Pool Days

Maggie and Sam started swim lessons at the city pool this week. They are learning their strokes and enjoying the coolness of the water. Brian stayed one extra day on Monday and was able to see them swim at their first lesson. Afterward, we drove down to his Mom's house and spent the day with Brian's siblings, the cousins and Grandma Sharon. The kids loved playing with their cousins, swimming in Grandma's pool, and we all got a good laugh out of Tex the dog, who got thrown in by Uncle James, and actually enjoyed it when the shock wore off. We also enjoyed the food, it wouldn't be a Ramos reunion or party without oodles of food and lots of leftovers.

Draper Days

Draper celebrates its heritage every year in July. The kids participated in the children's parade, had balloon swords made and had their faces painted...they were excited about meeting and getting their bikes decorated by Miss Rodeo Draper 2009, Sam especially. After the parade, everyone convened in Draper Historical Park and enjoyed cremesicles and a magic show. While in the park, I ran into my great, great great Grandfather Perry Fitzgerald, who came across the plains with Brigham Young in the first company and helped to settle Draper...okay, didn't meet him, came across the statue of him.

On the weekend, we walked back to Draper Park and enjoyed the food, music and festivities. Maggie got a free ride down the gigantic Titanic slide in order to retrieve her crying, scared brother who refused to come down without a little coercion...I don't know what got into him.

We are enjoying Draper and all the great things that it offers, the parks, the pool, the mountain trails, the temple and the sense of community.

Summer

Maggie and Sam are enjoying their summer, their first official warm summer of their lifetime. They are loving the yard, room to run, the horse pasture down the street and Daisy the neighborhood mascot which happens to be a full-grown grumpy sheep and of course the coolness of the pools, you've got to stay cool in 98 + degree weather. They are also enjoying having family so close, cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents...they haven't looked back once, other then when Sam said, "I miss our old house" and I asked "What do you miss about it?" and he replied, "the carpet was so soft there, the carpet here is crusty," laughing followed...we obviously didn't take into account Sam's desire for soft carpet.

I am also enjoying the warm summer days and yet we hibernate inside until it cools enough to go outside and oh how I love those cool summer nights, my favorite time of day. We've enjoyed late evening walks and bike rides to the neighborhood park and the kids adore watering Grandpa's garden. Two nights ago I heard screaming, I went up to the garden boxes and something magical had happened, the kids had discovered and picked our first zucchini of the season. My sister Heather surprised me with planted garden boxes when we arrived in late June, an early birthday present. So we've had our first zucchini and I am waiting for the tomatoes, oh I can't wait for those home-grown, toasted, tomato sandwiches.

This transition has been a bittersweet one for me. Brian is still working in California for another couple of weeks. The days are long without him, the nights are longer. Not having him here during the week, makes this feel like a vacation for us, a visit and in a portion of my mind I still feel like we'll just pack our bags in a few days and head back to California. I look forward to those days when I'll hear the sound of the garage opening as I scramble to pull dinner together and I look forward to the nights around the dinner table when we'll laugh and talk about our day, I look forward to those cool summer nights talking out on the porch while the kids sleep soundly in their beds and I'll enjoy sharing Brian's side of the bed with him, instead of just dreaming he is there.

Back to the Desert

The Fitzgerald Family, (some of them) my Dad is one of ten children.

My family with my Grandma Mary.

My Dad, on the ascent.

Maggie and Sam got to ride in the UniMOG with their cousins.
The Fiery Furnace.



We enjoyed the Fitzgerald Family reunion over the 4th of July weekend in Moab, Utah. On the first day we explored the Fiery Furnace in Arches National Park, with my brother Andrew. The following day, I celebrated my birthday whitewater rafting on a portion of the Colorado River called Westwater. That stretch of river boasts class 3 and 4 rapids which frequently drenched me, Brian and my Uncle Patrick...bathing in the rapids, as they came over the bow of the boat was a great way to celebrate my birthday, there was no place I would have rather been. After we went through the first couple rapids, I realized why I couldn't convince my Dad to come to the front of the boat.

To celebrate the 4th of July, we took a family jeep caravan into the La Sal Mountains, near Moab and enjoyed a barbecue and the amazing views at the top. Later that night, we enjoyed the fireworks from a spot in town.

A big Thank You to Andy and Autumn who let us stay in their desert palace and for hosting everyone. We had a great time...and Andy, thanks for showing us the way out of the Furnace, that was memorable.

A Few Changes

Mrs Samse, Maggie and Sam
The Magic Chair at the Mechanical Museum
The Franciscan Restaurant, amazing views and the best Crab in San Fran.My mom and dad, at the Japanese Tea Gardens
The Japanese Tea Gardens
The moving truck, and we used every inch

Last year we were vacationing in Europe, drifting aimlessly with the wind...this year, we've been caught in a whirlwind and it's been quite the adventure...The end of the school year brought on a lot of changes in our family. Maggie said goodbye to her first grade teacher the second week of June and the next day, we got the good news that we would indeed be moving.

SURPRISE! a few weeks ago we moved from CA to UT, but before that we said a final goodbye to San Francisco's Wharf and one of our favorite crab restaurants. The kids always loved the vintage games at the Mechanical Museum, so we couldn't skip over those either.

Thankfully, my parents came to help the week we moved, we celebrated our 9th Anniversary at Wicked in San Francisco and between all the moving boxes we managed to visit a few last places that we loved in and around the city including the Japanese Tea Gardens in Golden Gate Park and the tidepools in Moss Beach near our ward building. We even indulged in a few of our favorite restaurants for the last time...we also had many bittersweet goodbyes with those friends who we have grown so close to the last 5 years while living in the Bay Area...those separations have not been easy.

Last Year

I've had a bit of nostalgia all week thinking of our trip last year to Europe. One year ago Brian and I were just arriving in Venice, Italy. I remember the warm air and surprising humidity, the murky water, and the breeze blowing my hair as we sped through the canals of Venice in the watertaxi. I remember the Italian couple across from us, her petite, short summer dress and his tailored button up shirt and leather shoes, going into the heart of Venice for a weekend retreat. I remember tasting my first authentic Gelato and wandering through the narrow alleys of Venice searching for our little hotel. I remember walking through the streets as the sun set and just wandering, losing ourselves to the sounds of Venice, the dueling orchestras at St. Mark's Square and the church bell tower as it chimed out the passing hours and I remember seeing the full, red moon across the waterway as the night deepened.

Dancing Days

Maggie performed in her end-of-year dance performance last weekend. The show was "Mary Poppins" and Maggie was a lamb in the Barnyard scene. She performed baaa beautifully and was smiling and graceful. For the finale, all of the dancers decorated their own kites and danced to "Let's Go Fly A Kite". The show was so memorable, I've been singing the tunes over and over in my head since then...ugh.

Ponderings

Maggie and Sam are outside playing, their voices echo and spin against the walls of the house and drift in through the open window...there is reason to rejoice, the sun is shining after days of coastal fog...our summer is not warm and my body and soul crave the warmth of the sun...this morning, I had a few moments to reflect, to lay in the blanket of sunlight streaming into my bedroom through the glass door and just listen to the singing birds and the wind, gently moving the majestic trees. I felt a great peace and stillness as I lay there, a communion of sorts with myself and my Heavenly Father, "Be still, and know that I am God..." echoing through the chambers of my heart and mind, even though my logical mind tempts me to feel otherwise as doubt drifts in...life has been stressful for months and I haven't made enough time to just "be still", but this morning was different and I am grateful for the warm sunshine and the quiet whisperings and the gentleness of the wind.

The little things.

Humility and Gratitude, intermingled together in our daily lives. The talks on Sunday focused on these and really made me reflect. So, I am trying to focus on all the little blessings in my life and express appreciation for them. I am grateful for many things, but today I am especially grateful for online bill pay, for the time and the money it saves me so that I can do the more important things...I know it sounds like such a trivial thing, but I am grateful all the same.

Frog legs anyone?

On Friday Maggie's school held their annual ARTS and SCIENCE DAY, a day full of workshops that the kids choose months ahead of time, every kind of class, from fencing, to creepy crawlers, to making slime and rockets, and the science of plants, even animal dissection. I was one of the lucky parents who volunteered to do the FROG dissection class. It was interesting...I learned a lot about the organs systems of the body, and yes...I cut open a lot of frogs. After all day in the science lab, I was a little frogged out ...maybe next year, I will stick with the ARTS.

I enjoyed seeing Maggie on campus throughout the day, going to and from her classes. The workshops she chose included: Creepy Crawlers (where she saw a water snake, a tarantula, a tortoise, a crocodile, and a "huge lizard")Slime Making, The Mysterious World of Plants, Kitchen Art, and Water Absorbing Crystals.

I was going to include a frog dissection photo, but I'll spare you the details and the disgust.

Santa Cruz

We headed south to Santa Cruz on Saturday to escape the fog and soak in a little sun. Lisa and Garrett and Noah, our good friends came along with us. We walked the pier and strolled along the boardwalk, enjoyed rides, a corndog, fresh lemonade and some cotton candy, the first official junk food of the summer.

Maggie's Run

Maggie participated in her school Fund Run last week. She ran 18 laps, 2.2 miles in 30 minutes and never gave up. We are so proud of her determination and endurance, she is our little track star.

Grateful

I am grateful everyday that Maggie and Sam have each other. Missing Caleb is difficult; however, knowing that he very well could have come before they did or in between, would have been too much for me to bear. I recognize this blessing in my life and in their lives, one of the tender mercies that our Father in Heaven has given to me. He truly knows what we need and when and He blesses us with those things that give us peace and strength to endure our trials.

To Infinity and Beyond

"To Infinity and Beyond"...Buzz says as he takes over the evil shampoos and bath toys that have invaded my shower floor...Maggie definitely enjoyed her shower time.

Cave Country

These are a few of my favorite photos from our trip to California's Gold Rush country. We had an adventurous weekend together, one I will remember for a long time. Maggie and Sam loved exploring the different caves, learning to pan for gold in Columbia, California and breaking open their first geode. Most of the caves that were found in the area were discovered or rediscovered during the Gold Rush years when miners were searching for the mother lode.