Catching up...Julia's birthday!

It's been a LONG time since I've updated our blog. I am playing catch up now so here we go starting in August....Julia turned 4! She wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese for her party and had talked about it for months before so that's what we did. 

She ate lots of pizza...

Rode the rides with friends...

Ate cupcakes...

Bought prizes with her tickets...

Thoroughly enjoyed her presents...

And bought her favorite present, Rufus the piggy bank, with the money she got from Grandma and Grandpa.

Unfortunately I tend to be a little on the air-headish side sometimes and didn't get a picture of all of her friends at her party or of her opening her presents. So you'll just have to trust me, they were there and she had fun. We feel very blessed to have this happy, crazy, little ball of energy in our family. She brings a smile and usually a laugh to all of us. She is affectionately referred to as "Baby" by her oldest brother but she will tell you she is 4 so she is a BIG girl. She loves her friends, loves learning, loves singing and since she got Rufus she loves money. Love this silly little girl of mine! 

Jeremy's mission...

(Elder Hall, Elder Holahan, Jeremy, Elder Elias, Elder Seeley)

Jeremy just got back from a two week mission for our church. Traditionally boys who are 19 are asked to go to various places around the world at their own expense for two years to invite others to hear the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. If they want to know what we believe they teach them that we are Heavenly Father's children and he loves us, that He has always sent prophets to teach and guide us, that there have been several periods of apostasy where the Gospel has been taken from the Earth because people have rejected the prophets and become wicked. The last great apostasy was after Christ was crucified and His apostles were all eventually killed. The Gospel of Christ began to lose some plain and precious truths as the Bible was translated  over and over and principles were taken from it or changed because there was no prophet on the Earth to guide us. But God loves us and again gave us the fullness of the Gospel restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith and we have a living prophet today who is Thomas S Monson. 

Jeremy is only 17 so this is just a two week experience to understand what the full time missionaries do and what he needs to do to prepare. He was a little nervous at first but these guys really took him under their wing and he had a great experience and learned to recognize the guidance of the Holy Ghost in teaching others. These boys are not the ones who convert people, they simply share the truths and it's the Holy Ghost that touches their hearts and that is how they know it's true. 

Jeremy's companions were some pretty neat guys. They were Elder Seeley from Missouri and Elder Holahan from Rochester, NY. Elder Holahan is very musical and plays the guitar and writes songs. He's older than most Elders, he's 26. He didn't grow up in the Church although he was baptized at 8 because his Dad had joined the church but he lived with his Mom, his parents are divorced, so he never went to the LDS church, he went to a Catholic Church with his Mom. When he was 22 he was diagnosed with Leukemia. He received treatment and went into remission but through that experience he took a look at what he really believed and found the answers in the teachings of the LDS Church so became active and wanted to go on a mission to share the Gospel even though he was at the top limit of how old missionaries can be. 

Another companionship Jeremy lived with in the same apartment was Elder Hall from Utah and  Elder Elias from the country Jordan. Elder Elias is the first missionary from the Middle East to come to America. I thought it was a small miracle that a 22 year old boy from Jordan could get a visa to even come here in the first place. I don't believe that there are missionaries in Jordan or in the countries around Jordan. There is the LDS Jerusalem Center in Jerusalem, across the River Jordan from the country of Jordan but I know the people there are not able to tell people about the restored Gospel unless they are asked questions. I guess the story is that this Elder found a flyer or some kind of paper that had some information about the church on it in the street. He looked up The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and got a hold of the Branch President (who is like a Bishop for a small group of members) and asked him to teach him about what we believe. I was actually surprised there was even a branch in Jordan but I guess when they say the church is world wide they aren't kidding. Anyway, he was baptized soon after and is now on his mission to share with others what he found. 

Jeremy has shared a few experiences. The second day he was with the full time Elders they were on their bikes, which is their main form of transportation, and they came to a fork in the road. Elder Holahan said "Brother Meservy you pick which street we should go down and use the Spirit." So Jeremy picked a street that felt right. They made their way from house to house on the street and Jeremy said everyone spoke Spanish...which these Elders don't...and he was a little frustrated. They were about to try another street when Elder Holahan saw a truck parked in a driveway with a Harley Davidson bumper sticker and thought that whoever lived there must speak English. They knocked on the door and told the man who they were and asked if he'd like to hear about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The man told them that he had just read some verses in the Bible for the first time in his life that morning and felt like it was not a coincidence that they knocked on his door so he wanted to hear what they had to say. 

Jeremy isn't a real talkative guy, like his Dad, so I'm sure there are a lot more things that he'll eventually tell me in the future but I wanted to share what he has told me so far. I'm so happy that he went. It has made a difference in him and he went from being a very logical, analytical thinker about the church to really understanding what the influence of the Holy Ghost feels like and now he knows in his mind and in his heart that the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to us through God's prophets living today. 

Our first family camping trip...

Every year our friends, the Carters, go to Carpinteria State Beach to camp for a week. Last year some of our other friends, the Thomas' and Belews went with them and we heard all about how much fun they had. At that time Rich was not yet fond of camping, but since he is this year the Carters and Thomas' invited us to set up a tent on the Thomas' site and hang out. We didn't go for the week, only a few days...we have to break this new family camping thing in slowly...so we went Monday and came home Wednesday. We figured out the things we want to bring next time to make the experience a bit more convenient and fun...a rug for outside the tent door, a broom to sweep out all the dirt, our bikes to ride along the beach path, etc. But we were prepared enough to have a good time.

We actually bought a family tent several years ago. My attempt at being prepared just in case we ever went camping, which paid off quite nicely. We almost all fit. Five of us slept in the big room, Jeremy slept in the little room which is supposed to be an enclosed porch, and Jackson slept with his friend Brandon in his two man tent next  to us.

Monday was spent playing in the water and sand and digging holes and watching some dolphins playing near the shore. It was overcast but in the upper 60's which I thought was nice. Monday night we had a potluck diner with all the families and Rich and I headed to bed a little early to get the girls down. I woke up early Tuesday morning and everyone was still asleep so I put on my running garb and headed off down the path that ran along the bluffs. It was so beautiful. It was hazy and cool. Several bunnies crossed my path along with an army of snails. I felt like I was back home in Oregon it was so green and smelled so good. On my run I passed several rocky areas where a few early risers were out looking at the tide pools. Next I passed a sign for Tar Pit Park, the second largest tar pit in California next to La Brea. About a half mile past that was a Harbor Seal Refuge.

After another half mile I turned around to get back to camp to drag my kids out to see what I had just run past. I met Rich and the three little ones on a walk a little way from camp so I told them all about what we could see and ran back to get Jeremy and Gage. We all walked the path and saw the rocks with the tide pools.

Ally and Julia had fun seeing Starfish and poking at the Sea Anemones. (Yes I had to look that up to spell it right).

Julia would not stay out of the water! We walked up the beach to see the huge chunks of tar just sitting on the beach. It wasn't very  "pittish" but still pretty cool. The tar was leaking out of the cliffs along the beach. It was strange to see this naturally occurring.

After the kids poked at the tar we ventured over to the look out where we could watch the Harbor Seals.

It's funny how clumsy they are on the rocks but how graceful they are in the water.  We just played and explored that day. We drove up to Santa Barbara which was 20 miles away because the boys wanted to see if they could see any of the scenes from Psych, one of their favorite t.v. shows which is set in Santa Barbara. We didn't find anything in particular. That night we ate at a local little place called The Spot which was yummy. That night we went out to the beach to see the bioluminescent waves. This phenomenon happens when there is a "red tide" which I have no idea what that really means.  All I know is that when the waves break on shore at night the white water turns a glowing neon bluish green. It's so amazing to watch. We walked up to the water and when the kids drew in the sand with their finger the sand lit up the same way. Jeremy tried to take pictures but nothing really turned out since he doesn't have a night lens. I wish I had a picture!

The next morning the girls and I got up about 6:30 and went out to the tide pools and to see the seals again. We found great shells, a few sand dollars and even two seals that swam along in the surf next to us for a while. Rich and the boys met up with us to search for shells. Jackson found a big one intact which he was very proud of. Later we went back to camp and had a delicious pancake and egg breakfast cooked by Suzanne Carter and Cari Thomas. Then we packed up and headed home. It was a very nice few days away and we will definitely do it again next year but maybe for the whole week this time!

Huntington Library...

Last week my Dad and Step-Mom came to visit their kids in Southern Cali. They spent a few days with Erica's family and Jeff's family in Pasadena then they came up to see us on Sunday. They went to church with us to see Rich be all Bishopy and to our house after to eat Chili Rellenos. They took Jack and Ally back to the hotel in Arcadia with them which was special for them to get to spend extra time with Grandpa and Grandma. The rest of us went down and met them at the hotel the next day.

(Julia and Rich by the waterfall)

 The kids loved the hotel because in the middle there was a huge waterfall with Koi.  June, Erica's daughter who is just a few months younger than Julia, came along so Julia got to get to know her cousin. From the hotel  we went to the Huntington Library which was close by.

 (Julia and June at the Botanical Garden)

At the Library there was a beautiful Botanical Garden. There was a huge area with desert plants. 

Pretty flowers...

Funny trees...

Beautiful colors...

(Ally and Jack being eaten by the dragon)

From the desert we went into the Japanese Gardens. The Bamboo was beautiful, although there were dangers lurking there. (hee-hee)

(Ally "holding" the tree)

There were amazing Bonzai trees.

(Ally and Gage)

We saw the Serenity Garden...I think Gage fell asleep...

(Jeremy)

Jeremy was very busy snapping pictures of all of the beauty, and trying to avoid my camera. 

The Japanese Gardens were my favorite part, so pretty!

(Grandpa and Julia)

We walked across the property to the Children's Garden. The kids loved having Grandpa and Grandma with us since we don't see them very often. It's a long drive to Oregon.

(Julia)

The little kids loved the fountains...

(Ally)

and streams they could play in. 

(Julia, Ally and June)

I think the girl's favorite thing was the tunnel that had rainbows in the middle. 

After the Children's Garden we went to see the houses and library. The art and antiques were amazing in them! There were books that were 300 years old, the original Blue Boy and Pinky paintings, and so many other amazing things to see. 

(Ally, Grandma, and June)

It was a fun day, so much to see, and so fun to be with Grandpa and Grandma. Ally and Julia cried when we had to leave...never enough time. 

Vasquez Rocks...

On Memorial Day we took the kids to Vazquez Rocks. They had so much fun at Joshua Tree Nat'l Park we thought they'd enjoy it there. It's near Santa Clarita which is only a little over an hour drive for us.

This area has been used in many television shows and movies like Star Trek, Bonanza, and tons of other westerns. The place was named after an Mexican outlaw who used the rocks and caves to hide out from the law.

 Jeremy brought his friend Amber and they went off to climb and explore together and poor Gage got left with us and the little kids. He did end up climbing on his own but I think it was a boring day for him since his brother was occupied.

Rich and I climbed up with all the little ones. We didn't go to the very top over hangs as they were pretty steep to get to but we went up high enough for the kids to feel like they were brave. 

We found some kid sized holes for the kids to relax and find shade in at the top. 

When we got to the very top of the easier section Julia said, "Mom, I'm a mountain climber!"

Ally got pretty nervous up on top but once we got back down to safer ground she goofed around and pretended that she was going to fall. She was only about a foot up so I wasn't worried. 

Jack was much more adventurous so he and I climbed another set of rocks. He wasn't too afraid...

until he looked over the side of the ridge and saw the 50 ft drop. After about an hour and a half climbing the rocks we left the park, grabbed some lunch and went to Janet's to swim for the rest of the afternoon. It was a fun day with a fun little trip.

Wood Badge-A Scouter's Life for Me

My Troop---Troop 1

I just got home last night from the final weekend of Wood Badge at Camp Emerson.  It was amazing.  I went to Wood Badge WE4-45-1-10. It was on  two weekends in  May,  6-8 and 20-22.  I really didn't know much about Wood Badge except that it would be good scout training, which is why I wanted to go; I did not know it would be so spiritual.  I had such fun and made wonderful friendships there; it was hard for me to say good bye last night.  I certainly will miss it.
Wood Badge needs to be experienced so I won't say too much about it.  You need to go, I highly recommend it.  For me it change my life.  For instance I overcame a fear and loathing of camping I have carried my entire life.  My only regret is that I did not go to Wood Badge sooner.

I have some photographic evidence of my participation in Wood Badge for my friends who won't believe that I went to Wood Badge...Camping,  Rich, no way!

L to R front: Ken Wilson, Irene Palladino, Jim Gardner

Back: Warren Lehndorfer, Me, Robert Cornejo

My patrol the Bobwhites.  They were the perfect combination of individuals for me.  They were great.

My ever evolving husband...

This was Rich right before we got married many years ago. 18 years later he's still adorable to me and he's grown to be such a wonderful dad and husband. He's still my best friend and I look up to him for a lot of reasons. He can still make me laugh...imagine that...after 18 years, and hopefully it will be even better in another 18 years. 

When people get married not all of their interests are going to match up completely. I stuck with the things I felt were most important...his love of God and family, his total honesty, and his humility. The things I kind of gave up were my love of the outdoors and sports to some extent. 

Rich is not a camper. His idea of camping ever since I've known him has been to rent a cabin in the woods...but not too far into the woods. Forget hiking. Even if it's a short hike you can't call it a hike or he won't go...I have to say it's a walk. 

He is not into sports. I am grateful that he isn't the guy who ignores me when his favorite team is playing or who gets so wrapped up in a game that it affects his mood for days...especially if the game doesn't go how he wants it to. But he also has had no desire to go out and run with me, no desire to do any kind of outdoor sporty kind of thing for that matter. One time he did go skiing with our young adult group when we were dating...(in the early 90s mind you) and he wore a silk shirt, Dockers, his black leather jacket and his Doc Martins....hmmmmm, yeah. That's my guy!

Recently things have drastically changed. I won't ask why, I've learned that it's kind of pointless if I want an answer that makes sense to me. All in the last few weeks he went on a 3 day camping trip for Boy Scouts, (actual camping in a tent...on the ground...trees AND wild animals around), and today he ran a 5K with me. He ENJOYED camping! Really? I've tried for how many years to get him to try it and nothing! I'll post more details about camping in a few weeks because he has another trip next week for Wood Badge Training and I think he'll be hiking this time too. He's actually getting so into the Scouting thing he's bugging me a little. But he is kind of an all or nothing kind of guy. 

(Rich before the 5k)

I run five days a week with my friend Maele Vaitai. We decided to run the Spring Valley Lake 5k since it's not far from us and they are always fun. I got Rich a mountain bike for his birthday, which he loves, and he's been biking almost every day for the last month. When I told him Maele and I were running the 5k he said he wanted to try it. I was excited and a little shocked that he was open to it but a little worried that he wouldn't be up to it. I mean he hasn't been running. I didn't want to discourage this new interest in something I love so we signed him up too. He figured he could walk a lot. His buddy Luis signed up also and so when the gun went off Maele and I run ahead and I hoped Rich would survive and maybe even enjoy it. 

I finished in 26 min, Maele was just a little behind me, and I wasn't sure where Rich would end up. He actually finished in 41 minutes with Luis! Really not too bad for never running! He's not too sore...yet.  I am so proud of him for trying something I love and for not hating it. He even said he may run with me a little to offset his biking during the week. Yahoo for trying new things and liking them, especially when they are good for you! And yahoo for not being afraid to evolve and do things you never thought you'd do! Go honey!!

(Maele, Me, Rich, and Luis after)