On Holiday (part I)

This is a phrase I've heard over the years but recently adopted as my own. I don't like saying vacation all that much because to me it implies rest. All us moms/parents know that a vacation is not restful, most of the time, nor do I particularly think it should be. I like the term "holiday" because it implies something to celebrate. And that's what we do. We celebrate that we are away from normal life, dad doesn't have to be at work and we can be with loved ones that we don't normally see...all of this is much cause for a CELEBRATION! And that's just what we did.

The car trip

Not much to report on this one except Bill and I were once again reminded at how unique our situation is. We left Friday after Bill got off work, (you know the whole routine. Everything's supposed to be ready when daddy gets home so we can throw the last couple items in and hit the road...Why do the last couple of items always take a couple of hours to pack?!) We were successful at getting on the road and just 3 hours outside of Vegas it was past dinner time and time to hook Livi up to her meds. How odd I know we look drawing drugs out of tiny vials with needles, parked in the shadows of a gas station/rest stop somewhere between nowhere. We've just gotta laugh. We arrived in Redding at 6am Saturday morning with two very excited kids. Thankfully Gee and Papa took them off our hands for a while so we could catch up on some z's.

Blessings of the Gospel

What a wonderful opportunity to have been able to be a part of our oldest nephew's baptism, Evan Reasbeck, and his baby brother's blessing, Chase. Evan, who turned 8 in July was gracious enough to postpone his baptism until this Saturday so we could all be a part of his special day, and it was great. It was so much fun to see all the younger cousins so excited for Evan. All of them scrunched in around the baptismal font to see Evan's sins being "washed away". "Just like Jesus Mom!" was Olivia's reaction. After Chase's baby blessing on Sunday we had a great family lunch back at Gretchen's house and then it was off to our respective dwellings to prepare for the camping trip.

This is after Chase's blessing. Bill and I are on the left with Garrett and Kristi to the right. Then my dad, sister Angela, brother Adam, Gretchen's in-law's in the back and Ryan holding Chase on the end. Oldest to youngest of cousins are also visible in size: Evan R., Cody C. Chandler R., Olivia E., Logan C., Ethan R., Aaron E., baby Emily C., and baby Chase R. What a great looking family!

Camping in the Redwoods
Aaahhh! What more can I say. The sights, the smells the cold, crisp, clean air...aaahhh! It was a lot of fun. We camped at Mill Creek campground which is just south of Crescent City on the 101. We do this every year and have since I was Aaron's age. My whole side of the family goes, which as of date includes 16 people plus 2 newborns! This was the first year without my mom which put a new dynamic into things. It was hard to watch dad keenly aware of being alone as he drifted off to his tent at night. Mom's most favorite place in the world was the ocean and camping with her family. My sister-in-law Kristi said, that as she had been thinking much about mom, she and Garrett had noticed the similarities that Olivia has to her. The way she walks, the way she talks to the other kids, even her facial expressions. I miss my mom terribly but am greatly comforted daily with my unwavering knowledge that we will be together again, as a family, just like on this earth. These simple truths of eternal family, what my mother taught me, make me strong and help me to endure.

When my family goes camping we really do a great job. Each family takes a night to prepare a meal for everyone. This year, like always, everyone did a superb job. Gretchen and Ryan kicked it off with their classic chile rellano dish (dutch oven style, yum) with a new dish added this year of pineapple chicken teryakki with grilled zucchini as a side!!! Garrett and Kristi went above and beyond the realm of simple dutch oven cooking and prepared an excellent Prime Rib Roast, complete with carrots and red potatoes. I was thrilled with how our meal turned out as we prepared Chicken Enchiladas in dutch ovens with sides of spanish rice and beans...YUMMM-O! And thank goodness for Dad, Adam and Angie and traditions that will never die. Everyone enjoyed their classic "firehouse chili" and dutch oven baked cornbread!!!

Our days are spent climbing the stumps of Redwood trees, exploring the nearby creek beds and hiking trails, racing up and down the camp roads with bikes/scooters, or driving down to the pier/beach. This year we tried being a little more adventuresome and treked up into Brookings, Oregon. A short 40 min drive north with beautiful scenery all around (and quite a few retirement options for Bill and I) we arrived at a great beach. We spent a fabulous afternoon playing in the sand with the more courageous boys braving the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest! My oldest sister, Gretchen, in her true style stayed at the car to stay clean...in her defense she did have a newborn with her. heehee! Anyways, her husband Ryan and I turned our backs to the cars and suggested to the 3 older boys (lft to rt) Cody, Chandler, and Evan, "Do you want to be buried in the sand?" We didn't turn back until it was too late and we got the disappointed head shake, like we knew we would, but that's okay, it was worth it. The boys had to be washed off in the freezing cold water, it just made the sand stick more. Aaron might as well have been buried, he was just as dirty as the other 3 and so out to the ocean he went as well. All of the cousins and some of us adults had a great time playing in the sand while other went to little shops in the area or kept the babies happy. (Just what I mean, not quite a vacation, but definitely a celebration of being together...a Holiday!)

Back at the camp, the kids were able to participate in a Junior Ranger program, so Olivia joined some of her cousins on a hike down to a creek bed where they were to collect a living creature of any sort and draw it in their booklet. Livi had a great time as did her other cousins that went. Aaron is definitely starting to feel that "big kid" separation and so he joined us as well.

And this year, like every year, we visited the tide pools. Olivia was having a tough time differentiating between this and the tie-died t-shirts we had made a few days before. She still mixes us the tie-died and tide but it was great. Lots of great sea creatures to look at and hold. We walked out a little further this year than normal and saw a bed of mussels. The kids were even able to walk on it, Bill did too. It was incredible.

Tie-died t- shirts and Tide pools
Now that's what I call "mussel"!

The pictures could go on forever so, for camping I'll end with these.

We came on Monday and left on Saturday. We came back one day early so Bill could get home, someone could take my brother to the airport, and Olivia was out of her meds. She was so great with her meds. Every night she wanted her cousins to "help" or at least watch as she did her meds and we hooked her up to her TPN. Three of the cousins, Evan, Logan and Chandler, even helped when I reaccessed her port one night in the back of our car. That picture would have been priceless...complete with all 5 of us huddled in the back around a sterile field. Classic!
Thank you to all my family for yet another great week in the Redwoods!