A Washington Wedding

A few weekends ago the 4 of us (the original 4 Boersma's) traveled to Washington to attend my cousin's wedding. It was sort of surreal/cool to be just the 4 of us again. I felt the same way I did many years ago as mom is navigating the map and dad is turning around because we went too far....and Riva and I and mom are all gabbing nonstop (sorry Dad) catching up on all the happenings. I have such fond memories of our roadtrips as kids. I've been reliving them a lot because they are such wonderful pasttimes that I remember.

We're all waiting at Long Beach airport to take off. Can I say that I felt like I was in an old '50's movie when we went to that airport? I mean is it a REAL airport? I think our plane was one of maybe 4 that left that day. It was a little bizarre, but cool.

At the OUTDOOR wedding (can you believe it in Washington??) we signed the guest book and little Ryan was smiling adorably as 100 cameras were trained on him. He so knew how to be cheesy for the camera. Good training, Julie! ha ha!

The first wedding casualty. Those pillars outside in the garden were pretty man-eating. Even a brush against them took some skin off....as Dannie so quickly learned. Dad was right there with a band-aid and things were running smooth again.

Riva, William and I pausing to smile as we are standing to watch the wedding. This was about 15 minutes before I heard him ask Uncle Dannie where the bathroom was. Their poor family had a case of food poisoning or a really bad flu so they almost all missed the wedding - all but William until it hit him halfway through the wedding. Poor things. They had to live it through all our millions of pictures the next day. Sorry guys - we really did miss you there.

Kate and Nate. It was a beautiful wedding and the most amazing, HOT (I know - odd, huh) weather that I don't remember ever in Washington. I mean am I really supposed to SWEAT in a state that rains most of the time? Goodness....but the food and fellowship was worth it.

Dad being his haughty self at the reception. We all had Thai food that was so yummy, along with a latte/italian soda bar that was open. I couldn't drink coffee but I had the girl pour Coconut syrup, then nonfat milk and ice into a cup (she recommended it) and it was SOOO good. Non fat, sweet goodness. I'll be duplicating THAT recipe at home.

Riva and I shared a hotel room (thank you Uncle Gary and Aunt Nancy) and we had such a good time being together. It's nice to have some talk time away from our 5 kids and all the distractions of life. She is honestly my best friend and I'm so thankful we live close enough to see each other once every few weeks. I love you Riv!

The day after the wedding at the Massingills. All of us cousins posing for the cameras. Let me say there were more pictures taken on this day than I remember EVER. Someone out there has the picture a little to the left, and a little to the right of this one. Oh well. It will never be lost, right?

The brothers, sisters, and cousins together. What a blessing our family is. We are all so close and enjoy so many fun times together. Family is so important to me and when I can spend a weekend with the ones I love, it makes my heart happy.

Don't Give Up on Me!!

I'm here guys! Really. A little sore from the surgery, but here nonetheless. I had to show you pics of my before-surgery month. I know - you've been waiting tirelessly to hear news from the Hill homefront. Well, wait no longer.

My friend from long ago, Caron (didn't want to say OLD) had her bridal shower last month and I was so excited to attend. I'm so happy that she found someone who is perfect for her. Today was the first time I met him and he is such a wonderful guy! We had fun and ate yummy chinese food - and Caron I must try that "favorite dessert" you were talking about. We need to get together!!

Father's Day. I know - this is really old but bear with me. Through a series of random plans, we decided to have several generations of dads to our place to enjoy a "Thanksgiving meal." I cooked turkey (a 22 pounder) without a bag for the first time (I usually use turkey bags) and I must say it was so moist and delish! We had mashed potatoes and salad (thank you Riva), bread (thank you mom) and fruit salad (thank you other mom) along with stuffing, gravy, and pie for dessert (thank you gram)! Everyone contributed to honor our dads and grandads and it was such a happy time. In the picture above Grandad was dancing to tunes with Bryan's new noise reduction headphones (which stopped working later that evening... figures since I bought them). We had such a fun time! I love all the dads in my life!

We (me and the boys - sort of) made Bryan a kleenex box with each boys' picture on one side, and their handprint and name on the other. It turned out really cute and Bryan took it to work for his office. (Doesn't that counter look so smooth and beautiful?? I still love my new kitchen counters).

Here's Ethan's side of the cube.

Mom came over and kept me company for an afternoon. The boys liked her reading to them. They always like their Gram to come over and play.

The kiddos at the beach. The tide kept coming up higher and higher. At first Austin didn't want to be out there, but soon he was waist-deep in water and didn't care. It's nice to go to the beach with someone else so you don't have all that sand, salt and mess alone. hee hee!

My Gallbladder Visitor

Well, the appointment with the surgeon didn't go the way I'd hoped for yesterday, but it did go the way it should have, I guess. He recommended that I have my gallbladder removed so my pain can stop and so it doesn't cause more serious problems in the long run. I did ask him about flushing out the stone (yes, as far as I know there is only ONE stone that's causing all this...*sigh*) and he does not believe that flushing gall stones is a smart thing. He also says it doesn't happen very often since they are a different consistency than Kidney stones. So regardless of what various internet sites say about it, I suppose I'll trust a surgeon who's been doing it for 32 years. Why not, right?

So for all my family and friends, if you could lift me up in prayer before, during and after I'd greatly appreciate it. My surgery is scheduled for July 7th at 3:45pm. It's an outpatient surgery and it should take about 1 1/2 hours. I guess it's a pretty quick recovery compared to a lot of other surgeries so that's encouraging. I'm a little nervous because the only time I've been put out is when I had my wisdom teeth out and that's it. I also can't eat for the whole day - or drink anything. I'm going to be shaky, irritable and parched. NOT a good Cara combo, but I'll get through this.
Thank you all for your prayers!!!

Excursion

My mom's a gardener. So is my dad, when he wants to be. Me? Well, let's just say that gene fell VERY far away from the family tree. I inherited none of it. Probably one of my LEAST favorite things to do around the house is to garden. Don't get me wrong - I really LOVE seeing pretty flowers and pulling fruit off of trees, but the taking care of it - SO not up my alley. Well my parents LOVE Roger's Gardens in Newport Beach so after my chiropractor appointment I headed over there to see what it looked like and what was so inspiring about it. Wow. That's all I can say. These people are SERIOUS about gardening. It inspired ME - a non gardener - to start a garden. It is such a beautiful place with some of the most amazing trees and plants. The boys loved running around and seeing all the different things, and I was just in awe at how well it was kept up and how beautiful everything was.

When I was there, I had to take this picture of one of the most unusual Irises I've ever seen. Now Bryan would say I'm like my parents if he saw me take this picture. My parents never came home from a vacation without some sort of close-up of a flower or bush in their stack of pictures. That may be one reason why I take them when I'm in awe of one of God's amazing creations.

This is the only way I get a picture of me and the boys together. I can't believe I fit us all in. We were just about to leave Roger's Gardens and go to Fashion Island for more of our excursion.

There's a carousel at Fashion Island that is not exactly the cheapest thing to ride ($2 per person for literally 1 minute), but since my mother-in-law took them on it last time we were there, they couldn't wait to go on it again. Ethan had even picked out the same deer he rode the last time. I'm telling you - change and that boy do not go hand in hand. It had to be the same one he remembered.

Austin preferred to sit on the bench and ride around. He is still a little afraid of something moving without him in control. Sounds like mommy.

Afterwards, we got ice cream with our $1 off coupons we received from riding the carousel. Good deal, no? Austin was pretty much telling me he needed the drip wiped off his chin when this picture was taken - hence the odd face. Of all the flavors at Haagen Dazs....vanilla and chocolate were the flavors of choice. *sigh* I also couldn't get a lick in because BOTH boys are sick. I refuse to get sick before my cousin's wedding this weekend in Washington. Don't think I wasn't tempted as the sticky goodness was dripping from their cones. MMMmmmm. After this merry little time, we proceeded to get on the freeway and go home where we stopped before we even got ON the 91. Yes, folks, it took me 2 hours to get home - of course with a bathroom stop on the way. NOT a good freeway day. But we all had fun AND I didn't have to get adjusted because my back is still in!! Yay!

Water Fun

Now that Bryan has graduated we have more time together to do some things we've been neglecting over the last few years. One thing has been spending more time on our boat. As the lakes dwindle and get drained, the choices have been narrowing as to where we will launch, but lately Lake Elsinore has been our lake of choice. I wouldn't say that it would be the cleanest lake, per se, but it does allow you to touch it and you can also ski there if you so desire. (This won't be us anytime soon). So a couple Saturdays ago we went out so Bryan could get the elusive fish that bit Ethan's pole on the first cast last time.

Bryan let me maneuver the boat to the dock without the boys, he parked the truck, then walked them down and put their life jackets on. The day was a little overcast, but not too chilly. It was nice - however the boys' cheeks did get a little red since I didn't apply sunscreen until about an hour after we'd launched.

Ethan got a new life jacket since the cord that goes between the legs was at it's loosest on the small one and still giving him a wedgie. He felt like a big boy with his new jacket. He looks so old to me now - he's getting so mature and really being able to interact in such grown-up ways now.

Here is Ethan's way of relaxing on the boat.

...and here's Austin's. Always reaching into the cooler to find the next snack or drink. He takes after his Papa. I must say that the boat does make you hungrier for some reason. Maybe it's that you're sort of trapped and it's really the only thing to do besides read a magazine and squeeze whatever fish are caught - which were none today.

Riva dropped by with the boys later that week and all the cousins had a blast together. They are interacting without us having to initiate or mediate too much. It's sort of nice because now we can have a 10 minute conversation in 1 hour instead of 2. ha ha! I'm so glad our kids are so close in age that they can all be buddies.

Palm Desert Getaway

AHH....vacation. I can't tell you how much I was looking forward to these 3 days of getaway bliss. We had planned this trip in the beginning of the year, and it seemed like it couldn't come fast enough. We made sure we got a suite (Marriott Residence Inn is the way to go) and that the room came with breakfast in the morning. All we had to do was NOTHING for 3 days. Doesn't that sound lovely? We hit the Zoo and the pool, along with playing ball in the grass beside our room - of course. Here are many pictures of our trip.

I honestly thought the pool would be a bigger hit, but it was so-so. It got really windy in the afternoon and evenings, so it wasn't too relaxing in the water. Ethan enjoyed getting wet and flopping around for a little while with Bryan, while Austin sat on the upper step of the spa while mommy had the jet massage her aching gallbladder (j/k - the pain is tolerable right now).

The brave one himself wouldn't enter the pool except in Daddy's arms.

At the Desert Zoo, this pond was so clear you could see everything in it. We took a break (in the shade) and rested our legs. To be honest my ankles were tingling the entire time with the feeling that some rattlesnake was going to sink its' teeth into them. Seriously....it seemed like there were bushes everywhere and places for reptiles to hide at every corner.

I took this picture to show you the "garden walks" you could take off the beaten path. Ya - would YOU go in there??? I just cringed thinking about it. All I did the whole time during the "garden walks" was tell Ethan - STAY by us please....do NOT go near the bushes. I think I freaked him out a little. I freaked myself out with all the "rustling" the wind was doing to the nearby leaves.

Ok - THIS was wild. WILD. A lizard this big. And there was a wild iguana that we saw, too. A little scary. I asked one of the workers there how often they see a rattlesnake and here was his answer, "Well, I'd buy a lottery ticket if I saw one because we only get a couple a month......actually we had to remove one from an exhibit THIS MORNING!!!" Okkkkk..... so I guess I'd have gotten a lot of money with that lottery ticket....

The boys dancing on the bench to the tunes over the loudspeaker near the bobcat, fox and mountain lion lairs.

And here is me pushing Austin through the most open, spacious area of nothingness at the zoo. I mean it was a long walk through the desert - need I even say that I was on the lookout for wild critters? Don't let the smile fool you.

This guy was about 8 feet from us chewing on Thorny Acacia. Those thorns were huge and sharp and this guy just moved his lips over them, sucking them down with no problem. Notice the chest bulging through the fence as he's reaching for the thorny goodness. It was pretty cute.

Check out the squirrel packing his cheeks full of these seed things. He was going to town and storing up for the summer I guess.

This is one of the biggest model railroad setups in the U.S. I thought of my Papa as I stood watching all these trains crossing bridges and going through the various towns they had set up. They had a "JAWS" scene and HUGE bridges. The train was even programmed to stop at a station. It was pretty cool.

These turtles had a "Do not sit because they may be hot" sign on them, but me being the good Mommy had the boys sit on them anyways. Don't worry - I felt them before their little bottoms touched the metal.

At the hotel Bryan and I played catch with the boys. There was a huge grassy area next to our patio where we saw a Roadrunner and many bunnies. It was a fun place to have the boys get their energy out. I must say they took EXCELLENT naps - maybe due to the blackout curtains we had in our rooms...

And, of course, our mementos from the zoo - fake snakes. These truly looked real when left on the grass. No trip to the zoo is complete without bringing home snakes. What can I say?

And the ultimate thing about our trip? - their OWN bed in their OWN room with their OWN TV. I'm serious the "coolest" thing about the trip was that they had their own room and got to sleep in a bed together. They do have their own rooms at home, but I guess a hotel room to themselves was even better.

The family at the end of the trip before we left for the shopping outlets. The weather dipped at least 10 degrees and actually sprinkled on us at the outlets about 10 miles away. Weird. We had so much fun and are looking forward to the next outing - whenever that may be.

An Answer

Well, it's been a busy year. Bryan has finished his schooling and we are looking forward to a summer of relaxation (maybe?). Ethan will be attending pre-school in the fall, and will also be taking a baseball class this summer for 5 Saturdays. It's so enjoyable (not) because the temperature during these classes sometimes reaches past the 100 degree mark, and it's quite funny because all the parents huddle under this lone little shade tree near the baseball field with their coolers full of iced drinks. Well, this year it's going to be even HOTTER because his class doesn't end till noon (it ended at 10 last year) and it's for a longer period of time. WHEW.....I don't know how well I'll deal - especially because there's this one little area of ground that floods and you know where Austin always wants to be - yep, IN that pool of grass/mud water. **sigh**

This is a fun game they like to do, even though it sort of makes me cringe as Austin climbs over Ethan to sit on his lap. Our slide is situated on our deck, so the fall would be a long one. The boys are loving having Daddy home on Saturdays and always ask, "are you staying home today Daddy?"

Another update on my health issues for the past few months. As you may remember, I had leg pain towards the end of February, so I had to quit running and try to figure out why it was tingling and hurting on my thigh and shin. I was thankful to find out it wasn't a stress fracture, but frustrated to not really know what it was. After an MRI done a couple of weeks ago, they saw that I (why not??) have a "birth defect" (minor, however) that involves a "lumbarized S1." Now this isn't to say that that is what is causing my pain, but it may be that is the reason. After looking it up, I saw that my first Sacriliac vertebrae is more fused to the one below it than is normal. That little tidbit may have given me an answer to my nerve issues that have stopped me from running.

Secondly, during all these doctor's appointments and physical therapy appointments, I started noticing an abdominal pain that just wouldn't go away. It began getting worse and started affecting my back, side, etc. After trying not to panic (that's hard not to do) and bothering my doctor (once again) to figure it out, they got me in for an ultrasound on Friday and also took blood tests. I thought it would take a week or so to figure it out, and was scared because of so many cancers that have been in our family lately, but the tech told me afterwards to wait around to see the doctor. Turns out that I have a gall stone (I DID see it floating around on the ultrasound enjoying itself). So THAT 7mm thing is causing all this?? Well, I was told I need to see a surgeon who will explain my options and decide what the best course of action is. I'm SO thankful it's not more serious and that I have an answer for my pain, but also need to take more steps and continue my doctor appointments that have been so prevalent during this year. Thank you for all your prayers (and those of you who have watched the boys for me) and I will update you on my body visitor as I attempt to either flush it out, or remove it entirely. We'll see....

Graduation Day!!

The day we've been waiting for....G day... GRADUATION DAY!!! For almost 3 years we've been working towards this day. Of course Bryan and I have worked in different ways, but we got here. Bryan looked very handsome in his orange and green hood with a salmon-colored band (for Master of Health Administration). It was a warm day and the sun was at our backs (with no shade I might add). Bryan had won a drawing during a graduation open house for a free double lei, but by the time I went to redeem the coupon, there were no more, so they let me pick out a free $30 dozen of roses. Cool, huh? I hadn't put sunscreen on the boys (of course) because I was thinking about so many other things, but they didn't really burn. I don't think they sat still enough TO burn because they were so enthralled by the fact that they had 3 sets of grandparents and great-grandparents seated near them. Oh the excitement. AND their Auntie Marisa..SUCH fun.

GG, Grammy, Papa, and Auntie Marisa waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Grandad and me with the sun at our backs.

The boys were so fascinated with Daddy's "funny hat" and the fact that everyone was wearing one. Austin was pointing out Bryan in the crowd (that is, after he FINALLY saw him). Marisa picked out a great spot for all of us because Bryan walked right by us during the processional. Awesome, sister!

Bryan after receiving his diploma. They were all called up randomly in their division. You had to really be watching so you didn't miss your loved one. They just gave their name card to the professor and no one was called by the wrong name. Pretty nice, but hard to see the end of the 500 names....oh well.

Austin was loving life with Gramps. He had his water bottle, Gramps' hat, and he was set.

The family shot after the ceremony. I can't believe it's finally over (except for the fact he has to turn in his thesis the next Saturday). But that's nothing - piece of cake! I'm so proud of him.

Speaking of cake, here is the cake I did for his Graduation party. It was Hershey's chocolate with a pudding/mousse inside and iced with vanilla/almond cream cheese frosting. MMMmm. Did you notice the hand-carved graduate? Just kidding. It was a mold from my favorite cake/candy decorating store - Pila's Pantry. Along the sides are diplomas in orange and chocolate.

Here are the kids blowing their noise makers. Sorry, Riva, for getting so wet with Tyler's saliva shooting out the end of his noise maker. Had I only known.....but I guess I still would have bought them. hee hee! They were a hit. Thank you to everyone for your well-wishes, congratulations, and your support as Bryan worked on his Masters. You are all so loved and we are glad it's finally OVER!