San Francisco

A couple of weeks ago we decided to take the kids to San Francisco for two days to experience the King Tut exhibit before it left town.

Upon arriving in San Francisco we were all very happy that we packed our big coats because it was freezing there. The first thing we did was visit the amazing Golden Gate Bridge overlook and take a small walk down the beach to let the kids play.

Then we drove to the Palace of Fine Arts (one of Cody's favorite places) for some photo moments...Then the rain started.

We decided to tour the Boudin's bakery where San Francisco Sourdough bread started. After we walked 10 blocks to get there, Cody realized that he had left his wallet in the car. What would a trip be without some good stories to tell later. After eating a great meal, we walked to the the pier to see the sea lions...it was now dark so all we could see were their shapes and could hear them occasionally. Before going to our hotel room, we needed to make a pitstop at Giradelli's for a late night snack!

We were glad to get to out hotel room which gave us a grand view of the city. We enjoyed seeing a cop arrest someone from 25 floors up. Who needs T.V.?

The King Tut exhibit was very interesting and crowded. There were 10 rooms of artifacts to view. After about 6 rooms, we felt like we had thoroughly experienced the Egyptian culture (lots of people in a small space). It was amazing to see these items that had been used since before Jesus walked the earth.

We went next door to the Japanese tea gardens. The gardens were in full bloom and amazingly beautiful. We had Japanese tea and cookies before we left. We also visited 2 other gardens and

the ocean before we made our way home. We all had a great trip.

Opportunity to Serve

This weekend the organization Feed My Starving Children came to town. They assemble and distribute food packets to countries around the world with severely starving people. These are people that are thrilled to receive one meal per day. If they eat two meals a day, they are considered wealthy. That was a sobering thought as we considered the solid three meals plus two snacks we enjoy each day. FMSC travel to different cities each week giving people in different areas of the country the opportunity to volunteer and be a part of something bigger than themselves. Ashley and I signed up to help in a 2 hour time slot on Friday. Cody and Ashley helped for 2 hours on Saturday. (Emily was too young this year, so she was fortunate to be able to have a playdate with a great friend from her old class.)

In the host church, we entered a clean room (hair nets required, much to Ashley's dismay). There were many centers set up around the room where we gathered and put bags together assembly style. Each bag contained a scoop of vitamin/mineral/flavoring, a scoop of dehydrated vegetables, a scoop of protein rich soy, and a scoop of rice. When the families receive the bags, all they have to do is add water and heat. Each bag contains 6 high calorie, nutrient rich meals. When Ashley and I served, I opened and held each bag under a funnel catching ingredients. I then gave the bag to Ashley and she weighed it. She added or removed rice to get the bag to the desired weight. When Cody and Ashley served, they each scooped ingredients.

It was a great experience. In the four hours we served, enough meals were packaged to feed over 120 children for a year.

Snow Day

This afternoon we drove an hour up to the snow. We started to get nervous 40 minutes into the drive when we were in the mountains and still not seeing any snow. We began to think of last week's sun and 70 degree weather. Once we started to see patches of snow, we all began to breathe a little easier. We like a small snow park just off the freeway. It has a few groomed hills to sled down. Since it was Monday and all the other kids were in school, we had the whole area to ourselves. It was a blast! Ashley was very cautious, and I eventually had to push her down the hill to get started. Halfway down the hill she decided it was great. Emily took to it just like a penguin. She would still be there if it were up to her. Unfortunately, Dad and Mom were getting tired of trudging back up the hill. We needed a ski lift.

Getting Started

So now I have a blog?! Wow, that is a crazy thought! I have never really thought much about blogs (until I watched the movie Julie and Julia), or followed a blog...until about a month ago.

My sister-in-law started a blog to bring the family that are far, near. Through it, we can be a part of their everyday life, read what is happening, see pictures and videos. What a precious gift it is to be able to see my sweet nephew and niece grow.

This blog is dedicated to Ashley and Emily's Nana and Mama in Oklahoma. I wanted an opportunity to bring them near and invite them into our everyday.

Thanks Stephanie for the inspiration.