Beach Camping 10

Okay it was over a month ago I know, but that gives you an idea of how my life has been going lately (translation--all I have been doing is working). But I knew I needed to change of my blog so here it is.
As most of you know we go camping every year with the whole Chandler gang (minus Oma & Opa now--but that's a bitter story for some other time) plus various add-ons. This year it was a little cold and a little rainy but we endured.
We stopped at Spencer's old piano teacher's house on the way because she lives in Olympia. We hadn't seen her since the baby was born so we wanted to see little Sophie. Lisa has four girls now! I wanted to get a picture of her & family with Spencer because they will most likely be moving to California soon. As pictured they are Allison, Isabelle, Lisa holding Sophie and Spencer holding Emma. Emma is very quiet but a little cuddle-bunny that I would always hold while Spencer had lessons. She had changed the most of all of them since the last time we saw them. I also spent time reading stories to the two older girls at various times during lessons as well. We will miss this really sweet family! This is Spencer with his cousin Kelly (middle) and a friend of hers from her Sorority, Allison (one of the add-ons this year). Spencer always shares a tent with his girl cousins because they are such good pals.

Did I mention that it was pretty cold?? Somewhere between 50 and 60 degrees. That did not stop our intrepid boogie boarders, Cooper & Trevor w/Kevin in tow. The spent hours and I do mean hours boogie boarding in the 48 degree water.

Trekking to the beach the first day at about 4pm. Where they stayed until probably 6 or 7.

That really isn't grimace of pain or cold on Cooper's face, they literally had a blast! (Me I was sitting on the beach with a sweatshirt on wishing there was a fire).

I thought this was a really sweet picture of Kevin & Trevor.

Spencer & his cousins spent a little bit of time trying to get pictures where they were all jumping together. I was off to the side trying to figure out how to time it with my darn camera. These are the best ones I got. I love Emma's vertical leap in this first one.

Spencer just looks joyful in this one.

Cailey, the little blonde is a gymnast (nationally ranked) so it's not surprising she can get that gymnastic looking pose in the air.

This is David with one of his two dogs, Walter. I just thought it was kind funny. David is quite proud of his cowboy had because his noggin is not exactly easy to fit (over size 8 which always requres a custom hat)

My battery died and that is all I got. It wasn't the best weather, but as always, camping with the Chandlers is memorable and fun. I don't know how many years we have left of this tradition but I hope a few more!

2 1/2 Weeks

First I have to say that usually we only visit Idaho for one week every summer so it was a real treat this year to be able to visit for 2 1/2 weeks! Spencer, Cooper & I left on Wednesday, July 14 and drove the Montana way. It's always beautiful but full of construction.

First Stop Wildhorse
We arrived at our first stop which was Wildhorse Campground located in the beautiful Copper Basin which is about 35 miles NW of my hometown. It is beautiful as I said and features a gathering of some of the Vaden clan (we are not allowed to call it a reunion). It features hiking, four wheeling, mosquitos, crafts (for kids & grown-ups alike), sleeping in tents (for those of us who don't have campers or motor homes--personally I like the tent), mosquitos, playing in the water (although this year it was too cold for jumping in the beaver pond). In otherwords it is a lovely time--despite the mosquitos.
Here's one of the crafts the kids did this year. They had a ball painting their blocks of wood and mod podging on paper (yes, you can still mod podge!). Doesn't Cooper look like he is trying to cheat off Alec??
Just a shot of how beautiful Wildhorse is. It is a beautiful valley with Wildhorse Creek running through it.

Spencer with Riley on the way back from our hike to the waterfall. We saw three of them on our hike.

Next Stop Yellowstone

After a few days at Wildhorse we went to Mackay where we showered, relaxed, Cooper & I played golf one morning and just hung out. We convincec Celiac to take a three day trip with us to Yellowstone. See her blog link for some of those details. She takes much better pictures than I. It was a lovely whirlwind trip--alot of driving but totally worth it. I hadn't been since I was a very little girl. You forget how beautiful and amazing it actually is.

Spencer & Cooper really did have a good time--despite what their faces might say otherwise.

The first night there we drove out of the park down to the Grand Tetons National park to stay in a "rustic cabin" (translation--no coffee maker or blow dryer in the rooms--oh how does one cope under those circumstances?) Here is a shot of the rustic (?) cabin.

Here is a shot of one of the two bedrooms we had in the rustic (?) cabin. Each of us had our own bed. It was quiet and serene in a beautiful setting. There was a scooter gang across the way in another cabin but they were tame. Notice the writing desk and there were about a bajillion towels we could use in case we need to shower several times in our overnight stay. All in all it was absolutely beautiful and I would stay there again in a heartbeat (in fact a few nights there would have been totally lovely, because we really didn't have time to explore the area much). Coulter Bay Cabins in the Grand Tetons in case you are wondering!

The next night? Well not so serene and peaceful. We decided to stay in West Yellowstone rather than drive the three hours home to my mom & dad's place--bad decision. Should have known it was a bad omen when they didn't have our reservation (despite my spelling my e-mail twice over the phone). The guy at the desk really was nice and tried to help. He had one room he had "saved" for us and accommodations being scarce this time of year in W. Yellowstone we took it (ask me about the hotel we almost got in Big Sky Montana by accident some time). Anyway, when we got the the room, this is what we found.

Air conditioning with a view...straight out to the pool!

Air conditioning installed by real professionals. And boy did it work well. NOT. By 11pm we were roasting so Celiac called and asked for a fan. They gave us another room instead (someone hadn't shown)

I guess cleaning thouroughly is not a high priority at the West Yellowstone Inns & Suites.

The next stop was actually river rafting in Riggins, but I really didn't take any pictures there other than Brian trying out his new birthday raft in the pool. So,

NEXT STOP MACKAY

Here's just a few shots from our Mackay visit.

Mowing grandpa's lawn (actually for Cooper the blades were not in operation)

The cousins on a "scavenger hunt" that required photographic proof.

LAST STOP REDFISH LAKE

We tagged on with Randy's family for a visit to Redfish Lake which is located near Stanley Idaho in the Sawtooth mountains. We had pretty good weather in between the thunder storms that rolled over the lake. We did manage to get in some good water fun.

Tucker wakeboarding at Redfish Lake.

Dennis waterskiing at Redfish

Me before waterskiing at Redfish. I was just thrilled that Icould still do it! This was just before my second run that day. I did pay for it the next day (or two) in soreness!

Two & half weeks of absolute fun. Love my family, love my home state. Loved the whole trip!

Odds & Ends

Since I haven't posted in awhile, okay a month ago. Here's just a few things that have happened in the last little while.

Tucker became a reader!! (See the book in his hands!)

It's true, just out of the blue Tucker decided to start reading. This is the boy who probably read less than 5 books in all of middle school and high school. You know that saying "If you read to your child, your child will be a reader" With Tucker I always figured that was bunk. I never read to the other two boys as much as him. I guess he was a late bloomer is all. Since he started about a month ago he is always reading now. He takes great pride in finishing a book in a day. Go figure. I guess you should never lose hope.

We took a trip to the Cupcake Cabin. This is Cooper doing a happy dance while playing croquet.

Cooper went to Ft. Clatsop where Lewis & Clark spent the winter when they made their big trip. I came along as a chaperone (my one field trip of the year). It was an interesting trip. The kids were great. The parents, not so much.
Spencer was "promoted" to high school. We don't call it graduation because it's not. We have a little outdoor ceremony which lasted about 35 minutes. Just the right length. Here is Spencer with a few of his many girl friends. He doesn't really have any friends who are boys, but tons of girls.


He also won a major award that was voted on by his teachers called the Harold Hines Award. It is more or less given to students who do good things for others and stand up for others. I was very proud of him winning that award. As a few parents said to me after, "that is the award you hope your kid wins"

Here's Spencer at the Cupcake Cabin. I just like the picture I took.

Tucker did graduate from High School but opted not to "walk" in the graduation ceremony, hence we have no pictures to share of his big moment because there wasn't one. We are proud of him nevertheless. He is working hard this summer with two jobs--Safeway & the fruit stand--and an occasional stint at the Dirt Exchange. So really 2 1/2 jobs I guess. He is a hard worker.

He keeps having bad car karma though. Last Wednesday we got a call from the Seattle Police at 5am. It seems that someone or ones had stolen Tucker's car right out from in front of our house, taken it over a few blocks away in an alley an proceeded to strip it of all the lights and the battery. They probably would have taken more but must have gotten interupted in the process. So here are a few pictures of the car.

Someone in the neighborhood said they saw it being driven by not too long before we got the call fromt the police so it happened between 4am & 5am. I can't believe I didn't hear his car start because it is really loud because the engine races. Dennis was able to find a car on Craig's List that he could get parts from so they took a "man trip" on Friday with Cooper and got most of the parts back. It is most of the way back together now but we wonder if it might be stolen again some time. Poor Tucker and his cars!

That's pretty much what's been what lately.

Little League

The baseball season is actually winding down. We are in the "playoffs" portion right now. Dennis coached Cooper's baseball team again this year. They have had a pretty good season--at least a winning season. Which is actually pretty good when you take into account some of the players on the team. I have been the official scorekeeper for the team all season. This because none of the other parents would step up to do it. Although one mom said she would do it but wondered if "you had to pay attention to the game if you were scorekeeper". Not a joke. So, by default it ended up being me. I guess it was a good way to get me to go to all the games. I don't mind keeping score as it is a good excuse not to have to participate in social chit chat with the other parents. Not that I am anti-social...well okay maybe I am.

Cooper is a pretty good little player. He looks like a hitter when he is up to bat. Not that he always is a good hitter but he looks like he should be. Dennis has him playing catcher and 1st base and he does a pretty good job at both positions. Takes after his mom and dad (and Aunt Karen as I recall) in playing catcher. For some reason the way he throws always reminds me of Celiac. I don't know whether it is the bend in the wrist, the position of the arms, but there is something in his throwing motion that just looks like I remember her throwing. That's not to say that he throws like a girl. None of us Vaden chicks "threw like a girl". We all had pretty decent throwing arms back in the day. I do kind of miss playing baseball. I have very fond memories of playing church ball as a teenager. It was alot of fun. Peggy coached us every year and we always did pretty well against the other wards in Lost River Valley. People always used to be amazed at how well I played left field. I always attributed it to being afraid that Ardena MacInelly would beat me up if I missed the ball. Dennis & I played in an advertising softball league for awhile when we first got married and that was alot of fun too. After the kids though we just kind of faded out of it. Coaching Cooper is a way for Dennis to get back in the game I guess. Although he does say that his arm gets sore if he pitches too much to the kids. That's middle age for ya!

Photos are by Spencer because of course I was keeping score and "paying attention to the game".

Then (1985) & Now (2010)

These pictures are from my mission, 25 years ago (gulp). The gorgeous blonde was my mission companion for four months. Her name was Gitte Hansen and she was from Denmark. We served together in Loraine, OH and had a great time together. Every month we would beg for just one more month together. We must have been persuasive because we got four months. People would ask if we were sisters, which of course I thought was totally "awesome" (as we used to say alot back then). Not sure how Gitte felt about it.
Of course we both returned to our respective homes after our missions were through. Both of us married and became the mother of boys (Gitte has two) and settled down into domestic bliss.
We have kept in touch over the years through Christmas cards mostly. Gitte even called me on the phone once a few years back which was a very nice surprise. We would always talk about seeing each other one day but not necessarily with any expectation that we would.
So you can imagine my surprise and excitement when Gitte e-mailed me a few months ago about possibly come to see me ever so briefly. Seems she was planning a trip to Salt Lake City for General Conference and thought she might plan a little layover in Seattle. I was pretty "psyched" (also a word we used alot back then). Well it worked out perfectly, because she flew into Seattle around noon the Wednesday before we had our Spring Break. I picked up her and her mom (who is totally a cutie) at the airport. We were able to spend that day through to noon on Thursday together (she spent time with another friend here in Seattle from noon Thursday to noon Friday).
We had a great time (or should I say awesome) reminiscing about old times, old friends, old companions and also catching up with each other. It was amazing how little time it seemed had passed and yet it has been 25 years!! We seemed to just fit right back into that groove of where we left off. There was no awkwardness (well except for the fact that I am a lousy housekeeper and they were staying at my house.) These "now" pictures are from Sunset Park just a few blocks from our house. I also took them to see where the kids go to school and I work, the church building, and the UW campus.
She had a jam packed trip (literally, it was crazy) so it was super cool (another word we used alot back then) that we got as much time as we did together. I hope some day I can return the visit and go see her and her family in Denmark. I will have to add that to my "list".
Dennis says he thinks we both look better now than back then. All I know is that it was fun to see her again. I'm so glad I know her and that she is still a part of my life. She is warm, generous, caring, thoughtful...all those good things. It is a friendship that I will treasure forever!

California Spring Break 2010

We just got back last night (1:30am--after driving staight through) from a Spring Break Trip to California (we did take two days to drive down though). Here are some highlights in no particular order because putting them in order would take too long! (I just figured out today how to upload more than one photo at a time--how stupid is that?)

So, we went to the beach of course--twice. Even though it never really got above 70 and was a little bit chilly. If you are in California, you HAVE to go to the beach no matter what.

We visited "the cousins". These are actually kids of Dennis' cousins. Not sure what that makes the relationship. First cousins once-removed, 2nd cousins?? This was Dennis' Uncle George & Aunt Joan's where if you step across the doorstep you are guaranteed to gain at least 10 pounds! Seriously!
Of course we went to Disneyland. Will have to look for the first picture we took 7 years ago for a little then & now comparison.

We visited the wax museum. We actually did see one "live" celebrity on our trip. The comedian Chris Rock cut in front of everyone while we were in line for the roller coaster at Disney (when you are celebrity you don't have to stand in long lines). He was still outside the ride when we left and Tucker couldn't resist saying "Hey Chris Rock". We didn't go close though, he had a big body guard.

We also saw the walk of fame as well. Spencer really wanted to find Sandra Bullock's star (he's a big fan) but we never did see it.

Cooper played with the train at Dick & Doris' house (Dennis' aunt and husband). She has a big train set-up in her living room. He was thrilled!

Bumper cars at Knott's Berry Farm. They were pretty lame.

We rode almost all the coasters at Knott's. I thought it was pretty cool that I still was able to ride coasters without getting sick--until the next day that is. My back was killing me and still hurts. Oh well. This ride Tucker & Cooper believed Dennis when he said they wouldn't get wet. After about football field length drop straight down into water how could you believe that??

Nobody got lost.

Although there were bouts of pouting.

A windy day at the beach. The kite flew for a little while.

Visited the Long Beach Aquarium with Dick & Doris, which we did the last trip as well. It is an awesome aquarium. Makes ours here in Seattle look amatuerish. It was really nice to spend time with them.

It's good to be home though!