Category: vacation

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to yosemite and beyond

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Need I say anything??? Totally AMAZING!

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We are so glad we took this side trip on our way home from vacation. We have wanted to visit Yosemite for years. Our day trip drive-thru confirmed that we must go back and explore this American Gem for our next family vacation! The little speck of a rock in between our heads below is Half Dome. It was much more majestic in person.

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On the way home we thought we would take the long way (not on purpose–teehee). We ended up in the middle of Nowhere Cali/Nevada. We climbed some amazing passes and found some amazing views, but we were a bit worried about our gas and bathroom needs. The roads were pretty windy for a few hours, and we were all feeling a little queezy. The craziest part of the drive was when we came to a one-lane road on the windy pass. That’s how narrow and curvy the roads were.

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Good thing I have such amiable children, and an adventurous husband. They kept my annoyance at bay. :)

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the mccracken greats meet the ninos

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Great Grandpa and Great Grandma McCracken
Redding, CA
August 2010

We were met with a delicious dinner, delightful smiles, and crafts galore from grandma and grandpa. They were so excited for us to arrive, and we were so excited to finally be there. This was the first face-to-face meeting between the ninos and these particular greats. We will cherish this long awaited memory for a really long time.
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Mt. Shasta
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Such a pretty drive from Portland to Redding. It doesn’t get much prettier!

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farewell, seaside

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Farewell, lovely beach house. You served us well.I will not miss your four flights of stairs. I will not miss your drunken neighbors. I will not miss the sand in my clothes and shoes and hair.
But I WILL miss:
*Double Boggle! (the word game we made up during our trip…mind-blowing nerdy word snob game of champions, totally addicting)
*Walks on the beach!
*Adam totally unplugged for a week! (well, mostly)
*Bonfires galore!
*Games until 1:00 a.m.!
*Midnight runs for ice cream!
*Funland!
*The Outlet Mall!
*Family and cousins and all around fun!

Here’s what the kids think about our trip:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13BvCasO-uQ

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hiking and biking

Day hike to Cape Falcon.
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Super troopers, all the way to the end. And check out that view!!!
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I will always be in love with the Oregon Coast. There is nothing like it. The kids also did a lot of biking with their daddy while on vacation.
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land-o-fun

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My favorite childhood memories lay along Broadway Street and the Promenade, in Seaside. It is the best little beach town!

Bumper Cars and Tilt-o-Whirls:
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The Arcade and Ice Cream Shops:
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And we can’t forget Pig-n-Pancake:
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The ninos started building their own little traditions and memories in the same little town, on the same little street. Mucho Joy!

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easy cheesy

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While staying in Seaside, we took a day trip to Tillamook, OR for the “cheese tour.”

The drive had spectacular views:
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There were cows and cheese aplenty:
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And the ice cream was to die for:
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Actually, Tillamook ice cream is my most favorite ice cream on the planet.
And the cheese is my family’s favorite–although I (the cheese hater) would know nothing about that.

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off to the beach we go

Here’s the caravan of cars, bike racks and all, as we headed to Seaside, OR.
Our beach house was only steps from the water.
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Adam and Papa Penning broke out the kites within an hour of arriving.
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I think there was a total of 10 kites up at one time, all from our band of littles.
A great beginning to a great week at the beach.
FAMILY VACATION 2010

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“fort”itude

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My favorite memory from Nana and Papa’s this summer was catching imaginations at play in the back yard. It so reminded me of my own childhood in that very same yard.

All of the cousins were whining one day that it was too hot, and that there was nothing to do. Excuse me…bounce house, pool, gigantic lawn, awesome sand pit, 11 children, and I could go on. Anyway, all the moms chimed in at once, “go use your imaginations and don’t come in until lunch.”

When we went out to check on the crew, they were taking old building supplies from around the property and making forts. They had divided into two teams and were having a contest to see which fort would be the best built. It was hilarious to see what they came up with for building materials.

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(notice Nikki sitting on a chair with her legs crossed letting everyone else do the work…)

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Well, they never finished their projects because Brooklynn stepped on a nail, which quickly put the kibosh on using papa’s old building materials. But they had a great time trying.

JULY 2010

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grandparents the great

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Meet great-grandparents Penning!

The whole Penning tribe made a very special day trip to Point Defiance Park in Tacoma to spend some time with them. I am so glad we got pictures. Let’s face it grams and grandps…you’re no spring chickens anymore. :)

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We also celebrated Danny’s birthday…the Nerf bow-n-arrow is something Danny’s has been asking for for 18 months. he LOVES it.
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We all had a great time. Hopefully, the kids will remember the experience for a long time to come.
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JULY 2010