One beautiful marriage!

Today our parents celebrate 35 beautiful years of marriage. Life has not always been easy for this couple, but with God's help they have raised 7 wonderful children, loved 8 grandchildren, and unconditionally welcomed 5 spouses into the family. They inspire us all to dream big, to serve wholeheartedly and to love more. Thank you Dad and Mom for paving the path in our family for a Godly heritage. Your commitment to God, to each other, & to us is priceless!
WE LOVE YOU BOTH SO VERY MUCH!
Happy 35th Anniversary!
All our love,
Brian, Angela, Hailey, Keagan & Bethany

Day 3 in Beautiful San Diego...

The Horton Plaza

outside the San Diego Convention Center

San Diego Ferry to Coronado Island

Boarding the ferry back to San Diego

The U.S.S Midway & San Diego skyline

The weather has turned out to be beautiful today. Still jacket weather, but sunny. Brian headed out for his 2nd day at the conference and I headed to a 5-story outdoor mall for some...SHOPPING! I found some amazing deals and enjoyed having the time to try on pants (my least favorite thing to do in the world) in the petite department at some of the high end retail stores. I had a Jamba Juice for lunch. I met up with Brian at the exhibit hall for some last minute purchasing. From there we caught the San Diego Ferry to Coronado Island for a romantic dinner at an Italian Restaurant with an amazing beach side window view. We have had a blast! We have done a lot of walking and have average about 5-6 hours of sleep a night. Needless to say, we are looking forward to sleeping in tom. In the mid-morning we will be heading to the airport.

Day 2 in San Diego...

Harbor Blvd. on the way to the San Diego Convention Center

A Steam Engine on display inside the exhibit hall.

San Diego Harbor

At least 100 of these circular pieces of art were scattered throughout the shops at Sea Port Village and San Diego Harbor. Both of these reminded me Keagan.

A Fountain in the center of Sea Port Village.

Our romantic taxi ride to dinner.

One of many chandeliers inside the Hyatt.

A rooftop view of a San Diegos skyscrapers.

The San Diego view from the 40th floor of the Hyatt.

This morning started off a bit rough. The weather was very unpredictable. Brian took off for his conference at 6:30 a.m. and will be back at 5:00 p.m. this evening. I got caught in a heavy down pour on my way to find a USB cord for my camera. There is nothing worse than walking around in wet shoes & jeans in an unfamiliar city. I met up with Brian at the exhibit hall for about an hour and then headed to Sea Port Village, a plaza that my good friend Kristen had recommended. I did A LOT of walking around San Diego Bay and Sea Port Village. The weather could not have been better! The sun was shining and there was a little breeze. I loved looking around in all the little shops.

Brian and I traveled to Joe's Crab Shack via a bicycle carriage. The view was gorgeous and the atmosphere; well, very romantic. We enjoyed a wonderful seafood dinner. After dinner we went to the 40th floor of the Hyatt to a look-out window. The view of San Diego was fabulous! Off to the southwest you could see Mexico. Before heading to the Hotel we enjoyed a long evening stroll around Sea Port Village & San Diego Harbor. The longer I am here the more places I want to explore. I will probably run out of time to see everything.

A day in San Diego...

Taking off from the Sacramento International Airport.

Embassy Suites in San Diego.

San Diego Skyline from the U.S.S. Midway's deck

Jay treated us all to a taxi ride due to the heavy down pour. The taxi driver was a hoot.

Thanks Greg for the great pictures.

Brian & Greg touring the ship.

One of the planes on top of the ships deck.

The Captains quarters on the ships deck.

A statue below the ship

Brian and I had the amazing opportunity to spend 4 days & 3 nights in San Diego for a firefighter conference. Our motel is absolutely amazing! The weather is not the "typical" San Diego weather. It is cold and very, very...did I say very, very WET! We are having a blast together. Today, we toured the U.S.S. Midway Navy Aircraft for 3 hours. What a fun way to spend President's Day.

Keagan, you would love it! It is so very cool! I will try to post along our journey. I left my USB cord at home, so as soon as I am able to find one I will post some pictures. Hailey, Keagan & Bethany-I love you all so very much.

Thanks Greg & Jay for a super fun day & for putting up with us "lovebirds".

Thanks Tim & Casey for giving us this time. We could not thank you enough! We hope Claire starts to feel better real soon. She is in our prayers.

Happy Valentine's Day!

"Dear Friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrafice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." 1 John 4:7, 10-11

You are Our Sunshine, Our Only Sunshine, You Make Us Happy...

Hailey-"Happy and full of Joy"

Hailey surprised us 10 years ago on a stormy February day with her early arrival-

six weeks premature.

As young parents, Brian and I had no idea how this very small bundle of pink would transform our lives forever. The past 10 years have gone by so very fast . Our lives have been filled with joy and wonder. Watching Hailey grow into a beautiful young lady is both heartbreaking and rewarding.

Hailey- You are an amazing daughter! You're strength and your Godly character are honorable. You bring laughter into every room you enter. Your smile is warm and comforting. You are trustworthy.

Keagan and Bethany admire you. The friendship you share with them is very special. You have earned their respect by your nurturing spirit. They are blessed to have you as their big sister.

Dad and I learn so much about life just by watching you.

Your friends confide in you. Your Teachers are delighted to know you.

You touch the lives of everyone you meet!

You are our sunshine, Hailey-Bug!

HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY!

Love Always & Forever,
Dad and Mom
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

A Birthday Campout!

Hailey celebrated her birthday with a few friends from school on Friday. She hosted a rather fun overnight camp out. The weather held out long enough for us to participate in all the outdoor activities Hailey had planned. Sleeping overnight in a tent was not possible due to the cold, but the living room worked out just as well. I'm confident that these photos will be evident of the great time we ALL had!

Hailey taught all the girls the art of casting. The girls divided up into 2 teams-The Grizzlies & The Roasted Marshmallows- to compete for the highest accumulative score. The girls really enjoyed this!

After a game of "Dead Man" on the trampoline the girls wandered over to feed the goats; bare feet and all....UGH!

A game of "Pin the Marshmallow on the Stick" turned out to be so much fun. The girls were a riot!

Brian dressed Chloe & Mackenna into camouflage ghillie suits so that they could sneak up on Keagan who was tending the fire.

Most of the girls had roasted marshmallows before, but some had never roasted hot dogs. The girls ate 2 or 3 each so they must have tasted REAL GOOD. Oh yes, we made s'mores, too.

The highlight of the evening was a 2 hour game of flashlight tag which included 2 seekers & 7 hiders. Brian came out during one round in the ghillie suit, scared the living daylights out of Bethany and gave all the girls a good laugh. We sure do have a very fun Dad!

Present time and movie time. Thank you everyone for the wonderful and creative gifts. They all mean so very much to me-Hailey.

After 6 hours of sleep we were all ready for round two- making and creating Valentine sucker bouquets. Every year Hailey has incorporated Valentine's Day in some form or another into her birthday. Hailey came home from the hospital the day after Valentine's Day. It has always been a very special time in our family.