House Boat Vacation in Sausalito, CA

Barbara treated our family and Wendy's brother John and his family from Portland OR to a come stay a week on a floating house boat. The changing tides lead the floating boat to go up and down as much as 11 feet! The four corners of the boat have sleaves wrapped around posts which allow the floating house to adjust to the tide. On low tide we were sitting on mud watching birds eat stranded fish and ocean creatures. High tide we took the canoe around the bay exploring! It was so much fun. I have some amazing pictures of this floating boat community that I will post later. We drove to Aunt Paula and Uncle Jim for Fireworks in Healdberg. It was a real special and memorable family vacation.

Princess Halle and King Daddy go to the Princess Festival, Lindon UT

Halle absolutely loves anything to do with princesses. The Princess festival is a magical kingdom charity that all raises money for poverty stricken children in Africa. The day started with Halle getting a hair updo. We were invited to center stage with the flags for a special announcement of the adventure we were about to undergo. The adventure was perfect for Halle's imagination. We visited Snow White and warned her to not eat the poison apple. We rescued Rupunzel from a locked tower. Halle was chosen out of our group of 20 princesses to carry the key. We watched Bell's kiss turn the beast into a prince and met Jasmine and Alladin. We found Aurora in a deep sleep, so we called on her prince to kiss her, which he did, and she awakened. Before entering the grand ballroom with all the princes and princesses, we had a stand-off with a wicked witch. We cast a spell and paralyzed her and made it to the ball. We danced together and then did some crafts and ate together. I did Halle's nails with glitter and made her a sparkly wand. It was four hours packed with all things Halle! It was so fun to see Halle totally captivated by this magical place.

June's Highlights

June is a special month for the kids. They get to say goodbye to school and enjoy summer. Some schools in Utah are so full they do on track and off track which is a pain for families trying to plan vacations. Taylor and I had a father son outing on the 12th and 13th. This will be our last outing to Walsburg Church property. This has been a strong tradition for Taylor and I for nearly 10 years. The property sits at the end of the Wallsberg valley. My great great grandfather William Madison Wall settled this community which was named after him. The property is at the mouth of the canyon. It features two pavilions, bathrooms, a tree swing, a river runs through the property. We usually do capture the flag or look at star consellations through a telescope on Fri evening. Saturday we do games or a hiking adventure. The beautiful and relaxing setting combined with good food and friends has made this a special time.

I also had a another special outing in the woods this month. I attended a Wild at Heart Christian Men's retreat in the Eden Valley at the top of Ogden canyon. Wow. I had some great experiences with men, enjoyed lots of adventure oriented activities and had some very personal spiritual experiences through lectures, prayer, meditation and journaling. I loved it. It helped ground me, orient me, and be prepared for the upcoming months. If anyone is interested in this search humblewarriorheart.org or .com. I recommend it to any man who is struggling to find purpose in his life. You really come to understand your masculine journey in a powerful

Favorite shots of Noel

 

More fun family pics

 This black and white of our family walking has become a family favorite.   Wendy found Halle a sleep by me and she happened to have an "I love daddy" shirt on.  Halle and her friend, Brooklyn Bentley.   Taylor received five merit badges at the last court of honor.  He is about one year away from his Eagle.  He only needs to render service and leadership for another year and complete three more merit badges.  He may beat me.  I got my eagle just before turning 14.  He will likely get his eagle at 13 and half.  We both love scouting.  Taylor and I this past weekend hiked to Mt Grandeur and spent a night on the summit this past weekend.  We will save that for another blog.  Bottom right: Wendy's high school friend, Seth Davis, stopped in to visit as he was passing through SLC.   

family pictures

 This is variety of family shots.  Taylor doing Karate in the kitchen.  Halle pretending to be a young ninja.   Noel is performing for the half time show of the Utah Flash Basketball at Utah Valley Community College.  

Peace Love and Lip Gloss

 

Halle lives life with passion.   She drinks in every hour of every day.  When her head hits the pillow she is usually out with in minutes.  Sadly, getting her to go to sleep is a monumental task!  See that band aid on Halle's index finger.  She was bit by the undomesticated hamster Pippen.  While we were attending to Taylor's appedix crisis, a nasty bacteria was growing under the band aid.  When we removed it--Shocking scareyness!  Her finger was black and seriously infected.  We rushed her to Dr Vierra her pediatrician.  Dr Vierra cleaned the wound and prescribed an anti-biotic.  Two weeks later it looks like we caught it in time.  Halle will not handle Pippen.  Halle loves to help.  She brushes my hair, makes pancakes with me, dresses up for all occastions, and wears a Tigger costume in April.   Oh yea and she bounces and bounces and bounces her way through life!!!