Summer is Here!

Finally! After months and months of rain summer is finally, really here! In the midst of El Nino we would get these teaser days of glorious weather only to be pushed aside by week-long monsoons. Living in Cali. I realize I have no room to gripe. It's not like it gets that cold, we have no driveways of snow to shovel, but still.... the sunshine and its warm embrace is a nice respite!

I seem to have fallen off of the blogging bandwagon. I got sidetracked by a severely sprained ankle that does not want to fully heal, in addition to the hubby, kids, dogs, and oh yeah! school. Four classes about killed me. I guess I was overly ambitious. Learned my lesson the hard way. But I am happy to report I got three A's and one B. Woo-Hoo!!!! And that damn ankle? Aside from being laid up for a while (which is the ultimate test in patience for me), it took me four times as long to do any and all simple tasks. Plus I am such a do-er that asking anyone to do anything for me was foreign. I can't tell you how many lectures I received from Todd about asking for help is a necessity not a sign of laziness. Almost three months later and I am finally able to return the gym (albeit a few pounds heavier, UGH.) Unfortunately I am not really able to run or jog, but walking at a steep incline is do-able. It feels so good to be active again. Now if only I can get my butt to stop migrating south... We began our summer vacation with a roadtrip to Yellowstone. Two looooong days of driving each way. We purchased a new tent trailer this year with this trip specifically in mind. The thought of sleeping on the ground for six nights did not appeal to Todd. So thankful for the trailer and its heater once we got there. Nights were a frigid 20-30 degrees. Fortunately most of the days were decent to warm. The trip was equal parts fun and work. Camping with a very active 18-month old definitely has its challenges. Sharing this experience with Maddie was a lot of fun. So exciting to see all of the wildlife and natural wonders. I had been there twice before and could not wait to experience it with my family. Maddie's Yellowstone favorites were the different types of wildlife and our hike on Uncle Tom's Trail (a trail of 328 stairs that takes you down the Upper Falls at Yellowstone Grand Canyon.) She surprised us with how much she liked the hike. The return trip is quite grueling, especially at 8,000 feet. Quite a hike for a seven year old! Her least favorite part of the trip was the drive. I find this perplexing since she watched DVDs most of the time. I could not believe the "When I was your age" comment came out of my mouth. I felt soooo old! But out it came, "When I was your age I had to play with toys and read books in the car." Lord have mercy, not books and toys! I can't wait until next summer's road trip!

Here are some of the highlights from our trip

"Geyser Country":

This is where most of the geysers, including Old Faithful, are. Some of the geysers we missed or did not get good photos of due to the steam. It was cold outside both days we went, which left us lots and lots of steam to look at rather than geysers. Can't see much through it. But we did see Old Faithful. We had lunch at the historic Old Faithful Lodge. A gift from my in-laws :). We walked the Upper Geyser Basin loop. The entire trail is 3 miles, but Maddie pooped out around two. We headed back before catching a glimpse of the Morning Glory Pool. That is another must-see for our next trip.

"Roosevelt Country"

The highlights here are the Lamar Valley and Mt. Washburn. Lamar Valley is known as the "American Serengeti" with its wide expanses of prairie land. There is a lot of wildlife that strolls through here. Unfortunately all we saw were more buffalo. Really hoping to see a bear or wolves. But breathtaking in its beauty. Mt. Washburn was awesome. It is 10,234 feet. We would have loved to have hiked it, but too challenging with the kiddos. It will have to wait until next year. But we did treat ourselves to some delicious ice cream at Tower Falls. Sooo good. We had planned to treat ourselves after hiking the falls, but we ran out of time (for hiking that is!)

"Mammoth Country":

We stopped at Beaver Lake for a picnic and saw our first black bear. Fortunately he kept his distance! Sheepeater Cliffs were awesome! Fascinating to look at and they made for great rock climbing for Todd and Maddie. Other sights were Roaring Mountain, Obsidian Cliff, the hoo doos, the Golden Gate, and Mammoth Terraces. We drove around the terraces rather than hike. Didn't have the time and they have lost most of their water. Not quite as spectacular as they once were, but still pretty nonetheless.

"Canyon Country"

The Yellowstone Grand Canyon is 4,000 feet wide and 1,000 feet deep. It has two waterfalls: Upper Falls and Lower Falls. Lower Falls is twice the height of Niagra Falls. Needless to say, it was pretty spectacular!

The dreaded 328 stairs on Uncle Tom's Trail. They are bolted to the side of the mountain. If you don't like heights stay away from these bad boys!

This was what we woke up to the day we left. Fortunately it turned out to be a beautiful day and most of the snow had melted by the time we left!

Grand Tetons National Park:

Loved the lodge at Jackson Lake. The windows are 60 feet high. Talk about an amazing view while eating lunch! Unfortunately this was the day the storm began and the lodge was all we really got to see :(

The Yosemite wildlife we saw: bison (baby and adult), elk, moose, black bear, grizzly cub, big horn sheep, coyote, pronghorn, and a bald eagle.

For the rest of the summer I plan to craft, hit some garage sales, thrift stores and antique stores/fairs for some fun DIY projects, work on the house, finish landscaping the backyard, book some photo gigs, and catch up on my genealogy project and blogging. Hmmm.... maybe some R n' R will be squeezed into that agenda ;). Stay tuned for summer updates and projects!

Mama's Love

It was one of those days. The kind where you just begin to feel overwhelmed, over stimulated, and over being a parent. Luke had woken himself up (read Mom and Dad) several times throughout the night. I returned from the gym and began working on a garden project when he began to fuss and wail. SIGH....yet another project put on the back burner. Before you think, "What a horrible mother!" let me set the stage. My house is a disaster. You caught a glimpse of Maddie's room in the previous post. I have yet to scratch the surface of that monstrosity. I have laundry in three stages: needs to be washed, needs to be folded, and needs to be put away. The "needs-to-be-put-away" pile is currently gracing my dining room table. I have plants in their original pots that are waiting to be planted in my backyard before they die. My house needs to be vacuumed from Sunday's get together. In the kitchen, the dishes need to be washed, the floor has enough dog hair on it to actually breed another dog, and the dishwasher is patiently waiting to be unloaded. And my dogs are in dire need of a walk. All I want is to check ONE F-ING THING OFF OF MY TO DO LIST!!! Argh!

I bitterly load Lucas into the Baby Bjorn to calm him down and decide to take Tilly for a walk. Hopefully my tired, fussy boy will take a nap while I walk. As we start off I am still so irritated at having to leave yet another project half completed.

We begin to walk our normal route. And as I stroll onto the trail and cross the creek that leads to downtown I hear a rustle in the water, something begins to move under the cement bridge! Then I see rapid motion in the water. I can't believe it! A gaggle of ducklings. They are ushered and chastised by their mother, "QUACK, QUACK, QUACK!! Can't you see there is a human and big white beast headed in our direction?! HIDE! HIDE! QUACK, QUACK, QUACK!" As we get closer one more duckling darts out, followed by several more. Finally out comes the other mama. She is vehemently quacking at them now and scurrying them along with her wing. It was an amazing scene to watch unfold. A lot of you may think, "Uh, big deal, they were just ducks, dude!" But catching a glimpse of the maternal instinct in wild animals is what struck me. Watching a mother care for her young, wrapping her body around them and urging them along. This inherent need to care and ensure the safety of your child. It is alive in ALL mothers, not just humans. Watching this made me think, "Surely I can deal with, if not embrace taking my child on walk to ensure his peace of mind. The chores will be there when I get home, and there is always tomorrow."

This is what we do as mothers. The sacrifices we must not only make, but embrace. If we do not embrace them, surely they will eat us alive. We all have things that we want/need to get accomplished throughout the course of the day. And when they are not checked off of our to-do list and begin to pile up, we feel the frustration and strain of motherhood. Being pulled in two directions. Providing love and support to your children, yet maintaining a home and family. But in the end the children always win. And that is the way it should be. Because there will be a time when they no longer need me as much. Although it feels like it will be eons from now, this time will pass me by a lot quicker than I realize. Those ducks reminded of the importance of a mama's love.

By the way, when I finished my walk I came home to a clean kitchen. Todd unloaded the dishwasher, cleaned the counters, and washed the dishes. That, my friends, is a hubby's love! Awww...

Success

I am learning to garden. Unbeknownest to me, like cooking, it is an acquired art. I am not a patient person, therefore I struggle with anything that is an "acquired art". Why can't I be like that chick in the Matrix? Someone telepathically sends me all of the information I need to be a pro and shzzam: instant-expert! I guess I have to settle for doing things the old fashioned way through trial and error. As I begin to grasp the conept of gardening I discovered that the one thing I love is watching the fruits of my labor grow and blossom. That is unless one of the dogs decides to dig them up or claim them as theirs by peeing all over them. Those mongrels are lucky we love them so damn much!

Last October during our annual trip to my favorite pumpkin patch Todd and I purchased a climbing rose for our backyard. I fell in love with the colors of Joseph's Coat. The rose was pretty much bare root, hardly any leaves and absolutely no blossoms. After six months of tender loving care it has blossomed (literally and figuratively). As I peek at it every morning I can't help but give myself a mental pat on the back for a job well-done. I have a knack for killing plants due to a lack of watering them. Even Maddie told Nana Gail that "Mommy kills all of her plants." God bless her sense of honesty, no matter how humbling it may be! But I am bound and determined to foster a beautiful garden.

Todd and I ripped out all of the shrubbery, therefore we have no choice but to create a successful garden. We tend to have different visions of what constitutes a "garden". This is where that whole "men are from Mars, women are from Venus" comes into play. Todd wants to throw out some bark or ground cover, a few pots and call it a day. I, on the other hand, envision a lovely English garden, overflowing with vibrant, robust blossoms. Fortunately he is content to roll his eyes at me and go with "the wife's plan."And for the record, man I feel OLD, blogging about my rose bushes! WTF?! If you had told me ten years ago that I would be excited about not killing a plant and bragging about it on the Internet I would have fainted from laughing so hard. My mother, the consummate gardener is so proud.

After spending most weekends working on house or visiting with family and friends I made the executive decision that we needed a "family day". This was followed by a lot of groans from Todd. He knows "family day" usually entails some hair brained idea of mine that he will have to entertain. This family day was no different. I wanted to go to the beach up in Half Moon Bay. It was going to be in the high 90s low 100s, and I could not think of a better time to visit the cool NorCal coast.

We spent the day at a beach 15 miles south of Half Moon Bay. And it was a refreshing 60 degrees on the water. Heavenly after living in the tortuous 100 degree heat at home! This was Tilly's first visit to the beach. She was overstimulated by all of the new smells and could not sit

still to save her life. She was not a fan of the cold ocean though! Maddie and I were in seventh heaven at the beach. We scoured the shoreline for pretty shells and smooth pebbles (the beach we were at is known for having gorgeous pebbles.)

After some relaxing, shell/pebble seeking, and hiking we were all set for a delicious lunch at the Half Moon Bay Brewery (a favorite of mine!) You just can't beat their fish n'chips. On the way to lunch we made a pit stop at one of the fabulous (and cheap) farmer's stands along the highway. These gems are sprinkled all along the highways. Fresh produce is in abundance along the coast, and I was determined to take advantage of it!

It was a great family day. I can't think of a better way to celebrate being together, than a fun-filled day in a beautiful location!

Seals lounging on the rocks. What a life!

Along our hike...