2,000 miles from here

We started homeschooling yesterday and though the photos look idyllic, it was a crazy day that, if I'm honest with you, ended with most of us in tears.  I know a large part of the frustration was due to how much I had worked up "the first day", to make it an extra-fun-packed-wonderful-day.  And a large part is due to the fact that I had to assert my authority as "the teacher" for the first time...which didn't go over well with "the student".

Anyway, today was a little better, and included Luke's first day of piano lessons which he says he enjoyed (rather unusual for him to admit on the first try!).  And to really ice the cake, this afternoon I got to sit and edit photos.  Oh boy, there is such a backlog of photos!  And the ones I really really wanted to share with you are the ones that made me smile so big, like remembering something that happened ages ago...but which are really from 9 days ago.  9 days ago we were in California celebrating my sister's marriage to Stephen.  Here are a few highlights of that trip.

According to some (short) people, the whole reason for our trip was to see this "Sweet Ginger-Peachy" girl.

Everyone pitched in to help set up.

And people who work hard, play hard.

 

 

This is pretty much all anyone saw of Seamus all night: a wet blur, and a squirt in the face.  He ran around shooting complete strangers with his water gun, laughing and giggling to burst.  Thankfully it was hot and nobody really minded getting wet.

The beautiful Sabrina lights.  Can you believe my parents live here?!  Like, every day.  They wake up and this is where they live.  Man, some days I am so jealous.

Even Grandpa Walter got out on the dance floor!

The bride didn't sit out a single dance.  It was an unforgettable party.

 

Where Did February Go?

 February went......(believe me, this is the short version! There is more to come.)

To Lake Havasu

In the rental car

Out to lunch

Through Joshua Tree National Park

Undersea

In the hot tub

Up on shoulders

To the aquarium

Beyond coolness

With sea lions

To the sea

Into caves of wonder

To see tractors

At the farm show

On the desert

Visiting horses

Visiting loved ones

To work

To mischief

To hang doors!

To see almond blossoms

To bury treasure

California So Far...

We are one week into our California trip and I have just had four rolls of film developed!  This trip is totally digital-camera-free.  It is somehow freeing to know film is all I've got, I do my best, I catch the moments I can, and I let the rest of the moments live on simply in memory. 

My cousin's wedding (the excuse for the trip), was the first wedding I've attended in a long time where I wasn't working, so I took what I considered a bit of a risk and brought only the Pentax K1000.  What fun I had!  And the anticipation of getting film developed only increased my delight when I discovered I had done a pretty great job even without the reassurance of an instant-view LCD screen.  So fun.

We're having a good time, although Seamus is having some trouble adjusting to the time difference (especially since we keep waking him up and hauling him off to do fun stuff!).  And in our remaining week, we have plenty more fun stuff, so perhaps by the time he gets adjusted to the time change it'll be time to go home again.  Poor kid. 

So far on this trip we've gotten to see Aunt Carol and Uncle Phil (Seamus and Aunt Carol share a birthday among other things like their appreciation for dark chocolate), we've attended a wedding, visited Plain Ol' Grammy, seen tons of family, made the wedding programs, went to Bravo Farms, Simonian Farms, played in the water in Grammy and Grandpa's backyard, finished shingling the roof of the shop, listened to a thunderstorm and rain on the patio's tin roof, played with innumerable dogs (each of whom Luke claims to love the best in the world), and eaten lots of great food.  I'm not sure what could be better than eating great food with people you love...except maybe having ALL the people you love in one place at one time.  

We miss you Derek!