Thursday, Earrings, The OC Fair

Thursday was another resting day where we had lighter activity.  We took the kids to South Coast Plaza to visit the USC store, See's Candy and Claire's.  Jenna has been asking to get her ears pierced, and we just haven't made it to the mall yet.  We were waiting for soccer to be over, trips out of town to be done, and a day where we could make it a special day for her.  Today was the day!  We didn't do anything special, but she was so happy to have it be time.  She is pierced and happy now and declared that waxing is much worse than getting ones ears pierced.  Back at home, Kelly played video games with the kids while Michelle and Gavin waited for dinner time.  They were headed to the OC Fair "Food Truck Thursday" where some great food was to be available inside the fair.  Their admission was already paid when Michelle purchased surprise concert tickets for her and Gavin to see X and the B52's that night.  They were off to have a super fun time, and I was off to Hobby Lobby to do some much needed birthday party shopping for Heather's party just two days away!

Grandpa Ron is still watching fire news, and there wasn't much good news today.  The fire was spreading and raging with only 10-15% containment.  His home is still safe, but we're praying for this fire to be able to be put out!

Wednesday Beach Day

We enjoyed another beautiful beach day at Newport.   Jenna's friend, Sarah, came a long, and the kids had fun digging in the sand and swimming.  Michelle and I lounged under an umbrella and chatted.  After the beach, we changed and went to Stonefire Grill for dinner.  I forgot to photograph us, but I did get a pic of Sarah and Jenna.  Later that night, we played "Loaded Question" which was fun.  We had played the night before with Michelle and Gavin, and we laughed our socks off.  I love board games for that reason.  The silliness is so fun, and the kids get to see a different, not so serious side to the adults.

Tuesday Rest Day & Fire Watch

 On Tuesday morning, we said good-bye to Aunt Kathy, Joanna and her kids.  Michelle and Gavin were good with taking a day to go slow and rest.  One item on their CA agenda was to visit some food trucks they had seen on a show they watch (sorry, Michelle, I forgot the name again).  One they had seen was a taco truck here in Huntington Beach, so we tracked it down.  There wasn't a speck of English on the menu, but we fared well with our English/Spanish combo.  My girls tried the tacos, and they loved them!  I ended up going back for more along with some much needed beverage.  Those things were spicy!  At two tacos for a dollar, it was a great bargain.  We stayed safe with the chicken, but Gavin was more adventurous and even tried the "cabeza" which means "head."  He said it was delicious.

Later at home, we watched the news for word on the fire near Idyllwild.  My dad saw it start as he was driving home to Idyllwild on Monday, and by Tuesday it was a raging wild fire.  Dad was due to drive back here on Thursday, and we were all watching carefully to see if the fire would move any closer to my dad's location (the fire was 7 miles away from his area of Idyllwild).  By the time he left his house, the mandatory evacuations had started, and the next morning, he would have been evacuated if he hadn't already left for our house by then.  He  grabbed some boxes of pictures and other items before heading down the mountain, and we settled in to the activities we had planned with Michelle, all the while keeping an eye on the news.

Home and More Family Time

When we all arrived back at the Peterson house on Sunday night, Michelle and Gavin were there to greet us.  They couldn't make the drive from New Mexico to Northern CA with us, but they were able to meet us when we came home.  We topped our record at 15 that night as we found places for everyone to sleep.  On Monday morning, Jeff and his family departed as well as my Dad.  The remainder of the family headed to Newport Beach to meet Joanna's friend Karen and her kids and to hang out for the day.  We left Newport to head home, shower and head down to Huntington Beach to have dinner at Bruxie.  The food was yummy, and we shopped and took in the sunset before heading home.

Saying Good-bye

After a wonderful evening of staying up late and chatting, we got a few hours of sleep and packed up for home.  As I later thought about it, this really was a family reunion.  We were missing two of our cousins and a couple of kids and spouses, but for the most part, this was a family reunion.  I offered a prayer with the family before we left, and I was overcome with emotion.  It struck me at that moment that families are powerful, they are necessary, and they are a gift from our Father in Heaven.  My dad didn't have any brothers and sisters, so my mom's two sisters and their children have been my family, and it has been a blessing that we have stayed close and that we love and get along with one another.  I was feeling deep gratitude for the power of family on this particular morning, and I hope we can do these kinds of gatherings more often.

San Franchesco

Saturday was city day.  Jeff's son is a Herbie fan, and Jeff planned to make sure he got to see the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, or San Franchesco as Easton calls it.  The girls and I weren't going to go, but we realized that if we didn't, we'd miss the whole day with the family.  So, we went and had a grand adventure.  It was a Saturday in the summer, so the crowds were heavy.  We had lunch and walked around the wharf, rode the carousel, climbed the musical steps and had some Ghiradelli ice cream.  Easton got to see the bridge and take a turn down Lombard Street too.  Mission accomplished!

Uncle Gary

After a fun morning and afternoon in the water, we prepared for Uncle Gary's memorial service.  His sister and brother both spoke as well as Kim's husband and son, Jeremy, who has recently returned from an LDS mission in Scotland.  Kim also spoke, and as the service closed, I thought that all the speakers combined had paid a great tribute to my uncle.  Kim's oldest son, KC, is currently serving in the Marine Corps.  Uncle Gary had been a Marine, and KC presented a flag to Aunt Margie which was a touching tribute.  We visited with family and friends, and Aunt Margie was able to see some friends she hadn't seen since she'd moved away from the area.

In a dream I had had a few days before leaving, I was at the memorial service greeting those who had come.  There was a young Marine sitting by the door of the room we were in, and I went to talk to him thinking he was probably the one who would be officiating at the services.  I told him how many of the family had come together to visit and support each other.  I expressed how we don't often do that enough and how good it was to be together.  He said nothing, but looked at me as if he wanted to and simply smiled.  I kept thinking how much he looked like Uncle Gary (in the picture shown above), and I was telling some family members about it in the dream just before I woke up.  I remember thinking that it wasn't him because he obviously was much older and had passed away, but when I woke up, I realized that it was very possible that he could attend his own services, enjoy the family being there, and be pleased about what was happening.  I think he would be very pleased with what transpired.