Rhiannon took these with her phone on Wednesday. I HAD to share. Enjoy!
Friday, July 31, 2015
Preparing myself
Jason and Wade are off golfing this morning. Rhiannon is at a pioneer trek activity with her church youth group until tomorrow night. I'm glad I took a few minutes to get caught up on this blog today instead of mindlessly surfing the Internet or other lazy time-fillers!
I realized that this week has prepared me for the busy school days of coming. The calendar was packed and it was hard to find space to write it all!
Monday we did lots of chores, yard work, finished most of our school shopping, Rhiannon went to a babysitting job, and we looked after people's homes who were on vacation.
Tuesday we joined friends in the morning for basketball at the church and had the sister missionaries over for dinner in the evening.
Wednesday I attended training with the school district for subbing, we took friends on a tour of Richmond Elementary School in case they were going to attend there, Wade went to a friend's house, Rhiannon packed up for trek, and I hosted a book club and swimming in the evening.
Yesterday Rhiannon left for Trek, we had Wade's friends over for a swim party, I took a friend to Baskin Robbins for her birthday, and I went to training for my institute calling at church.
Whew!
Next week, our final full week of summer vacation, will prepare me for the silence of having the kids gone during the day when school starts. Both kids will be gone all morning Monday through Friday next week (the last full week of our summer vacation). Rhiannon will be at band camp from 7 am to 12 pm, and Wade will be at basketball camp from 8 am to 1 pm.
Maybe I'll use that time to finish up the next blog book? Or work on emergency preparedness? Or get my visiting teaching done? Or, if I MUST, mop the kitchen floor? :)
Life is good. I'm so thankful for this little family of ours--Jason, Rhiannon, and Wade mean so much to me!
I realized that this week has prepared me for the busy school days of coming. The calendar was packed and it was hard to find space to write it all!
Monday we did lots of chores, yard work, finished most of our school shopping, Rhiannon went to a babysitting job, and we looked after people's homes who were on vacation.
Tuesday we joined friends in the morning for basketball at the church and had the sister missionaries over for dinner in the evening.
Wednesday I attended training with the school district for subbing, we took friends on a tour of Richmond Elementary School in case they were going to attend there, Wade went to a friend's house, Rhiannon packed up for trek, and I hosted a book club and swimming in the evening.
Yesterday Rhiannon left for Trek, we had Wade's friends over for a swim party, I took a friend to Baskin Robbins for her birthday, and I went to training for my institute calling at church.
Whew!
Next week, our final full week of summer vacation, will prepare me for the silence of having the kids gone during the day when school starts. Both kids will be gone all morning Monday through Friday next week (the last full week of our summer vacation). Rhiannon will be at band camp from 7 am to 12 pm, and Wade will be at basketball camp from 8 am to 1 pm.
Maybe I'll use that time to finish up the next blog book? Or work on emergency preparedness? Or get my visiting teaching done? Or, if I MUST, mop the kitchen floor? :)
Life is good. I'm so thankful for this little family of ours--Jason, Rhiannon, and Wade mean so much to me!
Wade throws a party!
Earlier this summer Wade went to his 5th grade teacher's home, Mrs. Kyte, and enjoyed a fun afternoon there with other friends from his class. He'd been asking (bugging) me if he could continue the fun at our house with a pool party.
So yesterday he shopped for food with me and also helped pick out a few new pool toys and was a good host to his friends that morning. We had Mrs. Kyte and her boys over, plus friends Tucker, Nick, and Carson. We were also happy Elliotte could make it and glad she had fun even though she was the only girl there (two other girls couldn't make it--Wade was bummed about that, but we were glad Elliotte could come!)
I didn't take a single picture--I was too busy enjoying and monitoring, haha!
So yesterday he shopped for food with me and also helped pick out a few new pool toys and was a good host to his friends that morning. We had Mrs. Kyte and her boys over, plus friends Tucker, Nick, and Carson. We were also happy Elliotte could make it and glad she had fun even though she was the only girl there (two other girls couldn't make it--Wade was bummed about that, but we were glad Elliotte could come!)
I didn't take a single picture--I was too busy enjoying and monitoring, haha!
Rhiannon's great-great-great-great grandmother
Rhiannon left for a 3-day pioneer trek activity with our Ridgecrest stake yesterday. Right now she's in the middle of Cherry Valley, CA somewhere, with her handcart "family," consisting of a ma and pa (Gavin and Emily MacGregor from our ward--they are wonderful!!!), and other youth from our stake. I am so excited and nervous for her at the same time. Having never participated in something like this, all I've heard is that it's hard and it's fun!
There was a lot of preparation involved. Along with learning about pioneers in general, reading scriptures, gathering supplies, and preparing physically, Rhiannon had to choose an ancestor to dedicate her trek experience to. I got her plugged into Family Search, told her that she was blessed to have a LOT of options on all sides of the family--Cushing, Throndsen, Williams, Sheen, Beck, etc!, and then she did the rest. I was pleasantly surprised by her choice--her great-great-great-great grandmother on the Sheen side, Eliza Elizabeth (Taylor) Sheen.
After I read Eliza's short history on Family Search, I felt Rhiannon had made a wonderful choice. We can't wait to get her home on Saturday and hear ALL about it!!!
From FamilySearch:
History of Eliza Taylor Sheen
Contributed By Kelli Douglas Swenson · 4 August 2014 · 0 Comments
Eliza Taylor Sheen was born August 1, 1827 in Redmorley, England. She was the wife of Robert Sheen of Wostershire, England. To them were born seven children, several of whom were born in England. They were born and reared in England and were sweethearts there; they were very industrious.
As years went by, the Gospel of Jesus Christ came to them, through the spirit of the missionaries who had been sent to England to deliver the truths to all who were in readiness. This family partook of the spirit, knew it was for them, and were baptized. The missionaries were their friends, and they confided in them. They lived the gospel, and when the time came, they were ready to take the long journey and come to Zion.
The family were poor, not much to enjoy but work. In the year 1856 on the 23rd day of March, this family with 534 saints sailed from Liverpool, England under the direction of James Fergenson, on the ship, "Enoch Train". The journey was long, and sickness came upon them. Food was rationed very closely, and before the journeys end, ran out; but those who had more rationed it among them.
Their sea-sickness left them, then the measles were in store for the young children, and the fleas began to attack them. It must have been anything but a pleasant voyage, but at last, on May first they landed in Boston. From there, the Saints traveled by rail via New York City to Iowa City, Iowa., from whence the journey across the plains was commenced by wagons and handcarts. It was their luck to miss the wagon train by a few minutes, and the handcart making began, as no other conveyance was to be had. Under the direction of Daniel Spencer, who was acting as General Superintendent of Emigration on the Borders, assisted by George D. Grant, William H. Kimball, James H. Hart, and others, the work began. As soon as the carts were finished, which took two days or more, the train of immigrants started for their destination - a distance not known. There was not much to eat. The father of this family had a shotgun and being a good shot, kept them supplied with wild meat.
Eliza Taylor Sheen was traveling with a small child two years old who passed away on the journey. Traveling was held up for a day while casket-making was done by the men of the company. The casket finished, the child was buried. The family wept, and before night, were traveling along their way. The child's name was Emma. They were now left with only four children.
As the room in the cart was limited, two children tried to walk. The one did not want to, so one walked all the way, never refusing, never complaining, she was Ann. These two companies of handcarts were the first to travel by carts. The company was so large, it had to be divided into two sections. They arrived September 26, 1856. Seventy Five miles from Salt Lake City, a cow was killed for the company, and they surely had a feed. They arrived at Salt Lake City, under the charge of Edmund Ellsworth and Daniel McArthur, where they were met and welcomed by the First Presidency of the Church, a brass band, a company of dancers, and a large concourse of citizens. Captain Ellsworth's Company left Iowa City on June 9th. They started the handcart journey with 497 souls, 100 handcarts, 5 wagons, 24 oxen, 4 mules, and 25 tents.
The family started life all over again. The Sheen family went to Ogden, one more child was born, James Robert, and for a few years this was their home, but they decided to travel on and came to Payson, Utah. There they made their home, and of course were in very poor circumstances. The people were good to all immigrants, and they were taken care of. People shared what they had. One more child was born to the family here, a girl, who was named Matilda, the youngest and last child born to them. Later they moved back 3 miles to Salem, where they continued living the remainder of their lives.
At Salem, a new life again was in store for them. They settled daown to farm work, and it was not long until things were turning brighter. Land was bought, machinery intalled, and things accumulated until the debts were paid and the family had a better living. All worked hard, and each one did his share. Soon they had four lovely daughters and one son. Eliza Taylor Sheen was a wonderful mother and wife, always willing to assist in sickness, and by this time she had enough of the necessities of life to help the immigrants who came later. She shared food, blankets, and whatever could be used. She had conserved and helped in every way possible to keep their living coming in. Here life here was very different. She had a house to live in, after living in a dugout in Payson. Now she was growing fruit, raising chickens, milking cows, making butter, and had a lovely garden of potatoes and vegetables. Of course the garden had to be hoed and weeded. When she was tired and needed rest, she had a basket of carpet rags upstairs. What a pleasure for her to go up and sew rags as she would sit and rest. Eliza Taylor Sheen became the midwife of the town. She was handy in caring for the sick people, and had a little training and great intelligence and was greatly relied on in confinement cases. Out of her bed at a minutes notice, any hour of the night, she would go. If anything came to ride in, she would ride, if not she would walk. I have known her to ride horse back which was a regular custom then, or I have too known her to walk from one end of town to the other to take care of mother and child, and back again. And of course she made trips to the patients everyday for 10 days thereafter too. Grandma Sheen worked at nursing on her own reliance, as there were no doctors then to be had for maternity cases, and I can truthfully say she has been in every home in this town and entire large families were brought into this world by her help only. She loved the little babies, lost very few cases, and it seems she had that gift along with a little training. It was handed down to each of her daughters, as they too were all professionals at nursing, also taking care of the dead, washing and laying them out for burial. Her girls were all taught to work and be useful. All made good cooks and good housekeepers in general. Not only were the sick attended to and many children born, but here neighbors were never neglected - a kind word, a minutes visit, a little help, all of which made an enjoyable neighborhood. She attended church, had a good voice, and her talent was enjoyed in the ward choir. She was small in stature, with beautiful black eyes and a great determination.
In 1879 on January 7th she was sustained as 2nd counselor in the Salem Ward Relief Society. Before that time, she was an active visiting teacher. Her aim was always to assist and help the cause of the church, the missionaries, and to maintain ward meeting places, all for the betterment of mankind and in gratitude for the blessings that came her way. She was very thankful at all times for the promptings she had received from living a good honest life.
Now she was getting along in life. Her husband had been called to the great beyond, which was a shock to her. Her health was failing, and she was not able to assist in child bearing. She made a visit to Arizona where two of her daughters had colonized in early days with the Saints who went there. Her temple work all done, she was now able to rest and enjoy what was in store for her, but she did not live long. Her lonely life was very short. Seven years after her dear life-long companion had left her, on the 17th of September 1901 she passed from this life with many milestones trodded over, kind deeds, and a host of living proof of her good works.
The townspeople missed her. She was Grandma Sheen to all. I see her now from memory in her little black bonnet hat, a black silk cape, and a fringed shawl, her dress so neat and trim. Her funeral was held in the Salem meeting house, and burial was in the family plot in Salem Cemetary.
The writer of this history is a granddaughter. My mother's family were born with her as midwife, and I was brought into this world by her only, my mother, Ann, being the little girl of this family who walked all the way across the plains at age 9.
Mrs. Chloe Davis Jorgensen
Retyped by Kelli Douglas Swenson
Filed with Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Utah County
There was a lot of preparation involved. Along with learning about pioneers in general, reading scriptures, gathering supplies, and preparing physically, Rhiannon had to choose an ancestor to dedicate her trek experience to. I got her plugged into Family Search, told her that she was blessed to have a LOT of options on all sides of the family--Cushing, Throndsen, Williams, Sheen, Beck, etc!, and then she did the rest. I was pleasantly surprised by her choice--her great-great-great-great grandmother on the Sheen side, Eliza Elizabeth (Taylor) Sheen.
 |
| Eliza--I love her little smile in this picture and can imagine how her town felt about her. |
 |
| Rhiannon with friends Tamara and Katie, the morning I dropped her off for trek. |
After I read Eliza's short history on Family Search, I felt Rhiannon had made a wonderful choice. We can't wait to get her home on Saturday and hear ALL about it!!!
From FamilySearch:
History of Eliza Taylor Sheen
Contributed By Kelli Douglas Swenson · 4 August 2014 · 0 Comments
Eliza Taylor Sheen was born August 1, 1827 in Redmorley, England. She was the wife of Robert Sheen of Wostershire, England. To them were born seven children, several of whom were born in England. They were born and reared in England and were sweethearts there; they were very industrious.
As years went by, the Gospel of Jesus Christ came to them, through the spirit of the missionaries who had been sent to England to deliver the truths to all who were in readiness. This family partook of the spirit, knew it was for them, and were baptized. The missionaries were their friends, and they confided in them. They lived the gospel, and when the time came, they were ready to take the long journey and come to Zion.
The family were poor, not much to enjoy but work. In the year 1856 on the 23rd day of March, this family with 534 saints sailed from Liverpool, England under the direction of James Fergenson, on the ship, "Enoch Train". The journey was long, and sickness came upon them. Food was rationed very closely, and before the journeys end, ran out; but those who had more rationed it among them.
Their sea-sickness left them, then the measles were in store for the young children, and the fleas began to attack them. It must have been anything but a pleasant voyage, but at last, on May first they landed in Boston. From there, the Saints traveled by rail via New York City to Iowa City, Iowa., from whence the journey across the plains was commenced by wagons and handcarts. It was their luck to miss the wagon train by a few minutes, and the handcart making began, as no other conveyance was to be had. Under the direction of Daniel Spencer, who was acting as General Superintendent of Emigration on the Borders, assisted by George D. Grant, William H. Kimball, James H. Hart, and others, the work began. As soon as the carts were finished, which took two days or more, the train of immigrants started for their destination - a distance not known. There was not much to eat. The father of this family had a shotgun and being a good shot, kept them supplied with wild meat.
Eliza Taylor Sheen was traveling with a small child two years old who passed away on the journey. Traveling was held up for a day while casket-making was done by the men of the company. The casket finished, the child was buried. The family wept, and before night, were traveling along their way. The child's name was Emma. They were now left with only four children.
As the room in the cart was limited, two children tried to walk. The one did not want to, so one walked all the way, never refusing, never complaining, she was Ann. These two companies of handcarts were the first to travel by carts. The company was so large, it had to be divided into two sections. They arrived September 26, 1856. Seventy Five miles from Salt Lake City, a cow was killed for the company, and they surely had a feed. They arrived at Salt Lake City, under the charge of Edmund Ellsworth and Daniel McArthur, where they were met and welcomed by the First Presidency of the Church, a brass band, a company of dancers, and a large concourse of citizens. Captain Ellsworth's Company left Iowa City on June 9th. They started the handcart journey with 497 souls, 100 handcarts, 5 wagons, 24 oxen, 4 mules, and 25 tents.
The family started life all over again. The Sheen family went to Ogden, one more child was born, James Robert, and for a few years this was their home, but they decided to travel on and came to Payson, Utah. There they made their home, and of course were in very poor circumstances. The people were good to all immigrants, and they were taken care of. People shared what they had. One more child was born to the family here, a girl, who was named Matilda, the youngest and last child born to them. Later they moved back 3 miles to Salem, where they continued living the remainder of their lives.
At Salem, a new life again was in store for them. They settled daown to farm work, and it was not long until things were turning brighter. Land was bought, machinery intalled, and things accumulated until the debts were paid and the family had a better living. All worked hard, and each one did his share. Soon they had four lovely daughters and one son. Eliza Taylor Sheen was a wonderful mother and wife, always willing to assist in sickness, and by this time she had enough of the necessities of life to help the immigrants who came later. She shared food, blankets, and whatever could be used. She had conserved and helped in every way possible to keep their living coming in. Here life here was very different. She had a house to live in, after living in a dugout in Payson. Now she was growing fruit, raising chickens, milking cows, making butter, and had a lovely garden of potatoes and vegetables. Of course the garden had to be hoed and weeded. When she was tired and needed rest, she had a basket of carpet rags upstairs. What a pleasure for her to go up and sew rags as she would sit and rest. Eliza Taylor Sheen became the midwife of the town. She was handy in caring for the sick people, and had a little training and great intelligence and was greatly relied on in confinement cases. Out of her bed at a minutes notice, any hour of the night, she would go. If anything came to ride in, she would ride, if not she would walk. I have known her to ride horse back which was a regular custom then, or I have too known her to walk from one end of town to the other to take care of mother and child, and back again. And of course she made trips to the patients everyday for 10 days thereafter too. Grandma Sheen worked at nursing on her own reliance, as there were no doctors then to be had for maternity cases, and I can truthfully say she has been in every home in this town and entire large families were brought into this world by her help only. She loved the little babies, lost very few cases, and it seems she had that gift along with a little training. It was handed down to each of her daughters, as they too were all professionals at nursing, also taking care of the dead, washing and laying them out for burial. Her girls were all taught to work and be useful. All made good cooks and good housekeepers in general. Not only were the sick attended to and many children born, but here neighbors were never neglected - a kind word, a minutes visit, a little help, all of which made an enjoyable neighborhood. She attended church, had a good voice, and her talent was enjoyed in the ward choir. She was small in stature, with beautiful black eyes and a great determination.
In 1879 on January 7th she was sustained as 2nd counselor in the Salem Ward Relief Society. Before that time, she was an active visiting teacher. Her aim was always to assist and help the cause of the church, the missionaries, and to maintain ward meeting places, all for the betterment of mankind and in gratitude for the blessings that came her way. She was very thankful at all times for the promptings she had received from living a good honest life.
Now she was getting along in life. Her husband had been called to the great beyond, which was a shock to her. Her health was failing, and she was not able to assist in child bearing. She made a visit to Arizona where two of her daughters had colonized in early days with the Saints who went there. Her temple work all done, she was now able to rest and enjoy what was in store for her, but she did not live long. Her lonely life was very short. Seven years after her dear life-long companion had left her, on the 17th of September 1901 she passed from this life with many milestones trodded over, kind deeds, and a host of living proof of her good works.
The townspeople missed her. She was Grandma Sheen to all. I see her now from memory in her little black bonnet hat, a black silk cape, and a fringed shawl, her dress so neat and trim. Her funeral was held in the Salem meeting house, and burial was in the family plot in Salem Cemetary.
The writer of this history is a granddaughter. My mother's family were born with her as midwife, and I was brought into this world by her only, my mother, Ann, being the little girl of this family who walked all the way across the plains at age 9.
Mrs. Chloe Davis Jorgensen
Retyped by Kelli Douglas Swenson
Filed with Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Utah County
The boys make the most of it!
Last week Rhiannon was at a shortened Girls Camp at Camp Wilderness, and the boys had left for Mammoth to go on their annual backpacking trip. They were all going to be gone for 3 days, while I stayed home with the dogs.
Unfortunately around lunch time that Wednesday, Jason texted me that their mission had to be aborted. He and Wade hadn't gotten very far up the trail when they had to turn around. Wade wasn't feeling well at all, almost like he had altitude sickness, even though he'd been at much higher elevations before. We're not sure what happened with Wade, but we're glad he's okay. Maybe next summer he'll need more practice hikes wearing his hiking backpack, instead of just running on the treadmill. They were disappointed but decided to make the most of it. They drove around the area (which is BEAUTIFUL!) and also made some stops at some interesting places: the national historic site of Manzanar and Schat's Bakery in Bishop for lunch and yummy take-home bread.
Here are some links:
Manzanar: http://www.nps.gov/manz/index.htm
Schat's Bakery: http://www.erickschatsbakery.com/
One nice bonus of the aborted hiking trip was that Jason still took the three days off. YAY!!! He and Wade went to Bakersfield on Thursday, and we all had fun together on Friday, hitting golf balls at the driving range on base. It was a peaceful and relaxing weekend!
Unfortunately around lunch time that Wednesday, Jason texted me that their mission had to be aborted. He and Wade hadn't gotten very far up the trail when they had to turn around. Wade wasn't feeling well at all, almost like he had altitude sickness, even though he'd been at much higher elevations before. We're not sure what happened with Wade, but we're glad he's okay. Maybe next summer he'll need more practice hikes wearing his hiking backpack, instead of just running on the treadmill. They were disappointed but decided to make the most of it. They drove around the area (which is BEAUTIFUL!) and also made some stops at some interesting places: the national historic site of Manzanar and Schat's Bakery in Bishop for lunch and yummy take-home bread.
Here are some links:
Manzanar: http://www.nps.gov/manz/index.htm
Schat's Bakery: http://www.erickschatsbakery.com/
One nice bonus of the aborted hiking trip was that Jason still took the three days off. YAY!!! He and Wade went to Bakersfield on Thursday, and we all had fun together on Friday, hitting golf balls at the driving range on base. It was a peaceful and relaxing weekend!
The Concert
Monday, July 20th, was a very big day.
At 2:30 that afternoon Rhiannon, Wade, and I picked up JenAi Evans and headed south on Highway 395 to get to Anaheim. We were going to see Imagine Dragons in concert for Rhiannon's 15th birthday present!
Traffic through the Cajon Pass was terrible, but once we got out of that, we cruised the rest of the way, arriving at the Honda Center with just enough time to quickly buy t-shirts and find our seats!
We saw two opening acts before Imagine Dragons came out--Halsey and Metric. They were fine, but the arena was pretty quiet, as if people were just patiently hearing them out before Imagine Dragons came on stage!
It was a night we will never forget. Here's what Rhiannon had to say about it the next day:
"The Imagine Dragons concert was one of the best nights of my life. I don't have a favorite moment...because every single second was absolutely amazing. In my opinion, they are even better live (If that's even possible) I knew and loved every single song. I sang my heart (and throat) out and enjoyed myself maybe too much. Imagine Dragons just won the spot of my favorite band. Which is pretty huge because Coldplay has been favorite since I was really little. Thank you Dad for the tickets, and for making one of my dreams come true! I ❤ Imagine Dragons!!!"
And I wrote this on Facebook:
"I don't even know where to begin. Drove in traffic for an extra 2.5 hours, but it was worth it to see Imagine Dragons in concert last night! WHAT. A. SHOW!!!! Happy Birthday present to Rhiannon! We screamed a lot and danced and stood on our feet thru much of it. It was also fun realizing we weren't the only ones who knew all the lyrics...the whole arena was helping with the music, haha! My favorite part was when the room erupted to get them back on stage for an encore. Wow, wow, wow! I may have some permanent hearing loss from that, but, again, so worth it!"
The concert ended around 11:30pm and then we drove an hour up to San Bernadino to Brant and Chris's home where we crashed. We sure appreciated that!!! It was fun to hang with Chris, Greyson, and her niece Karlee. They were very patient listeners as we reported on all the fun we'd had!
So thankful to Jason for springing for the tickets. It's not something we would do every day! but it was wonderful to make that memory for Rhiannon and be there with her. At first I wondered why Jason didn't want to go with us. But after going, I understood. Imagine Dragons isn't his favorite band, but he knew we loved them. And I acted like a crazy 10-yr-old fan girl at the concert, haha! I was kinda glad my husband didn't have to witness that.
Here's a great video that Rhiannon took of Imagine Dragons performing "Radioactive." I absolutely love her little excited giggles in the beginning! Then we all start screaming, haha!
The concert t-shirts are like gold! Both kids sat me down and begged me to be careful with these if I happened to be doing laundry! (they do a lot of laundry, but they were both going to be gone the day after we got back from the concert and were worried I might do something to them!)
What a night! What a memory!
Saturday, July 25, 2015
New family members!
New family members coming in a couple weeks!!! We've had our Kenmore set for about 15 years, and they've been great. However, the dryer was rusting out and leaving stains on our clothes--not fun. These new machines will be AWESOME!!! So thankful and grateful!
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Our family is...
On Monday Rhiannon, Wade, and I, and Rhiannon's friend JenAi Evans, drove down to Anaheim to see the Imagine Dragons concert. (It was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Post and videos coming soon!) Today I was thinking about something JenAi said after we'd left Brant and Chris's home in San Bernardino on Tuesday morning. (We had stayed there overnight after the concert and then hung out for breakfast the next day before heading home.)
JenAi said she noticed that families seemed to have a defining characteristic. Her family valued honesty and keeping it real. Then she said, "After being around you and your brother's family, I think your family's virtue is kindness."
That made me so happy to hear that! Our family definitely tries to be kind. We're not perfect, but we do value being nice to others! :)
JenAi said she noticed that families seemed to have a defining characteristic. Her family valued honesty and keeping it real. Then she said, "After being around you and your brother's family, I think your family's virtue is kindness."
That made me so happy to hear that! Our family definitely tries to be kind. We're not perfect, but we do value being nice to others! :)
Friday, July 17, 2015
Friday, July 10, 2015
Chicago and WisconSheen 2015
Our summer vacation this year was epic!
We flew to Chicago on June 30th. That morning before we left for the LA airport, we were greeted by an unpleasant surprise at the front door. All of Ridgecrest this summer has been covered in these insects called seed bugs. They are harmless but a major nuisance. We'd left the porch lights on through the night, and since those bugs are drawn to the lights, well, you can imagine. The front of the house, especially the walls and front door, were covered in these seed bugs. All I could do was hold back my tears, sweep up the pile of mostly dead ones inside the doorway, pray that they stayed at bay until pest control came and leave for the airport! (Pest control did come and it was a weird but comforting sight to see piles of the dead bugs when we got home!)
The drive wasn't too bad, considering rush hour traffic, and our flight was nice. We got to our Crowne Plaza hotel in downtown Chicago around 4:30pm and had a good time that night walking the streets of Greek Town, sampling some of the yummy food in that area. We loved everything we tried, from the Panhellenic Pastry Shop's goodies to Mr. Greek's gyros, an amazing breakfast at Eggsperience, to...deep dish pizza at Giordano's down the street! We waited 45 minutes for our pizza to come out, but, boy, it was worth it!!!
The Rich and Donna Sheen Reunion wasn't officially starting until Thursday, so we had some CA Cushing time to fill until then and saw some neat stuff! We purchased a Go Chicago pass in advance that paid for 3 Chicago attractions--we chose the Museum and Science and Industry, the Adler Planetarium, and the Field Museum as our three. (We were going to visit the famous Shedd Aquarium as part of the family reunion.)
The Go Pass was a good way to do it--we didn't save tons of money, per se, but it bought us front of the line privileges and some neat shows. It also gave us some focus because there was a LOT to see in Chicago. If we'd had more time, it would have been fun to go see the downtown shopping area on the "Magnificent Mile" or go to the top of the John Hancock Observatory or the Willis Tower to get a view of the city that way. We were happy with our choices and time spent, though!
The Museum of Science and Industry was H-U-G-E!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They had an entire German U505 submarine inside! We enjoyed a tour of that! Other highlights were the "Journey to Space" movie in the ginormous Omnimax theater, and the Science hall that had everything you could imagine, from flying an airplane, checking your pulse, to recreating a tornado. Lots of fun!!!
One of the highlights for me, even though it was a little crazy, was experiencing downtown Chicago in the middle of rush hour pedestrian traffic. HOLY MOLY, there were people EVERYWHERE! We walked upstream to get to the famous "Bean" statue and took some fun photos there.
I took very few pictures of the Adler Planetarium, sad face! I enjoyed going into the famous Adler Sphere to study constellations and loved the fact that they'd had to build the room around it. The views of the city skyline outside the planetarium were hard to beat!!! (and, yes, I did ask a stranger to take our family picture! It was a must!)
I do need to say a word about the weather that week: heavenly!!!! Brisk, 70's, total opposite of the desert, haha!
The Field Museum was another very large place. The taxidermy area was diverse and felt almost like a zoo!
On Thursday morning we picked up some light breakfast items at Whole Foods, checked out of the hotel, and proceeded to fight more crazy downtown traffic to get just a few miles to the Shedd Aquarium, where we were kicking off the reunion activities. It was so fun to see everyone--big hugs all around!!! We missed Jordan and Amelia's family--they had just purchased a home and Jord had started a job at Adobe--we can't wait to see them at the Idaho reunion in 2017, though!!!
This year's reunion planners were Chris and Brant, and Derrick and Traci, and they did a PHENOMENAL job. Though it was tricky getting to the aquarium, we were so glad to have done it first thing in the morning because the line to enter was so looooooooong by the time we got out! We enjoyed a water show together at the aquarium and got a big group picture there! For lunch we fought our way through a Chicago hot dog food truck (fun but crazy ordering for 25 people!), and then the next few hours people had free time before heading to "home base" in New Berlin, Wisconsin. I can't remember exactly what everyone else did while we were in the Field Museum, but I know the Tom/Lydia/Derrick/Traci/Chris/Brant group had a blast looking for some famous movie sites downtown, Logan and Amy's family went to the Navy Pier where there was a Ferris wheel and rides, and I think Mom and Dad did the smart thing and tried to get out ahead of traffic, haha!
Our entire group agreed that the drive from Chicago to peaceful New Berlin, Wisconsin was the absolute worst part of the trip. I don't know how long we were all sitting in it, but it took at least 2 or 3 hours. Our kids slept through some of the frustration, haha:
After dealing with that unbelievable traffic and getting off the highway, the drive through rural farms, corn fields and quiet roads was so therapeutic. We thought, "Wow, we could retire here!!!" It was green, there were tractors on the road, the gas station employees were super friendly, and it was just so beautiful and peaceful! A total opposite of the busy-ness of the city!
The story behind our "home base" house is pretty fun. Originally this whole reunion was planned around the fact that Brant and Chris lived in Crown Point, IN, just outside of Chicago. 6 months or so before the reunion date, Brant and Chris moved to San Bernardino, CA, and we had a little problem, haha! There was some discussion about moving the reunion location, but some of us had already purchased tickets and had our hearts set on Chicago.
Luckily Derrick and Traci had some gracious friends, the Monties, in Wisconsin who were willing to let us use their home. Cherie and her kids were gone, but her husband Mike was there and joined in some of our activities with us. Boy, he's a saint! :) We just made ourselves right at home there and thoroughly enjoyed the location. There were horses and other pets, a trampoline, a fire pit, friendly neighbors, walking trails galore, a playground, a basketball hoop, a little play house, and, all the Monties' kids' toys, haha! It really was the perfect solution, and we were all very, very grateful to the Montie family for their kindness!
Mom and Dad, Derrick and Traci, and Tom and Lydia stayed at the house and the rest of us stayed in nearby hotels. The Monties' home was the perfect place to congregate and there was never a shortage of things to see or do!
I've got to say something about family reunion food. It's seriously the best. Mom and Dad did the "Chicago Dogs" food truck, Tom and Lydia did sweet and sour chicken (which was heavenly after that terrible traffic!), Logan and Amy prepared a super picnic spread, the CA Cushings sprang for CiCi's pizza (thank you, honey!!!), Derrick and Traci did all-you-can-eat nachos, and Brant and Chris covered a fantastic 4th of July meal with hot dogs and bbq chicken sandwiches. Then there were s'mores, ice cream treats, pies, etc! Yum!!!
On Friday morning we drove to Milwaukee and spent almost a full day on the beach of Lake Michigan. We had a BLAST! I'm pretty proud of myself for being the first one to get out in that freezing water, but I just had to! When else was I going to be back here, ya know? Mom and Dad and Logan and Amy rented some umbrellas, a paddle boat and board, and a canoe for the afternoon and that definitely amped up the fun!
That night some of the adults did a reunion-first and had an adults-only activity at a putt-putt course. We definitely need to do THAT again! We missed Logan and Amy (their family needed some downtime and clean laundry!), but it was great doing that. Lots of laughs, lots of good competition, and some delicious ice cream at the end. The man third from the left is Mike Montie--we were glad he could join us!
Rhiannon and Wade did a little babysitting back at the house with some of the younger cousins Beck, Maggie, Moses, Max, and Greyson, and they said they had a fun time, too!
On the 4th of July, we met up at a local movie theater and watched Inside Out together--a fantastic movie! Definitely need to own that one! :)
The rest of that final reunion day sped by too quickly. Logan and Amy's family visited the Sprecher brewery and brought back some delicious soda. There were games outdoors, including Twister and an American Flag search. We played a fun, crazy game indoors, too--Chris had taped two giant balls of prizes together and we had to fight our way through the tape to get stuff as it got passed around. We also had our traditional family meeting to talk about the next reunion (Idaho 2017), had a family home evening message given by Brant, and a talent show (I am kicking myself for not taking pictures of that!) We did a few illegal fireworks out on the road, and then by that time it was time to say goodbye until the next time! That is always so hard for me to do!!!!!!!!!!
We were so grateful to those who worked hard to put this memorable trip together. We all agreed that it was neat to go somewhere few of us had ever been before! I CANNOT wait until the next one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here are a few more fun pictures from the week:
 |
| Twister--Traci spray painted the circles into the grass and used an app on a phone to play the game! |
 |
| View of the river in downtown Chicago |
 |
| This statue called "Man and Fish" outside the aquarium was hilarious! |
 |
| Beautiful, cloudy Chicago--we love you, just not your traffic! |
 |
| Cuties! These two did a good job with their cousins, too! |
 |
| Group family photo at the water show! We took up 3 rows! Front row: Abby, Evan, Beck, Maggie, Will, Olivia, Collin, Greyson Middle row: Jason, Rhiannon, Verity, Logan, Amy, Chris, Brant Back row: Lydia, Hardy (behind Rhiannon's head), Max, Wade, Moses, Derrick, Traci, Mom, Dad, and Tom |
 |
| The remains of this old house were across the street from the Monties' home. |
 |
| A walking adventure with Uncle Tommy. I adored the reunion t-shirts that Chris had designed and Traci had orders. The ice cream scoops have Mom and Dad's name, and then each popsicle stick pair has their children's name and spouse, with a tiny Wisconsin shape and 2015 in the bottom corner. Adorable! |
 |
| We sure made some great memories!!! It was hard to say goodbye to that beautiful place! |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)