They have such a beautiful piece of the world they live in. We were able to look at the edge of the Redwood forest. The trees are so beautiful. I love nature's trees, flowers, and bodies of water.
We also saw my Grandma Ruth Jory and her sister, Ruby, in Vancouver. We ate the most delicious pizza together and talked about our families, quilting, and the kids. After our visit with grandma, we went to the Portland Temple. It is so beautiful there, and if I had a half of a million dollars, I would consider purchasing a home there.
We also were able to spend more time than usual with my parents at their beach house in Lincoln City, Oregon. Dad was busy preparing for a radio spot on the increasing taxes in their city aimed at tourists, and we had the opportunity to see the hotel he and mom invested in called The Captain Cook Inn. It's such an adorable place. I absolutely love how they look from the outside. I would love to have a house that looks like they do.
We enjoyed playing games with mom and dad. They kicked our butt at scrabble and boggle, of course. We also had fun playing a new game they introduced to us called Farkle. If you haven't played it yet, you should. You can find the directions online, and all you need are 6 dice to play with. Mom was quite surprised at how quick we all were to risk all the points we had earned. I figured it was o.k. though because I wasn't risking anything but losing.... although when I lost, it was heartbreaking.
One of the highlights of our trip, besides being able to rest at home and do whatever we wanted, was our trip to Depoe Bay. Dad purchased the signature taffy and there was this squirrel who ate it right out of his hand! We were able to take lots of pictures of mom and dad, as well as our family. Another highlight was going to see the sea lions sunbathing on the beach. They looked like logs on the sand from far away, but through our video camera we could see them moving. It was pretty cool. Asher loved to collect rocks, sticks, and shells once he grew comfortable with the ocean. We enjoyed the cool, wet weather, the ocean, and of course, the trees. I love how green it is in the northwest. I miss it often... especially while reading the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer.
We really weren't ready to go home when the time came. It was so enjoyable and relaxing there. We also appreciated the time we were able to go on our "date" shopping without the kids, and the many times mom and dad helped us out so we could have a break. It was a great vacation and we look forward to the next time we'll be able to visit.
In recent news, we went camping at Spencer Canyon on Mt. Lemmon which is about an hour away from where we live. It was nice to be together, but we had a lousy night rolling into each other. The only campsites available were on slight hills, and we kept sliding toward the bottom of the tent. The most enjoyable time was sitting by the campfire and eating dinner together, and looking up at the many stars. I love watching the stars when they stand out so bright on the mountains. The kids woke up around 5:30 a.m. So we left about 7 or 8 in the morning. Maybe we'll have a better time on our next camping trip.
Last weekend my in-laws, Robin and Terry, visited us. We had a lot of fun with them, and it was so kind of them to come for our RuthAnne's first birthday. She turned 1 on Sunday, the 6th. Her main gifts were a stuffed puppy, a plastic piggy bank that comes with plastic coins, and a play kitchen. Asher loves all her toys... especially the kitchen. RuthAnne is almost walking. She uses the furniture around her to support her weight. She can cruise when crawling though!
For the 4th of July we were able to go and see a fireworks show in Phoenix that Renny, Mason's brother, had a huge part in organizing and choreographing with the music. It was a great show. They only had shot off about 1/5- 1/3 of the fireworks though before the fire marshall canceled it due to high winds.
Earlier that day we had some very special visitors. Jason and Sara were passing through with their children on their way to Newport Beach. It was so much fun to finally meet Addy, and to see Emilie and Ivy again. We don't have many visitors as far as Tucson, and we sure love it when we have company. We look forward to reading Jason's work in progress (his vampire novel), and we expect him to change it to fit a more Twilight tone... just kidding, Jason.
The day after the 4th, Mason and I were able to go to the temple together. We haven't been able to do that in a long time. We're so grateful for Mason's parents to have watched the kids so that we could go together, and have more free time at home while they were visiting. The kids sure love all the time they spent with them.
