Bad Blog Keeper!

I think it's just gotten to the point that I'm so far behind on updating this blog, that it feels like it would be too much work to start posting again!

So here's some highlights:

We had our Disneyland annual passes (until they expired a couple weeks ago). Some of the exciting things to happen were the opening of the new CA Adventure Buena Vista St. and the opening of Carsland. 

New Walt and Mickey statue in CA Adventure

They had time-period style police, delivery bikes, trolley, and other fun stuff like that. At Christmas time (got to go on the first day of Christmas decorations before passes expired) they had a hand bell choir walking around.

The new ride "Radiator Racers" typically had a 2-3 hour wait. I never waited longer than 20 minutes thanks to the single rider line. And it broke down all the time. I got on one time and had to get off almost immediately. Not to mention all the times I went with the intent to go on the ride and it was already broken down. All in all, I got to ride it twice. Very cool ride.

Of course, Carsland was themed out for Route 66.

And of course we went on rides plenty of times at Disneyland! Sadly, Indiana Jones was closed the last few months of our passes! But when Carsland opened, the lines at Disneyland were fabulous! It was hard to believe the short wait times for the middle of summer!

 We went on our yearly trip to Lake Powell. This year, we had Mackenzie, Zoe, and Jackson all together. Zoe feel asleep while tubing. I went on the left side of the wake (I was afraid of that side). 

John's sweet grab

I got to use my new board

I love this picture because you can see where I landed and the trail after I landed (proof I was in the air-if only momentarily-and did not fall after regaining contact with the water)

Zoe's spaced out while talking to herself mode

I have the cutest nephew - he loved that hat!

We went to Utah to visit my family, go to a wedding, and go to a baby blessing. 

We visited the new mall in Salt Lake because John wanted to see the rocks he helped design.

The Clifford-Walker (plus extensions) crew gathered for baby Axel's blessing.

The newly weds Kate and Johnathon

Also when we visited family in Utah, I took to the woods to practice taking portraits with my sisters.

Tracie

Hana

Tracie

Our oldest niece turned 3 and had green cupcakes (she's the green girl):

Not sure if she ever touched the actual cupcake, but she enjoyed the frosting!

I have to include that we did make a beach trip. It gets hard when you have to work full time so you can only go when everyone else is going. 

John's baby

Just for the heck of it, here's a picture of me at work (well at one of our sites). 

You start getting very hot at about 1pm. That's when you have trouble parking the company van next to the well so you get shade from the van. The lifts in the background are on the neighboring site that we have a few wells on.

House projects included installed a side gate. John liked looking cool with power tools.  We also replaced our back paver patio with leftovers from the front yard. The plans for a complete redo of the backyard is in the works currently.

Summer activities also included pool parties with the family and a trip to the LA County Fair. 

At the fair. Hot Dog on a Stick tastes amazing after not eating lunch and being on a job walk in the sun half the day!!

Mackenzie's kicking skills

Zoe is always happy in the water

 One of the coolest things to see this year was the space shuttle Endeavour. My work is close to JPL so I got to see it fly over - that was a great view! Then John and I when with our friends Johnathon and Polly to see the Endeavour while being moved from LAX to the museum by USC. Late at night. If you know anything about the area, you know that you don't go there. Especially at night. Well, you'll never see that many white people walking around there again! Some dude was giving us advice and let us know we were in the ghetto. Told us to watch our purses and cameras. I didn't tell him the only thing of value I brought was my camera. The only other thing I brought was a cell phone! 

From the parking structure at work (I didn't bring a good camera - this is my cell phone camera). The escort jets aren't even visible in the picture so that gives you an idea of what you could see in person.

At King and Crenshaw at something like 10pm. So cool to see it in the middle of the street. It gave you a relative sense of how huge the thing is! They cut down a lot of huge trees and took down signals and street signs to get it down a very wide (like 2 lanes each direction, center lane, plus parking on each side) street!

The rest of the highlights will have to wait. I haven't taken those off my camera yet! Right now we are busy planning our Ward's christmas party, practicing for the stake choir concert, still doing the Webelos den, and staying very busy at work!