California & Saturna Island

There's too much to write.  And these pics are out of order but it's a huge pain to move them.  This trip was incredible!  We've been planning it in our minds for over 10 years.  We finally just did it.  It was so wonderful to see so many people we adore.  My BFF Naomie and her sweet family in CA, my aunt Karia in Sequim, WA, my oldest friend from Keith Elementary, Kate Pippinger (aka Cheryl Geelhood) and Curt's Dad Bob and his family.  The scenery was breathtaking.  Reunions were lovely.  There were plenty of tears and fists on the long drives.  Lots of hot tamales and Pringles.  Some scary moments with no GPS.  Traffic and worry.  But right now all I can remember is that it was a beautiful reminder that this earth was created for us to enjoy and God is a great lover of beauty and diversity.  And I love my family more than I can say.  The older I get the more I realize that money spent on time together (especially in nature) is so much more precious than any toy or the gadget.  

Crater Lake.  All I can say is I want to go back!!  We didn't get to do the hike.  It is apparently pretty strenuous and takes a couple of hours.  Also everyone was fighting.  But.  Look at that water.  The only source is rainwater so it is crystal clear.  Definitely need to go back.

Victoria on Vancouver Island.  This whole place is like a postcard.  It was quite crowded but then we were there on a Saturday.  Lots of great places to eat and walk.  

Curtis paddle boarding after a tutorial from his brother, Grayden.  But really look at that water (I took that picture- yes!)

Totem pole in Victoria

One of many ferry rides.  And this pic was taken right after Lucy drank Mountain Dew.  Oh boy

Hiking around on Saturna Island with Errol and Ozzie the dog. Coolest dog ever.

Bob is a kayak guide and we spent an afternoon kayaking around the island.  Lucy and Curtis were partners.  It was not easy going.  Jonah and Isaac each kayaked alone and it was really hard work.  They started complaining towards the end and I got a little annoyed with them.  Then Grayden told me that he leads these sorts of trips all the time and that all our kids did amazingly well. :)  Perspective always helps.  Errol and Grayden later said they couldn't believe how good Jonah in particular was being about the whole visit.  I thought he was being such a grumpy teenager but they thought he did great.  This reminds me that too often I expect too much from my kids and think they will enjoy everything this 40 year old mom does.  Good reminder.  The boys earned their kayak merit badge.  (We did Nature, Pets and Geneology too.  Summer trips are a great time do work on scouting)

These rocks on Saturna Island are some of the most photographed in all of BC.  They were just stunning and we spent hours climbing and playing on them.  A seal was swimming alongside us for a long time.  We also saw wild goats and several different kinds of shellfish.  

The sunset from the ferry pier.

Reunited and it feels so good.  Dang I adore this woman!  We literally became friends the minute we met and were pouring out our hearts to each other within hours.  Naomie taught me so much about taking care of people, attending the temple, serving others, working hard, enjoying art and fashion to name a few.  It was so incredible to catch up and just enjoy her laugh again!!  Time is such a funny thing.  We've seen each other like 4 times in the last 20 years.  Sheesh.  Hoping it's not too long before we can hang out again.  Oh and her house is a.mazing.  She designed every bit of it and in typical Naom fashion it is seriously a masterpiece.  And she fed us so well and just made every one of us feel at home.  My kids were so sad to leave.  

 We tie dyed for hours at Naom's house.  So fun.  And here is Curtis rolling up that sassy Isaac in a blow up mattress.

Redwood National Park bear house

These hydrangeas were in the yard of the house we rented in Trinidad, CA.  Oh I miss these flowers!

Hangin out in the Redwoods

Moonstone Beach in Trinidad, CA.  The water was freezing!  But we had fun and Curtis bribed the kids to get all the way in the water so they did. Not worth a dollar if you ask me!

 Mexican food with the Demartinis.

Oneonta Gorge in Oregon.  Actually we thought we were hiking Oneonta and I'm still not exactly sure where we went but it wasn't what we had planned.  The signs were not particularly clear.  But we ended up climbing up a river bed and got to the end with a waterfall and we had the whole place to ourselves.  We had packed some french bread and lunchmeat and veggies and berries. So yummy! 

The girls hanging out on a rock after our long hike.

A visit to Sequim on the Washington pennisula with my mom's baby sister.  It was so fun to see them and enjoy their neck of the woods.  Sequim (pronounced Squim) is so lush and green but apparently it gets a lot more sunshine than Seattle.  The population is pretty small and it's an hour from Vancouver Island and Seattle.  We loved catching up and visited their Farmer's Market before we left.  My cute cousin, Leah sells soaps and bath bombs and they are THE BEST!  I bought several of them and I need more.  Her scents were so good too: grapefruit, spruce, citrus, lavender.  Hmmmm....

Playing Quiddler on the ferry ride to Saturna Island

An afternoon with my old bestie, Kate.  It was so fun to meet her younger, adopted kids.  Shay and Lucy are the exact same age and had a great time together.  We picked up right where we left off.  She is as bubbly, talented and kind as I remember her.  And she lives in the dreamiest place on Bainbridge Island.  I'm so happy for her!

A visit to Pike's market.  I could have spent a whole day here.  The Dahlias and artwork and food... it was awesome!  And aren't Curt's shoes cute?

My Saturna Island Video
And our trip movie trailer

Warning: Political Rant

Like most other Americans I am so disappointed at the choices for US President 2016.  I am not a super politically active person, largely because I feel like the process has become such a joke.  The person with the most money often wins the nomination and it is so hard to be informed when candidates have no qualms about lying.  I honestly don't know how to sift through all the distortions.  I know that our culture is often politically apathetic and at the same time obsessed with reality TV so it should really come as no surprise that we have a criminal (Hillary) and a mentally unstable egomaniac (Trump) on the ticket.  It seems like most people I know are voting against one or the other.

What is frustrating to me is that I actually believe Americans agree on more than we disagree on.  A perfect example is the immigration issue.  It's in the best interest of media and politicians to keep us all divided on this important issue so it appears that there are only two extreme options:
1) you are a racist who hates all Mexicans and wants a giant wall built  (Cue Donald saying "It just got 10 feet higher!"  sigh)
or
2) You are for wide open borders and literally millions of undocumented people streaming over the border each year.

Really?!? These are my options?  What about the Rule of Law?  How about we appreciate the immigrant contributions and work to make the process of coming to America easier/more affordable but at the same time we secure our borders so that criminals and terrorists don't have an open door to just walk in?  Is that so unreasonable?  I mean, would you leave one side of your home completely open for just anyone to walk in?  I think most Americans and in fact most humans would agree with this.

And for people who say we can't afford it, well I don't know.  When you add up the costs of education (the cheapest school districts spend about $9000/year/student on education.  If only 10% of illegal immigrants in the US are children in school that is still one million extra kids.  Multiply that times $9000 and the number is pretty big).  I haven't even mentioned the costs of imprisoning illegal immigrants.  The internet says 5%-37% of our federal prisoners are here illegally.  No idea why we can't get more accurate stats than that, which brings me back to my point about being an informed voter.  Good info is hard to come by.  But even if it's only 5%, that's still a lot of money.  Our prisons are expensive!

But please don't think this is a rant against illegal immigrants!  The truth is that if I lived in Mexico I would break laws to come to the USA too.  And living in Texas I have had the opportunity to meet many Mexicans and I think they are terrific.  Hard working, family oriented, the kind of people we want in America.  But having a wide open border just seems crazy.  What other nation does that?  Not Canada.  Not Australia.  Not Sweden.  (Naming all the "nice" countries out there).

It's also interesting that at this same time, many democrats are pushing for universal healthcare, more money for schools and free college.  Basic math tells me that an open border with millions who are not paying taxes and who are sending much of their earnings back to Mexico AND expanded social programs is the perfect way to bankrupt America.  And maybe that's the idea.  I know there are many, including our current president and his wife who are not proud of our country and who want to fundamentally change it.  This is literally the only reason I have considered voting for Donald Trump.  I  worry that our country will be completely bankrupt if we continue on this path of high spending, raising the debt ceiling and not securing our borders.

Having said that, I just don't think I could pull the switch for Trump.  I have images in my mind of him making fun of Marco Rubio's sweating and the disabled journalist and then... well honestly there are too many to name.  It's everything.  I think he has turrets and is very quick to lash out if he ever feels threatened.  Not great qualities for diplomacy.  And the fact that Vladimir Putin seems to like him should tell us all we need to know.

But then Hillary is seriously a criminal.  She will do whatever the highest bidder wants.  Yuck.  She has no respect for the law and is only interested in money and power.  I personally am not a fan of big government and she is definitely on that side of the isle.  And I hate that she is fine with abortion anytime/anywhere.  Have we really become so hardened as a nation that we don't care that 3rd trimester abortions are happening as a rule now?  I mean it is pure infanticide and we are all looking the other way.  I am strongly opposed to abortion and it has nothing to do with choice or freedom or women's bodies.  It's that other body that I feel protective of.  That baby.  But even with feelings that strong, I could probably endure the concept of 1st trimester abortions, as a compromise.  But babies at 8 months gestation?!  I'm just blown away that everyone is fine with this.

I can talk all day about poverty and education and healthcare and housing prices and wages.  At the end of the day, this country became great because it's citizens were largely moral and hard working people.  America was founded on Judeo-Christian values and as we turn our backs on those we will see more of the same.  True change will come when individuals care once again about concepts like steadiness, integrity, loyalty, impulse control and charity.  Our massive social problems would all but disappear if families were committed to each other.  The crude, vulgar tone of this nation will change when we return to God and remember to pray to Him and to honor His Sabbath.  And no politician can make any of those things happen.    

Guess I will get on my knees.