Once again, our friends Al and Pam opened their lovely home and property to the reunion for Edgewood Community Church. It’s such a blessing to be reunited with these brothers and sisters each year, even though we’ve gone in different directions with our current churches. This year, Daniel and David got to hit some golf balls toward the creek (not many made it over the garden, but some did), and they kicked a soccer ball around (surprise!). It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed ourselves immensely, as always. Click the picture to see more photos.
Category Archives: Photos
Final Vacation Day
In case our previous posts didn’t make it clear, the vacation was wonderful. We enjoyed good company, relaxed a bit, saw some local attractions, and just generally relaxed. We took a few pictures and some video on the final full day.
A Busy Yet Relaxing Day
On Thursday, a group of us went up to La Jolla for a kayaking tour. Our guide took us to see Leopard Sharks and much other sea life. We also got to see the long-time home of Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss. That was very timely because Daniel had just finished reading his biography. We made our way out to a cave, and went in in small groups. Our guide gave us quite a bit of history, and we truly enjoyed the experience.
We were unable to take a camera on the kayaks, but Sary-Jo took some pictures and video. She spent the time hanging out with Jill and her curls. After the kayaking, we enjoyed a fantastic lunch at George’s in La Jolla.
Later, we returned to “our” beach and had more fun. In addition to more boogie-boarding, we had played Dads vs. Kids football on the beach, barbecued flank steak, watched the kids play volleyball, and enjoyed smores under a full moon! Incredible day.
Enjoy the pictures and the videos. The video above is from the kayaking trip and the one below includes some good snippets from throughout the afternoon and evening. Following that, we have more pictures from the afternoon / evening.
Sea World (awesome!)
We had one day set aside in this vacation for Sea World San Diego so we decided to make the most of it. Sary-Jo’s mom joined us to make a party of 5. The park opens at 9:00 am and we were inside by 9:02. We went straight to ride, Journey to Atlantis, in order to beat the lines. It was a fun ride, but Sea World is really about the shows. There were so many shows that careful planning was required. We mapped out the day and checked our plan periodically. We stayed relentlessly true to the plan. There was show after show, a timeout for lunch, then more shows. We went up in the tower to take in a beautiful sunset, and then finished with the Shamu Rocks show and fireworks. There was no time for dinner, but I don’t think anyone really minded because the shows were so entertaining.
For the afternoon Shamu show, Daniel and David sat in the soak zone, which is appropriately named. They would not have been wetter had they been in the tank with the whales! It was a typical August day in San Diego so the wetness felt good. We have a bit of video showing the soaking – the boys were in the second row.
For those of you who have been to Sea World, you don’t need an explanation; if you haven’t been there, an explanation wouldn’t really help. Just enjoy the pictures and video.
Oh… the park closes at 10:00; we left at about 10:30 and found dinner back on the base.
July 31
The 31st was a very laid back day. Jankel and Randy went for a bike ride around the base, and several of the kids and adults went for a run on the track. Max impressed us all with the number of laps he complete (I forgot how many, but it was a lot). Besides that, it was a day spent on the beach, including pizza dinner on the beach. Some also kicked a soccer ball around (imagine that!) and played a fun beanbag game. This is truly rest and relaxation!
July 30
Monday of vacation was extremely laid back. We spent most of the day hanging out on the beach, although we found some time to take group photos. Daniel and David loved all the time with their cousins on the beach. Their boogie-boarding skills improved dramatically. There was quite a bit of throwing balls, playing smash-ball, and digging in the sand.
In the evening, we all went out for Mexican food and then walked over to the historic Hotel Del Coronado. This place is amazing! One of our party engaged an off-duty bellman to give us a tour, including the Crown Room and other impressive ballrooms. The hotel opened in 1888 and has hosted multiple presidents and other dignitaries. Just about all of the employees are convinced that it also is haunted. 
On the Beach / Concert in the Park
Cousins (plus one)
Our first full day on Coronado Island was pretty stress-free. We spent most of the day on the beach with family and friends. The boys had a great time reconnecting with their Arizona cousins and also learning to Boogie Board. As kids frequently do, they picked up with each other as if they saw each other all the time. It was so gratifying to see the love and acceptance, and it was great to be able to say, “Sure, you can go to the beach – just stay together.”
That evening, we all went into town for a free concert in the park. We grabbed a few buckets of chicken from the colonel, and the kids danced while the adults mainly enjoyed the fantastic weather and 80’s music.
Grandkids
Vacation Begins (7/28/12)
This year’s vacation took us to Coronado Island, California. We went with most of Sary-Jo’s family, and were able to stay at the Navy Lodge on the Naval Air Station there. In order to see a bit more of the coast, and to save money on airfare and car rental, we flew from Seattle to Long Beach and drove the rest of the way.
We made Huntington Beach our first stop. The idea was to get out, stretch our legs, and enjoy some fresh air. We encouraged the boys to change into their swimsuits (conveniently packed within reach for this very reason) but they assured us they had no interest in going in the water. Yeah, right… We ended up staying a couple hours, including an hour on the four-person “Flintstone-mobile”. We captured a few pictures and video. We separated out the video: the first one is taken on the beach, and includes birds diving for fish. The second is taken as we ride on the bike with various drivers. It’s pretty fun!
And the surrey:
Daniel & Columbus
Our male cat, Columbus, can be hard to ignore at times. Here are some pictures showing Daniel trying to do his homework, but Columbus just isn’t going to allow to happen.
YWAM – Adoption Ministry Picnic
YWAM’s Adoption Ministry has an annual picnic and invites all families in their program, whether they’re in process or completed their adoption years ago. This year’s picnic was held at Bradley Lake Park here in Puyallup. There was great food (too much dessert, perhaps) and plenty of good company. The kids played non-stop (surprise!), including some organized “pony” races, and much soccer. Some of the kids also played a bit of baseball. For most of the picnic, the weather was great, but we managed to get a bit of a downpour for a while. I don’t think the kids noticed because it happened while they were playing soccer. We took some good pictures; check them out.