Our Summer So Far

Aside from getting a new pet and taking a long vacation, we've had some other adventures this summer! Surprisingly, the heat hasn't bothered us as much this summer, I guess we're finally acclimating...just in time to move. Yes, we've entered into under a year now, the countdown is on!

In a couple of short weeks the kids will head back to school, Danielle to the fourth grade (gulp), and Rayce to his last year of pre-school, and life will become erratic and crazy again in one sense and scheduled and structured in another. I'm not ready for summer to end just yet, we've actually had a great time together, not that I'm surprised they're great kids, I'm just usually ready by this time to push them back out the door to school.

Danielle participated in a volleyball camp this summer and really loved it! I've been waiting for her to find something that she would light up doing and I think volleyball is that for her, doesn't she look so cute in her knee pads?



She also had another dance recital, I wish I got better pictures, she did a fantastic job, and will be continuing this fall.


For the Fourth of July Holiday we trekked it up to Prescott, one of the best kept secrets in Arizona. This place is gorgeous, and they have trees, actual trees!

Did they film Pollyanna here?

Walking around a little festival they had going on, the weather was perfect, overcast, and upper 80's.

Cutie pies

I think the kids thought it worth the two hour drive for the amazingly big sno-cones!

We ended up driving to a nearby lake to check it out, the scenery was beautiful...

...the water quality questionable.

I wasn't getting in the water, but my family didn't see or didn't care what the sign said, neither did Boris!


I'm glad summer isn't quite over yet, they're still some fun to be had!

Boris

This is Boris. We got Boris from AZ Small Dog Rescue.
Boris is three years old.

Boris is a Bichon Frise-Poodle mix. He is mellow because he is getting over a pneumonia, although I have a sneaking suspicion Boris is mellow in general. He likes to walk, and chew, and fetch his ball, and lay in the allysum bed.

Boris likes Rayce (and Danielle, and Avie Jo sometimes when she pets him softly).

We think Boris is a keeper!

More CA, UT Pics

A few more pictures from our trip:

We stayed at the Marriott right beside Thanksgiving Point, so Avie and I went over to the petting zoo one day. She developed an affinity for a certain black goat while we were there, until she decided they were smelly and we moved on.

Thanksgiving Point also had an incredible blown glass art exhibit, and the kids were able to make their own blown-glass flowers!

I didn't get there in time with the camera to get some shots of Danielle, but I made it to see our nephew Ben take his turn, pretty cool, if it wasn't so pricey I would of done it to.

Danielle and cousin Atticus at the Thanksgiving Point Deli, Atticus got the ice cream cone known as "The Tower"...I wonder why? PS. He almost polished off the whole thing!

Rayce and cousin Claira

Driving on the beach at Oceano State Park in Cali, it's the only beach in Cali to allow motorized vehicles. Rayce felt the need to remind Dan to not drive into the ocean, repeatedly!



Stopping in Kanab on the way home for a bite to eat and to indulge the kids in a bit of old west culture.

I have no words for this

Rayce thought himself pretty tough posing with his toothpick!

I'm ashamed to admit I didn't get any pictures of our time with our friends the Christensen's in California OR of our nephew Ricky graduating high school! Hopefully they'll forgive me and know we love them and thank them for letting us stay at their home and Ricky...We love you and are so proud, congratulations!!!

13 Days, 2579 Miles

Now that our time in Arizona is drawing to a close, we keep getting asked where we are going to live? Well, the short answer is "wherever the Air Force sends us." Dan will owe them three years of active duty service when he graduates, but after that we have to figure out where we want to live and set up a dental practice. We had heard some pretty great things about a place in California called San Luis Opisbo (AKA SLO). It's in the heart of wine country right smack between LA and San Fransisco, ten miles or so in from the coast. Because Dan had a couple of weeks off from the clinic we decided to road trip up to SLO and then head to Utah to see our nephew graduate high school. (Never mind that it meant 30+ hrs in the car with a pre-schooler and a toddler and never mind that it costs us around 75 buck a roos to fill up our vehicle!)

One of the many cool vineyards along the way.

We didn't stay in SLO, we stayed on the coast at Pismo Beach about 10 miles away, our hotel had great beach access.

The kids wanted to go as soon as we got in town.

The stairs down were so steep! There was a sign that said "The view isn't going anywhere, watch your step!"

It was a tad bit cool, nevertheless,the kids did a little posing..

...a little frolicking in the ocean...

...and a little sand castle construction.

The next day it was time to go check out San Luis Opisbo and see if it was a place we could see ourselves living.
The verdict was unanimous, we all decided it is definitely a place we could call home. The mild winters and proximity to the ocean don't hurt...just saying.

This is the old mission in the center of town, Danielle thought it felt like a haunted mansion.

The chapel inside the mission.

This place is definitely the antithesis of AZ.



A few other adventures we had along the way:

Rayce loved the ocean, here he is after getting rocked by a giant wave at Morro Bay. Avie spent the rest of the night repeating "Raycey rolled in the ocean".


Here he is the next day after getting sand in his eyes! I know what you're thinking "what kind of mother reaches for her camera instead of comforting her son?", ummm, yep I'm that mother.

Morro Bay, a small but very cool place. That's Morro rock in the back ground.

Avila Beach, an even smaller and even cooler place.

Danielle couldn't get enough!

It feels so odd to be thinking about these life altering decisions, I'm not sure we're mature enough to make these choices! Even if we don't end up in California it was a cool experience and in a weird way it put my mind at ease to know I could like a place as much as we like Sugarhouse. Dan was quick to remind me that we'll be happy wherever we go, 'cause we'll be together...I agree!

Cookie Dough and a Limo

A couple of times a year, Danielle's school holds various fundraiser's. Well, we usually do not participate (I don't like asking people to buy cookie dough or magazine subscriptions!). Danielle was extremely motivated by this last one because of the incentives of prizes, namely, a limo to take you and a friend to Peter Piper Pizza for lunch. I told her she was on her own on this one, but I did buy a couple of magazine subscriptions to help get the ball rolling. Enter Dan's dental clinic. Dan took the catalog to his dental clinic to see if anyone was interested and oh my! Who knew all these dental students would buy the place out of cookie dough!? Well, long story short Danielle ended up being one of the student's that won a ride in a limo to Peter Piper Pizza for lunch! I reluctantly let her take my camera to capture the event:

Danielle invited her friend Jayda

I think they had a good time!