2019 Blue Jeans Week 19

So coming home late Sunday afternoon after a week away always puts me behind.  It also didn't help that this was the kids' last full week of school, and end of school activities are always crazy!  Two track meets and lots of other activities greeted us as we got home.  Always nice to go, but also always nice to be home!  Take a look at our week...

So Miss A finished a great winter semester and then got on a plane for London.  This summer she is hiking England, Ireland, and Scotland through a BYU study abroad program.  Here she is in London and loving it!  If you are interested, she is blogging about her experiences here.  She is having a great time and being an English major visiting things like Shakespeare's Globe theater and Jane Austin's home have been awesome! 

Happy birthday to this amazing girl!  She blesses our lives every single day, and we love her to death!  Senior year coming up!

Mr J got Miss E this great hat for her birthday.  So cute!

Miss E rocking her pole vault at one of her track meets this week.

She cleared 9 feet which was her highest ever and got first place!  Woohoo!

She also had a personal best in triple jump and got 2nd place which was always awesome!

She wanted an herb garden for her birthday, so she is all set now!

Thanks for catching up with us!  Hope you have a great week!

2019 Blue Jeans Week 18

So this week was down right amazing!  And super crazy to begin with, but we so loved it!  Ben's dad turned 80 and to celebrate his 7 siblings planned a family cruise with his parents, siblings and spouses--there were supposed to be 16 of us, but one brother and his wife and one sister and her husband could not join us, and we missed them a lot!  So there were 12 of us all together.  We got on the boat in San Diego and got off in Vancouver, Canada.  It was the BEST!  Not only the cruise itself, but also the company!  Being with family who we only get to see once a year for about an hour at a family dinner, and getting to spend 5 days with them to visit and eat, and play games, and explore was just priceless!  So we started Sunday with getting home at 3 a.m. from after prom, went to church at 10, and then left early from church to drive 5 hours to Omaha, Nebraska where Ben had his once a year work meetings there.  We left Omaha Monday night to drive to KC to spend the night because our flight to San Diego left at 6 a.m the next morning.  Then we got to San Diego, went to the San Diego Temple and then got on the boat around 1 and joined up with the rest of the family.  Enjoyed the cruise and flew home from Vancouver on Sunday.  It was a week!  So much fun!  And I have a million pictures, but I will not post them all here :)  But take a look at our week...

Sunday and Monday we were in Omaha, and while Ben enjoys his work meetings, I enjoy Omaha and their walking paths and yummy food.  This is their pedestrian bridge that goes from Nebraska to Iowa. 

San Diego Tuesday morning--We attended the San Diego temple (which is so beautiful!  but sadly had some construction going on outside) before we boarded our cruise ship.

And Tuesday afternoon we were on the ship!  We did a Caribbean cruise about 14 years ago for our 10th anniversary, and Loved that, but this was a Pacific Coast cruise, and we also loved it!

Ben and two of his brothers (one of his brothers and one of his sisters sadly could not make it, and we missed them lots!) So fun to all be together and hear family stories.  We laughed and laughed!

Ben's parents and two of his brothers.  We got group pictures, but I didn't take them so I don't have those yet, but so loved being with my in-laws!  Brothers and sisters-in-laws! They are all the best!

One of the places we stopped was Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and this is their famous Empress hotel that was been around since 1904.  They serve afternoon tea for $95 each, but we passed on that and just admired it from the outside :)

Our main stop in Victoria was the Butchart Gardens which were AMAZING!!!! Oh my!  Someone touring them with us said, "wow, when you die you won't know if you are in Heaven or Butchart Gardens!"  He was 100% correct!  It was just so gorgeous!  I felt like I was in Holland with all the tulips and the flowers trees and just everything.  Just breathtaking!

Ben's oldest sister and me at a different part of the Gardens

More pictures of the Gardens (I literally took hundreds of them!)

And still at the Gardens.  This was the Rose Garden that wasn't in bloom yet, but the arches were so pretty!

And then back in Victoria to their China town.

And the Victoria Government building which they light up each night.  Such a fun day!

Getting our Canada tourist shirts :)

In Vancouver we went to the Capilano Suspension bridge park which if you know me was a huge test of will as I am very afraid of heights.  We had to go across this 450 feet long and 230 feet high SWINGING bridge!  Ugh! (this smile is not one of delight, let me tell you) and I had to do it twice, once to get over to the other side of the park and once to get back.  I had no choice, and then the rest of the park was like an Ewok village with tree house platforms and smaller swinging bridges that you went from tree to tree, and then a suspended cliff walk.  But I DID IT!  And I did have a panic attack, cried a little and freaked out, but I DID IT!  It is over, and I can laugh about it (now :)

And activity that I enjoyed WAY more in Vancouver is where Ben's sister and her husband rented tandem bikes with us, and we road around the 9 mile sea wall that goes around Stanley Island Park in Vancouver.  I loved that!

On our bike ride.

In Vancouver we used the subway to get to our hotel.  We were quite a parade all 12 of us with our luggage going around.  Lots of fun!

Thanks for visiting!  Still catching up!  

2019 Blue Jeans Week 17

Oh, I am soooo far behind!  We were gone for a week and then trying to catch up with coming home a week before school gets out has been tough.  So, I have a lot to catch up on!  This week was crazy!  Track meets, prom prep, Easter, more track meets, Avengers:Endgame, and then PROM!  Take a look at our week...

Miss O and her cute roommates on Easter which was their last Sunday together as finals were this week and they were all different places for the summer by the next Sunday.  A great group of friends!

Easter here!  Sure love these two!

Miss O and friends celebrating finals being over and having fun before they all head out for different places over the summer.

\

Track meet for the week for Miss E.  She rocked the pole vault and had a personal record!

We are HUGE Avengers fans and even though it was a crazy busy week, we had to get to see it as soon as we could, so Friday night worked out.  Oh, sooo good!

And Saturday was this beautiful girl's first prom!!!

They looked so good!  She went with a good friend from church and they had a great time.

They doubled with this couple and all looked amazing!

Prom here the "Grand March" is a big thing and so is the car you drive up in.  The whole community comes out to see the kids drive up and then walk up to the school.  These kids had a cool ride!

Getting out the car and walking up to the school.

Being presented at the school entrance before they head into the dance.  

And loved seeing this cute girl!  Ben and I worked after prom until 3 a.m. and then we all headed to church at 10 a little sleepy eyed!

That was that great week!  Thanks for catching up with us!  More to come!!!

2019 Blue Jeans Week 16

A beautiful spring week!  More track meets, beautiful flowers and a fun Easter egg hunt.  Take a look at our week. . .

Miss E reading under the apple trees.  They haven't bloomed yet, but they will be pretty when they do.

Miss E made homemade tortillas for dinner.  Yummy!

A beautiful rosebud just coming out.  So pretty!

Our church youth group at their activity this week.  A great group of kids and leaders!

Mr J rockin' his track meet this week.  He got 2nd in both of his races and had personal best times.

Beautiful tulips outside the temple when we went up as a family to serve.  So gorgeous!

And these kids are ready for an Easter Egg hunt!  Our 13th annual egg hunt.  Lots of fun!

Thanks for visiting!  Hope you had a great Easter week!  

2019 Blue Jeans Week 15

Crazy track meet week with 3 meets.  2 for Mr J and one for Miss E.  Of course they had one on the same day in two different places an hour and a half apart.  Divide and conquer.  Another college visit this week for Miss E, two girls' lunch out, and a piano competition.  It was a busy, but good week!  Take a look...

Sunday morning it was aebelskivers for breakfast!  They are a round Danish pancake that Ben's dad always made them growing up because he lived two years in Denmark as a missionary for our Church.  Ben continues the tradition of making them for us on special weekends.  We all love them!  They are the best with sliced bananas and nutella!

 College visit #2 for Miss E.  We have to try out the college ice cream wherever we go, because you know that is a very important factor :)  Went to K-State and had their Call Hall ice cream.  Yummy!

Girls' Lunch Out for me with these amazing friends!  Went plant shopping and out to lunch.  Couldn't ask for a better day with friends!

Track meet #1 of three for the week.  Mr J rocked it in the huge 21 team meet early in the week!

And another girls' lunch out a few states away!  Miss A and Miss O with a lifelong friend (her mom is actually in the Girls lunch out picture above with me, her mom is the really tall one) and her adorable little boy.  So fun to see this picture pop up on my phone!  Makes my heart happy!

Meet #2 for Mr J.  He had some PR's and did awesome!  Didn't get a picture of Miss E at her meet, but Ben was there.  She also had a great week and got some PR's!

Piano competition this weekend for Mr J.  Playing in a small room in front of a judge is not easy, but I am proud of him that he did it, and he did awesome!  Gold medal performance!  

Thanks for visiting!  Hope you have a great week!