Christmas Day in SoCAL, 2009 -part 2

Christmas Day in SoCAL, 2009

Dear Bloggers,

I am trying to make a come back, it may take some time and some effort, but here we go again. It's been such a weird year for me! Any who, Christmas was amazing! The kids and their families were all gathered on Christmas Eve, we ate our traditional Chinese take-out and had an informal program of singing and retelling the true Christmas Story. Thor is a Bishop now, so just as we were gearing up to opening gifts he received a call for help and off he went for a bit.

In the meantime, with little ones who had waited "all day!" to open their gifts, I decided they should open a gift from Aunt Hygiene: Automatic Marshmallow Shooters! They were a tad confused, didn't really understand what they had been given. While they were being instructed by daddies I asked everyone to meet me on the front porch.

I handed each of the adults a home made marshmallow shooter (desert camo for the guys, "Hello Kitty" pink camo for the gals) and a bag of mini marshmallows. The mayhem began and boy! did we have a fun 45 minutes or so until Thor was able to join us! He came back, grabbed his shooter and began puffing the sweet little bullets around at the family! Our front yard and garage was literally covered with about 10 bags of mini marshmallows! We had our fun then came back in for the "regular" presents.

Christmas Day the kids had all gone back to their respective homes to open gifts and spend the day with their little families. The two girls spent the night with us and we got up, visited with Sister Missionaries until their parents called. They each were able to talk with their families for about an hour. It was awsome! We gave them their presents and visited a bit longer then they needed to leave for appointments.

We got in the car and headed south to a nearby beach. We hung out, took photos, and had the most glorious Christmas Day! Enjoy the video and enjoy the rest of this wonderful time of year! Remember Who we celebrate and all the wonders His hand has created. Have a blessed celebration.

Get Your Kicks On Route 66

When your husband insists on taking you to a Hole in the Wall...

It was Thor's birthday so he got to choose where we went for the day:

Hole in the Wall.

A great road trip out through the Eastern Mojave National Preserve. I've been to a few of the places we drove to/through that day, but never out to Hole in the Wall. It's a favourite of the kids, but somehow, each time Thor and the kids went out I had to work or was otherwise occupied. The drive was fabulous, the day was warm (YES!) and we headed out through 29 Palms, Kelso Junction, Old Route 66, and on to Hole in the Wall.

Hole in the Wall is beautiful and interesting HUGE rock formations made from volcanic activity. The colours are amazing!
According to the USGS Geology Parks Guide:

"Hidden Violence!

Visitors to Mojave National Preserve are fascinated by the brightly colored, fantastically sculpted rocks at Hole in the Wall. Little do they know that these intricate forms hold the key to a devastating and violent episode in Mojave's geological past.

About 18.5 million years ago, a powerful volcanic eruption blasted outward from the nearby Woods Mountains. Propelled by the force of rapidly rising and expanding gasses, a ground-hugging cloud of ash and rock fragments spread out at near super-sonic speeds across the countryside. Some of the rocks thrown out by the blast are 14-20 meters (60 feet) across - the largest ever documented!

Hot, suffocating ash buried every living thing in the path of the blast. An area of over 600 km² was covered with ash and rock fragments so hot that they welded together after they reached the ground. The toasted and fossilized remains of birds, mammals, and plants lie entombed beneath the volcanic tuff that forms the colorful cliffs of Hole in the Wall.

Records of many more catastrophic volcanic blasts can be seen as you drive through the Preserve."

So the moral of the story here is: If your hubby decides to take you out on his birthday and suggest you go to a Hole in the Wall, GO!

More photos to follow tomorrow.

blustery day

nifty fun!

Friday was my birthday! Yup, I'm "nifty fun!" now. Thor, The Hygienist, and I went to lunch, and then for a long drive. We had other plans, but this worked out much better! I had such a great day in the rain! The photo opportunities were abundant and the company could not have been better.

The Friendly Skies