Boston!

We had a great time in Boston.....
The Purpose of our trip was to see the Red Sox in Fenway Park. It was an experience. We had two rain delays and by rain I mean downpour......Megan kept saying I swam at Fenway.

grounds crew covering and uncovering the field.

(Pesky's Pole)

We had a great time and here is the "Sweet Caroline" Bo Sox anthem.


Other stuff we did:

 We walked the whole freedom trail...I know very un Call like, but hey we are in better shape that we have been in years.

 Bunker Hill 

The Boys went up the very steep 294 steps inside the monument as well

We attended the Boston LDS Temple. It was fun with all of us in attendance.
Our Sunday meetings were conducted by Bishop Daniel Ainge and since it was Ward Conference the Stake Pres. Ken Rollins (Former Dell CEO) was also in attendance.
They both spoke so it was like a fireside.

Saw the home of the New England patriots football team. Unfortunately they were playing an away game or we would have gone to there game as well.

 at the JFK Library

 This may or may not be 'the rock' according to history this was named the rock by a child of a Mayflower passenger about 100 years later. It is only a third of the original size.

 The Mayflower II a replica of the original.

 Who knew that there was a Cole's Hill in Plymouth. We knew that we were descendants of the Mayflower on the Cole and Call side of the family but this was a surprise.

 Cape Cod

We also went to Salem...just another old New England Town with lots of museums about witches and the House of the Seven gables. Concord and Lexington....not only to see the Battle Road - first fights in the Revolution, but also home to Louisa May Alcott, Nathanial Hawthorn and Ralph Waldo Emerson. In Waltham we went to the Museum of Industry. It was in the first factory in America and was very interesting and hands on. The factory went through several transformations from textile mill and bicycles, but in the end manufactured watches. If you have a Waltham watch you have a treasure. What a great trip.

MCC

Trip to the Land!

I know it's about time.....

We have had several people amazed that we went to Disney Land and that our kids are little or teenage kids..... Wow, how old are they? We all love Disney and love the whole experience.
It was fun to be with captain awesome, the Ry Guy. He loved it all and had favorites. He likes the spinning rides but his favorite was Astro Blaster or the Buzz Lightyear ride. If he were tall enough he would probably change it to the Lightning McQueen car ride (which is like the test track at Epcot for those in the know) It is so movie like and a fast car ride  isn't half bad.
My Fav has always been the Big Thunder Railway roller coaster, but for some reason this time the Tower of Terror was a very close second for me.
We all had fun in the Big"A" Van.....all except for the ride home which took 3 hours too long due to accidents....however we made the most of it.
Here are some pics of the trip.

MMMMMMM My Red Wagon Corn Dog!

 this bear was giving us a bad time and driving Ry nuts. He wouldn't have anything to with him even when Nels and Hay were having fun.

 I bought us all the preferred seating and show package for Fastasmic. It comes with a desert box and all you can drink soft drinks, hot cocoa and coffee.  It was fancy smancy and was worth doing once in your life.  That cookie thing was one of the best cookies I have ever eaten and is only made for the dessert box...we asked several people who confirmed this truth....it is a very buttery raspberry filled shortbread cookie, and there were no seconds.

Loving Micky! he was so unsure of all of the other characters that this was too cute.


MCC

The Mission Call...

Hayden went to the mail box every 15 minutes all morning long  hoping to find his mission call.......I stood ready at the door with the camera every time to see his happy face.......every time except for the time when the mail actually arrived. I wasn't expecting it since our mail delivery for the past two weeks has not been at a consistent time and things were crazy at that minute....Laurie was picking up Ryan from his morning with Grandma and the aunt and uncles and Meg, Nelson and Hayden were leaving for work for the day. I assumed that if it came today that Gary and I would take it up to the theater later today to be opened......but things don't work as planned. Hayden checked the mail as he was getting in the car to leave and it was here......
I told Hayden that the call was his to open and he could do open it how and whenever he wanted to....he wanted to do it before he left for work.....needless to say Laurie called Jordan, he couldn't speak so we videoed  it. Gary called his mom and I called my parents and we had them on speaker phone...funny it was actually a speaker phone chain; mom was the only one home so she called dad with her cell phone....anyway......

Hayden was grinning ear to ear and so excited as he read his letter to us.
He has been called to serve in the New York Utica mission (the wide section of the state which doesn't include the eastern portion or the section from Fayett west). He reports to the MTC December 12, 2012 and will spend Christmas at the MTC.
(I guess to be my son you have to return home from your mission just before Christmas.....)

The crazy thing for me was Sunday as I was reading the Ensign I was reading who the newly assigned Mission Presidents were and the only name I noticed and remembered besides my friend who is a new mission president was the name of Joseph B. Wirthlin Jr.....who happens to be the mission president for the New York Utica Mission.
We are so happy and excited to have another full time missionary serving form the family.  He will be awesome!

MCC

Summer Fun

Ryan & Uncle Hayden playing in the sprinklers....faces full of water, figuring out the mechanics, blue lips, burr.....it was cold for the little guy.

MCC

Happy 4th of July

Thirty-onederful Years

31 years ago I married my sweetheart and best friend. I can't believe how fast it has gone. Even though there are times when things get tough and stressed; for the most part I would say it has been easy.

This year we are celebrating pretty low key.......
Gary sent me a huge bouquet of roses as he does every year...one rose for every year of marriage, it is a fun tradition. (The bouquet was very heavy and apparently expensive....Gary exclaimed "I will do this until I can't afford to do it anymore."...Hayden got a good laugh at that).

We did lunch at Kneaders...I know not very romantic but they have Parmesan chips so I can't complain.
Gary has Bishopric meeting tonight so we will do more this weekend.

Over all it has been thirty-onederful years. I know the best is yet to come, but we are making the best of everything now.

MCC