The River

For the first 16 years of my life, my sister and I spent a glorious week out at the river with my grandparents (Nana and Pa). Our trip with them was usually the highlight of our summer. We would water ski, collect rocks, try to surf on rafts and play in the sun. Those days are by far some of my favorite memories. A couple of weeks ago I got to share a bit of my childhood with my children when we went out to the desert and stayed at Nana's for a few days.

My Pa died about 16 years ago and I've only been on the boat once prior to this trip. Many years ago my cousin was working on it in the garage and when he started it up I started sobbing uncontrollably. I was shocked at my tears and didn't realize a sound could bring up so many emotions. The noise of the motor reminds me of Pa more than anything else. He adored his boat and absolutely loved taking us out on it and I guess I've realized that the hum of the engine is somehow wrapped up in all my wonderful memories.


So, this time with children loaded in and a baby on my lap I cried again. I just couldn't help it.

August is a rainy season and we were blessed with awesome weather. Rain, wind, sun and thunderstorms. We rarely have lightning and thunder where I live so when I was awakened by the sound I jumped out of bed and ran to a window to watch.


Once the storm moved on a bit I went outside to try and get a picture of a lightning bolt. I got the one below right away and assumed I could easily get another one. Boy, was I wrong!

Another exciting part of the trip...quail!!! I had gone outside our first night to watch the sun set and heard all sorts of fluttering and chattering in the bushes. When I approached a bunch of birds flew to the neighbors yard and when I saw the adorable little feather on their heads I knew what they were.

Aren't they the cutest?!


All the kids had a blast. I'm so happy they got a taste of the river :)



Do you have a favorite summer memory or vacation? Please share :)

♥ anne

The Hawaiian Dress

I remember when I first wore this sweet little Hawaiian dress. I was so excited by the fact that it was long and old. It made me feel very grown up. I was talking to Mom the other day trying to figure out who the dress originally belonged to. She said it was my Nana's but I asked her and she said it wasn't. I showed Nana a picture of it and she said when she was pregnant with my uncle that her mom had sent two Hawaiian dresses, one for her and one for my mom, but she was pretty sure that it looked different. We went upstairs to her room to look through pictures. I had originally wanted a picture of all the girls in my family who'd worn it (me, Alex, Marianne and my mom) but I was unable to find one of my mom in it. We did find a picture of my mom in a different Hawaiian dress but not this one. Now it's a bit of a mystery as to where the dress came from. I can tell by the tag that it's pretty old. So, while I only have a picture of me and Marianne in it, I thought I'd share it anyway. If I do come across photos of anyone else wearing the dress I'll make sure to update.

I think this is the only piece of clothing I have from when I was a girl. I'm happy it happens to be a dress I loved.

Do you have any of your clothes from childhood? Any special pieces you've been able to hand down to your children?

♥ anne

Y O S E M I T E // part 1

alright, i decided to break my trip up into two posts. all these photos are from my instagram feed so if you follow me there you've already seen these :) my next post will include more words and thoughts on the trip and of course more photos.

cathy and marianne in front of an abandoned cabin // shane exploring //me by the river // the wawona hotel

view from cabin window // marianne // massive tree trunk // leaf

historic 2 story cabin built in 1879 // view through window //alex // me and the 3 youngest

♥ anne

easter

happy easter! i hope you all had wonderful weekend! we enjoyed our sunday with family, yummy food, great music and lots of fun. i didn't take many pictures but here are a few that i snapped during the festivities.

starting from the top

--an Easter card i painted for my sister
--pretty colors
--the coolest book ever! and yes, we are practicing (and laughing quite a bit). with each step/dance it gives song recommendations so we've been having fun attempting the steps while listening to the songs. of course ruben can only handle very little disco so our dance sessions are brief :D
--my mom and sleeping marianne
--me in my new dress in my dad's lovely backyard

that's all for now folks! i wish i had time to write something more but that rarely seems to be the case. oh well!

♥anne

yosemite

last week i saw the above picture on instagram (taken by this pretty lady) and got super teary eyed. yosemite is one of my favorite places on earth and i miss it so much. i haven't been there in about 7 years :( so when i saw that christina was there AND staying in the same cabins that we've stayed in countless times, my heart grew sad for this magical place. so, in an attempt to relieve my sadness i'm going to take you on a photo journey of past trips. here we go!

these first two were taken the summer of '92. above is my ode to the sound of music :D and below is my sister, my dad, me and my friend rita.

here we are the next summer. this was the day we hiked to beautiful chilnualna falls.

the summer of '94 we hiked to the top of half dome. it's approximately 20 miles round trip and was/is the longest and most difficult hike i've ever done. the next few photos are of the cables going up the back. i have heard of many people that head back down when they see the cables. i can't imagine hiking all that way and NOT going to the top.

looking at these now it looks pretty freaky, but i don't remember being scared at all. maybe i was just so exhausted that i only was thinking of getting to the top.

in front is carrie (a high school friend) and then me, my sister and dad. my stepmom, cathy, must have taken the picture.

hahaha! i felt like rocky balboa here!

i immediately laid down and went to sleep. ok. so your getting that idea that i was not in great shape, that's why everyone was so proud that i actually made it.

the view was spectacular from the top! i remember imagining a helicopter picking me up so that i didn't have to walk the 10 miles back to the car. you know what's crazy??? now that almost 20 years have passed, i kinda want to do it again! anyone want to go with me?

sitting at the top of yosemite falls
in '95 we hiked to the top of yosemite falls. i love this hike and although it's only 4 miles to the top, it's pretty hard (for me). my sister, dad and i did it again in '04 right before my sister entered the convent. that was our last hike together :(

daddy and i on the way up to yosemite falls

look at little max and alex!
this is the year we walked to sentinal dome, it's easy, beautiful and only 2 miles round trip. great to do with kids. below is my sister and max.


daddy and baby alex on the sentinal dome walk

rita, me, daddy on the log and jen, max and alex in the grass. i'm pretty sure we watching people climb the face of el capitan.

there are so many other awesome hikes and walks all over the park. we have done so many that i can't even begin to list them. each one special and memorable!

i know i'm not alone in my love for yosemite. if you've never been there, i highly encourage you to go. as for me, i made it a goal to go there this year. i'm long overdue for a visit!

"Each of us harbors a homeland, a landscape we naturally comprehend. By understanding the dependability of place, we can anchor ourselves as trees."
i read that quote by terry tempest williams on heather's blog a while back and it has stuck with me. i thought it would be fitting for this post.

ansel adams photo

♥anne

independance day

we spent a beautiful 4th of july at the beach with jessica, her family and our friends. they took their most amazing motor home down and we hung out in it, had beers, enjoyed the sunshine and had a super fun time. thanks mike and jessica!

♥ anne

p.s.- yes, i was making that dorky face, in the pic with ruben and marianne, on purpose ;D