San Antonio, TX

Mark's oldest sister Shannon and her family live down in San Antonio.  They happen to have a son leaving on his mission next week and we rarely get to see them so we decided to use Mark's flight benefits and go visit them.  Jared and Lydia were so happy to get to play with David, Emma and Matt.  They are really thoughtful kids who even though they are older than Jared and Lydia happily played with them.  They bounced them on the trampoline, played Legos and the Wii with them and genuinely seemed happy to be around Jared and Lydia. It was really sweet.  We were really glad to have a chance to visit with Shannon and her family.  Emma is quite the cross country runner (she is fast!) and she kindly went on a mile run with Jared as we are right in the middle of marathon in a month and he did not want to miss any days.

We flew out of Charlottesville early Friday morning.  Our flight left at 6:00 am so we were at the airport by 5:10 meaning we were up at 4:45.  We flew to Atlanta and magically all got seats on the first flight to San Antonio.  By then we were all really hungry so on our way from the airport in San Antonio we stopped to eat at Lulu's Bakery and Cafe.  A few nights before we left I looked up some fun things to do in San Antonio.  When I read that they sold a 3 pound cinnamon roll I knew I wanted to stop there. It was worth the stop.  Mark's mom was also in San Antonio to visit so she met us at Lulu's with David, Emma and Matt.  The cinnamon roll was delicious and gigantic.

After eating we were ready to see San Antonio.  We parked downtown and found our way to the famous San Antonio Riverwalk.  We all loved the riverwalk.  Sue offered to take anyone who wanted on a riverwalk boat cruise so Jared, Lydia, and Dvid quickly signed up.  The rest of us walked along the river enjoying the greenery, bridges, cute restaurants and beautiful weather. I do not like hot weather and was so pleased to have a cool, cloudy 65 degree day.  The riverwalk is super relaxing and enjoyable. San Antonio has done a really great job maintainig it.  Way back in the day people in San Antonio were worried about flooding so they wanted to create a bypass system and eventually with funding from Roosevelt's Work Progress Administration it was completed.  It ranges from 2 to 24 feet deep and was designed in part by the same people who did designs for Disneyland.  It was great.

Emma and Lydia

Since we were in San Antonio I felt we should at least stop by The Alamo.  Jared loved all the military displays and Lydia was mostly just tired but we stopped and now we can say we did.

This tree was awesome, it was my favorite part of The Alamo. 

Besides visiting family we love, and seeing some new fun things we really wanted to go to the temple while we were there.  David and Emma kindly watched Jared and Lydia while we went to the temple.    It was really great to get to go to the temple with family.  It doesn't happen often for us and was a special treat.  We really have to plan temple trips on our vacations now that the DC temple is closed. We are so thankful to Shannon for taking us over and to her kind kids for hanging out with Jared and Lydia.  Mark and I also don't often go into the temple together as one of us is with our kids outside so it was great to go in together too.  Its a beautiful little temple with tons of beautiful stained glass windows.

Afterwards we stopped at In N Out for lunch.  Matt actually works there the last 9 months or so.  I was really the main person who wanted to go there.  Sue offered to take us out to lunch wherever we wanted but everyone kindly let me go there. It was really thoughtful.  Mark really wanted BBQ, we were in Texas after all, and later on in the day when we went to get Bahama Bucks he noticed a Rudy's right down the street and walked over there to get some smoked brisket and turkey. He was quite pleased that he did.  We all were actually as Rudy's is really good.  There is one in Colorado Springs that we went to years ago.

Jared, David, Matt 

Shannon's family was taking care of some dogs for friends in their ward so we drove over with them and while the kids took care of the dogs (Jared and Lydia loved those dogs! They were a highlight of the trip, they are still talking about Shadow and Boo. ) Mark and I went on a really nice walk with Shannon through the neighborhood. It was so great to get some time to visit with her one on one.   We originally planned to attend Sacrament meeting with them so we could hear Matt's farewell talk but the flights coming back looked really bad.  So we got up super early (again) and drove the 40 minutes or so to the Austin Airport to catch the 6:00 am flight to Atlanta.  We luckily all got on and then instead of flying to Charlottesville from Atlanta we flew to Richmond and then rented a car to get home.  Not the ideal plan but one that worked.  It is so tricky to get back to Charlottesville which is really a bummer as we live right next to the airport!  At least it works well for leaving town. Having these two really early morning flights so close together was rough!  Lydia was especially so sad to get up Sunday morning.  It was really nice to go see Shannon and her family, I'm s glad it worked out.  When I think about our trips I sometimes think the people we go visit are sort of getting the short end of the stick.  Having to drive us to airports at odd times and not completely knowing exactly when we will leave.  We try to be as non intrusive as possible but you just can't know with standby.  I certainly appreciate Mark working these late nights for us to go do these cool things that we could never do otherwise and appreciate people who still want us to come.

Back in Virginia

We started Marathon in a Month the day after we got back from France, Friday the 06th. We did one extra mile on Sunday (just walking) which made us caught up with our friends the Lenox's in Texas.  We are running more of our miles around a lake in the Forest Lakes subdivision this year as it is easier to feel Lydia is safe there.  In the past when we ran on our road we typically had Mark and I running with them so one could be with Jared and one with Lydia but Mark is unable to run much this year with his airport schedule.  So we are spending some good time at the lake each day.  Jared and Lydia are doing really well.  Jared started out running 2 miles each day for the first 5 days or so but has now backed down to one mile each day which works just fine.

 

Lydia and I trying our our new shoes. Hers are actually from last March or so.  We got a great deal on them at the Nike outlet here but had to wait over a year for them to fit her.

Friday night I went to a friends baby shower and had a great time visiting with friends and celebrating this sweet friend. We ended up being double booked because Mark was asked to speak at a youth event at church.  I really didn't want to miss this shower.  This sweet friend has been waiting many years to have a baby and I am so excited for her.  We decided to copy the idea of our old Bishop in Colorado Springs and have Mark take Jared and Lydia to the church with him and have them watch a movie in his office.  It worked beautifully.  They were happily contained in his office so he could socialize with people at the dinner (it was a teacher appreciation dinner which is a really nice idea for an activity, it was a bonus that Mark is a teacher too) and not have to make them sit through a dinner they would have been bored at. And it would have kept him from having a good time too as he would be worried about how they were acting/feeling. The only flaw was how late they got home.  I got home around 9:00 and just beat them!  I did not think the dinner would last that long. Two years ago I never would have dreamed of going to the shower and letting them stay out that late but now that they are older it hardly mattered.  Not that I am going to regularly let them stay up that late but on occasions like this it is just fine.  Mark's calling definitely "invites" us to do things differently than we previously had. They even both slept in the next day.  Jared till about 7:20, yes that is sleeping in for him, and Lydia till 7:45. I was really happy that it worked out.

Saturday morning we took Jared and Lydia to Jump for Jared's good friend Marcus's birthday. His family rented out the whole building and we had a great time jumping around and celebrating Marcus.  That was the main activity we had planned for the day but after we got back home the day quickly filled up. It was fairly warm out Saturday so as we were driving home Jared and Lydia asked if Mark would spray them with the hose.  He did that while I did some preschool work on the back deck.  Eventually Jared decided to go into the woods to explore and I set the water table up for Lydia.  Shortly after that I got a text from a friend telling me about a coin show at the local Elks Lodge.  She knew how much Jared loved coins and was so kind to tell us about it. We considered all going to the coin show but decided to have it be a date for Mark and Jared instead.  I had heard about an event at Ivy Creek and decided to take Lydia on a date to that.  Mark and Jared left and then Lydia and I headed to Ivy Creek for their "Farm days".  We made fresh butter, planted seeds, made a nature window hanger, learned about bees and tasted different honey's, milked a cow (mechanical) and made a bird feeder.  After Ivy Creek we headed to Wendy's for a frosty.  We both love chocolate frosty's with french fries so I ordered us each a junior frosty and an order of junior fries and the cashier only charged me for the fries.  When she said the total, $1.08 I checked to see if she got the frosty's and she said they were on her.  It was really thoughtful. Both those things were great fun but since some clouds had moved in we decided to go to a playground we don't go to often to finish off the date. I loved getting to hang out with Lydia and know she appreciated it too.  Mark had made plans to play tennis with a friend at 3:30 so we left the park to meet them at home. Jared would have stayed at the coin show until it closed if he could have, he was in heaven.  While we were in France the one souvenir he really wanted was some old French money.  We were unsuccessful in finding him any but he found some at the coin show! He was thrilled.  Mark said the people at the booths were really kind and happy to have a younger coin collector to talk too.  It was a perfect date for him and Mark. Sadly no pictures of Jared and Mark and more than we needed of Lydia and I, (it was a cool event with tons of good activities) but lots of good memories made. Its good to be back in Charlottesville.

Fresh butter. 

I loved learning why the honey was different colors and tasting the differences.  Bees are pretty fascinating and according to Lydia terrifying. She has come really far from those horrible Spring days 2 years ago when she refused to go outside for a month.

The perfect salty/sweet combination. 

I'm not sure what she got all over her, most likely grease from the "elevator" but it just shows she had a great time!

Childhood treasures from California.

While we were in France the box I packed up in California arrived from my Mom's house.  Besides favorite childhood books, old journals and yearbooks, I had added my collection of Pogs and two Barbies.  One night I got out the Pogs and introduced Jared to the game.  Lydia was too busy admiring the Barbies to play.  She could not believe I had never taken them out of their boxes.  Jared thought the game was great.  I easily destroyed him but soon enough I am sure he will master the game, its not the most challenging game but I sure loved playing it and collecting them in middle school. 

I really loved rainbows in middle school and high school. I am pretty sure I got the Rainbow Princess Barbie for my 16th birthday because I loved rainbows so much.  The BYU Barbie is from 1996. Mattel did a line of University Barbies and actually put BYU in there!  I looked it up on Amazon and it is now worth 65$.  Not too shabby. I will most likely let her open the Rainbow one soon (she asks me about every other day when she can open it, even calling it her Barbie, ahem...) but I told her that the BYU Barbie can't be opened until I die. It's funny I even have it because I was never a huge BYU fan, I didn't even apply to go there in high school.  It probably had more to do with my parents both going there so they got it for me. I did end up at a BYU, just not that one, and it was Ricks when I applied and was accepted.  My first year there was the first year of BYUI.  It is fun to see and to eventually pass it on to Lydia (or Jared they can figure that out) and so on.

I also found this Star Wars Book series in one of my boxes in the attic. I was in love with Star Wars 4-6 growing up.  They were my favorite movies.  Luke Skywalker was my most favorite.  I remember reading these books and being so excited when the next one came out. Now I can share them with my kids.  They feature Leia and Luke's twins, Jacen and Jaina who are studying at Luke's Jedi Academy.  They ended up not quite matching up with how the movie people went (first published in 1995 I believe so way before any of the newer movies) but are great kid books.  Jared is reading them by himself now and loving them and I have started the first one with Lydia. On our flight back from France I finally got around to watching the newest movie.  It was fine but they just can't compare with 4-6 to me.  Its funny it took me so long to watch it based on how much I loved Star Wars in high school.

My Mom kindly let me take this adorable miniature cow pitcher back to Virginia. 

 For whatever reason my Mom loved cows and all through my childhood she collected all things cow.  Our kitchen was fully decked out with cow accessories. She has since moved on from her love of cows and narrowed down her collection greatly but I will always have memories of her and her collection from my childhood. I have no idea how many cow ornaments she was given over the years. Pretty much every kitchen accessory at our house was in a cow pattern or had cows on it.  Salt and pepper shakers, a napkin holder, mugs, paper towel holder, pot holders all of it. Cross stitched cows, pillows with cows on them, cow pens and notepads even a cow mailbox that she kept in her classroom.  I think part of it was that people like to give teachers gifts and when they heard she liked cows they went above and beyond finding cow things.  I adore this pitcher: its miniature, its from my childhood home, I remember seeing it on the counter all through my growing up years, and it reminds me of my Mom.  She also let me bring back this awesome vintage (1960's) baking dish that was my Grammie's (maternal grandma). I love the print, shape and that its divided. I don't remember it being used at my house but know my Grammie used it.  After she passed away my Mom inherited lots of her kitchen stuff. I love kitchen stuff and having things that she used is extra special and fun. 

 Such good memories.  I was so fortunate to have the childhood I did. 

Mont St Michel and Normandy

Our last day in France involved a lot of driving.  Besides a river cruise Sue was really interested in seeing the French countryside.  There was a military museum in Paris that Jared really wanted to go to but we ran out of time.  He was easily consoled by the idea of visiting the site of D-Day. I honestly had not ever heard of Mont St Michel and wasn't too exited about 7.5 hours in the car in one day but it all worked out. I just can't do anything in the car so it feels like forever. I can't read or color or even look into the backseat without getting carsick so its pretty boring for me. I am not the person who loves a good long road trip.  Sue was commenting on how she really likes going for drives and will frequently jump in her car and drive up to a canyon but that is not me at all.  I am really glad Sue could enjoy being out in the country and was really happy for Jared that he could spend time at an important WWII site. 

Once we reached Mont St Michel we boarded a shuttle bus to take us closer to the site.  Mont St Michel is known for having extreme tides so Mark made sure to check the tide schedule before we left.  Its strange to think of having to check tides almost like checking the weather.  Mont St Michel is a really impressive site.  As we rode the shuttle, its about 12 minutes to the drop off site, we saw storm clouds quickly gathering.  We started walking towards Mont St Michel and as we were the wind picked up and a big rainstorm started.  Rain is one thing but walking in the rain with gusty winds blowing off the water and making the rain go sideways is another. Again I was really grateful for my rain boots. Its just under a quarter of a mile to the walls and it was a rough, cold walk but we all made it.  Made us apprieacte those who made the pilgrimage there without a nice walkway, rain coats and boots. Sue stopped in a little cafe to warm up and we started our walk up to the abbey.  

Not ideal picture taking conditions.

I learned that Mont St Michel was 
1. Conceived in a  dream
2. A structural hierarchy of the feudal society: God on top, then the abbey and monastery, below this the great halls, then stores and housing and outside the walls at the bottom the fisherman and farmer housing.  
3.  It was an important pilgrimage of faith during the middle ages. It was second only to a church in Spain. 
4.  It served as a church, prison and unpentrable fortress.  England tied to lay siege to it more than once could not get penetrate it during the 100's year war. 

I knew none of this before touring it and was happy to learn some new history. We haven't talked about or had any real medieval type experiences with Jared and Lydia, it hasn't been one of their interests, they didn't even really know what a knight was exactly so we had some background information to give out.  We enjoyed walking through the city and imagining how it was all those years ago. The streets were narrow and made of cobblestone and it was easy to see it as a medieval city. The abbey up top is massive.  We tired to explore most of it and were lucky enough to see a worker come and pull the rope to ring the bells.  It was really cool, like just out of a movie.  He would pull on the rope and as he kept pulling it would actually lift him off the ground. It was fun to see him working and to then hear the bells.  Jared was fascinated by the swords and armor on display in the shops and the cannons still on the walls.

From the top (256 feet)

You can see the rope coming out of the hole in the ceiling that looks like a light. 

The walk up was rainy but the walk down was nice and sunny.  It was a good visit.  We caught the shuttle back to the parking lot and headed down the road to the Overlord Museum, enjoying a lunch of baguettes, cheese and apple slices in the car. 


Overlord Museum

Mark and I were both history majors and Mark currently teaches American History from Reconstrction on so he covers WWII but there was a lot of details I had forgotten. The Overlord Museum is full of models and tons of great information. Besides the mannequins everything was from that actual time period. Jared was in heaven. (Operation) Overlord is the code name for the invasion of France at Normandy.  I loved learning or relearning about all the behind the scenes (fake tanks!) and everyday resistance groups and how it lasted much longer than just the days getting past the beaches.  We toured the museum and then headed down to Omaha Beach (the American landing site).  It was sobering to see all the gravesite and look out over the ocean and imagine the ships and landing craft and so many soldiers. 

We toured the cemetery and memorial and tired to find a pathway down to the beach.  Jared and I both really wanted to be on the actual beach and were disappointed we couldn't find a way to get down there. As we headed back to the car I saw a path that led off in the opposite direction.  We got in the car and turned the opposite way that we came in and found a parking lot across the street that led to a path down.  We followed it and found our way down to the beach.  There were 2 old German bunkers there that Jared and Lydia enjoyed exploring and then we made our way down.  Being right there made it very real. It was a dangerous undertaking, the risks were very clear.  General Eisenhower said that they "will accept nothing less then full victory." Over 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the invasion.  The cost was high: 9,000 allied soldiers were lost or wounded yet it allowed 100,000 soldiers onto continental Europe to move forward to across Europe to defeat Hitler's forces. * I am not one to love WWII history or learning about any war but I very much appreciate sacrifices made which allow me to enjoy the life I have today.  The museum and visiting this beach were Jared's favorite things in France.

We are really happy we took this trip and that Sue joined us.  Jared and Lydia were really good sports.   Lydia asked us before we went if this would be more or less walking than NYC. I think they were actually pretty similar.  We walked a ton on that first day but tried to limit ourselves more when Sue joined us.  She was such a good sport and we love that she just jumped on a plane and met us there.  While we saved money on flights Paris is still a really expensive place!  Its nice that we have been and my general feeling is now that I have been I don't really need to go again.  Maybe a long lay over to see if I could make it to the Orsay museum but not a whole other trip.  There are too many awesome places to see in the world.  This trip made Mark feel that working at the airport was worth it.  He did have to add a 3rd night and it is pretty exhausting but as of now he his willing to keep it up so we can do things like this. I think that if I don't get enough kids for a preschool class next year I will try to get a job at the airport, see if we can switch out.  With working there, teaching full time and Bishop stuff its pretty intense for him.  He knows he will make it through this summer since soon enough school will be out but we will just have to see if he keeps it up when school starts again.


*army.mil