Hiking in September

My friends, Wendy and Chris, incorporated hiking into their weekend routine throughout summer. In mid-September Wendy planned to go alone but threw out the invitation to me, just in case. Sometimes it's hard to leave the monotony of weekend errands and house cleaning when it's your only time to catch up. Since Walt was working, Carley and I decided to go along for a "quick hike". We are so happy we did! 

Originally the plan was to just hike the Pyramid Creek Loop Trail but the area was so beautiful and the hike wasn't too strenuous, we decided to keep going to the base of Horsetail Falls. We wanted to get a better view of the waterfalls. 

Pools of water were crystal clear. Carley decided it was warm enough outside and the water looked inviting enough that she went for a dip. 

I'm so glad Carley and I didn't miss out on this hike in order to get some extra chores in. 

The views were gorgeous. 

JV Water Polo

Josh is playing water polo this year for the first time and is goalie on the JV boys team. He does really well, especially for being pretty new to the sport. His only experience before going out for the team was 4-hour per week clinic over summer. 

He was super nervous starting out at high school but has enjoyed playing on his team and getting to know the girls and guys of water polo. Boys JV team is so small that there is only one substitute on the bench. Josh plays the full game but doesn't get as exhausted as the other boys who are swimming back and forth the length of the pool. In the shallow end, goalies are allowed to stand and the rest of the players are not. 

We, as a family, knew nothing about water polo at the beginning of the season. Walt and I are starting to pick up on the plays and calls after watching so many games. Josh is planning on playing again next year and will hopefully be in more clinics during off season. 

Already the End of July!

It's hard to believe that my last post was of the kids' first and last day of school pictures. Now it's only 2.5 weeks until school starts again. The summer vacation has definitely flown by.

Wait. It's not July anymore? I actually wrote this post over two weeks ago and never got my photos together to finish it. Now we are well into August and the kids start school THIS WEEK! Only four days left of summer vacation. Seriously, where has the time gone? 

Now back to the regularly schedule post. 

We have not had our usual busy summer vacation. Well, it has been busy but with regular stuff: I am working part time as an accountant, Josh had water polo twice a week and both kids are preparing for their Taekwondo black belt test.

We did have two major family events in July, so prepare yourself for a lot of pictures to get this blog current.

First, Walt's dad was out for the long Fourth of July weekend and Walt's brother and family came over to hang out three days in a row. I really enjoyed having so much family in the house, just hanging out and visiting with each other; I think everyone enjoyed it.

Second, we went to Patrick's Point State Park for a Tandy family reunion. My maternal grandfather was a Tandy so my mom, her three siblings and one of her cousins plus some of their children and grandchildren were there. Follow? All-in-all there was about 50 people there including blood family, spouses, partners, and friends.

Our family camped for five nights in the park along with my sister, Shelly, and her family. All other families came in and went out at different times, some camping and some staying in a local motel. Our group event, on a Friday evening, was in the park and that was time we had set aside to all be together at once. The rest of the time was split between camping, beaches, and redwoods with whoever was willing to join us. I had such a great time that I didn't want to leave and would have been happy with two more nights there.

 

What Happened in May? A Track Meet

Our school district puts on an open invitational elementary track and field meet each year for 4th-6th graders. Each year, including when Josh was younger, I would only hear about the track meet after it happened. This year, because of my involvement in PTA, I heard about it ahead of time! 

Carley participated in each event: long jump, shot put, 70 meter hurdles, 370 meter run and 70 meter run. 

Students could only participate one time in each event. Each flight included nine students and each child received a ribbon for their place. The highest Carley received was 5th place but she went out there, gave it her all and had a great time. 

long-jump

shot-put

5th place in long-jump and shot-put

70 meter hurdles

370 meter

70 meter

The meet was a fun event and Carley enjoyed participating with her school friends.