Admiring the stream trickling down the Waimano Valley. Here it seems to have taken a pause for a bit before continuing on its journey.

I hacked into my mom’s Facebook account so I could see pictures of everyone in San Diego 🙂  Looks like a great time was had by all! Congrats Mike on pulling together a great Bird on the Beach!

We hope our far-flung family and friends have had a relaxing and rejuvenating Thanksgiving holiday. We were thinking of everyone from WA to MA. Despite the roller coaster of going/not going, we found a way to enjoy a virtual vacation, doing things we hadn’t done in a while, run out of diapers and milk, get overly tired staying up late, exploring new sights every day… With some work, we were able to get ourselves to a spot where we could really appreciate the beauty immediately around us, take the time for explorations into forests and valleys, botanical gardens and nearby parks. The boys had a great time with their dad with this week off. They are really starting to identify strongly with him, Sam especially, through sports, checkers, mutual interests (such as astronomy, music). Even Ben is not a little guy anymore, and snagging these guys for a snuggle is proving increasingly difficult. So I am thankful that, in the end, I didn’t opt to take the boys to San Diego without their Dad. I certainly missed making new memories with the boys on a trip (we really bond as a unit, create new “inside jokes” and learn lots of new things about each other), but I think I made the right decision on balance. Thankfully, Thanksgiving rolls around yearly! Only one more here for us…

Oh, and I’m down to only checking the flight listings 2-3 times a day. That is down from 4 times a day yesterday. And hourly for 10 days before that. I’m weaning myself off the travel addiction. Today, while the boys and I made a sundial with our neighbors’ kids, the breeze was cool and the sun had a warm, dry feel to it alot like a fall day in any of the five states we’ve lived. So we were transported to each of you in a way. :0

(I’m on the phone with mom now…she is laughing at me about my addiction to checking flights. I even talked to Dave tonight about going to Kansas because it’s only 12 hours from Durango where Steve and Tim are!)

Oh – other big news – I just bought my first smartphone. An HTC Aria! (Android OS). It is pretty cool I must admit. But I was funny in the phone store – feeling like a total dunce – and I wish my iPhone-loving mom was there to watch (she has been there for the milestone events, like first contact lenses, etc. She says I’m funny to watch when evaluating these things.) I currently have a GO phone that was $30 because I managed to kill my previous phone with water or sand or something. The rep was showing me all the 7 screens you can personalize when I asked if you could drop-kick it. Because that happens on the way to the truck with two kids, three water bottles, a bike, sunscreen, etc. My old phone could be kicked to the truck and work just fine. But the screen was so scratched up I couldn’t see who was calling! So I have to say that while my phone is sleek and smart, we’ll have to see just how workable it is. I can hook it up to my portable speakers so I can play music for the boys while we run/bike to school/errands, etc. So the two apps I’ve downloaded – a tide table, and Google maps. I told Dave I just had to travel now to test out my new app! It will talk to me while driving, and I don’t even need to buy a new Garmin Nuvi! woo hoo! Kansas, here we come! It’s in the middle of the country, guys. Come on! All options are open from there ;0