Dave is a task master when it comes to blogging and we have had so much fun this past week we have been behind schedule on our daily posts. I will now do my best to remember the events of the past 3 days.
On Friday night Adelaide was doing what she does best, organizing and leading. She had crafted a plan to take her cousins on a challenging hike the next morning called 3 Crosses to watch the sunrise. She had it all figured out. Only problem was, the hike needed to start at 5am. She will learn over time that the best laid plans will require buy in from your team. A 4:45 wake up call will squash even the best managers plans. When I went to bed on Friday I was sure she had a critical mass willing to follow her up that mountain such that I would not have to go. When her alarm went off at 4:43am on Saturday I learned that her team consisted only of her bestie cousin Noah, also age 15. She was up and getting dressed while I lay there pondering my options. 1. Go back to sleep and let them go alone. 2. Lay there awake for 3 hours and fret and worry about possible bear and mountain lion attacks, falls off of rocky cliffs, and the real possibility that they would get lost in the wilderness with zero cell reception. 3. Brush my teeth and put on my tennis shoes and get ready for some real mountain exercise. You guessed it, I had to go. It was about 45 minutes to the top of the mountain and it was a good climb. We were all huffing and puffing. No bear sightings. I am sure they heard Addie and Noah chatting away and had ample time to get out of our way. I gave them 20 paces so they could get all of their early morning words out of the way. Those two are good friends. They spent quality time together this weekend and I am so glad they have each other. Makes me reminiscent of my cousin Chad and how we would hang together for days when we were kids and our family would gather. Chad is still my bestie cousin and he would walk on hot coals for me, and I for him.
I love this time in my life when my babies are still small enough to love on me and cuddle often yet old enough to read a note much like this. "Went hiking with Addie and Noah. Be back by breakfast". That note would have been enough information for them to get up and dressed and head out to find their own bestie cousins for the day too. This reunion was one of the best for me in recent memory. The kids did their own thing every day and so did I. The majority of Alastair's time was spent in some sort of pick-up baseball game. Cousins ranging in age from 6 to 26. Dagny was voted most adored by the cousins ages 2 to 8. She had little cousins hanging off of her night and day. Magnolia had a constant playmate in her cousin Caleb who is 8. They covered every inch of that camp together. I had a chance to have real adult conversation, without interruption. I love my extended family so much and these gatherings are precious. And, hard. My dad died 14 years ago and he is missed. These reunions are chances for small glimpses of my dad in my Uncle Erskine, and cousins Dan, Dirk and Darin especially. DNA is a crazy thing. These men do and say things my dad did. They laugh like him. Tell stories like he would, with the same mannerisms. Hug like he hugged. It is obvious why my mom and sister and I need these times together. Love you dad, miss you.
Saturday's afternoon family activity was a legit volleyball tournament. The kids and I were all placed on opposing teams and the brackets left some of us losers and Addie's team the winners. Boo hiss for us, yeah for Addie. Another great part of these outings are that the physical activities usually draw the 10-50 crowd but the 0-10 year olds and 50+ crowd number just as many as loud, cheering, sideline supporters. They are engaged in their own wonderful conversations all the while razzing us for a botched play or applauding loudly at the great competition. We are a competitive bunch and we like these chances to sharpen our skills.
The remainder of Saturday included tons more Rook, Mexican Train, singing, pictures, eating, and worship time together. Over the weekend we gathered 3 times for Scates style worship. This includes some time for praise singing and a message. My family are professional grade. When I say "my family" I mean all the descendants of my Uncles. The Tim Scates family were never professional ministers and the 8 of us watch in wonder when the guitars and bibles come out. My cousins are gifted. This weekend I heard some of the best sermon's I have heard in a long time. Two of my preaching cousins are in-laws. Both preach in their home churches but I am sure this is a high pressure opportunity for them because of the wealth of biblical knowledge within the Scates audience.
Dave returned to the fun on Saturday night after a full day with his rugby club. He had the chance to connect with lots of old friends and play enough rugby to need 2 Advil that night. I was glad his club anniversary was the same weekend we were home so he could do his own thing. One day apart in 75 is just the right amount.
Sunday morning we had a very tearful goodbye. We plan to gather again in two years in the same location. I expect to see another round of beautiful new babies. I am hopeful I will see all 3 of my uncles and aunts. My prayer for them is good health in the coming months and years so that we can continue to carry on our Family Tradition (nod to Kelly Scates).
My crew hustled down the mountain in order to grab lunch with my bestie from Florida, Jody Classen Anthony. She and I have been friends since the 7th grade and she was a bridesmaid in my wedding. Her kids are the same ages as mine and she comes home twice a year to see her parents and sister. I am so glad we could all be together for just a little bit. She makes my heart happy and I miss her so much. Our children are good friends. I loved how the wait staff had put together 2 table for us and the kids immediately pulled them apart for a "kids table". They don't need us at all when they are having fun. Miss you Jod.
Next hug-fest for the day was with my precious nephew Micah and my sister-in-love, Heather. We did not know we were going to get to see them when we made plans to fly home to Denver. They live in Vermont and Heather needed to be in Denver for work this week and brought Micah for some grandparent time. What a gift. Micah played hard with his cousins. I am already looking forward to their return in 5 months.
Our flight back to LA had us on the ground around 9pm. Back to our car and commute to Huntington Beach had us back to the DiBenedetto's around 11pm. Dave and I had discussed our options. Grab some sleep in Huntington Beach and hit the road early in the morning or avoid LA traffic on a Monday morning and just get outside the city that night. We opted for that plan. We said goodbye to our very good friends, put kids in beds and started our drive. We made the right decision. Our RV and towed car are jumbo in size and we need space. Driving through the Mohave Desert at night also allows for reduced temperatures. Dave drove until about 3am and pulled into a rest stop near Barstow off of the highway for 4 hours of sleep. That was a first for all of us, sleeping at a rest stop. Again, I love my RV, like a turtle in a shell.
Monday morning Dave drove the final miles into Nevada to the Hoover Dam. Magnolia slept from the airport in LA all the way to the Dam. Being a kid is funny like that. She missed 12 hours of our adventure but sure needed the sleep. Hoover Dam was great! We visited all the exhibits, viewed the film in the visitor's center, and listened to the audio demonstration of the topographical map which describes the water reclamation process for the western US which begins right near our home in Colorado. I kept telling the kids that all of the western US should say thank you to us Coloradoan's for sharing our snow melt with all of those low landers. I am pretty sure we didn't have a say in the matter. I think they Feds took it regardless of our wishes. I would have liked for my dad to have been with us on the tour. He worked in Washington D. C. for Congressman Aspinall and much of their work related to the water rights on the western slope of Colorado. I am sure he would have had lots of wisdom to share. Our tour took us to two sections of the dam power plant and also inside the dam itself. We were able to look through an air vent in the dam and walk through the small tunnels used for inspection checks. Two things I did not like about the Dam were the bat we saw while inside the tunnels. I hate bats and the kids love that they make me so nervous. Second, the heat at the dam. We had a long walk from the RV parking at the top of the mountain to the dam and the temperature was 106. I don't think I have ever been sweatier. We did a good job hydrating, but we were gross.
On Sunday night when we returned to our RV after 5 days apart Dagny was the very first to enter the RV and turn on a light. I was right behind her and noted her surprise. When she turned on the light a cockroach ran under the couch. Because I didn't see it with my own eyes I allowed myself to believe she was tired and confused. I hate cockroaches almost as much as bats and I had no time to allow my fears to slow us down. Well, that roach came out of his hiding place on the drive back from the dam and the girls and I freaked. He was trying very hard to run away from the RV. Not kidding, in buggy situations like these we all rely on Dagny. She loves bugs, she protects them, and she can handle it. She got a cup and paper and safely rescued him. Put him in a Tupperware and out of sight of the rest of us. It was seriously gross.
We are staying in the Circus Circus RV park on the strip which is hilarious. Our most cost-effective
accommodations yet at $38/day. We did a major clean of the RV which takes about 10 minutes. I took the kids to the pool because we had actually melted and Dave took care of getting our exterior hook ups all situated. Attempts to clean up are futile in Vegas because it was 110 when we took the kids on a driving tour of the strip and dinner out at a casino. We had a yummy Italian dinner, in spite of our sweat, and we focused on our water intake from the days dehydration. The RV is a cool comfortable 75 degrees. We are all a little slow to get going this morning as it will be 30 degrees hotter when we step outside our doors. Wish us luck.
- Jll
I love this time in my life when my babies are still small enough to love on me and cuddle often yet old enough to read a note much like this. "Went hiking with Addie and Noah. Be back by breakfast". That note would have been enough information for them to get up and dressed and head out to find their own bestie cousins for the day too. This reunion was one of the best for me in recent memory. The kids did their own thing every day and so did I. The majority of Alastair's time was spent in some sort of pick-up baseball game. Cousins ranging in age from 6 to 26. Dagny was voted most adored by the cousins ages 2 to 8. She had little cousins hanging off of her night and day. Magnolia had a constant playmate in her cousin Caleb who is 8. They covered every inch of that camp together. I had a chance to have real adult conversation, without interruption. I love my extended family so much and these gatherings are precious. And, hard. My dad died 14 years ago and he is missed. These reunions are chances for small glimpses of my dad in my Uncle Erskine, and cousins Dan, Dirk and Darin especially. DNA is a crazy thing. These men do and say things my dad did. They laugh like him. Tell stories like he would, with the same mannerisms. Hug like he hugged. It is obvious why my mom and sister and I need these times together. Love you dad, miss you.
Saturday's afternoon family activity was a legit volleyball tournament. The kids and I were all placed on opposing teams and the brackets left some of us losers and Addie's team the winners. Boo hiss for us, yeah for Addie. Another great part of these outings are that the physical activities usually draw the 10-50 crowd but the 0-10 year olds and 50+ crowd number just as many as loud, cheering, sideline supporters. They are engaged in their own wonderful conversations all the while razzing us for a botched play or applauding loudly at the great competition. We are a competitive bunch and we like these chances to sharpen our skills.
The remainder of Saturday included tons more Rook, Mexican Train, singing, pictures, eating, and worship time together. Over the weekend we gathered 3 times for Scates style worship. This includes some time for praise singing and a message. My family are professional grade. When I say "my family" I mean all the descendants of my Uncles. The Tim Scates family were never professional ministers and the 8 of us watch in wonder when the guitars and bibles come out. My cousins are gifted. This weekend I heard some of the best sermon's I have heard in a long time. Two of my preaching cousins are in-laws. Both preach in their home churches but I am sure this is a high pressure opportunity for them because of the wealth of biblical knowledge within the Scates audience.
Dave returned to the fun on Saturday night after a full day with his rugby club. He had the chance to connect with lots of old friends and play enough rugby to need 2 Advil that night. I was glad his club anniversary was the same weekend we were home so he could do his own thing. One day apart in 75 is just the right amount.
Sunday morning we had a very tearful goodbye. We plan to gather again in two years in the same location. I expect to see another round of beautiful new babies. I am hopeful I will see all 3 of my uncles and aunts. My prayer for them is good health in the coming months and years so that we can continue to carry on our Family Tradition (nod to Kelly Scates).
My crew hustled down the mountain in order to grab lunch with my bestie from Florida, Jody Classen Anthony. She and I have been friends since the 7th grade and she was a bridesmaid in my wedding. Her kids are the same ages as mine and she comes home twice a year to see her parents and sister. I am so glad we could all be together for just a little bit. She makes my heart happy and I miss her so much. Our children are good friends. I loved how the wait staff had put together 2 table for us and the kids immediately pulled them apart for a "kids table". They don't need us at all when they are having fun. Miss you Jod.
Next hug-fest for the day was with my precious nephew Micah and my sister-in-love, Heather. We did not know we were going to get to see them when we made plans to fly home to Denver. They live in Vermont and Heather needed to be in Denver for work this week and brought Micah for some grandparent time. What a gift. Micah played hard with his cousins. I am already looking forward to their return in 5 months.
Our flight back to LA had us on the ground around 9pm. Back to our car and commute to Huntington Beach had us back to the DiBenedetto's around 11pm. Dave and I had discussed our options. Grab some sleep in Huntington Beach and hit the road early in the morning or avoid LA traffic on a Monday morning and just get outside the city that night. We opted for that plan. We said goodbye to our very good friends, put kids in beds and started our drive. We made the right decision. Our RV and towed car are jumbo in size and we need space. Driving through the Mohave Desert at night also allows for reduced temperatures. Dave drove until about 3am and pulled into a rest stop near Barstow off of the highway for 4 hours of sleep. That was a first for all of us, sleeping at a rest stop. Again, I love my RV, like a turtle in a shell.
On Sunday night when we returned to our RV after 5 days apart Dagny was the very first to enter the RV and turn on a light. I was right behind her and noted her surprise. When she turned on the light a cockroach ran under the couch. Because I didn't see it with my own eyes I allowed myself to believe she was tired and confused. I hate cockroaches almost as much as bats and I had no time to allow my fears to slow us down. Well, that roach came out of his hiding place on the drive back from the dam and the girls and I freaked. He was trying very hard to run away from the RV. Not kidding, in buggy situations like these we all rely on Dagny. She loves bugs, she protects them, and she can handle it. She got a cup and paper and safely rescued him. Put him in a Tupperware and out of sight of the rest of us. It was seriously gross.
We are staying in the Circus Circus RV park on the strip which is hilarious. Our most cost-effective
- Jll
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