A Little of This and That in June

Would that all of summer felt like June! I love it so much. All of the excitement and joy of summer stretching out before us with bright anticipation. Highlights from this time around included . . .  

Rewarding . . . ourselves with a night at the theater. Mike and I made some health goals in April and our reward for completing them was tickets at Hale Center Theater to see May We All. It was a musical filled to the brim with country songs. Neither one of us are big country music fans, but somehow we still ended up loving it. Maybe it was because it was outside our comfortable genres, so it just felt fresh and different and fun.

Getting . . . in a little bit of time with my brother's family. My brother, Ben, was in town for a brief visit, and we hung out with them one evening for dinner and catching up. Always a treat to have them around.

Studying . . . for summer classes. The month wasn't all fun and games. It's always a tough decision to give up a portion of summer to online classes, but ultimately, Aaron, Max, and Bradley all decided it was worth it to knock out some of the classes they didn't want to take during the school year. Aaron took Computer Programming and Driver's Ed, Max took Health II, Bradley took Health I and Digital Literacy. They are fast-paced, so it's difficult to keep up with them, especially if you throw a vacation into the mix (which we did), but they completed all of them, so success!

Attending . . . an unbirthday party. The knitting group I joined last fall has several longstanding traditions, and one of them is an unbirthday party in June. Everyone brings a gift (not necessarily knitting related, although it can be), and then these gifts are exchanged through a series of unwrapping and stealing. Deborah, who was hosting, went all out on the Unbirthday theme and had decorated with the white rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, the cheshire cat, etc. There were so many little details that made the whole thing feel extra fun. We ate dinner and then proceeded with the gift exchange. I gave a little notions pouch  along with one of my recent favorite knitting books, The Sock Project by Summer Lee. Afterwards, we sat around knitting until the light faded. It was such a fun night.

Making . . . a birthday cake. Speaking of unbirthday parties, Silas wants it to be his birthday every day. One morning he woke up and said, "Where's my birthday cake?" Despite us telling him it wasn't his birthday, he was relentless: "Who's going to make my birthday cake? Is my birthday cake done yet?" So Bradley made him one, as one does when the toddler rules the roost. That night we put candles into it and all sang to him. He asked where his presents were, but I told him this was the kind of birthday that didn't have presents, and somehow that appeased him. But you know where this is going, right? A few weeks later, he was convinced that it should be his birthday again. This time, Clark was the one he got to do his bidding, and that afternoon, he enjoyed some birthday cupcakes. (The last photo shows how he reacted when I told him it wasn't his birthday.) January is feeling a long way off still . . . 

Getting . . . out early one morning to go on a hike. I seriously wish we did this more frequently in the summer because each time we make the effort, I'm always so glad. A couple of the teenagers weren't willing to get up early this time, and they missed out for sure.

Eating . . . donuts in celebration of National Donut Day. It's the one random, made-up holiday that we always remember and look forward to. People have strong opinions when it comes to donuts, and our family loyalties reside with Banbury Cross.

Walking . . . through the Minerva Teichert exhibit at the Church History Museum. Mike and I went downtown for the purpose of gathering some information for an upcoming primary activity, but while we were there, I couldn't pass up the chance to see the artwork of Minerva Teichert. She was prolific and painted so many beautiful scriptural scenes. There are a couple of her paintings that are quite well known and used often, but this exhibit featured so many I'd never seen before, including this one of Mary and Martha with Jesus. 

Taking . . . swimming lessons. Clark and Ian spent the first two weeks of the month in swimming lessons--reviewing old skills and learning new ones. I realized how much Ian learned when, a few weeks later, he was playing Categories with Bradley and Clark. It was only the three of them, which made Ian an easy target, but he easily swam back and forth across the pool, a speedy little swimmer. 

Spending . . . a Sunday afternoon downtown with Mike's parents. Mike's dad has been serving in the First Quorum of the Seventy since 2005. During General Conference in April, he was released to emeritus status. I realized that even though he had been serving in this calling for nearly twenty years, most of our kids hadn't ever gone to his office or seen where he spent so much of his time. So we squeaked in a visit during his final week. We went on a Sunday, and everything was empty and quiet. Since Mike's dad was mere days away from moving out of his office, he started going through his desk drawers and giving the boys random little knick knacks and office supplies. Afterwards, our family stuck around for a bit and toured the Conference Center as well. 

Falling . . . in love with Washington and British Columbia. We went on an incredible vacation with my brother and his family, and I shared all of the highlights in this other blog post.

Celebrating . . . Father's Day. This coincided with our vacation, but we remembered to bring along a few presents for Mike, and my brother and I facetimed my dad for a bit. Neither Mike or my dad got as much attention as they deserved. 

Finishing . . . driver's ed. Aaron did driver's ed through a private company with two of his friends. There were some minor bumps (luckily, I'm speaking metaphorically), such as a miscommunication on the first session that left Aaron driving with three strangers instead of his two friends, and also the instructor trying to cut the last session short by a full two hours, but overall, it went well. Hopefully Aaron can get in quite a bit more practice before his birthday. 

Hosting . . . three of our nephews. Mike's sister and her husband went on a vacation, and we got to have their three boys stay with us for part of the time. I'm pretty sure my kids played more board games in the three days they were here than they had all summer. Their littlest was happiest when he was helping Mike clean out the bunny cage (and Bradley and Clark decided to give the bunnies a bath at the same time). They are the most helpful, polite, agreeable kids, and we truly enjoyed having them here.

Suffering . . . through many rounds of pink eye. The day we left on our vacation, I noticed that Ian's eye looked a little red and watery. By that afternoon, it was clear he had pink eye. At that point, we were in Boise, Idaho. I texted our pediatrician with a photo of Ian, and he immediately responded and sent in a prescription to a nearby pharmacy. I was so grateful and hoped we could nip it in the bud so that it wouldn't spread to anyone else. Ian's eye cleared up quickly, but sadly, a few days later, Silas woke up with it and then a couple days after that, my brother's daughter had it. I found it rather depressingly funny that the first vacation photo I took was of Ian's eye, and the last vacation photo my brother took was at their pediatrician's office the day they got home. But even once we were back, it wouldn't release its clutches and I ended up taking both Silas and Clark to the doctor's a week apart. Clark ended up needing a steroid to finally clear up his eye because even once the infection was gone, he still had a ton of inflammation and swelling that wouldn't go away. 

Splitting . . . my free time between knitting and sewing. I'm not sure how long my sewing mojo will stick around since it seems to come in spurts, but I'll ride the wave while it lasts. Besides the little notions bag I already mentioned, I also sewed a dress, which I have very mixed feelings about. It isn't quite what I envisioned or hoped, but I have worn it a couple of times, and it is extremely comfortable. I also knit what might end up being my favorite hat ever, but I'll have to wait until the fall and winter to find out. Regardless, I love the combination of yarns I used to create a very soft texture with understated pops of color. I also started a bunch of projects, per usual. 

Being . . . stung by a bee. Silas was happily eating an otter pop in the front yard one day when a bee landed on his toe and stung him. It was quite traumatic for him. Although the swelling really wasn't bad, he was in a significant amount of pain initially, which continued to resurface even into the night. As he was sobbing, he kept saying, "Shoo, bee! Shoo, bee!" in a quivering voice, even though the bee was long gone. 

Discovering . . . how to see a Magic Eye picture. I was a kid when Magic Eye books first came out, and I can still remember when I figured out how to unfocus my eyes, and the 3-D image jumped out at me. Ian found a Magic Eye book this month and worked and worked at it until he caught his first glimpse of 3-D, and after awhile he could see each image quickly and easily. It was quite exciting for him.  

Learning . . . some tennis skills. Ian took a couple of weeks of tennis lessons with his best buddy, George. He took a few lessons last summer, but he improved a lot this time around. He and George have also been spending lots of time at the pool together as well as weekly playdates to play video games and discuss lengthy strategies. 

Taking . . . the ACT. Aaron will be a junior this year, so it's ACT time. He decided to take it this summer as a practice test before he takes it again in a few months. It was meant to be exactly that: a practice so that he could get a feel of what the test was like and know where to spend his preparation efforts before he takes it a second time. He ended up getting a 32, which he was thrilled with. Math is one of his strongest subjects in school, but it wasn't the section he did best on in the test, so he feels like he could definitely improve that score the next time. 

Going . . . to Camp Tracy (Clark) and youth conference (Aaron and Maxwell). They gave full recaps when they got home. Clark loved shooting BB guns best, and the thing I was most impressed with from youth conference was that they got every teenager his/her favorite treat and drink, which seemed like such a logistical feat. 

Spending . . . some time with good books. We kicked off our summer reading challenge. Similar to past years, the boys can earn prizes for time spent reading. Additionally, we are bribing them with cash to read certain books. Each child has a list of potential books, from classics to self-improvement to new series. So far, it's been met with only minimal interest, although Bradley did read A Tale of Two Cities from cover to cover, so there have been a few wins. Meanwhile, I read a handful of books, including:

Worth the Wrestle by Sheri Dew (enjoyed reading and discussing this with other women in my neighborhood)

The Emotional Lives of Teenagers by Lisa Damour (I started putting some of the author's suggestions into practice immediately. Bonus, Max listened to this one too.)

The Golden Spruce by John Vaillant (Listened to this for some mood reading for our trip, and, although it set the stage quite nicely, it was actually pretty boring.)

Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center (I liked the motherhood backdrop of this one, but ultimately, not my favorite of Katherine Center's.)

Puzzled: a Memoir About Growing Up with OCD by Pan Cooke (Loved this graphic novel so very much and wish I'd had it as a teenager.)

The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas Day (Fast paced, suspenseful, and interesting.)

Accomplishing the Impossible by Russell M. Nelson (Finally remembered to read the last ten pages so I could check off this one.)

Singing . . . the new hymns. There has been a new hymnbook in the works for years, and the Church recently released the first batch of hymns. They are a mix of old, new, children's, and seasonal. Our ward has started singing them in sacrament meeting, and it has brought me so much joy. I was especially glad to see It is Well With My Soul as one of the new additions since it is a personal favorite of mine.

Taking . . . turns with Silas. I know someone who's been having the summer of his dreams, and it's Silas. Not only has he been able to boss around his brothers on the daily (see birthday cake example above), but anytime I need them to watch him for me for a longer stretch of time (like if I'm teaching piano lessons or have an appointment), I have them split up the time into 20-minute chunks. Each brother takes a turn for 20 minutes (and since he has five brothers, that translates to an hour and forty minutes of fun). They do all kinds of things with him: build with blocks, play with playdoh, listen to music, read stories, draw pictures, and play pretend games (his current favorite: Jake and Captain Hook). He is going to go through some major withdrawals once school starts.

And that's it for June's recap. 

A Summer Vacation to Seattle and Vancouver

At the beginning of 2020, we had an exciting trip on the horizon. It was Aaron's wish through the Make-a-Wish foundation to go to New Zealand, and we had just received word that it was going to be granted. Knowing that all our kids would need passports, we all filed into the passport office. I remember that Mike was very prepared with all of the required forms filled out, only to find out they wouldn't accept them with blue ink. 

That was in February 2020.

Less than a month later, the world shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I can't remember if we'd even received all the passports in the mail yet or not. But within a few weeks, Aaron's wish granters had contacted us to let us know that all trip wishes had been canceled for the indefinite future and Aaron would need to choose a new wish. Although we said we were fine waiting as long as necessary for travel to resume, they said that because of their non-profit status, they had to continue to fulfill wishes at a certain rate.

For the past four years, that stack of passports has taunted us. It just felt like we needed to use them at least once before they expired in 2025. 

And so, a summer vacation to New Zealand was born. 

Haha, just kidding. 

Almost as good, and much closer, we decided to head to British Columbia. 

My brother's family often travels with us, and they were game to get all of their kids passports. We also needed one for Silas. 

We have been wanting to recreate our trip to the Oregon coast from a couple of years ago, and this felt like a way to do a similar vacation but see some new things. We divided our time between Seattle and Vancouver and even ended up extending by a couple of days at the end because we just weren't ready to go home yet. Such a beautiful part of the world and one we would happily visit again.

I've decided to break down this trip with a little recap of our itinerary each day. You'll notice that it was a good mix of sightseeing, hiking, and relaxing. Let's begin.

Thursday, June 13th

We left by mid-morning. We stopped in Boise to play at a park. Somehow, without even really making an effort to keep the same pace in our traveling, Gordy and his family ended up in Boise at the same time, making it the official kickoff of our vacation.

We continued on to Baker, Oregon for the night. We ate dinner at a legit truck stop. The quality of the food was not anything to write home about, but the portion sizes were.

Friday, June 14th

We made it the rest of the way to Seattle. But before we got there, we stopped at Johnson Orchards in Yakima, Washington. Picking our own cherries wasn't an option (sadly, because the trees were loaded!), but we bought some fresh cherries as well as a boatload of pastries, cookies, and other baked goods. After consuming two boxes full, we went back for another lime bar, pear oatmeal cookie, and a few others because it was just so good. The lady at the counter jokingly asked if we were going to shut them down. 

(Gordy dubbed Aaron, Max, and Bradley "The Swarm" because of the way they devoured food in a matter of seconds. He said they were like a plague of locusts, descending on a crop and leaving it desolate. Once he said it, we couldn't un-see it. They have truly become ravenous teenagers who are game to try just about anything.)

The kids ran out all their energy among the cherry trees before getting back in the car for a little more driving.

Our next stop was Snoqualmie Falls. Mike and I had actually been there once before, years ago, on a trip with his parents. When I tried to find a photo of us from then, only a few blurry, overexposed ones remained. Too bad because this is actually quite a stunning waterfall. I'm happy we got to see it again.

We walked the short distance to a lookout point, took a few photos, and were about to head back to the car when we decided to follow a trail down to the base of the waterfall instead. I'm glad we did because it was a nice little hike and gave us more views of this landmark.

After leaving the waterfall, we made it to our Airbnb, which had a stunning view of Lake Washington from its front window. In honor of being so close to Lake Washington, we finished the day by watching The Boys in the Boat.

Saturday, June 15th

This was the day we'd set aside to explore Seattle, and we got lovely weather for it. We started off at the Space Needle. We rode the elevator to the observation deck where we spent the better part of an hour taking in all of the views.

I felt a little nervous with the height, especially on the benches that slant towards the edge and also on the slowly rotating transparent floor. None of the kids exhibited any such anxiety and went spread eagle on the floor to look at the tiny objects below.

From the Space Needle. we went to Pike Place. As expected, it was extremely crowded so there was not as much exploring as we might have liked since moving around as a group of fifteen people is not the easiest thing. 

But we made a couple of important stops: first, the magic shop where the owner demonstrated a couple of tricks, impressing us enough that we bought them for Clark, our resident magician.

And then, a fish place for lunch. We took our food outside and enjoyed salmon, cod, and halibut (and fries, of course).

At this point, we were divided on what to do. Gordy's family wanted to head back to the house, but I really wanted to go over to Bainbridge Island because there were two yarns stores I had hoped to go to. So we split up for the afternoon.

We rode the ferry to Bainbridge Island, which was an experience in and of itself. I actually can't believe how many cars can fit onto those ferries. It's like Mary Poppins' bag watching them all emerge at the end.

I was successful in my yarn store visits. The boys occupied themselves with ice cream, a park, and a toy store. Bainbridge Island was adorable, and I would have loved to spend more time there. Our return trip on the ferry was much longer than we anticipated since there were mechanical problems after we were all loaded up. Everyone had to unload and then transfer to a different ferry. 

Once we finally got back to the house, we put Silas and Gigi to bed, and then Mike, Gordy, Brooke, and I went back to Seattle to go to the Chihuly Museum. I have always wanted to see his glasswork (besides the sculpture I'm very familiar with at Abravanel Hall here in Salt Lake), and it was so gorgeous.

We walked through the rooms at a slow pace, completely mesmerized by the size and scope and creativity. I was so grateful to get to enjoy it without our children running around. Such a fun night.

Sunday, June 16th

We started the day by attending sacrament meeting at the local ward, following which we did a short hike at Lakeridge Park. We discovered ripe salmon berries all along the trail and helped ourselves to them for a tasty little snack. We stopped at a little creek to play in the water before heading back.

We went back to the house for lunch and naps before heading out on another hike, this time to Coal Creek Falls. More trees, more water, more salmon berries, more lush beauty. The weather was cool and pleasant. It was just a pleasure to be outside. 

This day also happened to be Father's Day, so Mike barbecued when we got back, and we had a nice family dinner.

Monday, June 17th

We left early in the morning to make it in time for a whale watching tour leaving from Bellingham, WA. We knew traffic would be congested through Seattle, so we gave ourselves plenty of time, which meant we arrived more than an hour early.

The Swarm was hungry, so we went to a bakery and ate an unhealthy number of pastries before boarding the boat. We booked our tour with San Juan cruises, and I would highly recommend them. They were significantly less expensive than some of the other tours we looked into, but the quality of the experience was top notch.  

The tour lasted five hours and took us through the San Juan Islands. There were two naturalists on board--one who was driving and the other who was sharing information about the animals. The two of them made a great team. They were quick to spot interesting wild life--not just whales but also bald eagles and seals. But I especially loved their joy and enthusiasm. We got lucky and found two separate gray whales. It was late in the season to see a gray whale at all, so it felt like a rare treat when we came upon our second one. We also saw two pods of orca, one of which had a couple of playful babies with it. The naturalist was so excited with these discoveries. She said, "I don't know about you, but I just can't stop smiling." They were eager to answer questions, and it felt like they were enjoying the day as much as we were.

We ate lunch on board the ship: lasagna, roll, salad, grapes, and cookies. I loved that it wasn't just a packaged sandwich, but a hearty meal with real plates and utensils. There was something so old school about it, and it made the whole experience extra fun.

We all moved around the ship throughout the day, sometimes hanging out on the back deck, sometimes inside, and sometimes in the front on the bow of the ship. It was cool and overcast, but not rainy, and the wind on our faces felt invigorating. It was pretty incredible to see these giant creatures in their natural habitat. We learned to look for the heart shaped spout from the gray whales and watched for their tales when they were going down for a deep dive. Some of the kids also caught a spyhop from an orca, which is when their head bobs up out of the water. Clark was especially enthusiastic about the entire experience and stayed at the bow for most of the day with his binoculars in hand. 

After disembarking from the ship, we crossed the border into Canada. We stayed in an Airbnb in Surrey, a suburb just outside Vancouver.

Tuesday, June 18th

We spent the day outside, first at Lighthouse Park, where we hiked down to the tide pools. We had a view of the lighthouse and the Vancouver skyline. The kids scaled rocks and mussel-encrusted boulders and found little creatures in the small tide pools. Gordy's family prefers sandy beaches and our family prefers rocky ones. Luckily, we had both on this trip.

We followed up the lighthouse hike with lunch at C-Lover's, a chain seafood place. The Swarm ordered all-you-can-eat fish and chips.

We took the Sea to Sky Highway to get to the Sea to Sky Gondola. The drive alone was gorgeous, and it seemed like that might be all we ended up doing since Mike took one look at the gondolas ascending the mountain and almost chickened out. In general, I am more afraid of heights than he is, but when it comes to vehicles suspended high above the ground, he has very little trust (which tends to make me nervous since he usually puts a lot of confidence in engineering). But in the end, we gathered our courage about us and did it, and it was maybe the highlight of the vacation for me. The view of Howe Sound and the surrounding area was breathtaking. 

When we got to the top, we went on a little hiking loop, which took us to a viewpoint and also across a suspension bridge (and that's where the fear of heights transferred from Mike to me). Then we took the gondola back down and sat in a bunch of traffic trying to get back to our rental.

Wednesday, June 19th

We headed into Vancouver to spend the day in Stanley Park, which, in my opinion, has a similar vibe to Central Park with the addition of beaches.

Gordy and his family immediately headed to Second Beach while our family spent a good hour walking along the sea wall and visiting the totem poles before grabbing some lunch at one of the eateries along the way.

We then met up with Gordy's family at the beach where the kids played in the water and got creative with the sand. Silas loved the waves and ran back and forth between the water and the sand over and over again.

Stanley Park also featured the highlight of the trip for Ian: a raccoon that was perched on top of a garbage can. He thought it was so cute as it disappeared into the trash only to emerge a minute later to enjoy its spoils on top of the garbage can. He is still talking about this moment a month later.

That night we ordered takeout from Eat Well Indian House, and it was probably my favorite food on this trip. The Swarm agreed.

Thursday, June 20th

We hiked to Bridal Veil Falls in the morning. We have our own Bridal Veil Falls in Utah, so it was fun to see the Canadian version. We had lovely weather, and the waterfall was a beautiful destination. It was so bright that it was difficult to capture on camera.

By this time, our time in Canada was winding to a close. As our final Canadian activity, we went to White Spot, a chain restaurant that originated in British Columbia. We were treated so kindly by the staff, and the kids' meals arrived in large cardboard pirate ships (which, if you know my brother's son, Wally, made his day). But the real reason we had to have one last Canadian meal was to try poutine, an authentic Canadian dish made up of french fries and cheese curds and topped with gravy. Not bad, but also not something I feel the urge to adopt in the states. 

Then we crossed back over the border into Washington. We walked along the Bellingham boardwalk and spotted an otter who we followed for most of the way. We played at the park for a bit before driving to Ashford, Washington for the night.

Friday, June 21st

We woke up bright and early so we could be on the road and in Mount Rainier National Park before 7:00am. They have timed entrances after 7:00, and our time slot wasn't until 11:00, and we knew we didn't want to wait that long, so we hurried to get in the park while we could.

First we drove up to the Skyline Trail. The drive alone was gorgeous, but when we got to the trailhead, we found it was still quite snow packed. We made a half-hearted effort to hike but quickly realized we were not equipped with the right gear to make such an attempt.

So we drove back down the canyon until we were back in summer, and then we hiked Box Canyon Trail  and also Eastside Trail (near Grove of the Patriarchs, which was closed due to a bridge that had been washed out). We also stopped along the road for some stunning views of Mount Rainier. 

I was quite taken with the color of the water in the rivers and lakes. Such a stunning green. It reminded me of the color of the water in Norway (which makes sense, I guess, since both are fed from glaciers). 

(Also, quick funny side story: when we were driving down to Eastside Trail, we didn't realize we were at the edge of the park and accidentally exited. Luckily, it was exactly 11:00 right then, so we just used our timed entrance reservation and went back into the park. So it was useful and needed after all.)

After we left the park for good, we drove to Boise where we stopped for the night. The next day, we drove the rest of the way home. 

Besides all of the fun adventures we went on, we loved just hanging out with each other and Gordy's family. Many games were played (both the board and video varieties). Mike and Gordy and the older kids went over to a park a couple of evenings for football and frisbee. Gordy got Clark to go out in the early mornings and listen to bird calls with him. We stayed up late chatting and just generally had such a nice time together.

This was a perfect summer vacation for us. It checked all of the important boxes: lots of time outside exploring the world, a flexible schedule, seeing new things, and spending time building relationships with each other. 10/10, no question.