Waltons, water parks, and water guns.

Another delightful family vacation.  
We went simple this year and gathered at the Walton home in Reno, Nevada.  Thanks Dan and Sarah for hosting everyone in your enormous (rented) house. 

I just LOVE family vacations.  It helps that I just love everyone in my family so much.  I was blessed with awesome parents that raised six great kids who went on to pick incredible spouses and start raising adorable children of their own.  That in a nutshell is what makes family vacations so great.  I just wish it could have been a little longer.  

Day 1:
Reno is pretty hot this time of year, so we headed to the local water park.  We slid on the slides, rode the waves, and lounged in the lazy river.  When we were finally too starving to continue (because we refused to pay that much for food), we decided we go... after a little volleyball.  Volleyball was great... except that the sand was so sharp and gravelly that you couldn't go down for a ball... or go bare foot... and except for the fact that the game ended with my sprained left thumb.  Other than that, it was perfect.  At home we showered and changed in time for the babysitters to arrive and off we went to dinner at BJs.  A Santa Fe Salad and part of a pazookie later, I could barely waddle myself up to the first hole of miniature golf.  Despite my full stomach and injured hand, I started strong in the first 9 holes with a few hole in ones.  My second 9 were not quite as good and in the end Mike and Scott played a tie breaker hole that I only missed being part of by one stroke!  ONE STROKE!  I'll get them next year.  We played one long, slow game of BANG and then called it a night.

Day 2:

We were on our way to Tahoe by 9:30 and good thing too, because the beach filled quickly.  Tahoe is one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen.  The water is crystal clear and silky smooth.  We played on the beach, tossed the frisbee around and several people swam out to the buoy while I manned the rescue dingy.  The kids all got buried up to their necks and they loved it.  We finished with a little cliff jumping and headed home for pulled pork sandwiches, telephone charades, and Fireball Island.  

Day 3:

This was our relaxing day.  We went shopping, played lots of ping pong, ate frozen yogurt, had a water fight in the back yard, jumped on the trampoline, and worked on our cornholing (?) (bean bag tossing).  After an incredible BBQ dinner, we looked through Brian's mission photos and then played Seafarers until 1:30 in the morning.


Well, here are some photos (mostly just Tahoe and the water fight, though)

 Mike being pulled back up the hill on Dad's van.

Poor unsuspecting Grandpa was just sitting outside reading the paper when he became the victim of a  ruthless, unprovoked water-squirter gang attack.

laguna beach.

We spent Saturday at Laguna Beach.  There was an art festival nearby that most of the group wanted to go to.  Mike, Todd, Tanner, Chris and I went straight down to the beach and everyone else met up with us a little later.  It was an overcast day, but it was fun to sit and visit, play bocci, throw the frisbee around in the water, and go for walks amid the clumps of seaweed.  We finished up the evening in the Redfords hot tub.  So fun to spend a day with the extendeds.

Mike's sasha was a little weak, but you can't blame him.  Those are very pointy rocks he's standing on... and then fell on in the water.

Seth and Nicole

Seth and Nicole's wedding was just perfect.  Gorgeous, happy, fun!  It was pretty much exactly what I would have wanted my reception to be if I had the money.  (I don't really have any regrets about my reception, though).  The venue was stylish.  The weather was just perfect.  The band was AMAZING. Chris and I danced all night (of course).  I just love wedding dances too, when you get a mix of all ages out on the dance floor dancing to some classics like Living on a Prayer and Dancing in September.  It was such a fun night and so fun to see so many loved ones.  Here are a few photos I took :)