A Little Bit of This...

Here's a mish mash of pictures from the past several weeks. Try to match the description with the picture: Chloe with some (but not all of her cousins at Hermosa Vista Elementary; Grandpa Ray at a recent Sims and Nellie Ray Reunion--Grandpa is the oldest of this family gathering; our kids in various Halloween get ups; and Carly's 18th birthday and getaway to the cabin with a couple of her friends from school.

Conference Weekend

Last weekend we went up to Pine and enjoyed general conference with other family members. Before we left, Carly informed us that she was invited to ride the Best Buddies float in the Mountain View Homecoming Parade. She had a great time tossing out candy--also along the parade route we saw Rissa riding the Senior Class of 2009 float (even though she's only a


Junior--it must have been for her birthday).






In between conference sessions, we enjoyed visiting with extended family members and the kids loved playing with cousins on the new trampoline and beautiful water feature the Bagleys and Stapleys put in behind their cabin.

The Donahue Trail

Last weekend we traveled to Pine--determined to hike up to the steep rim far above the cabin. A deep gorge separates the cabin from the rim so we researched some of the public trails in the area to determine the best way to get to the top. The Highline Trail passes a few miles to the south of us and the map indicates a spur called the Donahue Trail that leads up to Milk Ranch Point on the Rim that appears to overlook the cabin. We headed off on the 10 plus mile hike in the morning. The trail is seldom used and has some serious switchbacks up to the top. Weather was warm, but a cooling thunderstorm with light sprinkles chased us down the last few miles of the trail. The elk were bugling near the top and we saw a fairly large herd of them. Unfortunately, the summit did not afford us a glimpse of the cabin--but we enjoyed a beautiful view of the surrounding area anyway.

Back Into the Swing of Things

It is good to be back in the school routine--the kids have been back for almost 4 weeks and ASU started 2 weeks ago. Chloe celebrated her 7th birthday in August. We also went blackberry picking with other cousins up at Pine on Labor Day. Mike returned to work part time at Walgreens and is attending ASU. I almost felt a little nip in the air this morning when I went out to get the paper--good weather can't be too far behind. Oh,...and Carly really likes our new parakeet--I think the feelings are mutual!

Back to School!!!

Carly, Christy, Kate and Chloe headed back to school this morning. Carly and Christy to start new adventures as 1oth graders at Mountain View High School. Katie and Chloe are in 4th and 2nd grades at Hermosa Vista Elementary. Chloe has 3 boy cousins in her class this year--she's excited to have a ready made group of friends. Mike and Melisa left this morning for a trip to New Mexico--he starts back at Walgreens and ASU later this month.

Quick Trip to Pine

On the spur of the moment, we took Katie and Chloe up to the cabin for one last trip before school starts next week. It was so nice to get out of the heat. We spent Friday night watching movies, took a short hike up to the top of the mountain in the morning and went to town to buy some old records (Andy Williams classics) at the thrift store. As always, the Fillmore's playhouse was a hit. I think everyone is ready for school to start back up!

California Adventure

We recently returned from a week at the beach house north of Ventura, California. This has been a fun tradition for our family over the past several years. Melanie and Clark were able to join us from Chicago (minus Rob, who we greatly missed) and Mike brought a friend, Melissa. We enjoyed swimming, kayaking, surfing, and day trips to Santa Barbara, downtown Ventura and Magic Mountain. Most of all, we enjoyed our time together and quiet moments to read and enjoy the beauties around us.