California Craziness

Raise your hand if you too have gone on a jammed packed fun memorable vacation with your camera nearby and were just too lazy to take pictures?  Me me! 

We headed to Cali a few weeks ago for my brothers wedding and figured we would make a vacation out of it.  Thanks mom for letting us crash and create mayhem in your house for a week! 

Monday – Beach.   

Tuesday – Disneyland.  Ugh.  Crazy amounts of people.  Weaving through the streets, stood in lines for hours.  There were highlights… The Dance parade and a few rides.   The kids begged to go home after a few hours.

 

This was them smiling after we agreed to cut our losses and head home early. 

Dad and Jayce on It’s a small world.  Aww. 

 

This giant marble ball was resting perfectly on a base with water so you could spin it if you really got it going. 

I want one. 

Got back to mom’s to learn Flapjack had a tapeworm. Gag.

Wednesday – Took Flap to the vet, fixed the problem.  Swam at mom and dad’s.  Relax. 

Thursday – 6 Flags Magic Mountain.  We took Jayce and went with Shannon/Ethan and cousins. 

SO FUN. 

SO CRAZY. 

So NOT what I remember. 

When did I get so old I was afraid of roller coasters? Oh I went on them, but I didn’t like it.  Ok, it was such a rush.  I closed my eyes most of the time.  Ok, all the time.  Jayce loved the crazy rides.  We might have to make this a yearly adventure for him. 

 

These two were a bit too short to ride a couple of the crazy rides so we hit jet stream 5 or 10 times and Ninja at least as many times, 4 of them without even getting off the ride in between.  Yowza. 

We got lucky with timing and got a photo shoot in with these guys. 

Friday/Saturday was the rehearsal dinner for the wedding and the rehearsal ceremony on the beach. And then of course the real deal.  Lainy was a flower girl along with her cousin Rylee.   You would think I would have taken a picture right?  Ah no.   Not even one.  Mother of the year award right here.  Pin it on me.  The girls did great walking down the isle, dropping pedals simultaneously and danced the night away at the reception.  Tami, you looked AMAZING.  Welcome to the fam!  You’re stuck with us now! Congrats you two, we love you!

Their world

Monsters, birds, aliens and cats.   You name it and I have probably had it in my house this week.   Jared has a wild imagination.  I looked down yesterday to see him nuzzling up against my leg, would not respond to ‘Hi Jar’,  no I had to scratch his neck and call him chili (our no longer cat).  Today his flapping wings made their landing around dinner time and I had to put an end to the tweet tweeting for fear my head might explode.  His voice didn’t waver as he quietly told me through the bathroom door that there was a monster in the kitchen.  Or another day that our house had been eaten by a monster with clouds inside it’s body.  I even heard about his friend, “invisible Jared 2”.  He has endless adventures climbing up the stairs of clouds, and onto the sun, or something as basic of course as a mom and dad.  Lainy tends to follow his lead and add her feminine flair.  What a world they get to live in. 

Coming through, coming through… Make way for the light!

We’ve all had them.  The days/months (sometimes years) that can only be described as black.   You might feel empty sad angry mean disappointed  frustrated hopeless uncontrolled…   They suck.  Those days seem to take you by the throat and hold you down juuust until you think you can’t breathe a second more, and yet… you do. 

We all have different strengths.  And on those black days we all dig down to cling to that strength to help pull us out of the darkness.  I’m a fighter.  I like a challenge, especially if I know that when I overcome that challenge I will come out even stronger.  I do things loudly and face to face. 

But don’t be fooled, there are those with quiet strength.  They fight without anyone even knowing. 

It is easy to let these days overtake us, direct and determine our time.  Don’t.

Marjorie Pay Hinckley said; “Be kind, everyone you meet is fighting a battle.”   And “The trick is to enjoy life.  Don’t wish away your days, waiting for better ones ahead.”   I add my amen to that.