The boys both played in soccer tournaments this summer. In fact, David was able to play on Daniel’s select team for a tournament in Vancouver, Washington. They played very well against great competition. A couple times, the team played up a year in age. They had a great time, scored some goals, and generally improved their soccer skills. We put together a quick montage of video highlights, and we picked a few pictures for you. You might get a bit confused as to which tall Ethiopian is which… Daniel wears either white of black and is number 7. When David plays on Daniel’s team he is not wearing a number; on his team, he’s wearing either bright green or black and is number 22.
Category Archives: Video
Edgewood Reunion 2012
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.
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.
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:
Rock Climbing
Always up for a new challenge, the boys took on indoor rock climbing. As with just about everything they’ve tried in the US, they loved it! Sary-Jo took a few pictures and some video. Enjoy.
Visit With Beards – July 6
Our string of action-packed days continued with a visit at the home of our friends, Joe and Karla. Their three boys and our two had a fantastic time playing together (as they always do), and the highlight was sliding down the hill in the backyard. Their yard is a boys’ paradise – just add water! I put together some of the best of the video, below, as well as the pictures.
Hershey Track Meet
This year, David was able to participate in the Hershey Track and Field competition (Daniel had his band concert and was unable to compete). In the local meet, David took first place in both the 400 meter run and the softball throw! It’s always so awesome to watch these kids compete. Below is the video from his 400 meter at the local meet. Watch carefully as David and another runner start down the home stretch – it was going to be a very tight race but, unfortunately, a non-competitor walked onto the track and bumped into the other runner. Since this was the local meet, the organization did the only thing they could do: they sent both runners on to state and declared this race a tie. It was a bit disappointing to those of us who wanted to find out which boy would win the race, but at least nobody was hurt.
Winning in the local meet qualified him for the state meet at Mount Tahoma High School. Although he had the beginning of a sinus infection, he ran well and finished second. He also finished second in the softball throw. Click the photo below to see more photos from the state competition.
