Those who haven't answered-You know who you are.

Let's see who we need:  Lori, Kristi, Amy, David (Yeah right), Matt, Kelsey, Jordan, Nickell, April, JD. I guess we could make them in charge of the next reunion.  Let's hear from you.

Happy Birthday Joe!!

Happy Birthday, Hope you have a great Birthday.

Hooray!!!! for Tara

Favorite vacation answer:

Well, Mom already explained (with fancy pictures,even) my favorite family vacation -- Hawaii! (The Blob and Gino the surf instructor/beach bum were the best.) So I guess I'll have to talk about another family vacation that I enjoyed. I have several because I have an awesome family that makes basically any trip fun, despite all my memories of the kicking and punching fights with Spencer on the many drives. 

I really enjoyed what I will call the "National Wonderment" trip we took, on which we saw Niagara Falls, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, the Anasazi ruins, and probably some other things I have forgotten. Memorable moments: Spencer getting sick all over his side of the car from scarlet fever right before Yellowstone/Spencer getting sick in the sulfuric pools of Yellowstone itself; getting soaked in the little outlook points by Niagara falls, in our lovely yellow plastic ponchos; and looking at the cool storms coming in over the grand canyon. AND sitting in that awesome tree with my favorite brother which produced one of my favorite ever pictures of us. (which i think might actually have been a later trip. oh well)

I have also loved camping with my family. Spelunking, "exploring" the forests with Spencer, losing keys in the river, the elk caravan that walked right through our tents, and probably my favorite recollection (which is foggy but mostly intact) - sitting on the air mattress in our tent, playing Uno or something, while the downpour outside sent a river through our campsite. We were basically floating on that mattress! It was awesome. 

And I loved our recent-ish trip to Canada, when we went to Lynn Canyon and watched mom clench-jaw her way across the swaying canyon bridge, and ate KFC cake that my parents love for whatever reason, and the kind of laughably lame aquarium on Victoria Island with that guide girl who always got really high-pitched at the end of every sentence, and the wizard trees and giant hydrangea bushes, and fish and chips in newspaper at white rock beach. I think the Canada trips might be my second favorite after Hawaii. 

Since this is so long, I'll just give honorable mentions to our Lake Powell trip and our Zion's trip -- both awesome. 

And of course, for every vacation there are always "memories" made, which I have learned is actually code for things that go wrong but are funny later. 

Daniel's Birthday

I guess I didn't have Daniel's birthday on my calendar yet.  Sorry Dan.  Hope your Birthday was wonderful.  Love you

Becca and Spencer's birthday.

We love you guys lots and lots and hope your birthday is a great one.

Holly's vacation

I married a teacher, so we're poor and we've only been on two vacations since we've been married. My favorite, of course, was the family reunion! You were all there for that, so I don't really need to go on about it.  The other vacation that we went on was when we were pretty newly married and we drove to California to sing at Matt's friend's wedding. We got to visit Matt's old stomping grounds and go to the beach with Kristi and family. Some day when we're rich (haha!) we're going to Scotland.

Mindy catching up

We moved again.  Not by choice, but we found a great home in a very nice neighborhood, and it's a house we could live in forever.  The picture in the back yard shows our grapes!  Purple, pink, and green seedless table grapes.  We have a play house for the kids in the back, a nice covered porch, big trees to keep it shaded, a garden area with great soil.  Can you tell I love the yard?  The inside is dated (1990's teal carpet and walls, pink bathroom counters, flowery backsplash tile), but in very good condition so we can take our time updating. 

Jason takes the bar again on the 24-25th.  Please keep him in your prayers. 

Favorite married vacation:  By far I'd have to say our favorite vacation was when we went to California for Nickell's wedding and Disneyland. So nice that it worked out for Nickell to get married the same year we planned to go to Disneyland!  We stopped in Las Vegas on the way and went to Shark Reef.  We also happened upon Calico ghost town and decided to stop there and see what it was all about.  Jason and I spent a day in San Diego at the temple, and we all went to the beach with Kristi's family.  Jason got the worst sunburn ever.  We all had so much fun though!

Childhood friend:  Does high school count?  My best childhood friend was Sue Coakley.  We did almost everything together, including honors classes, choir, band, and shows.  We still keep in touch.  For a young childhood friend, Shauna Wursten would have to be the most memorable.  She came over to invite me to play soon after we moved to Colorado Springs, and I didn't want to but Mom made me, and I'm glad she did.  Dad mowed a path between our back yards and we went back and forth as we pleased.  Her mom made scones for breakfast when I slept over, and we played Barbies a lot.  She moved to the Netherlands after a couple of years, and we were pen pals for a long time. 

Birthday memory:  One year Jason planned a whole surprise trip for my birthday.  He pulled it off too!  He's usually not good at surprises because he gets too excited about it.  He planned for his mom to take the kids for a couple of days, and he took me to Salt Lake to go through an endowment session at the temple, and a few other things.  It was so fun, and a great break from the kids during a hard mom time. 

I think that catches me up! 

Jeny's Favorite Vacation

My favorite vacation is when we all went to Hawaii.  There are so many good stories that came from that one, and I guess this is what I use to decide what a great vacation is.  Tara's eye burning was great, Spencer had his 18th birthday there, we snorkelled and got to swim with the turtles, sunburns everywhere, and "Beware of the Blob".  Fantastic movie, and the theme song is one that every nerdy family should know. Tara and I beat Mark and Spencer through the Dole Plantation maze with only minimum cheating.  And who can forget Geno, the surfing instructor that lived on the picnic bench nearby?  Ah, good fun.

From Jeny to make us smile

I am at work, and making tons of copies, which means my screensaver came on.  I just saw these, and they made me smile, so I thought I would share them with you.  Hope you smile, too!

Way to go Linda Teresa

 

My response for this question is hard. My favorite vacation as a kid would be the last time I went to Spain with dad. I really love going there, miss my family there, and love the culture there. But I also have loved the family trips I've taken with the kids. It's so fun to show them new things, and so fun to see them get excited by seeing new things. They get excited about going to new states and seeing how different the cultures is just in our country. I love that they want to attain the goal of seeing every state (up to 27 so far) so I guess all the vacations make each previous vacation even better because we are closer to our goal :) The kids and I love traveling, and we'll find every excuse to go somewhere new. :)

McKayla's birthday

Happy birthday McKayla.  Hope your day is awsome. Love you.

For Everyone--New assignment!!

I am grateful for spending time as a family.  Describe a favorite vacation in your married years.  This is an assignment  for everyone.  Grandchildren and spouses. For children. a favorite vacation in your family.  We should have  66 responses.  If you don't answer-I will hound you.  

Happy Birthday

I couldn't find a picture of Dan.  Happy Birthday to you.  We love you.

Happy Birthday Mom-grandma-Me

Hey, I just posted Tara's wedding on my photo blog. You should go look.

Nickell Photography Blog