July 4th Weekend

I got to see most of my siblings over the 4th of July weekend. Kristen and Doug came in town and we all got together at Jenny's house. Karen decided to come to town, as we were having a reunion with the Wasdens. As teens, we got together every Thanksgiving with the Wasdens and the Bradfields. We have kept in touch more with the Wasdens and have talked for years about having a reunion. We actually did it on July 3rd. We all went to Jenny's house and swam. Debbie dropped by for a while. Each family brought their own lunch and a side or dessert to share. It was a perfect get-together. Kamiko was my only kid in town, but he came. He actually tore his achilles recently and couldn't drive himself, so Kristen brought him to Jenny's. I took him back to Provo at the end of the day. After dropping him off, I went to my office to get some work done. Saturday night, a holiday night, is a quiet time to be on campus. I got a lot done and felt great about it. I've been working on my cover letter and vita for the application for my job. I'm currently visiting faculty and have to apply for my job as continuing faculty status. I wanted to tie up loose ends before coming to California. I also ran into Larry Nelson, also SFL faculty. We both agreed that we really know how to party. We both realized we needed to get the heck out of Provo before the Stadium of Fire fireworks ended or we'd be stuck in big time traffic. I left Provo around 9:30 pm. I think I was the only person leaving Provo. Most people were already in Provo or heading to Provo to watch fireworks. I was tired and wanted to get home, which I did. 

On Sunday, the 4th, I was invited to go to the Brau's for dinner. Michelle's brother and sister-in-law were also there. We had a great dinner. Michelle made BBQ chicken sandwiches. They were delicious. I made a Cake by Courtney cake - Peach Crisp Cake. It was soooooo good. I was afraid it would be dry, but it wasn't and it was sooooo delicious. Wow. Courtney does a great job on her recipes. We had a great time eating and visiting and played the game scum for a bit. The Braus are a wonderful family. I'm glad our families have been brought together. 

Earlier on Sunday, I went to Cascade Springs with Kris, Doug, Allison, James, Audrey, Mac, Karen, and Alan. It was a good holiday weekend. I flew to California on Monday night with Kris and Doug. Before going to the airport, I spent a couple of hours at my office getting things wrapped up before my trip. I'm looking forward to the school year. It's been a great summer and will continue to be fun. It'll also be great to get back to the classroom. 

Me, Karen, and Kristen

My 4th of July t-shirt. Jenny Hebdon gave it to me. 

Karen, Kristen, Allison, and me going to Cascade Springs

Me, Karen, Kristen, Allison, Audrey, and Mac

Bass Lake

Photos of the cabin location on the cove. The top photo is the cabin I went to as a kid. It was owned by my great grandma Cody.

Me and Kristen outside of the corner store, where we would buy Archie comics as kids. The store is located at The Pines, a small, local shopping spot. 

I may have mentioned this before, but when I was in Italy with Annie, we contemplated a very serious question..."If you could go on one trip before you die, would you go to a familiar spot or to a new place?" After days of thinking and talking about it, I concluded that I would go to a familiar spot and I would go to Bass Lake. It's so nostalgic for me. I went there as a kid and stayed in our great grandma's cabin with siblings, mom and dad, aunts and uncles, and friends. Before our great grandma died, the cabin was sold (in the late 1970's). Then uncle Mike bought his house in Oakhurst, right by Bass Lake, over 20 years ago, so I've been able to take my kids there. My kids are 5th generation to go there. The lake is quiet and tree-lined. The Forks has great burgers, fries, and sandwiches and t-shirts and trinkets. Ducey's is a nice restaurant on the lake. The Pines is where it was at when we were kids. We would walk to The Pines as kids and get cupcakes at the grocery store bakery. We would also buy Archie comics as the corner store. There was no TV at the cabin, so we enjoyed Archie comics when we weren't playing in the water.

Kristen and I drove there on Monday, getting there in the afternoon. Aunt Carolyn came from Halcyon, too. Mike has a new puppy, Sierra, and she was a big part of our 2 days together. Mike treated us to dinner at The Forks on Monday night. We had Club Sandwiches at Mike's recommendation and they were delicious. Kris and I had brought chocolate cake, which we had later that night. We honestly talked and talked for 2 full days. Carolyn and Kristen and I took Sierra for walks, avoiding neighbor dogs that weren't on leashes. UGH!!!!! Mike hasn't been feeling well, so he didn't join us. He did pick us up from a walk, though. We walked Sierra down to the lake and it was HOT out. We knew Sierra was thirsty and we hadn't brought water, so we called Mike and had him pick us up. We also went on a drive around the lake. Mike remembers where a lot of their old friends used to live. He took us to where grandma's cabin was and to The Pines. It was super fun. We had a great dinner of rice and grilled chicken skewers. We headed home on Wednesday around noon, so we were there for about 2 full days. 

I don't really have a photo because I just loved talking and talking and I didn't want to ruin the "vibe" by taking pictures. Side note, it's so fun to walk around Mike's house and look at everything on his walls. His house is like a Mike Museum with photos, posters, artwork, rugs, etc. Everything has meaning, is gifted from friends, etc. I took a picture of 2 photos he has: one of grandma's cabin and another of the huge cabin that has been built on the land where grandma's cabin WAS. Lots of small cabins have been purchased, razed, and replaced with bigger "cabins." 

Kamiko and Camping

 I've recently learned that if an activity involves a cooler, Kamiko is not interested. Haha. That sounds a bit like his mother. It's funny, you think you might have kept your kids from having certain experiences in life because you only did things you wanted to do. For example, we didn't camp much. I avoided downtown American Fork when Steel Days were going on. I hate carnivals and crowds at carnivals. If I didn't take my kids downtown, they didn't know what they were missing. I have never taken my kids 4 wheeling. If they've been, it hasn't been with me. We have only boated on Bass Lake with uncle Mike. You get the idea. I didn't raise my kids in an outdoorsy family.

A few years back, Kamiko said to me something like this: "mom, every Monday I'd get back to school and my friends would talk about what they did over the weekend. They'd talk about 4 wheeling, hiking, camping, etc. I'd think 'THAT SOUNDS HORRIBLE!'" God sends the perfect kid to the perfect family. Kamiko certainly ended up with me for a reason. I love that kid. I love all of my kids and I love that we are a perfect fit. 

Note: I write this the day after attending a Relief Society activity in Livermore with my sister Kristen. The topic was Life Lessons Learned. LaMerle Sandholtz (a woman in her 90's) and her daughter Jeri spoke. It was beautiful. I realized and shared that all families are different. We try to have Christ at our core and raise our kids well, but the way we execute it will be vastly different from other families. I shared the above story that just makes me smile every time I think about it.