Traveling Adventures!

Two weeks ago my mom and I went to Oregon for a week to visit my Grandma. It was a nice trip seeing relatives and just enjoying time spent together. It was my first time on an airplane that I can remember, and I had so much fun!

A selfie on the plane.

We had fabulous service on the plane:)

My refreshing drink....you'll see more drinks throughout this post:)

The lovely view from my Grandma's house.

Another day, another drink....ice coffee!

My grandma's neighbors had horses and I visited them everyday and fed them carrots.

A view from the driveway.

On the way to Crater lake.

The stunning Crater Lake.

It was gorgeous.

There was a little bit of icy snow on the ground. 

God's creation is marvelous!!! 

Another drink....on the car ride to Redding.

 

In Redding California we visited some of my great uncles and aunts.  

Another drink....Pete's coffee in the San Francisco airport during our layover!

We saw the Golden Gate Bridge as we landed in San Francisco.

And there you have it!  

It was a really enjoyable trip but I am ever so glad to be home!!!

Do you have any summer trips planned? 

Do you like flying, have you seen any big landmarks from an airplane?

Birthdays

Last Saturday my grandparents came over to celebrate all the July birthdays. Clint was able to come home for the weekend which was great! We had dinner together and then cake! It was a very nice time.

 The birthday trio

It was fun to be all together as a family.

A trip along the Coast.

Thursday my parents and I along with the Grimes family took a trip along the coast with a destination of San Luis Obispo.  At 8am we all piled into the Grime's car and took off on an adventure!  Restrooms in Santa Barbara was the first stop.  Then we stopped at Cuchuma lake, it wasn't very pretty at all and the water was super low.  We had our lunch on the pier in Pismo Beach next, and then walked along the pier watching people catching fish.  Continuing on, we stopped at a big fruit stand and looked around, enjoyed the animals, and bought a homemade pie.  We then drove by Michael Jackson's house, although all we could see was the gate entrance and guard shack.  Next stop: Avila Beach. It was hot and super crowded at Avila Beach, but we stopped anyway and sat on the beach for a little bit enjoying the water.  After that we went to Montana De Oro state park Beach, which was beautiful!!  Finally by 6:15pm we made it to San Luis Obispo for the Farmers Market.  We got in a really long line for some delicious food and then walked along the street.  Noel and I got a special treat of ice cream in the evening and by that time it was 9:30pm and we were headed home.  We arrived home at 1:30am after a full day.  It was such a fun day and we all had a fabulous time!!!

 The pier at Pismo

Lots of people were fishing off the pier 

 

Avila Beach

Montana De Oro

 The ocean was gorgeous. 

Pictures simply cannot capture the beauty of it all.

 We found little crabs and sea creatures.

 Ice Cream at the farmers market!!!

July 4th and a Birthday or Two

This year for Independence Day my family drove to Oakhurst to take part in a old fashioned picnic at the Fickling's house. We had some good ole fashion fun and it was a day to be remembered by all!

I didn't get much pictures, however my mom got a few of the water games for the kids and the watermelon eating contest...

 We were all thoroughly wet and refreshed by the end of the game.

Announcer: "Now for the first annual watermelon eating contest!!!!!!" *round of applause, please*

We started with the 5 year olds. The most entertaining out of the three groups for sure.

Next came the middle group of kids...I don't know how old these kids are. 7-12 maybe?

Last of all, the teenagers!

I won the watermelon eating contest!!! It was exciting for sure, considering that I was competing against guys with larger mouths than me. Hannah came in second with a bloody nose.

After the party we all went to "the Rock" at Bass Lake and watched the fire works.  I didn't get any pictures because I was busy watching the fire works, but I think you all know what fire works look like.

Saturday, July 5th was my brother Clint's Birthday!!! Emile, Hannah, and I make him a coffee cup mocha cake to celebrate.

Sunday, July 6th was my moms Birthday!!!

We celebrated it together with Clint's.

I didn't get any good pictures of her because most of the time she was the one taking the pictures. 

Of course at church we all sang to both of them!!!

It was a fantastic weekend, and we cherish all the memories made.

What did you do for the 4th of July?

Any Independence Day traditions?

Homemade Marshmallows

It's the season for a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows! Homemade marshmallows are one of my favorite things to make because they turn out so good and taste so much better then the store bought ones.
Since it was cold today and I was going to have hot coco I decided to make marshmallows to go with it.
I tried them with sugar instead or corn syrup and they tasted much better. Now that you all are wondering how to make them, here is the recipe...

• 2 Tbls. gelatin
• 8 Tbls. cold water
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Dust an 9 inch square pan with powder sugar and set aside. (I suggest greasing it with butter first)
2. In a small bowl, soak gelatin in 8 Tbls. cold water. Set aside.
3. Combine granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of cold water in a large heavy sausepan.
4. Cook and stir ov3er medium heat until dissolved.
5. Add gelatin and bring to a boil.
6. Remove from heat. Pour into a large mixing bowl and stand until partly cool.
7. Add salt and vanilla extract.
8. Beat with an electric mixer until soft and double in volume. About 10-15 minutes. (use whisk attachment)
9. Pour into prepared pan.
10. Set to cool until it will not stick to your finger.
11. Cut into squares and roll in powdered sugar.
12. Enjoy!

Bubble Tea: An entertaing drink

Tapioca pearls, more often called boba, is commonly found in Thai tea beverages. Made with cassava root and a starchy substance, tapioca pearls, when boiled become soft and chewy.  The most popular thing to do with boba is to add it to tea of any sort. It looks like bubbles at the bottom of the glass, hence the name bubble tea.
Boba can be hard to find and is mostly sold at Thai markets.  My grandma bought some for us at a Thai market by her house.

It is super easy to make! All you need is:

• Tapioca pearls (boba)
• Tea or any kind of drink
• Boiling water
• Over sized straws

Place one cup of tapioca pearls in seven cups of boiling water and stir so they don't stick to the bottom. Let the tapioca boil for about thirty minutes. Turn heat off and allow tapioca to sit for twenty minutes. Tip: Soaking them in sugar water at the end gives them a nice sweet taste.
I just followed the directions on the package.
Once the pearls are done put a scoop in any beverage desired.
Most people are hesitant to try boba, but there is no need to be.  It doesn't have much of a taste and is just a chewy texture.  It will cause you to smile, and makes any drink more entertaining!

P.S. In the picture I made an espresso, added milk and put boba.