
Today was our day to declare our tithing payer status. Daddy had clerk duties so we brought lunch to eat at the church while we waited for him.
Its actually snowing today... Dec. 1 is a great day for the first good snowfall. Even the people driving out in it are in a good mood because it makes you feel festive.
After lunch we took a drive up Santa Monica Boulevard-driving through Beverly Hills until we finally reached the L.A. Temple where we were married over 18 years ago. We took pictures of the whole family there, but the digital camera was out of battery, so we were using a film camera, and that is the one camera of all the ones we took on the trip where none of the pictures turned out. AUGH!
Getting there at 7:30 or so, it was fairly empty and the kids just played in the sand and went wading until it got dark. They discovered that the sand at the beach is the best in the world to build sandcastles with. Unfortunately, all our sandcastle pictures were also on the camera that didnt' make it.
Richard, Michael, Emily & Sarah went back to the hotel, and the rest of us spent some time exploring CA Adventure. We picked up fastpasses for California Screaming and Daniel got to meet Lightning McQueen and Mater from Cars. Then we went back too. We tried out the swimming pool at the hotel. Honestly, we couldn't have had nicer weather the whole time we were there. Apparently, the week after we were there, it got up into the 100s and was miserable, but we had low 80s and low humidity, and sun. It was just lovely.
After resting Richard, Alisha, Michael and I went back to the park while the rest stayed in the hotel. We did the California Screamin' ride, Malibu Boomer and the Hollywood Tower of Terror. We finished with that just in time for the Electrical Parade and we watched the fireworks while waiting for the shuttle to take us to the hotel.
First thing we did on the 8th was Toontown. During this trip, I managed to do Small World 3 times, with different groups each time. We did Splash Mountain, Pooh Bear, the Matterhorn twice, Space Mountain, Autopia, and Innoventions that day.
The girls left for Girls' Camp on the 10th. They came home the 13th. It was cold and rainy most of the time. The boys (Richard, John and Michael) went to Scout Camp on the 14th. They've had a mix of cool & rain, and hot and humid, but the last 2 days have just been perfect. (about 80 with 50% humidity) They will come home tonight.
With the kids that were left at home, I took to the science museum and the zoo.
Today, Alisha, Emily, Sarah & Daniel built a fort in the woods, dressed up and they were the 'Keepers of the Key.' Tamara--recognize Alisha's dress?
Patti

Clear Lake Days were June 22 & 23. My friend in town had a garage sale on the 22nd and invited me to join her. We did O.K. (much better than I'd EVER done having a sale by myself), and I almost broke even with what I spent at the other garage sales! :-)
The Parade was on the 23rd. Sarah and I marched with the Girl Scouts, Emily marched with the Jr. High, and Emily and Alisha marched with the High School. Later that day, Emily and John both worked at the cheese curd stand for FFA.
During the last week of Summer School, I helped put on a Girl Scout/Cub Scout day camp. Most of us who were the leaders had older Girl and Boy Scouts that needed service hours, so they helped us run the camp. It was actually quite a successful camp. The Brownies I worked with completed 4 Try-It badges during the week. Most days we met at the school after summer school, we all ate lunch, and then we walked to the park down by the lake where we took over a pavillion and grassy area. One day we stayed in town, and went to the town museum and town cemetary. The kids had a good time (and we came up with an idea for John's Eagle project!)
On the 25th, Alisha had her Track Awards night. They don't have JV track, so she is running Varsity level, and earned her Varsity Letter as a freshman. She also won the award for most improved.
John's birthday was on the 29th. He's 17! I had daycamp, so we didn't do much, but that night, we all went to see 'Ratatouille'. It is a very good movie, and I highly recommend it. Then we came home and had DQ ice cream cake.
I've always said that flowers were my reward for enduring the long winter. When you don't see flowers until mid-late April, it makes winter seem very long, indeed.
Yesterday was VERY warm and daffodils popped open everywhere!
I had my play the last 2 weekends. This is a link to my photos of the play. I am one of the 'Bearers' (Pandora). We were the mortician & family. We were rather ghoulish, and I was trying to channel Morticia Addams in my role. I am excited for the next year--Amery has 'My Fair Lady' on their list, and Clear Lake is talking about 'Oklahoma.' Great! I can re-live being 15-16 when I'm 38~ :-)![]()
Alisha is busy running track--Last week she came in first in the 2 mile. Emily does Jr. High track and does the 100m and the shotput.
John went through his Order of the Arrow Ordeal this last weekend for Scouts. It was a tough weekend, but I think it was good for him.
Michael is on a Math team that will compete this coming weekend.
Sarah (and I) went to Shell Lake a couple of weeks ago with her Brownie troop for a Theatre Workshop. The girls did a vocal workshop, and a body movement workshop, and then they put on a production of 'Sheherazade,' with makeup & costumes. Some of the girls were on stage, and others were the stage crew. It was really a lot of fun, and they earned their 'Let's Pretend' Try-It badge.
Daniel likes to pretend he can read and carries a copy of one of our Narnia books around the house--he even will mark his place to return to it later after he's looked at it for a while. I asked him once what was happening in the story, and he said, "I don't know!"
It was great having Mom along with Kaisey and McKay come to visit us this last weekend. The kids had a lot of fun. We are so sad that they are leaving Wisconsin! :-(
I guess that is about that~
Patti