A funny thing happened on the way to (and at) the beach....

On August 10th, we set out for a family vacation to California. With my kids getting older and Katie deciding to stay in Provo next summer as well as Tyler turning in his mission papers next summer, we jumped at the chance to have some family togetherness for a couple of weeks. Now...while we LOVE Disneyland, and were heading there the last half of our vacation, Jay loves to explore and do other things as well, so we decided to head down to La Jolla and do some snorkeling and sea kayaking. Jay and Anna had just flown into San Diego from Grand Junction, Colorado while the rest of us had driven down to California and had spent a day at Magic Mountain.  Anna had participated in the Western Zone Swim meet. Only 60 kids from the whole state of Oregon were selected and so it was a pretty cool honor for Anna to be chosen!  Jay loved watching Anna swim and they missed out only on one day of vacation plus the day of driving.  Lucky!

Anyway, after we picked them up from the airport, we drove to La Jolla. Jay realized he had forgotten the piece of paper with the snorkeling tour company name on it. After some moments of frustration as he tried to remember the company name as well as try and figure out how to use an iPhone (unsuccessfully) to google the name, I suggested he look (on his own phone) at his card statement online because he had paid a deposit and it might say the company name on his statement. A ha!! We were able to get the name of the company. I quickly opened my map function on my phone to show us the route. It took a few seconds for the map to locate the company and give us a route. When the information came up on my screen, I laughed because we were only 32 seconds away from our destination!! We all had a good laugh and the vacation frustration was wiped away!

 La Jolla is apparently a popular town and with one main access to the beach, parking was crazy, so we just drove up main street in the opposite way until we found parking in a cute little neighborhood. We walked back down to the place where we were supposed to meet for the tour and everyone got into wetsuits. I, not liking deep water or breathing through a tiny tube, chickened out at this point ~ I told my family it was because I wanted to take pictures. They all saw right through me though....dang it. Oh well! I walked to the beach with them and got some fun shots of them going into the water. After they were all in, I turned around and saw hundreds of brightly colored beach umbrellas and inviting looking lawn chairs with towels neatly folded over the back of the chair waiting to be used. I found an empty chair and just relaxed, thoroughly enjoying myself. People walked around me and I saw workers setting up a place for a lady with her own umbrellas and chairs. "Hmmmm....that's interesting I thought to myself. Wow California beaches are SO nice!!"

 Thirty minutes later, when my family emerged from the water, they saw me and excitedly waved. The tour guide looked slightly taken aback and surprised by where I was sitting and then told Jay that I'd been sitting in the most exclusive beach club resort in La Jolla and that membership was upwards of $80k a year. And that they are very vigilant about keeping unknowing tourists out of their resort. Uh oh! I'd had several employees walk right by me as well as members and none of them had said anything to me. This made me feel good because maybe I looked like I belonged? I had wondered why all the umbrellas matched, but didn't pay much attention as beach umbrellas are not a common sight on Oregon beaches. I did enjoy my half hour of wealth! There were no signs nor any kind of fencing to show that this was a private beach....oh well! As we walked toward the access road, I saw the public beach access and none of the umbrellas matched. Mental note for next time...haha! Despite this little faux pas, fun was had by all!

My fleeting wealth afforded me this beautiful view!

Lacrosse Senior Night

I'm so proud of my Tyler!! He's a wonderful example! For senior night, he even asked me if I'd wear his jersey. Aw :)

And SOOOO excited that the Saxons are the Valley League champs his senior year ~ what a way to end your high school career, especially as a team captain! Go Tyler!!

It's been a loooooong time!

It's been a busy, busy, busy winter/spring!! I feel like I'm always rotating between committee meetings for school, sporting events of some sort, usually swim and lacrosse and lately track, or sitting at the side of my piano teaching lessons. Not that you want to read all of my boring life details, but I've just felt overwhelmingly busy and it always seems to ramp up at this time of year. Throw a graduating senior into the mix and you've got one frantic Kim! The third week of April, Anna and I went to and from Provo in 2 days to pick up Katie from school. The weather was gorgeous and the drive didn't feel like it took forever. She had a blast texting my mom and a friend that I had been going 100 mph and had gotten a ticket! Little stinker ~ haha!! We stayed at my aunt and uncle's house in Herriman for the night and had fun visiting! The next morning, we got to meet Katie's boyfriend and had a yummy lunch at Brick Oven. As we came around the corner to our booth, I glanced sideways and, lo and behold, in the booth diagonally across from us sat L. Tom Perry! I think I said "whoa!" under my breath which I'm sure he heard. I've never seen an apostle up close and in a non-church setting so my nervousness at meeting Katie's guy increased. We didn't bother him for a picture because he was with his family and I know I wouldn't want to constantly be interrupted, but what a neat experience! By the way, Katie's boyfriend is very nice and has a great sense of humor ~ bonus points for that!! At the BYU bookstore, Anna finally found a BYU swimming shirt in her size and she was very excited! I took her to see the practice pools where the swim team meets and she was excited that they didn't look much different than the pools she swims in now. I squelched my desire to purchase chocolate covered cinnamon bears because I knew I'd eat them all and make myself sick and I don't need that! A lot more has happened over the last several months, but if I'm friends with you on Facebook, you probably already know, so I won't bore you :)

I sold an old friend over the weekend.....

not a person, lest you think I'm in human trafficking, but rather my first piano. I am loving my new piano that I bought last fall, but I feel like I've given up a piece of myself letting my old piano go. Obviously, I don't have room for two pianos, but still.....this piano had a story.

On Valentine's Day 1996, a truck pulled up into my driveway. I wasn't expecting anything so as I looked out of my big front window, I was perplexed. Then the driver stepped out. I recognized him as an employee of Weathers Music, where Jay and I had been perusing pianos several days earlier. I wistfully looked at them, but didn't think we'd be able to buy one at that point, so I sadly ignored the small dream I felt of owning my own piano. So, when the man opened the back of the truck, I was surprised to see a piano, the very one we had been looking at. Was it a brand new piano? No, but I didn't care. It was a piano that had been previously owned, but rarely played. It may not have been the most beautiful piano, but it was beautiful to me and that was all that mattered. It was probably one of the best surprises I had ever received and Jay was so secretive, I suspected nothing. The man, who was actually part owner in Weather's I believe, said he didn't usually do deliveries, but knew this was a surprise and wanted to see my reaction. How sweet!

Fast forward 16 years....the piano now showed signs of being well loved, well used and had a few battle scars. One of the kids opened it too quickly and too forcefully and the lid cracked slightly. It also bore an "AN" scratched into it, right above the name of the piano manufacturer. Had I been a few seconds later, it would've read "ANNA." My little vandal. It had a bass clef F# that liked to stick, until it was fixed by an experienced piano tuner. Most importantly, no matter how it looked, it had a great tone and meant a lot to me. I miss it. Katie was sad when I talked to her last week and told her I sold it. It was the piano she learned on. I've taught many fabulous students on it over the years. It's been well loved. And now it's gone on to a new home, where hopefully it will remain well loved.

Though the piano is gone, the love with which it was given, is not. I'll remember that surprise for the rest of my life.

One thing about

each kid.....

I can finally upload pictures again ~ hip hip hooray!! Since it's been awhile, I thought I'd start back with one important and/or funny thing about each of my offspring.

First, Katie....I can hardly believe that my Katie will be 20 in about 6 weeks. Seriously, where did the time go?!? And how could this be possible since I am still only 29? Anyway, Katie has been doing fantastic! We absolutely enjoyed seeing her at Thanksgiving and then again at Christmas. She is having a great year in Provo, busy but great! This picture is from the Santa 5k run she did in Provo the first weekend in December. Every runner got to run in a Santa get-up. Katie had a blast!!

Tyler has been having a great senior year of high school so far. He finished off his final football season as a varsity offensive lineman. He was asked to be the escort for a friend on the Homecoming Court and she actually won....talk about a brush with fame :)

Anna adores being old enough to go to middle school and has had a fabulous start at Judson. She just got a cell phone for her 12th birthday in December (I need to do a birthday post still for her, so more pics on that later) and is texting like a pro already. She loves being a Beehive as well. This pic was taken last October at the American Girl store in Seattle. We had such a fun time ~ I love that even though she's getting older, she still loves fun things like this!

I realized I never posted a picture of Rachel as Bellatrix Lestrange so here you go ~ she loved her costume and got into character easily. Rachel started swimming Bearcats this year and has improved so much. I finally convinced her to read Harry Potter on her own. Two summers ago, Katie and Rachel read them together, which was a great experience for both, but I told her she couldn't be a true Harry fan unless she had read the books on her own.

What fun these four are! Thanks for enduring my "catch up" post!

Turning CHALLENGES into opportunities to GROW

I haven't blogged for awhile because something has been amiss with either my blog account or my computer....we shall see if this post actually posts.

I have been thinking quite a bit over the last few weeks about some of my challenges or weaknesses, whatever term you want to use. Things that I want to work on or change....I guess you could say, resolutions, though I hesitate to use that term because these are things I'd like to change permanently, not just for the month of January.

A few of these things are:

1. I have a hard time being happy for other's successes sometimes. This makes me feel like a total loser and not a good friend! Last Sunday in Relief Society, we had a lesson about President George Albert Smith. One of his points to live by was being happy for others. I have been thinking about this since then and have realized that it's not that I'm not happy for others, but rather other's successes make me think about my own shortcomings and things that maybe I tried and weren't so successful and who likes to dredge that up?

2. Sometimes I give up on myself.

3. I am not a scriptorian. I often feel dumb during Sunday School. This is really my own fault.

4. I don't have a sibling. This is never going to change. I often feel like everyone has a sister but me. Obviously I'm not the only only child in the world. I spend too much time lamenting something that is out of my control, being envious of those who have such relationships and feeling like I don't belong anywhere.

5. It's so hard as a mom to not want to run and protect your child from all the drama that can surround them, especially in the tween/early teen years.

So.....solutions? All are easy, obvious and worth it, but some will be definitely easier to accomplish than others.

1. Instead of thinking about my own shortcomings, focus on positive things. And be happy for others. I don't know their weaknesses and maybe the thing they are successful in is their one thing to be happy about.

2. Don't put off doing something, thinking I'm not good enough to do that. I am worth it.

3. Don't just read, but study my scriptures. (That one is obvious)

4. Be happy with who I am and in the circumstances I have been given.

5. Teach my kids to be confident and compassionate people, that most drama will resolve itself and if not, you don't want to hang out with that kind of person anyway.

That's a pretty tall order, even though there's only 5 things on my list. Instead of giving up on myself though, here's to making some positive changes.

I somehow need to make this by the 28th.....

but I need to de-sexy-fy it so it's appropriate for my 10 year old Harry Potter fanatic. I'm starting Monday. Ack!!I haven't sewed in awhile, so I'm nervous! Wish me luck!

17 years ago today......

this amazing young man came into our family. He arrived on Labor Day, making us laugh at that appropriate coincidence and has been amusing us ever since! We are thankful for, and love our Tyler ~ for his ability to make everyone around him feel important, his sense of humor, for being a great son and brother!! Tyler has an infectious laugh and a fun smile!Happy 17th Birthday Tyler ~ we love you!!

Water......water......

was something we desired as we walked around The High Desert Museum near Bend, Oregon. We loved wandering this beautiful museum and learning about life in central Oregon. The museum has animal exhibits, living history exhibits, a great kids area and an extensive Native American exhibit.

Meeting the porcupine in the animal exhibit....the girls thought he was so cute!
Rachel practices her penmanship with an old fashioned fountain pen......
and was pretty successful in her endeavors!
Do you see the eye peeking out?
Anna discovers some unpleasantness
After touring the museum, my parents, my little girls and I all enjoyed lunch in the Rimrock Cafe, the on site restaurant. The gift shop was a fun place to browse. I was seriously tempted to buy this shirt, though probably not to wear. It would've been a fun addition to a t-shirt quilt though! It was a great way to end the weekend excursion with my mom and dad. If you're travelling toward Bend and have a few minutes (and some moola) we recommend this fun place!

We were all cooking.....

up a storm for our church's Activity Day Girls Bake Sale, held on July 26th. The girls (and leaders) all contributed treats to sell at our Bake Sale, which benefitted the Marion/Polk County Foodshare. We ended up making a whopping $572.43 to donate to the food bank, which thrilled the girls to be able to help so many people. And everyone loved our "Summer of Service" tie dyed t-shirts!
The girls helped not only by baking, but by selling, wrapping cookie plates, and their favorite thing, making posters and standing out on the sidewalk drumming up business. They brought in probably 15 customers that way.....and the Sweet Tart costume was a big hit, making the girls even more noticeable! The following week, the girls took the money to the Foodshare to donate and enjoyed a tour of the facility and had their picture taken. Boy did they all feel so good about their service!

I know I've posted quite a few

posts about swimming, but here's one more. We headed to Bend last weekend for the last meet of the season. Anna swam several races including the 500 free. She's never swam a long race and was a little nervous to do so, but ended up actually enjoying it. After the meet, the staff at Juniper pool opened up the play area for everyone! I'd love to go back to this facility....it's staff are friendly and helpful and keep things running smoothly. And Anna absolutely loved the Speedo Swim backpack Grandpa John bought for her!!
Halfway through the fun, my camera stopped focusing and I was worried I'd done something to break it. Fortunately, Jay showed me the button on the camera that switches it from auto focus to manual focus....duh me. Unfortunately, he didn't show me this until I arrived home, so the rest of the pictures are on my phone. My parents came down from Washington to meet the girls and I for the meet and some fun. I don't think they realized how long swim meets are and that even though you're just sitting and watching all day, it's pretty exhausting. We did have fun exploring Bend every afternoon though and went on an unplanned wild goose chase for a supposed shaved ice stand called Big Kahuna....

The next day we visited the High Desert Museum, but since those pictures are on my phone and I haven't downloaded them yet, that'll have to be on a different post.

Did you know that if you

type LOST LAKE into your GPS, it will say "cannot find?" I find that pretty funny......

Despite it's name of Lost Lake, it is in Oregon just outside of Hood River and is very easy to find if you have a map and once you arrive, your journey will be rewarded with a gorgeous view!
Camping for our Lamphiear Family Reunion was a lot of fun! We love getting together with Grandpa, Grandma and all of our other relatives!
All of the cousins on the hike around the lake.... Grandma and Rachel hold up the tree...... Always be prepared!! And my dad is. What a great guy! Mt. Hood is beautiful! We had such great weather while we were camping....how lucky is that? Yep....we found the lake. It's no longer lost.
The girls and I highly enjoyed our reunion....it was filled with games, fun, laughter, hiking, swimming, memories of Grandma Fay and lots of marshmellows. Can't wait until next year!

Thanks to my good friend Stephanie....

...Anna had an amazing cake to wish her well at the State Swim ChampionshipsWe all really appreciated the time and effort that went into this cake by Stephanie!! Anna went on to swim just like a super hero in her races thanks to the inspiration of being the Batman Lego figure on the cake, whooping the Joker in the race.

Time to backtrack.....

It's been a whirlwind around our house for the past couple of weeks.....

On July 28th and 30th, Anna participated in the OSI, or Oregon State swim championships at the Amazon Pool in Eugene. She had to swim at or under a certain time standard to even qualify for this event and she made in into 3 events!! She swam the 100M backstroke, the 50M backstroke and the 50M freestyle. She ended up being 10th in the state for 50M backstroke and 12th in the 50M free for 11 year old girls. I'm a little envious of her skill!

Here's the steamy pool during warmups.....

Here's Anna plowing toward the finish line in her 50M free
Anna after her race.....
What a great experience for Anna!!

Slip slidin' away

Anna and Rachel have wanted a Slip and Slide all summer. Instead of begging me for one, they decided to raise the money themselves and opened a Lemonade/Popsicle stand in front of our house last Wednesday. They earned enough moola to buy one that evening. Thank goodness for an 80 degree day!! They have been having fun on it since then and have the bruised knees to prove it!

Happy 10th Birthday Rachel

You've grown from a beautiful ballerina......and a cool biker chick....into the best marshmellow roaster this side of the Mississippi!!
But no matter how old you get, you'll always be MY baby! I love your witty observations and fun sense of humor, your love of learning, your kindness, talents, and that you'll still let me hold your hand in public!

Happy 10th Birthday Rachel!! And thanks for informing me today that I'm very old now that I don't have any children with single digit ages anymore.....haha...very funny.

In and Out of the Bonneville Dam

from the perspectives of Anna, Rachel and Kim.

Beacon Rock, as viewed from Bonneville Dam (for the Twilight fans, you see Beacon Rock in the background quite often in the first movie) Having both sets of my grandparents living in the Columbia Gorge when I was growing up gave me a great love and appreciation for the scenery! The infamous Bonneville Fish Ladder viewing area....a must see! We saw several 30-50 lb. salmon swim by the window.
The gorge.....beautiful even on a cloudy day!
The Bonneville Generator Room.....guess where all of Disneyland's power comes from?
The generator room as viewed by Anna.....the ones with the lights on are the generators currently producing power.....hahaha....."current"....I crack myself, and probably only myself, up!
The most gigantic escalator I'd ever ridden on as a kid....unfortunately my kids couldn't have the same experience thanks to budget cuts, but it was still impressive to see! (also from Anna's point of view)
Going down further into the dam....from Rachel's point of view
The outer fish ladder....Rachel took a great shot!
Here's the whole DAM group....we all love joking around whenever we take a dam tour together. And on this particular tour, we had a dam good tour guide who gave us lots of great dam information and a fun dam demonstration of how the generators produce dam electricity.
All kidding aside, we had a great time at our reunion and missed everyone who wasn't able to be there this year!!

Click here if you're interested in learning how a generator works!