Visit from Carol and Kerry!

Well last weekend ends our recent string of visitors. In fact, we may not have anyone until fall with the hot summer we're in for! My parents came to see our house and visit for a few days. Among our adventures were:

1) being able to shop with someone who has a feminine opinion and shopping Ellia free!

2) picking out barstools!

3) relaxing by the pool on a comfortably warm day

4) buying candy out of the bins at Winco! (I was like a kid in a candy store)

5) getting Jeremy's thesis in the mail!

6) driving to Lake Isabella, stopping in Kernville for lunch and some window shopping

7) taking a hike along the Kern River and playing on one of the beaches in Sequoia National park

8) dinner and dancing to live entertainment by Monte Byrum at Buck Owens Crystal Palace!

Dancing to the music

Jeremy's Thesis

My dream barstools!

Buck Owens Crystal Palace

You can sortof see the stage to the right, and in front of that is the dance floor*, Jeremy and I took our first real dance here (crazy!) My mom and dad also got to dance a slow one!

*Loni and Krista I just kept thinking of you two!

Kernville

Kern River in Sequoia National Park

Weekend Full of Excitement!

On Friday we decided to go to our first California sporting event, we visited a historic field to watch a 1A baseball team, the Blaze. The woman behind us said the stadium was historic because it was so old! It was a bit rundown, but it sure was fun, it reminded us of all our awesome time in Texas and all our fun dates there.

When we came home Jeremy walked right in our front door and I was lagging a bit, then as I walked up to our front door I said, “Jeremy, come here.” There sitting behind one of the porch pillars was my one box that was lost in the move. I was on a high the rest of the night! Opening that box was probably the best gift I have ever received, better even than any Christmas! (It was sortof like a lot of my Christmas presents all together anyway!) There were 52 of my favorite children’s books in the box. When I was trying to list replacements costs of some of these books there were a few I could not find online without the exact title, well out of curiosity I looked one up once I got them back, and it was worth $100 – USED! Now Jeremy wants to sell them.

The following evening my sister Emily came with her family, it was pretty late and everyone was tired to after our excited hello’s with Abby and Cole, (and Jed making Ellia cry!) we all headed to bed.

The next morning the kids were in the pool by 9 a.m. Partly because Jeremy tried to make a fun floaty for Cole that would keep him dry, but didn’t work too well when Cole fell off! The kids swam for awhile and then we visited a few of the fruit depots outside town, one with a big pool of corn kernels to play in, (we're still finding corn kernals around the house, from inside the pool to inside the drier) and another where we could test any of numerous kinds of handmade candies. Of course right when we got back to the house the kids were in the pool again, almost until it was time for them to go.

It was quite the fun weekend and made me feel really close to home which was pretty cool! (because they were basically just visiting for the day.) It just made me love it here even more. I keep waiting and dreading the time I am miserably hot or bored or both, and so far I have been enjoying myself and the weather has been exquisite! Spring is my second favorite season and it has already lasted two months here! This weekend is supposed to get up to 90 degrees though.

Finally, on Sunday evening I finalized my plans to visit Utah. I will be there from May 18th to 30th . This way I will be able to see my brother graduate and also the students I worked with for two years at Independence High School. I am excited to see everyone and shop at some of my favorite Utah places! - and get gas for so cheap, YES, cheap, its $3.67 here.

Abby and Cole wanted to take a picture next to Sponge Bob Square Pants' house. (The "pineapple" tree in our front yard!)

A giant ant at Murray's Farm fruit depot. We all went over to see this replica of an ant hill and Abby and Cole took off a little too quickly, before we knew it they were kindof lost in a hay bail maze that we didn't know was there! Fortunately they made it out.
Where else in the world can you be burried in a big box of corn kernals? Only in Bakersfield. Jeremy and I better brace ourselves, now that the word is out about the corn box i think we will be slammed with visitors!

Although she likes the sand, she did not like the corn.

Not true for Abby and Cole.


Swimming at 9 a.m.

The free decoration I got for hosting a person who does vinyl lettering at my scentsy open house! Oh I nearly forgot to describe that weekend for everyone. People started arriving before it started, people that didn't speak English and began trying to ask how much my table was selling for and picking up my deocrations. One of the girls helping me loudly tried to tell them my furniture and decorations were NOT for sale, only the new products being displayed. She said Bakersfield is HUGE for yard sales, and apparently with all the forclosures lately people just open their houses and sell their things right out of them, so we had early customers looking for house decor...MY house decor!

Some of the books I was missing, one of which was worth $100 on Amazon!

"There's no way you can be mad me at me for climbing on the furniture mom."

Interesting.... (and more movies)

Easter: I knew Ellia's face reminded me of something I'd seen before . . .

I wonder if she could bring back the Campbell's Kids!

She has been cruising in this since we left Utah but this is the first time we caught her on film - plus she has a little more floor to roam now than the little strip kitchen in our old apartment.

I'm not sure who loves the Office more, Jeremy, me, or Ellia.

Just another day at the beach.