee and Dave enjoyed the trip. We had the best weather possible, so I don't think they had a choice but to enjoy themselves. Thanks for visiting, guys!

Pants

Please settle in. I'm about to go on a rant about pants (and no, those aren't mine).



According to Wikipedia (and we all know that Wikipedia doesn't lie), the average height for women over 20 years of age in the United States is 5 feet 4 inches tall. The last time I measured myself, I was 5 foot 3.75 inches. Usually I just round up to 5'4". Given these facts, can anyone explain to me why every time I try on a pair of pants, they're about 57 inches too long? And why I have to cut off a couple inches and re-hem almost every pair of pants I buy? I AM AVERAGE HEIGHT!!!! Can't somebody make pants that fit me? I would understand having to alter my pants if I were shorter than average. But, clothes are supposed to be made to fit the average person. And, according to Wikipedia, that's me. I wish that, like Tracy Jordan, I could simply yell, "pants, pants, pants" and well-fitting pants would be brought to me. That is not the case. Instead, I go in the dressing room, put on the pants, stand on my very, very tip toes, and still have an excessive amount of fabric bunched around my ankles. I might feel better about all of this if stores could knock off, say, 10 bucks from the price since I have to go home and fix them. But, no. I pay the full price and then have to go home, wash them a couple times to allow for any shrinkage, try them on again, figure out how much fabric I need to cut off, measure, cut, fold, iron, and sew the new hem in all before I can ever wear them. It is maddening! And I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. Does anyone else have this problem? Given that I am average height, I feel like almost everyone should have this problem. Please tell me I'm not alone in my pants predicament!

We Can Hardly Stand the Wait...

...so Christmas, don't be late!!

Our tree is up


We have our awesome Lego advent calendar to help us count down


And we have snow (okay, we don't have any snow at our house, but we can see snow in the Santa Cruz mountains and, here in the Bay Area, that means it's COLD!)


We're ready for Christmas!

Thanksgiving

This year, like last, we made the trek to Rexburg for Thanksgiving. This year, unlike last, it was cold and there was snow. When I checked the weather forecast before we left, I told Mr. Frisby that I might die there. He assured me that I would not and, indeed, I made it home intact. But, I was cold. This year, unlike last, we did not take any pictures. Fortunately, Mr. Frisby's sister took a picture of our one exciting outing. My father-in-law took me for an airplane ride in this bad boy (that's us taking off):



Can you see it? I know, it's small. There were only two seats in that airplane and it was awesome!

This year, unlike last, we saw a moose. Two, actually. We saw one crossing the street near the house. And as we drove by, we looked over at it and there was another one. Two moose! Moosen. Worth the trip, I think.

And that was pretty much the excitement for the trip. The rest of our time was spent bowling, miniature golfing, playing cards, seeing a movie, playing more cards, eating, sleeping, etc. We had a great time just relaxing and spending time with family. We even spent a few days in Utah to visit with my family there. Mr. Frisby got to attend his first BYU football game while I went shopping with my sisters. What a lovely vacation!

The Princess and the Pea

First off, I would like to thank eBay for making this post possible. I'm currently connected to the eBay sponsored free wi-fi on this Delta airplane while flying 30,000 feet above Nevada en route to Salt Lake City. Thank you eBay. And thank you, glorious technology!

Okay, onto the subject at hand. The other night, Mr. Frisby and I went out to buy a foam mattress topper for our mattress. As we got in the car after purchasing one, I told him that I was getting old. He asked why and I told him that I knew I was getting old because we had to buy a mattress topper. In the vigor of my youth, less than perfect sleeping conditions never bothered me. But now, I feel like the princess in the princess and the pea. I have slept on many surfaces that were not up to par. I'm fairly certain than any mattress I had while attending BYU was over 20 years old and totally worn out. And I won't even talk about what I slept on during my mission. In spite of these sub-par conditions, I always slept well and hopped out of bed fit as a fiddle. I was young. Over the past several years, I have not noticed any decline in my ability to rejuvenate while sleeping because I have had the privilege of sleeping on pillow-top mattresses (if you don't know what that is, you should probably find out. Soon.). But, apparently, the decline has happened. Since moving to our new apartment (still finishing the last of the unpacking - then I'll post pics!) a few weeks ago, we've been sleeping on the bed/mattress that Mr. Frisby had before we got married. It is not a pillow-top. And my body was quick to let me know. After the first few nights, I noticed that my hips were bruised and very sore. It was a familiar feeling. One I got every summer after sleeping on the ground for a week at girls' camp. I quickly realized that the soreness was due to the mattress and it's lack of pillow-top glory. So, we bought the mattress topper and my hips are feeling much better. But, I guess buying a mattress topper is a sign of getting older.

Flan

I am not a flan lover. In fact, if you asked if I liked it, I would probably say no. But, thanks to my friend Aaron, I have sampled the flan from El Pollo Loco and it is surprisingly tasty. So tasty that, upon spying an El Pollo Loco while out and about last night, Mr. Frisby and I decided to stop and get some. Mmmm. Smooth, creamy, carmely. Whether or not you like flan, you should probably give it a try. Yummy!

Differences

Mr. Frisby and I share many similarities. We also have some differences, though, and we noticed one this week. Upon moving into our new apartment, we started organizing and getting things unpacked. My first order of business was this:



Mr. Frisby's first order of business was this:

Crap

There's nothing like a good move to help you realize you have too much crap. I don't care how much crap you have. When it comes time to move it all, you realize you have too much. Since we had our big move today, all of our crap is piled in boxes around our new apartment. When we have unpacked all of said crap, I will post some photos of our new place.

Happy Halloween!

I have to work on Halloween night, so I'm celebrating a little early. Please enjoy this spooky scary video from one of my favorite TV shows as my happy Halloween wishes to you:

Birthday Golf

For Mr. Frisby's birthday, I told him we would go golfing in Pacific Grove. That was back in April. We finally had the chance to go on Saturday and we had a lovely time. Our friend, Aaron, came with us and we hit the links at 8:15 am. We had to leave our house at 6:30 am to make it for our tee time and I was worried that it would be cold and foggy on the coast that early in the morning. When we got there, it was cold and foggy, but we had lots of fun in spite of the weather.

There were deer.


There was fog.


There was lots of walking.


There were bad lies.

Mr. Frisby's

Mine

There were good shots.


And there were bad shots.


There were some good putts, but mostly bad putts.


And in the end, there were happy golfers!


Yay! Let's go again!

Proofreading

Some of you, or all of you, may have noticed some typos in my last couple of posts. During my many years of schooling and writing papers, I have prided myself on handing in assignments with very few, if any, typographical errors. I always proofread my writing to ensure correct spelling and grammar. My last couple of posts were no exceptions. After writing them and proofreading them, I posted them only to realize that there were some typos that had escaped my scrutiny. This is maddening to me! I have never had a need to question my proofreading skills in the past, but I fear that my age is catching up with me and my mind is not as alert and quick as it used to be. I may have to start having Mr. Frisby do a second proofread on my posts. Birthdays and getting older have never bothered me in the past because all of the physical changes that occurred were positive ones. Now I feel that negative changes are starting to take place and I don't want to get older. After my proofreading skills, I can only imagine what will be the next thing to go...

I Looked Out the Window...

...and what did I see?

A GIANT praying mantis looking at me!



Unfortunately, these pictures don't do it justice. The thing was massive! I actually noticed it first when I was walking up to the door after getting home from the gym. I noticed it out of the corner of my eye as I walked by it and nearly had a heat attack! I quickly rushed into the house to escape it's spiny claws. I grabbed the camera and ran to the window to get a good shot and the thing literally turned its head and looked at me when I took the picture. I texted Mr. Frisby to let him know that there was a gigantic bug outside that was probably capable of eating me. Even when I told him that it was 5-6 inches long (not an exaggeration), he did not seem as concerned for my safety as I thought he should be. He thought it was awesome. I told him it was not. I did an internet search to verify that it was, indeed, a praying mantis and to try to find out if praying mantises of that size were an anomaly and if they were dangerous. I learned that praying mantises are carnivorous and that was enough info for me. The thing stuck around for awhile and was still there was Mr. Frisby came home for lunch. When he actually saw it, he was indeed impressed with it's enormous size. But, still not as concerned with my safety as I thought he should be. He still thought it was awesome and wanted to name it Manny. I said no. Fortunately the thing was gone by the time we finished lunch. I have never seen any sort of praying mantis at my house, giant or otherwise, and I hope I never see one again. That thing was GROSS!

Loma Prieta

Today is the 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake, a 7.0 Richter magnitude earthquake that rocked the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas. I remember the day well. I was in the fifth grade and we were studying the Civil War. On October 17, 1989, I was in San Francisco with the fifth grade classes from my school on a field trip to visit Fort Point as part of our Civil War studies. Fortunately, we were on our way home with the earthquake struck at 5:04 pm. On the bus, it felt like all four tires had blown out, one after the other. We weren't sure what had happened, but the bus pulled over and we all got off so they could check the bus. When we got off, our teacher informed us there had been an earthquake. None of us realized had bad it was. My first clue about the intensity of the earthquake came when we passed a sound wall under construction on the way home. On the way up to San Francisco, I noticed the wall was almost finished. When we passed by it after the earthquake, I noticed it was just a pile of rubble. My next clue about how bad the earthquake was came when I got off the bus back at our school and I saw the relief on my mom's face when she saw me. She had no idea where we were when the earthquake hit and was afraid we were part of the damages they were showing on TV. She told me how worried she had been about me. But, I still didn't realize how bad the earthquake was. Then I got home and saw all of the news reports and images of the damage done. It was bad. Collapsed freeways, landslides, fires, etc., etc. Most of the damage happened in San Francisco and Santa Cruz and it was extensive. Fortunately, my neighborhood came through almost unscathed. But, it was quite the event to experience. I can't believe 20 years have gone by since that day.

Where were you when the earthquake hit?

Spoiled

I have been reading on many blogs lately about how excited people are for Fall. Personally, I am a Summer girl. I love Summer and all that comes with it. The heat, the sunshine, the barbecues, the vacations. Yes, Summer is definitely my season. I have been hanging on to it with a white-knuckle grip lately, but I fear that Summer has finally and ruthlessly been ripped from my grasp. And, this is where I realize that I am very spoiled here in California. Because when I say summer is gone and the cold weather has come, I'm talking temperatures of about 68 degrees. I am fully aware that my idea of cold here in the Bay Area is far different from the cold spoken of in other climates. I know this because when I told my mom yesterday that it was getting cold, she laughed in my face (okay, it wasn't really in my face because it was a phone conversation, but you catch my meaning). She is currently in Illinois and says that the rain we are supposed to get tonight will probably be snow by the time it gets there. I know I'm spoiled because I have made brief visits to much colder places and lived to tell the tale while defrosting upon my return home. I have even lived, for short periods of time, in colder areas. Be that as it may, I am currently in the Bay Area, the temperatures have dropped, and now I'm cold. And I miss Summer already! Let the countdown to warmer weather begin...

A Political Viewpoint

I avoid discussions on politics. It's not one of my favorite subjects, so I don't educate myself very well on the issues. That being the case, I can't really carry on a very deep conversation on the subject, so I mostly just avoid the issue. But, at times, it is thrust upon me as in this brief phone conversation I had yesterday:

Her: Hi, I'm blankety-blank (don't remember her name) from the National Republican Senatorial Committee and we need your input.
Me: Okay.
Her: What do you feel is the biggest threat posed by Obama and the Democratic Congress?
Me: What?
Her: What do you feel is the biggest threat posed by Obama and the Democratic Congress?
Me: I don't feel any threat from them.
Her: So, are you a Democrat?
Me: Almost.
Her: Oh, well then thank you for your time.

First off, some background. I am a registered Republican. However, I find myself becoming more and more unhappy with the Republican stance/attitude on many issues. And, I voted for Obama in the last election because I felt he was a much better candidate for POTUSA than McCain. I try to keep an open mind and am not strictly governed by Republican party policies, however my personal affiliation is irrelevant to the point I would like to make.

When the lady asked me what the biggest threat was from Obama and the Democratic Congress, I was so surprised at her use of the word "threat" that I didn't really know how to answer, hence my response of "what?" (Don't think for one minute that I didn't contemplate using Lucille's line from Arrested Development, "I don't understand the question and I won't respond to it." - I was trying to be polite). When she repeated the question word for word, I had a little more time to gather my thoughts and she seemed quite irritated that I didn't feel "threatened" by the Democrats. What she didn't know is that it is precisely that attitude that has inspired me to distance myself from the Republican party and its ideals.

Now for my viewpoint. And, this is my blog, so I can say what I want and you can agree or disagree - I don't really care. But, this is how I feel about the matter. Since when am I supposed to consider the Democrats my enemies? Why should I feel threatened by them? This may come as a shock to some, but Obama is an American citizen. Every Democratic senator or congressman is an American citizen. I highly doubt that their ultimate goal is the downfall of The United States of America, so why should I consider them my enemies? It is my belief that, ultimately, the Democrats and Republicans have the same goal - a better America. Am I wrong? I don't think so. They may have differing opinions on how to get there, but ultimately, I think they're all working for a better America. So, I think it's time for the Republican party to wake up to the fact that we have a Democratic President and a Democratic Congress and that's not going to change anytime soon. And if they would stop considering the Democrats as "the bad guy" and try to work with them, we might actually get some things done in this country. Case in point: we desperately need health care reform in this country. Is it going to happen? I really don't know because too many of our politicians are unwilling to compromise. They don't want to give anything to "the bad guys". If they can't have it their way, they don't want it at all. I'm so fed up with this attitude! Why can't more than one person be right? It's the idea that if two ideas are different, then one has to be wrong. I tend to believe that that is not always the case. We have had Democratic presidents that have made poor decisions and also some very good decisions. And we have had Republican presidents that have made poor decisions and also some very good decisions. I think it's obvious that nobody has all the answers and neither party is perfect. So, maybe if we all work together, we can take everyone's good ideas and decisions and make good things happen. In the words of the Fab Four, "We can work it out!"

And that's enough politics for the week.

Leases and Lions

First off, the lease. My parents come home from their mission in about a month. That means that our awesome housesitting gig is up and it's time for us to get out. We have found an apartment, however, and signed the lease today! We're very excited to have that all taken care of. It's not far from my parents' house, so we will stay in our ward and it will be fun to be close to them. We're not excited about having to pay rent, but we are looking forward to using all of our wonderful wedding gifts and we're stoked about not having a yard to protect from the squirrels anymore.

Speaking of squirrels, that brings me to my next point. Lions. Mountain lions to be specific. Well, one mountain lion. At least, I think it was a mountain lion. It was far too big to be a housecat. Anyway, today I witnessed the murder of a squirrel at the hand (or paw) of a small mountain lion. You might wonder where I was that I would see a mountain lion out hunting in the wild (or urban wild, as the case may be). Well, I was walking to my car after work. Yes, I was in a residential neighborhood at the base of the foothills. I did not expect to witness any bloodshed. But, as I was walking to my car, I heard a commotion in some nearby pine trees. I looked over to see a squirrel hop from one branch to another. Then, I saw the mountain lion. It jumped to the same branch as the squirrel and pounced on it. Then I heard some screeching from the squirrel and then silence. While it was somewhat satisfying to know there is one less squirrel in the world, it was a bit disturbing to witness it's demise. I have decided that I am for the hunting of squirrels by mountain lions, but I am against seeing it happen before my very eyes.

Upping the Ante

In preparation for our upcoming move, Mr. Frisby and I have been going through some of our stuff and getting rid of some things. We found some old textbooks and decided to sell them online. My old textbook was selling new on Amazon for over 100 bucks. We listed mine for 90 and then lowered the price to 80 dollars when it wasn't selling. The book sold yesterday, giving us a profit of about 70 dollars after shipping costs. I decided to make a small purchase with the proceeds:



Since we already have all of the Rock Band Instruments, we only needed the game disc to begin our own version of Beatlemania. Mr. Frisby was ecstatic when I came home with that little gem and after dinner, we immediately got to work rocking out to the Beatles' legendary tunes. We popped in the disc and our eyes sparkled with wonder and awe as the intro played across the screen. We became almost giddy as we scrolled through the song list and picked "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" for our first attempt. It wasn't far into the song, however, when I realized how much pressure I was feeling to do well. You see, without knowing it, we had upped the Rock Band ante. I found myself trying my best to not miss a note, not because I didn't want a bad score, but because I didn't want to disgrace the Fab Four. All of sudden, success had more to do with playing the song right for the sake of making the song sound good than for getting a high percentage of notes hit right. You can't screw up the Beatles - that's just not cool. So, there we were, playing our hearts out in honor of four guys from Liverpool. And we were having the time of our lives. Soon, we even got out the microphone so we could sing along. We never use the mic unless we have four people playing and we have to. But, when it's the Beatles, you can't help but sing along. So, now we have the Beatles Rock Band and I believe it has taken us to a new level of video game euphoria. We don't play too many video games, but The Beatles Rock Band is about the best thing a video game system can hope for and it makes us giddy to play it. Anyone want to join in?

Life

My sister called last night. She wanted to make sure I'm alive since it's been so long since I've updated my blog. My sincerest apologies. I've wanted to post several times, but the problem is that life just keeps happening and sometimes it doesn't allow much time for blogging. So, I'll give you a brief rundown of the things I've wanted to post about in the last few weeks, but just haven't had time for.

1. I ran over a bolt. Poor Maggie. She took it like a champ. The bolt punctured right through the tire, leaving it with 0 air pressure in a matter of minutes. Thank everything for run flats. Even with no air pressure in the tire and a gaping hole, I was able to drive home from work and then drive to my favorite tire place the next day to get the tire replaced. What is my favorite tire place, you ask? America's Tire Company. They're awesome and have always treated me right. I could probably be their spokesperson. When encountered with such a circumstance as a bolt in the tire, they prorate the price of a new tire based on how much tread is left - as long as you purchased the tire there originally, which I did. So, a 225 dollar tire (yes, that's singular) ended up costing me about 110 dollars. If you ever have any tire issues, go to America's Tire Company. They're awesome.

2. Visitors. My sister, Julie, and her husband, Terrell, came to visit for Labor Day. It was a short visit, but we had lots of fun. We went out to dinner, had all the family in the area over for Sunday dinner, and spent Labor Day poking around Capitola. We also introduced Julie & Terrell to Rock Band, which prompted them to buy the Beatles version as soon as it came out. I also demonstrated to Terrell how I shoot at the squirrels around here. It was fun to have them here for a visit. Last weekend, my brother, Byron, and two of his kids, Ben and Sierra, came to stay with us so they could go to my niece, Alyssa's, missionary farewell. Good times with family.

I guess that's it. You really haven't missed that much. But, rest assured, I'm very much alive and keeping pretty busy. I will try to keep a little more on top of the posting so as not to disappoint my adoring fans. The last few weeks have been a little hectic, but hopefully things will slow down a bit and leave me with a bit more time to devote to the blogosphere.

Mail

As I've mentioned before, one of the duties that comes with our housesitting gig is to go through my parents mail and forward on the important stuff. One of the things I most look forward to about moving out is not having to do that anymore. They get a lot of mail and most of it is junk. However, every once in awhile, there are a few gems. Like the autographed George W. picture sent to my mom in thanks for her contributions to the Republican party. I had no choice but to immediately put it up on the refrigerator. Or the certificate of gratitude sent to my mom in honor of her contributions to the US Olympic Team. Also currently up on the refrigerator. I've learned some things about my parents by going through their mail and coming across these gems. Apparently my mom is a generous person, as evidenced by all of the mailings she receives in gratitude of her contributions. What I've learned about my dad by going through the mail is that he is, apparently, getting old. He receives marketing materials for assisted living places almost weekly. He gets AARP magazines and notices. However, my favorites would have to be the advertising materials for cremation services. Personally, I would think these mailings would be quite offensive. I mean, if you're getting information on cremation, then the company sending it must assume that you already have one foot in the grave. However, maybe as you get old you come to terms with the fact that maybe you do have one foot in the grave and then you appreciate the information on what to do with your body when you do, in fact, kick the bucket. So, maybe the real test of whether or not my dad is getting old is whether or not he is offended by these mailings.

Offensive or not, I do find the cremation information very entertaining. With such a sensitive subject, these companies waste no time in getting to the point.

"As difficult as it is, sometimes we owe it to ourselves and to those we love to face the truth. Dying is part of life."

"For a variety of reasons, more and more California residents are choosing to plan for a memorialized cremation over traditional funeral arrangement - and the numbers are increasing every year!"

Then, they have to convince you that burning your body up when you die is the way to go.

"Cremation just makes sense. Simple, Economical and Dignified...It just makes sense!"

"How do we acknowledge and respect the people we love and the planet that has served us so well in life? We offer basic cremation services because our clients are smart."

They tout the many benefits of cremation over traditional burial:

-It's less expensive
-There's less impact on the environment
-It's easier for your loved ones to deal with during such an emotionally vulnerable time

Then, of course, they include famous quotes to inspire you to plan for your death:

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift; that's why they call it the present." -Eleanor Roosevelt

"Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning." -Winston Churchill

One of the companies even offered to enter my dad in a drawing for a pre-paid cremation if he simply requested more information.

Of course, one of my favorite parts was the disclaimer/apology at the end in the case that the mailing arrived in an untimely manner:

"This mailing is part of a general distribution - delivery to a home where illness exists is unintentional."

"Please accept our apologies if this letter has reached you at a time of serious illness or death in your family."

Yes, I am really looking forward to not having to sort through my parents' mail anymore. But, I'll definitely miss the rare gems that come through.

The Pacific Northwest - The Final Chapter

After good times in Seattle, we headed out a bit further on Monday. We decided to go to Leavenworth. It's about an hour and a half from my sister's house and is on the other (eastern) side of the Cascade Mountains. Being on the other side of the mountains, it is, therefore, a bit warmer. I was excited about the fact that I could finally wear shorts. On the way to Leavenworth we stopped at a couple of beautiful waterfalls to check them out. I thought they looked pretty cool, but Tracy said there was a lot less water going through since it was late in the summer.


Mr. Frisby checks out Eagle Falls


Mr. Frisby, Me, Tracy, and Shannon at Eagle Falls


Mr. Frisby and I at Eagle Falls


Deception Falls


Me and Tracy at Deception Falls

After our brief stops, it was on to Leavenworth. Leavenworth is a small "Bavarian" town. Walking around, it's like walking through a little town in the Bavarian Alps. See:


Leavenworth's Main Drag

I was very excited when we stopped for ice cream and I saw they had Licorice flavor. Mmmm. I love Licorice flavored ice cream! I think one kid was a little disturbed to see me eating black ice cream. I heard his mom trying to explain what it was as they passed by. The blackened mouth was totally worth it.


Yummy!


Mr. Frisby and I in Leavenworth

When we got back from Leavenworth that evening, we had some dinner and then decided to take the Jeeps out for some 4 wheeling for FHE. It started raining before we headed out, but if you've ever been to Washington, you know that you can't let the rain stop you. So, we went 4 wheeling in the rain and had an awesome time! We all went, so there were four of us in each Jeep. The red Jeep had myself, Mr. Frisby, Jesse, and Holly. It's a 4 wheel drive Jeep, but not totally decked out for crazy stuff. Jesse did most of the driving, but Holly, Mr. Frisby and I all got turns, too. The white Jeep had John, Tracy, Mark, and Shannon. It's totally decked out for 4 wheeling craziness and when Mr. Frisby and I climbed in it for the ride home and saw the AC, digital clock and dome lights, we decided it was the Rolls Royce of Jeep Wranglers.


The red Jeep during Mr. Frisby's turn driving. I'm in the front and Holly and Jesse are in the back.


The white Jeep with John at the wheel, Tracy in the passenger seat, and Shannon and Mark in the back.

The place we went is about 20 minutes from John and Tracy's house and it had some awesome trails. It was getting dark, it was raining, and it was a bumpy ride, so most of the pictures we took are pretty blurry. However, I think they turned out pretty cool:


This one is one of my faves





After our 4 Wheeling FHE, we went home and had Tracy's Blackberry Pie. After all, what FHE is complete without dessert?

The next day was our last day in Washington, so we packed up and relaxed around the house until it was time to head to the airport. On the way to the airport we stopped at Snoqualmie Falls to enjoy a little bit more of Washington's natural beauty before heading home to the Golden State. We checked out the Falls from the top and then hiked down about a half mile to the bottom.


Snoqualmie Falls from the top


Mr. Frisby and I at the bottom of the Falls

All in all, it was a great vacation. We packed in a lot of stuff and had tons of fun. And now, Mr. Frisby can add another place to his list of countries he's visited. Thanks for the good times, Van Horns!

Weekend Activities in Seattle

When we got back from Victoria, Tracy's girls were home from girls' camp, so that weekend it was time to play. On Saturday, we went with the whole family (minus my oldest nephew, who had to work) to go canoeing on Lake Washington. At the edge of the lake, there are lily pads all over and they've cut "trails" through them. So, you can head out in a canoe and cruise around through these "trails". It was pretty cool and gave us a little different perspective. There are floating bridges that take the highway over the lake, so we were canoeing right under the highway and we could see the cars buzzing by as we peacefully plied the waters amongst all of the lily pads. After we finished canoeing, we hiked around a little on the footpaths near the canoeing area.











Since we didn't have time to see the Locks on Saturday, we headed back to Seattle after church on Sunday so we could see them. The Locks create a passage between Lake Union and Puget Sound. We also checked out the Salmon Fish Ladder nearby. On the way to the locks, we passed this troll statue right under an overpass. Notice the VW Bug in his left hand:





Checking out the action at the locks

The Salmon Fish Ladder is a series of "steps" in the water which the fish jump up to go from the lower Puget Sound to the higher Lake Union. There is a viewing area where you can go down and see the fish underwater:



Though there were fish in the water, they weren't jumping up the ladder. Sad. They were jumping like crazy out on the lake, though. As we were leaving the locks, we stopped and watched the lake for about five or ten minutes and there were salmon jumping everywhere! I got some video of it, but it was on our HD video camera. I'm fairly certain that's a little too high-powered for Blogger, so I'm not even going to try to post it. If you really want to see it, just ask next time you come over. After the locks, Tracy and John took us to a park in Seattle which has an amazing view of the skyline:


I told you - Amazing!

After checking out the view, we discovered a little playground at the park with all of these spinning apparatuses. Apparently, Seattle kids like to make themselves dizzy. They literally had all of these things that you just climb on/in and you start spinning, really fast. Then you get really dizzy. Then you throw up. Okay, only Mark threw up. The rest of us stopped before we got to that point. These pictures don't do it justice because they all look like we're just sitting still and making weird poses. But, just imagine that we're all spinning and getting very, very dizzy.





A great way to spend the weekend. And with only one incidence of vomiting, we're already doing better than Sharon's family.

Next up, our little getaway to Bavaria and good times 4 wheelin'