Sweet 16!

Abbie chose $money$ in lieu of a party for her 16th birthday (thanks, abs :-)

but somehow the festivities kept popping up all week long!

Her friends surprised her at lunch with b-day sunglasses & a 'watermelon' cake

(it happened to be a spirit day at MVHS - hence the crazy red/gold clothes)

She & Torra fueled up at at In 'n Out...

...on the way to celebrate some more at Disneyland 

on an early-out day from school!

G'pa and G'ma took her out to dinner one night, 

and we had her favorite for our family celebration dinner - -

Salmon w/soy vay, rice, and asparagus. 

 Followed by another request - Pear Crisp - Yum!

And, I just had to add this pic I snuck of her recently 

teaching one of her very bright piano students -- so cute.

And last, but definitely not least, 

she is now a proud, card-carrying, licensed driver!!

 (after a grueling 4-hour visit to the DMV 

in the pouring rain during Christmas break)

20 Years

This was one of my better choices.

Leaving the Nest! (part 1)

Our main family vacay this summer was designed around delivering Kenzie to BYU-Idaho!  She learned to pack light when she went to India, but we almost had to leave someone home due to lack of space in the van :-)

We made a few stops on the way to visit old friends - The Driggs, who lived in Albuquerque when we did (sorry, no pic...i know, bad blogger) and The Gilberts, who have added a couple new members to their family since they left Cali!  Kenz & Abbie sure miss babysitting these cute kiddos & Porter misses his de Portola buddy, Gabe!

We LOVED reconnecting & are so grateful for their friendship and hospitality!

We also stopped in Salt Lake City at the LDS Humanitarian Center, which I've wanted to do for years, but just never get around to it during our previous visits to Utah.  

Here's Porter in front of some of the 1,000 lb. bales of donated blankets & clothing that are sorted & prepared for distribution daily.  These items, as well as medical supplies, hygiene kits, newborn kits & more are distributed throughout the world, where need exists.

Joseph Smith, the first president of the LDS church taught, "We are to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to provide for the widow, to dry up the tears of the orphan, to comfort the afflicted, 

whether in this church, or in any other, 

or in no church at all, where ever we find them."

We also spent a couple days in the tiny town

 of Lava Hot Springs (pop. 521) in southern Idaho located along the Portneuf River.

This town is like a step back in time, and was very quaint!

Abbie refers to this as "The Ultimate Wedgie"

The next day we explored the town a bit --

We found a little farmer's market (with 4 vendors) 

& picked up some fresh-baked rolls and a jar of choke cherry jam

& had ourselves a little snack.

(Good thing Dave had his trusty pocketknife to spread the jam)

Abbie found a swing that looked like fun . . . but turned out to be kinda painful!

We had one of these at the park when I was a kid - you never see them anymore - too bad.  

Guess they're too dangerous now.

I think we found Waldo too!

And Princess Leia?

I guess this is how you keep your towel dry while you soak in the hot pool?

(I always thought you could just leave it on a chair.)

Dave & Abbie worked hard to catch these pix without getting caught :-)

We tubed down the Portneuf River - 

Abbie & Dave took an extra run so we could get a few pix!

Porter whipped out his fishing pole every chance he got!  Here he is on the Portneuf.

He didn't catch anything - but it was fun all the same!

The town of Lava also sports a little waterpark with 2 pools and 4 water slides, 

and cost about $7 for the day. (remember the comment about 'a step back in time' ?)

Perfect, if you ask me.

There are SEVEN diving boards in the deep end of the pool.

Abbie was SHOCKED that you could do flips, back dives, whatever you want off of them!

(again, remember when every pool had a diving board - and you could jump off however you wanted?)

Dave tried out the white waterslide below.

He only had to do it once - and the spray of the water left a welt on his calf 

the size of a golf ball - yikes!

(stay tuned for part 2)

Leaving the Nest! (part 2)

Next stop on our journey was a quick visit to 

Doug Airmet & family just outside Pocatello.  

Doug is my mom's cousin & the son of my favorite Great Aunt Norma -- 

who, with Uncle Eliott, took great care of us when we were newlyweds living in Abuquerque.

The road to Pocatello . . .

Doug & Donelle and their sons, Issac & Dylan, 

live on (a bunch of) acres bordering the Caribou National Forest.  

Meaning, theirs is literally the very last house on the road that enters the Forest.

We shared a fabulous lunch - all prepared for us by Donnelle - including homemade mac n'cheese, sloppy joe's, corn from the garden & the most delicious dessert with raspberries from the garden!  Mmmm!

We were also treated to a tour of their home and property, 

including the afore-mentioned garden, fruit trees, streams, bridges & trails. 

I'm afraid Porter should be growing up here - 

can you see him running off with the boys? 

(sorry we live in the city, Ports...)

The fire pit and picnic area for outdoor summer dinners!

One of the bridges Doug built over the stream that runs by their home.  

They've installed a pump under it that provides water to irrigate their trees & garden.

Doug & the boys have cleared narrow trails 

& built several other bridges as the paths crisscrossed the stream.

Kenzie & Abbie had a photo shoot down in there before we ate :-)

Next, we were off to Rexburg!

Kenzie was a bit surprised at how much of THIS there was around the campus :-)

She's not in the OC anymore...

The campus is beautiful, but you'll just have to take my word for it 

because we were so busy checking into the dorm, unpacking, 

picking up supplies, buying books, etc., I didn't take many photos.

Here's an ariel view I found online :-)

Porter took a few shots of the dorm, though!  

Kenzie will spend this semester at Chapman Hall, 

a non-cooking dorm with 6 girls to an apartment.

Here's her room when we arrived --

The family in Kenzie's living room

after a long day

Unpacked and ready to study -- it's a tight space!

Porter decorated Kenzie & her roommate, Celena's mirrors

The hotels in Rexburg were all booked before we got around to planning our trip,

so we stayed about 30 miles south in Idaho Falls.

This is the view out our hotel room of the Idaho Falls Temple on the Snake River.

It was clear & crisp & windy!

The Falls generate most of the city's electricity.

Porter didn't miss an opportunity to fish here either!

But Abbie was the only one to 'catch' something. 

Our dear friends, the Reedy's, 

(from our time in Aliso Viejo, who now live in Northern CA)

were dropping off their daughter Morgan, Kenzie's 'bestie' from age 3-8!  

When we realized we'd both be there, we arranged to stay in the same hotel.

Who would have thunk it?!

Kenzie & Morgan growing up & ending up living in the same dorm

at the same university!?

Abbie & Porter had a great time swimming with Tyler & Katie 

after a long day of helping their respective big sisters get set up at college!

There's not much I can say about this pic.

(except maybe that he did get a haircut last week)

Porter is very independent.  This is the note he left on his pillow one morning telling me he went to breakfast (served at the hotel, not down the street :-).  He also got us set up with the hotel internet access passwords, supplied us with ice, and checked out a hotel bike to cruise around the hotel grounds.

Abbie & Porter feed some very eager geese & seagulls before he head on our journey home

This is for you, dood...knowing how you love birdies.

  (It was pretty gross, I'll admit; even for me!  

But the day was so beautiful & the kiddos loved it -- before they were trapped

 in the car for the next two days driving home...)  

And no one even ended up getting in the car with goose poop on their flip flops!

Two days & 1,000 miles later -- 

Home Sweet Home!