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2018 and Another Go!
8 years ago
Jun 14, 2009
Post By: Anonymous
Post By: Peter
Another toy for Shasta Lake. I was talking to my brother the other day about our houseboat trip and he offered to let us take his standup jetski. So we're gonna bring that as well. I thought it would be a fun thing to have. I remember having a blast on it in high school. It is not one of the two or three seater waverunner types. It is a Kawasaki standup jetski. The only down side is that only those 16 years and older are allowed to operate. I was wondering if that was just good practise, but it is actually California law. It is an older jetski, so no guarantees in the end. I also have an offer from a co-worker to bring his 16 foot canoe. If we can shake it for transportation do you all think that it is worth it? Kenn and Barb, are you bringing your kayaks? Needless to say I'm pretty excited and I'm sure my coworkers are gonna be happy to have me gone so they don't have to listen to me talk about it every day while we toast up cheese sandwiches at work.
Peter
Jun 13, 2009
Post By: Tracey
Portland Lodging Request
Hey Family,
I've got a question for all of you with ties to the Portland/Vancouver area. My brother Matt is in medical school in Wisconsin and was just granted an away rotation in the Portland area for the month of August. I am so excited because this means he could hopefully get a residency there and then get a job there and eventually settle somewhere nearby us! This would be awesome!!!! Anyway, the program does not include lodging for the students for the month they are there. Needless to say, he's a student, married with 1 child and one on the way, and is hoping to find some sort of cheap lodging for the month. They've asked that I ask around and see if anyone knows someone in the church they could contact in the Portland area. They're hoping to find someone in like a singles' ward who would be able to house an extra roommate for a month or maybe even something like a retired couple who have a basement apartment that Matt could rent/borrow for August. He doesn't go until August so there is no rush, they just though they would ask. If you have a contact name or number they can do the leg work from there. Please let me know if you know of anything!
Thanks!
Tracey
Post By: Marnie
Aflac Iron Girl 5K
I did the Aflac IronGirl 5K in Del Mar this last weekend. It was really fun and probably the most organized race with the best swag I have ever done. We got a cool running shirt, a stuffed animal duck that says "AFLAC!", a free ticket to the Del Mar fair and a bunch of awesome other stuff. The race was all women, which was fun. We started in the fairgrounds. The fair opens this Friday so all the food carts were set up with their pictures of deep fried oreos and ice cream bars...a lot of stuff I'd rather be eating than running. But I guess that is why I am running...so I can eat those! :)
For the last mile of the race we ran on the actual racetrack. It was actually much harder than you would think. "Those poor horses" was all I was thinking the whole time I was on the track. It is made of what feels like broken down cardboard mixed with sand - not so kind on a runner. Totally absorbed everything. But I finished it and got a cool medal and got to pose with a duck.
Ok...back to work...
Jun 8, 2009
Post By: Marnie
News for my fellow MacHeads
Details here. I'm sure you all already know about this but just in case. I'm sure glad I didn't get a 3G!!
Jun 7, 2009
Post By: Tracey
It's June!
So it’s been a while since I posted... where have I been... let’s start at the beginning:
Tom got home from Cambodia on May 24th and brought great experiences, pictures and souvenirs with him. He had a great time serving the people of Cambodia and helping them with their teeth. Due to the reign of Pol Pot, a totalitarian tyrant, there are very few doctors or dentists in Cambodia so many people came from hours away to wait to be treated for severe tooth pain. From 1975-1979 the Khmer Rouge regime arrested and eventually executed almost everyone suspected of connections with the former government or with foreign governments, as well as professionals and intellectuals. Tom was given a few liberty days before and after his time working on teeth and was able to tour some memorials, visit some markets and feed the monkeys in the park. He is grateful for the time he spent there and we are grateful to be together again.
While Tom was gone things were okay here, although we missed him a lot and the kids fought me every night at bedtime. Tom is often gone in the evening and I put the kids to bed by myself but they knew this was different and Hayden liked to argue and make things hard. Toward the end I learned that if I promised Hayden extra snuggle time in bed he wouldn’t fight me so much. I know he just missed having Tom there to put him to bed while I put the girls in bed. My friend Joy and I decided to take advantage of her husband being really busy with a new trial starting at work and Tom being gone and we went up to stay at some beach cottages. The weather was rainy so instead of the beach we enjoyed going to the NeoPark, the weird zoo/aquarium/aviary place. Hayden’s favorite part was walking the dogs, Danica liked seeing the monkeys and meerkats who are not in cages and were walking all around us while they were being fed, Alyssa liked the peacocks who were huge and plentiful and my favorite was watching them feed all the water birds small fish and seeing the pelican fill his mouth with tons of fish.
We spent a day at the Ocean Expo Park, the HUGE aquarium and were delighted to see the feeding of the whale sharks where they dumped tons of squid in the huge tank and we saw them gobbled up by the manta rays. The third day was nice enough and we just lounged and swam at the beach. It was great.
Since Tom has been back we’ve been enjoying ourselves. We did a total makeover in our bedroom. I really wish we had done some before and after pictures because the before was so sad and pathetic. We would avoid our room unless we were sleeping. We aren’t quite done so no pictures yet but I am loving the results and actually enjoy spending time in there! We’ve also filled our time with more parks and beach fun. We went snorkeling on Memorial Day and Tom saw a sea snake. The next Saturday Tom took the kids to a park that we thought was kind of far away and I ran to meet them there. Turns out it only takes so long to get there because of traffic, it was only 4 miles away! I was shocked and saddened to arrive so quickly because I wanted a longer run but mentally was done because I’d reached my goal! Here are some cute shots of the kids at the park. The girls both have pig tails and look sooo much alike!
This past weekend we went to Okuma, the Air Force beach resort about 2 hours away. We stayed in a beach condo and had a fantastic time! We went with our friends Joy and Scott enjoyed the sand, had a campfire, and played games when the kids were in bed. The next day we hiked, explored tide pools and then enjoyed the beach all day. Hayden learned to boogie board and actual swam in the ocean something he is usually terrified of. Alyssa came down with a fever and was tired, but being terrible parents we simply laid her on towel under an umbrella to take a nap and we went on with the day. We rented kayaks and took turns taking the kids out on a ride (my arms are still sore). Then we hired the boat for 30 minutes and we all enjoyed a boat ride and took turns being pulled behind it on the tube. Everything is so affordable, it’s a fantastic military perk to have an amazing weekend for hardly any money! It was a lot of fun! Sadly, Alyssa is still sick and I think it may be strep throat (it’s going around) and I will take her to the doctor in the morning. In the meantime, here are some pics of the trip:
The school year is winding down for Hayden and he has only a few days left this week. Here he is getting his kindergarten participation award! 
He is very excited for summer vacation and so am I! We have only 2 weeks until we leave to head back to the states for a long visit!!! We will be arriving in Washington sometime the week of June 22nd (we are trying the free military flights...keep your fingers crossed for us.) We can't wait for the houseboat, we LOVED it last year. We can't wait to spend so much time with everyone, meet nieces and nephews and eat and shop! Then Tom has to fly back here and I head to Utah on July 16th. With my parents we are heading to southern Utah the day after we arrive to stay in Antimony for 4-wheeling, hiking, a rodea and for me to run in the Bryce Canyon 1/2 marathon. After making a million excuses I decided it’s not the right time for me to run a marathon, maybe next year. In the meantime, the Bryce Canyon 1/2 looks beautiful and I am really excited. Then I will spend a few more weeks with my family, meet a new niece, spend time with siblings including my brother’s wife who lives in Wisconsin, she’s coming to stay at my parents for two of the weeks I am there! I’m excited for the time we have to be with family and be in the states with shopping, eating and playing so different what we have on our little island. Then right at the end I get to go to my mom’s graduation from BYU!!!!! I am so proud of her and can’t wait to be there! She graduates on August 14th and I have to leave on the 15th to fly back before Alyssa turns 2 on the 17th. I bought tickets for the return flight because it would be to hard to get a free military flight at that time and I didn’t want to pay for one for Alyssa! Needless to say, I am sure I will come and need to just sleep for a week and then we’ll have about a week until Hayden starts school and Danica starts preschool! It’s crazy how time just flies by!
Well, that is all our big excitement! I am busy now working on getting all the paperwork in order, thinking through lodging options during our flights, deciding what to pack for a 7 week trip and what bring on the long flights, and what to do get the house ready in case a typhoon hits while we are gone! This may be my last blog before we leave... I guess we’ll see!
Jun 6, 2009
Post By: Brooke
D-Day, 65 Years Ago Today
I am in awe of all of the brave men that fought on the beaches that day. Their courage is something I cannot even comprehend. I feel very privileged that our family was able to visit the beaches of Normandy and get just the tiniest glimpse of the sacrifice made by so many. I am so proud of our American soldiers, time and again they step up to the plate and do what is asked of them. Thank you.
Jun 5, 2009
Post By: Dave
Shimmering Pink Lip Gloss
Yea – that is the name of the EMPTY tube glaring at me from the lint trap when I opened the dryer door this afternoon. A simple laundry transfer has turned into a hot pink nightmare. Morgan left this gem in her pants – and now I’ve got a spotted load of laundry. Thirty minutes and a bottle of Shout later, I am hoping for a miracle.
ISAAC continues to usher in his teenage years. The shaggy hair is back, complimented by some braces – and a bit of puberty, it seems. Brace yourself. He has one nipple that is swollen – a fact that he was less than excited to share with his mom – so when we went to his Scout Camp/Trek physical, I asked the (female) doctor about it – much to Isaac’s chagrin. Fortunately, it’s normal. Unfortunately, the doctor decided to pepper that revelation with a brief discussion on the effects of puberty on boys. I’ve never seen Isaac so uncomfortable in my life. He was literally crawling out of his pre-pubescent skin.
On a less embarrassing note, he aced his 8th grade project on Iwo Jima. He did a great job.
TAYLOR wants to be a dentist this month. It changes a lot. He used to want to be an artist, so when Morgan said, “I thought you wanted to be an artist”, he replied, “Morgan, dentists ARE artists.” What insight!
PARKER is suffering with allergies – hits him hard every year. He’s not completely sure what they are – but he knows they make him miserable. The boys went with Dave on a father-son campout a couple weekends ago – and they all awoke to Parker crying, “There’s allergies here!” Poor guy.
MORGAN is almost done with softball. What a relief. Her games are at least 2 hours long – and she has 2 a week. We’ve missed a few. I always dread calling her coach to tell him we won’t be there – I always perceive a disapproving sigh. I think I am the only team mom that doesn’t plan her life around the games, which may explain why I always sit alone.
We are all excited for the houseboat – it really simplifies things. Fewer clothes to pack, simpler meals, less cleaning – just need a few swimsuits and plenty of sun block. It will be great.
Adina
Jun 4, 2009
Post By: Mom/Barb
Change of Plans
Now that everything is settled....I can put this on the blog so that everyone knows about this in the family....and everyone else that reads this too....I guess!!!
Anyway, Monday night I was awake for about 2-3 hours stewing about the house. I thought that I had been clear to the landlords of the Lake Almanor house that we had children that exceeded the number on the contract. However, my nightmare was that we would arrive and she would not think the same as I did...I had been vague. So it bothered me so much that I called her on Tuesday to check. She basically was shocked that I would think such a thing and told me that she needed a day or two to think about it. She called back this am to tell me that they had decided not to rent it to us but just to refund all of the money. We could have still slept part of our people there and rented more houses but we couldn't be there during the day with everyone so it would just be a sleeping place.
So...Anne did a great job researching and we have rented a large houseboat for the same period of time on Lake Shasta. (Yes, I succumbed!!) Click here to see the boat. We were able to get a 30% discount on it which made it less than the money we are getting back from the house. Anne is figuring out living arrangements. This has separate staterooms and has a lot more room. It sleeps 20 in beds but I did clearly check with the resort and told them that we had children that exceeded that 20 and they said it was no problem at all. They are just required to affix a number. We had more than the number on the one last summer and never had any issues.
This is also a bit safer for the kids as it has no walkway down the side of the first deck. Plus it is not 2 1/2 hours out of Redding...In and Out here we come!!!
I am relieved....this has been a stressful week for me to say the least!!
Love,
Mom
Post By: Marnie
Is that really blue sky I see??
I know, I know. Shut up, Marnie. You live in San Diego, for goodness sake. You can take a little cloud cover.
I know that's what you are thinking after reading the title of this post and you are right. No one in San Diego should complain. And yet everyone is. A lot. We have been having our annual June Gloom for the past couple of weeks with almost constant cloud cover. The other day I was watching the morning news before leaving for work and I caught the forecast on NBC 7/39. I've never seen a weatherman look so depressed when he told us that (say this in your best Eeyore voice), "The whole weekend is going to be cloudy. Everywhere. No sun for us. Just stay inside. It's not worth it." Some creative liberty was taken there but I promise, it was enough to make me laugh. I'm hoping this weekend will be a bit better. I'm ready for summer time trips to parks, beaches and hikes.
This week has been pretty uneventful. Friends out of town + friends still in classes + full-time work + gloomy weather = Marnie going home after a full day of work, going to the gym (most days) and then in for the night usually consisting of some show like So You Think You Can Dance or similar.
However, last weekend I did go see Up with a couple friends. I really liked it. Not as funny as I thought it would be (had heard it was the funniest Pixar movie to date - definitely not) but the animation was great (as expected from Pixar), the story was really strong and overall it was enjoyable. I would definitely recommend it to everyone -- kids and adults. And I saw it in 3D, which was great, but I think this is a movie that you can see without the 3D, get the same experience and save yourself a couple dollars.
I also found out this week that my favorite band, Muse, will be playing a show in Oslo in October...while I am there!! I am pretty dang excited because I have never seen them live and I don't think they'll be back in the States to tour for another year or so. And I'm also excited to go to a rock concert in Oslo - see what it's like. :)
And as I'm sure you all know cause I'm pretty sure everyone that reads this is my friend on Facebook and I keep talking about this...I am stoked about the new Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. I think he is really settling in nicely and last night's show was hilarious - especially the "In the Year 3000" sketch. I am especially excited cause I get to go to the show in two weeks to be in the audience! (I bet you thought I was going to say that I was the special guest..haha, silly, that's next year.) I always wanted to see the show when it was in NYC but, of course, never got the opportunity. So as soon as I could, my friends and I put in for tickets to his show in LA and we got 'em! So excited.
Alright, so was that post topical enough for you?? Not much other news from me - working, training new girl at my office who will be taking my spot when I leave and getting various tasks done for the big trip in two months. Two months. Wow.
Looks like last weekend was a lot of fun on the boat. Can't wait to join in with everyone in a few weeks!
Jun 1, 2009
Post By: Brooke
Dear Tracey and the rest of the Stinchfield Clan
I am sorry I have not written sooner. I have been dealing with torturous inner turmoil. Do I deny Tracey's dream till the day I die or do I reveal a deep dark secret that I have shared with no one, not even my husband? I have decided that the Universe wants me to reveal my secret, and as my neighbor K says, we need to obey the Universe. So here goes...
I am a living Pinata. It's true, it's scary. If you can only imagine the nightmares I had as a child, every night spent running from children that were waving big sticks and shouting "We want candy!" It's a scar that will never go away.
So some may say, "Oh she just isn't reading the blog every day," or "Oh, she thinks she's too busy to respond," it isn't any of that. It has just been a week of deep soul searching. Please keep my secret close and don't make me regret trusting all of you- I'll know when I see kids with sticks stalking my house.
