Random pics from Summer 2016

Our summer vacation from school is short this year, but thankfully the days are long!  So far it's been a nice mix of work and play!

Here are some fun random pictures from the last couple weeks:

Wade has had a few friends over lately--we always enjoy having his buddies over!

  

One day this week Rhiannon and I did some facial masks that we picked up at Walgreens.  The greatest health benefit from these weird things was probably the belly laughs we got putting them on!

Wade and I had a pretty weird experience this week at WalMart.  We were doing a little clothes shopping when we heard the following over the intercom:  "Please do not leave the store.  Customers need to stay in the store at this time."  Well, turns out there was a MASSIVE gas leak near the new construction of the Super WalMart across the street, and we were asked to stay in the store until it was safe to leave.  After about 40 minutes we were able to get to our van and exit southbound.  It was pretty creepy going to our car--there was this very loud hissing noise, which we think was the gas leak!!!

Yeah, it's been hot, 108+ most days.  Yesterday Rhiannon and I were driving around town and the van temperature guage only read 98 degrees. What a treat!

On Friday the boys went golfing, and Rhiannon and I got pedicures!  It was a lot of fun!

Gorgeous sky full of clouds the other day!

Other events/moments from this week:

--Jason was on travel to PAX in Maryland.  We were glad to get him back home on Thursday!

--Jason has also been re-painting the kitchen wall in our home.  He's doing a fantastic job!

--Rhiannon has enjoyed her babysitting job this summer!  She babysits 3 days a week and has a lot of fun with the girl she watches.  It's an easy gig, and she's very grateful for it!

--The kids and I brought a meal and ate dinner with a ward friend, Elizabeth this week.  Elizabeth recently broke her arm and needed some help.  We all were very happy to spend time with her and realized we need to do that more often!

--Had our sister missionaries over for dinner!

--I've been volunteering a couple hours in the early morning the past few days at the Burros Music Boosters fireworks booth.  I'm tired because I haven't been waking up that early for the past few weeks, but it's been a good experience and I've enjoyed helping!

--We had a great visit with our friend Howard, who is still making a slow recovery at the hospital.

--Made homemade pepperoni pizza rolls and pizza sauce with the kids using a recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe website.  DELISH!

--Rhiannon gets her patriarchal blessing tonight!!!

We are looking forward to a family day tomorrow as we celebrate the 4th of July!

The Erskine Fire

Last Thursday, about 30 minutes from our home, a wildfire began in the mountains near Lake Isabella.  We can easily see the smoke above the mountains, and we smell it different times of the day, depending on where the wind is blowing.

After 4 days, the fire has damaged over 36,000 acres, with 150+ structures and homes burned to the ground, only 10% contained as of this morning.  1700 firemen and personnel have been battling it.

One thing about tragedy is that it opens people's hearts.  The day after the fire started, we went around the house and gathered a few supplies to take to a drop-off location--water bottles, hygiene items, clothes, a few gently used blankets, and unused pillows.  It was a token donation, and I hope we'll be able to do more.

The response from our little Ridgecrest community to help Lake Isabella (and other) residents has been astounding.  An account was set up at a local bank, volunteers have loaded several trailers of donations and driven up to the area on their own time and money, people have delivered chili and donuts to the fire personnel, animals have been relocated here in town and at the fairgrounds.  I spoke to a friend this morning who said she had family staying at a local hotel, and there were goats there!  Livestock and other animals have also been rescued from the wildfire.  These are just a few of the stories I've seen.

In the face of so much destruction, it has been very inspiring to see people gather together to help and make a difference!

The other miracle was this:  our good friend Howard Collins has a sister Cindy who lives up where the wildfire is going on, in Mt Mesa.  She works with firefighters and other personnel for her job, so when the fire started, she grabbed a few belongings from her home and spent the next two days working on the fire situation.  We were concerned for her and her home!  Yesterday Sandi sent me a text that Cindy had been able to check her home--"Cindy's house did not burn....thank you for the prayers.  She is busy working and helping others."

For an idea of the devastation, here are a few pictures that have been all over Facebook this weekend:

Last Friday--highlights and frights

Friday, September 11th, was a busy day!

Wade and some other Boy Scouts helped with a special flag ceremony at school that morning.  (Thanks to friends Chris and Tami for the picture!  Wade is in the red shorts.)

That night we went to the high school football game and enjoyed watching Rhiannon play in the band.  She's on the end of the mallets.  (Many thanks to the Murphree family for letting me post this!)  During a second performance, one of Rhiannon's sticks broke--she just kept right on playing with her other hand, haha!  What a trooper!

I personally didn't take any videos because I was distracted by these...  Those are seed bugs, folks, and they were at the game in abundance.  It was crazy!

Despite the bugs, we had a great time and enjoyed being there.  The 9/11 ceremony at halftime was nice, too.  

Two other special events occurred that weekend.  On Saturday, Rhiannon and I went to her friend Nik's baptism.  He is the drum major for the high school band and has a lot of Mormon friends.  A few weeks ago Nik had attended the missionary open house that Rhiannon helped with, and he sought out the missionaries after that.  Rhiannon played the piano at the well-attended baptism and did a great job!  My favorite thing was that the whole front row at Nik's baptism was taken by high school friends, there to support him. 

The next day we snuck out of church after Jason's Sunday School lesson and drove down to California City for a missionary open house/luncheon.  Our friends the Okerlunds (of New Year's Eve party fame) are sending their son Brighton off to the MTC today to serve in the Philippines.  After he got his mission call, he and his family had just 3 WEEKS to get him on his way, but they made it!  He will be a great missionary!

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!

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! :)

Our friend Sundown

This weekend has been very special for our ward family.  A wonderful investigator and friend, Sundown Hittu and her son Ben were baptized last night.  This has been a 6-month+ journey for Sundown, and she has been an inspiration to our whole ward as she has overcome addictions, discouragement, trials and fear.  We have all grown from her faith, and we are all so happy for her!!!

Bishop Washburn, Sundown and Ben Hittu, Sister Taylor and Sister Lazarotto

Elder Haroldsen with Sundown and Ben

When Jason and I showed up at the baptism (at President and Sister Bull's home in their pool--still no stake center here in Ridgecrest to use a regular font), our bishop Ephraim Washburn and his wife Kimm talked with me for a few minutes.  He said that I'd been very helpful to Sundown when I'd shared my testimony of repentance with her, that there were so many like me who were sharing this day and her joy with her.  

I wanted to write about that particular night with Sundown because it illustrates one way the Holy Ghost works and how prayers can be answered in simple ways.

On Wednesday, March 11th, I had the random idea to text a few friends and see if they wanted to ride together to the Relief Society dinner that night.  Sundown was the only friend able to go that night, and I was happy to pick her up.  (Now, I rarely offer rides to RS night--I like making quick getaways, haha!)  The activity was wonderful and we all enjoyed the sisterhood and love that was felt there!  As I pulled into Sundown's apartment complex afterwards, we talked in the car for a bit, and Sundown talked about the process of the baptismal interviews she had to do and how painfully embarrassing it was for her.  She was so sad and upset.  I paused a moment, feeling impressed to share some personal experiences but feeling awkward about it, but I took the plunge and shared one of my own experiences with repentance, how I had felt those same feelings, in the beginning.  But I also said that I was grateful for full, true repentance because ultimately that embarrassment gave way to deep gratitude to the Savior for His Atonement and an understanding that it was real, that it was for me, and that Christ knew me and loved me.  

It was a quiet, special moment that I will never forget.  How grateful I was to find out later that those few minutes, talking in my van at night in the parking lot, helped Sundown jump those last few hurdles.  I hope she knows how much she is loved and admired and cherished!

A very special service project!

On February 16th, we drove down to Loma Linda and did a service project at the Ronald McDonald House with some wonderful Ridgecrest friends who also stayed there while their children were at the children's hospital.  Thank you, thank you, to the Kimbler family for organizing it!  We had a great time with them and the Rossers!

It had been 14 years since we'd been back to the Ronald McDonald House, about 6 months for the Kimblers, and 2 months for the Rossers.  I was happy I held it together and didn't get emotional. :)  We were just so happy to be there, providing lunch and talking to the families who were guests there at that time.  One of the men noticed Benjamin's BYU shirt and asked us about that--come to find out, that family was LDS and members of the Victorville stake. Good times!

Rhiannon with Jackie Rosser--I admire Jackie so much!

These kids were a little too young to be in the kitchen, per the guidelines there, but they loved the 25-cent soda machine, the free snow cones, and the play area out back.  I sure was glad the Kimbler kids could come so that Wade wasn't bored!

Rhiannon never stayed here, but her parents and Grandma Donna did!  What memories! Our girl was staying in the Loma Linda NICU--a crazy beginning, but look at her now!  Love this girl--we are blessed!

A very happy day!!!

Last Day In His 30's!

It started with a top-secret Facebook invite...

Last night we finished up family home evening, and then we told Jason we had a special treat planned for that night and we needed a few minutes to set it up.  I changed into black clothes (the kids were already in theirs), and then we quickly brought out a big sign, lots of black balloons, and ice cream toppings.  Jason knew something was up then, but I still think he was surprised by the number of people who spilled into our home at 7:00 pm, haha!  It was awesome!!!!!!!!

I am so thankful to these great families and friends for making it a fun night for Jason!  Thank you, Kimblers, Howard and Sandi, Williams family, Washburns, Speredelozzis, Littons, Evans family, Zobells, Jensens, MacGregors, Hawkins family, and Smiths!  (I hope I'm not forgetting anyone--there were a lot of people!)

We had just under 50 humans, two dogs, lots of balloons, ice cream, toppings to feed an army, gag gifts, BLACK everywhere, and a rousing game of Reverse Charades for the kids (they played that for almost an hour!) I think Jason felt the love. Good times!

I think this was only half of the kids!!!  Stairs make great extra seating!

I spy the birthday boy, taking it all in, haha! :)

From Howard and Sandi

My wonderful party planners in crime.  When I approached them about doing this, they were a little worried, haha!  We all were!  Jason does not like surprises!

The popular game we first played this past June in St George with the Cushing side continues to RULE.  I introduced this to the kids at the party and they played it for almost an hour!!!

This was the only fail for me that night.  I'd had a lot of fun looking for "sad, funeral-type" songs and thought this playlist was pretty funny, but our cable modem stopped working JUST before the party.  BUMMER!  Maybe I'll save it for Jason's 50th!

Today, Jason's actual birthday, is a normal work/school day, but we are looking forward to helping him close out in style tonight.  Love this man so much!

Talent in the desert!

On Saturday night Rhiannon and I joined our friend Sandi Collins and went to a musical put on by the RMES, the Ridgecrest Musical Education Society.  Most years RMES puts on a play and donates all of the proceeds to the schools and scholarships for music education.  It's pretty neat!  They do auditions and then work on it all summer, voluntarily.

This year the play was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

It was FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We also knew several people in the play from school and church, so that made it even more magical. :)

I had no idea that much talent existed in our little desert town!  Can't wait to see what they do next!

The boys got milkshakes and then had a "guys night" watching Need for Speed.  They had a good time, too, but hopefully I can convince them to join us next time. :)

8th Grade Field Trips

Have I mentioned that May was a big month for Rhiannon?  She went to Disneyland with her middle school band one weekend, leaving at 4am on a Friday and coming back at 3am the following day!  She had a blast, though!

Rhiannon was so excited to be in a group with her friends Emily, Nathan, and Jacob.  When I found out she'd be strolling around Disney with some great friends, I stopped worrying about her! ;)

Rhiannon with Emily and Nathan

Parade fun

A long bus ride is a lot more bearable when you're with a friend!

She had the opportunity to go on TWO MORE big field trips that month, to Knotts Berry Farm with the CJSF group (middle school honor society) or to Magic Mountain with all the 8th graders.  We told her she had to choose between the two (mean parents, haha!), and she chose Magic Mountain.  She rode roller coasters ALL DAY LONG and loved every minute of it!  Thank you, Dramamine, haha! :)

During the Magic Mountain day, a friend of mine here in Ridgecrest sent me a Facebook message telling me she'd said hi to Rhiannon there and reported that she and her friends were having a BLAST.  Made me happy!

Wade's last official Pinewood Derby!

 It's a little bittersweet to write that this was Wade's last official Pinewood Derby as a Cub Scout.  Where does the time go???

Jason and Wade spent a LOT of time together on this car, and, boy, did it turn out perfect!  Wade called it the Spider Mobile.  He didn't place at the races and was pretty bummed about that, but he gets 5 stars for a SWEET car!

So cool!

Happy boy!

Gangstas at the derby

Wade took this with my phone.
I
LOVE
IT.

So glad to have Howard and Sandi there with us!  Thanks, guys!

Jason was on business travel in Tucson, but Wade and Rhiannon were texting and FaceTiming with him during the whole thing.  I was off handing out Red Vines to the masses.  :)  It was a great night!