Summer 2017
We really wanted to make sure that this summer was lots of fun and that it wasn't just about cancer and chemotherapy. I was lucky in that I didn't have to work often and my schedule was very flexible. I felt good most of the time, so that meant we got to play!
The kids had summer school during the first 6 weeks of summer. This was pretty great because they only went to school from 8-12, four days per week. I would pick them up at noon and then we would go do something for a couple of hours before going home. Common activities included boating, swimming, bowling, miniature golfing, go-carting, going to the library, and holding taste tests to see who had the best onion rings. That honor, by the way, goes to the Tailgater's Grill at Fat Cats. In all fairness, we only tried about 4 places...we'll have to eat more places to be super sure.
We weren't able to make our traditional summer trip to Missouri, which was a bummer, but we did have some fabulous trips during the weeks I had off of chemo.
July: Colorado!:
We went camping near La Veta, Colorado with the Goodmans (Grandma and Grandpa, Dan and Kerri's family, Spencer and Jessie's family, and the Duncans). It was so nice to get out of the heat and enjoy hiking, fishing, swimming in the ice cold lakes, and spending time with lots of family. The icing on the cake was that the Duncans followed us back to Utah and spent a few more days with us. We couldn't get enough cousin time!
August: California!
Roger had a conference in San Diego, so we decided to follow along and play while he worked.
On our first day, we went to the Cabrillo National Monument. We saw lots of Navy boats/helicopters, and an old lighthouse.
We decided to keep things relaxed and simply went to the beach every day. We found a small tide pool that we would go to in the afternoons. Ryder loved catching crabs. Keira provided lots of moral support and loved touching the sea anemone. Savanna cried the whole time because she was terrified of the crabs and living things. We finally convinced her to stop crying and touch a beautiful plant.
The one thing we did schedule was a whale-watching tour. We got to see a whole lot of dolphins, a seal, sea lion, and one Minke whale. The kids were on cloud 9 - especially Keira. We all got a bit sea sick, so we took Dramamine, which made us all really tired. The kids ended up napping on the boat during moments where we didn't see any sea life and then we went back to the hotel for a 3 hour nap.
We did have one scary moment: I got off the boat first with Ryder and Savanna and we looked for Keira as everyone got off the boat, but we never saw her! The boat crew asked if I had lost anything, to which I had to reply that I had lost my daughter. They went back on the boat and found her sleeping on a bench inside the boat.
We discovered that the kids LOVE pho and fish tacos.
Panning for gold at the Mormon Battalion.
Old Town. I had to take this picture because puppets really freak Savanna out and they were all over Old Town. Besides...look at Ryder's pose!
After San Diego, we traveled north to visit Uncle J Grant before heading home. We had such a great time! The kids loved playing on his pinball machine and eating the breakfast he made for us each morning.
La Brea Tar Pit:
Hollywood:
The kids had summer school during the first 6 weeks of summer. This was pretty great because they only went to school from 8-12, four days per week. I would pick them up at noon and then we would go do something for a couple of hours before going home. Common activities included boating, swimming, bowling, miniature golfing, go-carting, going to the library, and holding taste tests to see who had the best onion rings. That honor, by the way, goes to the Tailgater's Grill at Fat Cats. In all fairness, we only tried about 4 places...we'll have to eat more places to be super sure.
July: Colorado!:
We went camping near La Veta, Colorado with the Goodmans (Grandma and Grandpa, Dan and Kerri's family, Spencer and Jessie's family, and the Duncans). It was so nice to get out of the heat and enjoy hiking, fishing, swimming in the ice cold lakes, and spending time with lots of family. The icing on the cake was that the Duncans followed us back to Utah and spent a few more days with us. We couldn't get enough cousin time!
August: California!
Roger had a conference in San Diego, so we decided to follow along and play while he worked.
On our first day, we went to the Cabrillo National Monument. We saw lots of Navy boats/helicopters, and an old lighthouse.
We decided to keep things relaxed and simply went to the beach every day. We found a small tide pool that we would go to in the afternoons. Ryder loved catching crabs. Keira provided lots of moral support and loved touching the sea anemone. Savanna cried the whole time because she was terrified of the crabs and living things. We finally convinced her to stop crying and touch a beautiful plant.
We did have one scary moment: I got off the boat first with Ryder and Savanna and we looked for Keira as everyone got off the boat, but we never saw her! The boat crew asked if I had lost anything, to which I had to reply that I had lost my daughter. They went back on the boat and found her sleeping on a bench inside the boat.
We discovered that the kids LOVE pho and fish tacos.
Old Town. I had to take this picture because puppets really freak Savanna out and they were all over Old Town. Besides...look at Ryder's pose!
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