BASKETBALL CHAMPS

Yesterday, I spent the day in Chisolm with Romeo and his 6th grade traveling basketball team. We left the house around 6:30. Eighteen hours later we pulled back into the driveway. It was Romeo's last tournament of the year and...the Bluejackets won!! It was a pleasant surprise as they won each game, one by one and made their way to the finals. Each game got a bit more intense and exciting. They played four games and watched many more! Not much to do in Chisolm so I spent a few hours reading and going through my mail...in my car. Actually, I liked the peace and quiet. I love the connections that you make when your kids are a part of a sport or activity. I was thankful for the other moms that came for the day. I'm sure we will be spending more time together in the coming years!! Congrats, Romeo on a great day of basketball. Now we move on to BASEBALL!!

SUN CITY

Rodrigo turned 8! on April 4th. That, of course, was also Easter, so we decided to celebrate on Saturday night! It came complete with a Star War cake and presents! Lots of Legos and other fun stuff! Happy Birthday to my boy!






















































Easter Sunday was a GREAT day! The weather was perfect. It was great to worship together at Allen's parents' church. My mother-in-law is the organist for a large Methodist church and it is alway a treat to hear her play! I loved being with family and doing things together! You can get the feel of the intensity that was felt during the Easter Egg Hunt (in spite of the bad picture!). I won't forget this Easter for a long time. To me, it was just about...perfect.











































































On Monday, we went for a hike in the White Tank Mountains. On the previous Saturday, Allen and the boys had gone to a baseball game (preseason). Allen hurt his right calf... So much that he was walking with crutches on Saturday evening. He was in a lot of pain! At any rate, he was determined to go on this hike with all of us. Sure enough, he trekked up the mountain like a pro. He is still limping around a bit so I know that it was hurting him on Monday. I'm glad he came. It was so much more fun having him there. Before the hike, Kristin had the boys stretching for the big work out!!! :)












































































The desert was in bloom. It was really very beautiful. I don't think I have ever seen so many blooming things in Arizona at one time!

SAN DIEGO

Sea World was definitely a highlight for us. It turned out to be a beautiful day...just about perfect! We made the rounds with the shows, the rides and exhibits in about 7 hours. We had packed a lunch so we all gathered in the parking lot for a small feast. It was all quite fun and memorable, I might add! :)
























































































We spent one of our days visiting the beach and a large aircraft carrier - the USS MIDWAY. It was cool and windy at the beach, but just fun to be there. We walked around, threw the football around and chased the waves for about an hour. I wish we would have had more time, but it was definitely enough to appreciate the magnitude of the ocean. Touring the USS MIDWAY was quite interesting. When in operation, it housed 4,500 military personnel. It's most recent tour of duty was during Desert Storm. I wouldn't mind going back some day.
































































































It was so interesting to travel from Arizona to California. Such different things to see...sand dunes, rocks, mountains and eventually palm trees! It is pretty amazing!

Yuma, Arizona

Yuma is said to be the hottest city in the United States. Allen's brother Bill, and his family live there. Now is a beautiful time of year in Yuma because it is not quite so hot YET. Actually, it was kind of pretty traveling to Yuma because the desert is in bloom. Lots of beautiful flowers along the road. There is a military base in Yuma and there happened to be an air show the day we came into town. Very fun to see the jets and very interesting to be on a military base. You don't get to do that every day!




Allen's brother is a teacher at the Yuma High School. We took a little tour to see where he works. Early on, in the school's history, there was a fire at the school. All the students had to attend a vacated prison while the school was being repaired and rebuilt. That is when they came up with the mascot name of...the CRIMINALS! I don't think there are many of those out there! There is a beautiful football field surrounded by the school buildings. The gates going into the field came right from the prison. Pretty cool. I often wonder if the kids at Yuma High School live up to their name - the criminals!!! Hope not! :)

SPRING BREAK

Well, after almost two weeks of traveling, I think I need to post a few pics and share a few of our adventures. Our Spring Break was a long one this year. We left for Phoenix on March 26 and returned to Minneapolis on April 6. We made our way to Yuma, Arizona, then over to San Diego, then back to Sun City. All in all, a great trip.

The highlights for me?
*Sea World.
*Easter Sunday in Sun City with extended family.
*Watching the Easter Egg Hunt. :)
*Time with our two nieces.
*Arizona Sunshine!
*A hike with JUST our immediate family (minus Bjork and Lindsay).

The forgettable moments?
*Carsickness
*Getting the masses up in the morning.
*An occasional moment of too much...togetherness.
*The challenge of traveling with a large family.

I am thankful that we are able to travel. It is always fun to see new places and experience new things. It is our first big FAMILY road trip with Roselyn, Romeo and Rodrigo. Shared memories... good and bad, bring families together. Now we are back and thinking...SPRING! It's all good. :)