Healthy!!

Another update on getting healthy- I have now lost 15 pounds over 6 ish weeks!! I feel so much better in all ways. I still need to loose another 25 pounds- one pound at a time! Just had to toot my little horn- I have been working REALLY hard on it- and trying to do it the right way.

Oh- and I just made the BEST very low fat (and low calorie) dessert- a yummy strawberry cream trifle. I put the recipe over on the right hand bar (right under the picture from Yosemite) as my recipe of the week. It didn't taste low fat at all- it tasted very creamy- mmmmm- I have been in the mood for strawberries. So check it out!

Phew we made it home!

10 days of vacationing- 2500 ish miles of driving . . . without a DVD player! Marcus did OK, Cynthia was GREAT and Lillian was horrible (though it is fun to watch her explore and learn)! Phew I am tired! It was an amazing week of seeing some incredible scenery and visiting family. I was even able to visit one of my friends from 5ish years ago in Spokane that now lives in Sacramento. Mary- it was great to visit! Marcus earned 3 Junior park ranger badges- from Yosemite NP, Redwoods NP, and Oregon Caves NM. On the way home we stopped at Oregon Caves National Monument- Marcus and Jon did the full 90 minute cave tour (Lillian and Cynthia were too little to go). Marcus was so excited about the cave- it was the first one he has ever been in. It was worth the stop- even though we didn't arrive home until after midnight!

It feels so good to be home!

Redwoods National Park

On to the next bit of beautiful California Scenery! We drove from Yosemite on Friday all the way up to Crescent City, CA- to see the coastal redwood forest and the ocean. We stayed in a Kamp Kabin at a KOA- this time with two rooms, so a little better (we still had to walk to the bathroom, and Lillian still was a stinker about keeping us up at night). It was fun because we got the camping feel, without having to get wet in a tent (it did rain!).

The redwood forest is AMAZING!!! The pictures don't give justice to how big and beautiful the trees are. I can imagine I am trasported back in time to a fairy tale- wasn't that a little gnome running behind that tree? We went for our longest hike ever- we went over 7 miles! We just kept going and going . . . I could almost feel myself getting thinner! Anyway- we hiked to the biggest tree in the area- called the Boy Scout Tree - 27 feet in diameter. It was worth the hike.

The "Boy Scout Tree" - it fills the whole frame of this picture.

Yosemite National Park

AMAZING scenery of huge cliffs and tall waterfalls, lots of driving on windy roads (including a car-sick baby), a couple of good hikes, a nice condo . . . . this summaraizes our trip to Yosemite! We drove in on Wednesday, taking the long way around to Bass Lake where we were staying so we could see the park for a little that day (which was a huge mistake-we did WAY too much driving that day- especially on very windy roads! We found out Lillian gets car sick . . . I don't need to give more yucky details). We loved the Worldmark Condo that we stayed in for Wednesday and Thursday night (we are Worldmark Members)- ahhhh- our own room! It was actually about the size of our apartment- and much nicer. We also really enjoyed their hot-tub!

We had a WONDERFUL time seeing Yosemite National Park- I hadn't been there since I was a teenager. I could never get tired of the huge cliffs and beautiful forests. It was truly awe inspiring. The sky couldn't have been more blue, and the day was crisp and fresh. The kids did great hiking about 6 miles on a couple of different hikes- even one that was pretty steep- actually, I was really proud of myself!

Gold anyone?

California history- centers around Gold, right? Well, some of it anyway. Today we went to Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park to learn about the gold mining in the foothills near Sacramento. It was so fun to learn how people panned for gold in the river (which still has some gold in it! A tiny speck is worth $5!). There were some historic buildings and a mill- and a bit about the few members of the Mormon Batallion who were hired to help build the mill (they were coming up from the Mexican war). The scenery was INCREDIBLE - beautiful green valleys and forest, and of course the weather was perfect.

How many monkeys hanging in the tree! Cynthia wanted to climb higher, but I wouldn't let her . . .

Up on the rocks we found hollowed out divits where Indian women used to grind nuts and grain.

Looking at Lizards in the rocks

The Mormon Cabin

Jelly Belly Factory

Jelly Bellies . . . MMMM. Especially fresh out of the factory. Monday we had a great time taking a tour of the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, CA (45 minutes or so from Sacramento towards San Franscisco). No picture taking allowed of the factory itself- but it was so fun to see how they make jelly beans! The kids loved the robotic arms and conveyor belts- and of course the free bag of Jelly Belly's given out at the end of the tour.
This is the only picture of all 7 of the cousins together.

Lillian and Cynthia with the hats everyone has to wear during the tour.

Cousins!

The kids have had a BLAST visiting their cousins in Sacramento!! I have really enjoyed visiting Brian and Tara and their family too! (Jon's stepbrother and his family)

It's fun how they stair step in age from 8 down to 18 months! The only one missing from the picture is the 3 month old baby Jillian!

Interesting sculptures at the park- but fun for the kids! The neighborhood in Sacramento is BEATIFUL! Thanks for a wonderful stay, Tara and family!