Summer Journal Entry - carbon canyon regional park

He has been taking his (my) rod everywhere and always attracts a little following of older boys at every place we go! 

Bobby...always on the edge...always...sigh

He will do this all day if he could!

Last monday I took the boys to Carbon Canyon Regional Park. I haven't been to that park since I was younger, and I knew Bryson would appreciate the lake. And I had it in my memory that the lake wasn't gross duck poop everywhere lake, like so many around our area...and I am glad I made the trek. We could have easily spent a few more hours there - and I was wishing I brought a book and a blanket because I just parked between bryson fishing at the lake and the two littles playing on the HUGE playground (there are actually 4 playgrounds all close to each other). Parking was $3 - but other than that we had a pretty cheap day! Bryson didn't catch anything, so he was a little bummed (i think he expects he is going to catch a fish every time...i told him if that were the case they would call it "catching" not "fishing" - he didn't get it)

I also brought scooters and bodie's bike and they enjoyed finding all the hills to bomb. It was a pretty park - well maintained and lots of shade. Definitely would go back if we find ourselves in the area again!

To See Bryson's Post on Carbon Canyon: CLICK HERE

Summer Journal Entry #5 - T.M.A.F.I.

at the campsite

After a day on Lake Sabrina - everyone caught = everyone smiles

Bryson's winning trout - 1.25 Lb

Bodie and Declan looking for fish

I let bodie reel in my first catch...a truly selfless mama act (if you know me, you would be impressed by this)

all day long

 We had our annual T.M.A.F.I. fishing tournament this last weekend. We haven't brought the kids in 4 years. We totally remembered why after this weekend...just kidding! it was so nice to just have the bigger boys (Bobby's grandpa drove all the way down from San Jose just to watch him - sweetest Grandpa!). There is a creek that runs through the site and Bobby would be a constant source of anxiety...because I can't go to the arboretum without him falling in the lake or creek...i always bring 2 changes of clothes for Bobby - he loves falling in things...so this way we still got to enjoy time with (most of) our boys and relax (a little).

Actually what was so amazing is that Bryson got so annoyed at having to wait for one of us to tie his lines, he taught himself. I showed him once and he was good for pretty much the rest of the trip. He got tangled a few times, but man- born fisherman! He caught 2 fish all by himself all week - once in the creek and the one that won the tournament at Lake Sabrina. I am pretty proud of him - it took us a few years to learn how to fish the lakes..and little bugger gets it his first go.

The boys did great - i was worried the boat was going to be too much for them and they really didnt complain about it. Bodie hardly fished and was fine to sit and watch. At one point he told us that something is making his line shake...he started reeling in and he had a fish! we couldnt believe it! he ended up catching 2 that day. We had a lot of kids this year too, so it was fun for them to have constant playmates. And the food...man...food is so much better out there...up there...its the altitude as much as the environment i think. We had the most amazing desserts (campfire cones, smores, cinnamon rolls cooked in orange peels) i ate more desserts on this trip than i have in a few months together...worth it!

I truly had one of the best times this last weekend. I am so thrilled to start creating these memories for my boys - to share this place that is so special to me with them...and hoping they love it and much and as deep hearted as I do.

(Some past TMAFI posts here and here and here)

See Bryson's Summer Journal Entry on TMAFI here

P.S. - I can't do all the same summer journal entries as Bryson since half of the time his dad will be taking him out. In case you were wondering.

TMAFI: The Champ

my brother, Jake, won the TMAFI tournament this year. i think he deserved his own post. it may even become a bit sappy, who knows...but i am genuinely happy that he won (although i am getting kinda antsy to win again!) he pretends like he doesn't care...you would probably think he thought it any other day of fishing. he certainly doesn't participate in a lot of the trash talking that goes on around the campfire pertaining to who is going to school who in fishing.

the truth is that my brother is a good fisherman. i mean it...good. he has the simplest rig on his line too. just a sinker or small weight, maybe a bobber if he is going to fish from the top, usually a small size 10 hook and he'll throw a bit of powerbait, or salmon eggs or a chunk of a worm. and he usually always catches a fish. he has good instinct with the fish and i have learned to follow his lead a lot of the time. he has been fishing those Bishop Lakes since he was in High School, so i think it only fitting that a title go with his vast expertise :)

i have fished with him at many a different shore - lake or ocean. one of my favorite times fishing with him was in San Diego when our family stayed in a beach house and we took our rods out the front door and down some stairs. bryson was about 18 months and ran naked along a private beach while his kids played in the sand. we both caught some tiger sharks and for a good hour or two the kids made lakes and canals for the sharks to swim in before we let them go back in the ocean. he almost always lets them go too....

we never got along as kids. and by never i mean...never. constant constant fighting...but now...although he is still very much a big brother...very much so...he has become someone i enjoy being with...he is an amazing father and his passion for things continue to inspire me, because he is silent, but when you get him going about something he loves...you can't help but fall in love a bit too...except with the T-Rex...i will never care for the T-Rex...sorry (i couldnt even find a link or image to show you what that is...its a souped up off-road golf cart)

so congrats big brother! you can join us other lucky few in claiming the oh-so-coveted TMAFI Champ title!
(pic shows past TMAFI winners and the newest one!)

TMAFI: The Fishing

our trip was amazing...as usual...i almost cried on friday (sitting on the shore of a gorgeous lake with absolutely nothing to do but check my line) just so happy to be there and not have responsibility for anyone or anything. i had forgotten what that is like. its really the only time that bryan and i are truly on vacation since cell phones don't work up there.
(i will be posting on different parts of the trip during the week, since it was epic and all. this post is strictly on the fishing.)

this picture is of Bryan at Convict Lake - which is just 2 miles off the 395 between Mammoth and Bishop. this lake is a tarn and one of the most beautiful in my opinion. the water is this amazing blue and all the trout caught there that day had the same blue tint on the top. it was windy...wind seemed to be a bit of a problem for us this trip, but we did all right.

it wasn't my personal best fishing weekend. i got skunked on friday and only caught 1 on tournament day, but i can't complain. i was in one of the most beautiful places with some of my favorite people, so don't feel sorry for me.

see the pic of me with those two handsome fellas?...those are my cousins, blake and rusty...they backpacked for a couple days before meeting up with us on saturday. they hiked in and slept in their bags under the stars and cooked up ants and caught a deer in an animal trap they made (by accident...they let it go BTW) and made a spear and a spoon. they crack me up and i was so glad they made it to us safely...

tournament day - the tournament is held at Lake Sabrina - we fish from 7am-4pm - i think some people did great and some people did horribly...i did not do as well as other years...just one caught while trolling...and no one caught any tagged fish, but we had probably the best weather we ever had on the lake - it was mid 60s and little to no wind and blue sky and just an amazingly beautiful lake.

i am already feeling like i need to go back...i left too many fish in those lakes!

gone fishin'

c-ya folks! i am leaving early early tomorrow morning for one of my favorite places in this world. i will be leaving my babes (in very loving capable hands) and i do believe this is the first time i will be spending a night (try 3!) away from Bodie O...i am having a hard hard time with this...i dont know if it would be better to leave before he wakes or let him see me go? i think it may be too hard to have him see me go...i dont want that image in my mama brain all weekend...this is a babymoon for Bryan and i and much much much mucho needed...and i think sitting in front of a beautiful lake talking to fishies is exactly what i need right now!

Fishin'

this is gunna make some TMAFI alums quite anxious for june to come...this is fishing at Intake II. quite possibly the ugliest lake up in the Bishop Creek area. i usually hate going to this lake and i dont believe i have ever caught anything there...its not a natural lake, which is why i probably don't like it so much.
due to the unusually long winter up in the Sierras, a lot of the lakes that would normally be open were still frozen over. (dont despair TMAFI-ers....the ice is melting approximately 1 inch per day, it should be fine for our arrival....lower than normal, but fine). anyway - due to those long winters this was one of the only lakes up there available to fish. i did have some luck, and so did bryan....and being the super cool, nice, rad, amazing mommy that i am....i even let bryson reel one of my fish in...should i mention here that i didnt do that last year and that bryan gives me a hard time about it still....i have matured bryan...look...here is proof....our son holding one of MY fish...i am so mature sometimes its hard to stand...

this picture is when we met the runners and bryson kept himself busy "fishing" the stream....i say it like that because i had put some dinky lure on his line so i didnt have to keep re-baiting for him....why is he in his pajamas you ask? well....i was so obsessed with following bodie around and making sure he didnt fall in the creek, when i looked over and saw poor bryson up to his neck...he was trying to jump across and fell a little short...all i had in my car was p.j.s...

and here is the little fisherman in a rare moment sitting. i am excited that he is so into fishing. it will be neat to bring the boys up every year and have them become familiar with the place so dear to my heart. my favorite part about fishing with bryson and my brother is that when i caught the second fish he went and showed my brother (who was not so lucky) and shouted, "uncle jake, look my mom caught another fish! do you want her to show you how?" if you know my brother....or have a big brother yourself....you will know how utterly, completely awesome that was.

BHS 20 Mile Fun Run

please don't get me wrong...i think being pregnant is just great...really...i do. its hard...sometimes it seems unbearable even...but the responsibility of creating another life is pretty life-altering amazing and i try not to take it for granted....especially since it is looking more and more like this may be the last pregnancy i experience...i am trying to love every minute of it...trying...not always succeeding...especially after a weekend like this.

we (my family, my brother, SIL and their family and my SIL's dad Rick and his wife Barb) went up to Bishop for the BHS 20 mile fun run. "FUN run?" you ask...and perhaps even repeat in a sarcastic tone...but yes, that is what it is called...i imagine because most of the runners running it are running it because they would rather be running in the 50K or 50 miler or perhaps the 100K but have some sort of an injury or just want to "take it easy" so they run the little 20 miler...

I think my SIL Mandie explained it best when she said how she looked around at the people wearing the 20 mile run bibs (those are the numbers you pin on yourself for the race people to note your time) and they all looked completely normal...then you look at the people in the 50 mile run bibs and they all look completely crazy. this is true. they are pretty nuts....we know this because of rick miller - mandie's dad. he and his wife have a love for ultra running. they are both so full of life and adventure and their spirit is contagious. so contagious that now we join them on their "fun runs". but he is a little crazy...i think you have to be certifiably in order to gear up for this run.

what is also pretty amazing to me about these ultra runners is that most are over 40 years old. they are so healthy...its pretty humbling to get your butt kicked in a run by a 60 year old...let me tell you...it happens a lot.

i am so very proud of these guys...my brother namely. he got into running not that long ago. actually it was on a bet...he had consumed a few beers at the time and bet that he could beat me in a half marathon. the bet was that the loser had to either clean or pay someone to clean the winner's house. i tried to explain to him that i had an advantage because i had done it before...he didnt think it would be hard. and we did run it - me and bryan, jake and mandie and my brother-in-law and sister all ran in the Orange County 1/2 marathon in 2006 i think. anyway - i totally kicked his butt and the little booger never paid his debt....but i think it started a little spark somehow and got him into running. then we were introduced to trail running and fell even more in love. now the guy is way ahead of me on the trails...i can barely keep up with him - unless i get him on a day when his knee is hurting, then watch out! but honestly, he is inspiring to me and i love that we all have a hobby/sport we enjoy together...if you would have told me growing up that we would be spending time together as adults doing this i would have peed my pants laughing in your face.

bryan took some pics of the run on the trail on his phone, which i will try to get my hands on and post because it will probably make you second guess your earlier sarcastic "fun run" commentary.

(just to explain the pics - we waited for the runners around the 17 mile mark and cheered them on - bodie occupied himself throwing rocks in the water for about 1 1/2 hours - the second pic is of mandie, bryan and jake around 17 miles, the third is bryan at the finish line with his boys...and the fourth is what we did after the run - some fishin at Intake II)

speaking of fishing...i think bryson has discovered a new passion...oh my goodness did he go nuts over fishing. i mean - it does have everything he loves - water, worms, dirt, smelly things...sticks galore...trees to climb...he had a blast and it was so much fun to take him out. although after re-baiting his hook and untangling his line for the 145th time i was silently thanking the Lord that we get to come back in a month sans kids and fish...i love this place - part of me is home there - i can't wait for next month....and next year....when i become a participant and not just a cheerleader :)

TMAFI 2009

we got back from our annual fishing trip on sunday. this was the first year we brought kids...besides hope and buddy and katlyn of course! and by we i mean a lot of us! 10 kids in all on this trip and over 20 adults! it was the best TMAFI turn-out and one of the most fun trips - albeit exhausting!

bryson hadn't been to TMAFI since he was 6 months old - my in-laws flew down to watch him the previous 2 years. this was bodie's first camping trip and both boys did great! bryson kept telling me every day, "mom this is great" and "can we go camping all the days?" when probed he will tell you his favorite part was roasting marshmallows. i think he also enjoyed everything else - skipping rocks in the creek with eric and asher, finding air soft pellets in the dirt, the campfire, fishing, sleeping in the tent. i was semi-shocked that he slept so well, especially considering friday night there were heavy rains and thunderstorms. he woke up only once each night and usually to go to the bathroom. he also talked in his sleep. one night he said, "NO! i picked the elephant one!" and one night he kept saying "Ice Age" after watching the movie in the johnson trailer! Bodie woke up after the first night with very wide eyes and his expression was one of "where the hay are we?" it was pretty funny i must say.

all the other kids were pros too - the parents i suppose more so. this campsite is hard without kids (no running water or flushable toilets) and you throw 7 kids under 4 years old in the mix and well...each parent should get a medal! speaking of medals - 2 newbies won this year - Scott Muckey and Tom Mason...i can't say i am not a little dissapointed...especially since the winning fish were not even over a pound! but bryan caught this 3.5 pound beauty! now beating my TMAFI record and slowly getting his fishing cred back!

having two kids there meant a different kind of experience. i did not take a single picture - which i regret in this case because i really wanted to get a shot of all the kids and babies! i also wanted a shot of all the TMAFI vests...most of all i missed being able to sit at the lakes and have nothing to do and worry only about my line and if i am using the right bait. i never really got a chance to do that, but it was worth having the kids there - even though it was frustrating at times i truly believe that if we start them out young they will just sort of expect it and not try to fight it...right? that's my theory anyway!

Bryan gave me a hard time because the first time we went out fishing i caught a fish and bryan told me to let bryson reel it in - "no way" i said..."he needs to learn to catch his own fish!" okay - maybe that was harsh...but bryan let him reel in his fish and people asked him if he caught it and he told them, "no - daddy did" - see! the kid knows...and i can't help but bring up a biblical lesson..."you teach the boy to fish...he eats for life" and speaking of which - he did eat trout! i asked him if he like the fish and he told me it wasn't fish, it was trout...whatever! he ate it!

the only time i had to sit and reflect and meditate was on sunday while tearing down camp - bodie fell asleep and bryan and i took turns holding him and sitting down looking out at the creek and meadow and mountains enjoying the beautiful weather and fresh air and God's handiwork. i already miss it...that area is so special to me - lake sabrina is especially one of my favorite places. speaking of which...i need to remember to book the site for next year! if you didnt make it this year - please join us for next!

...

camping readying

someone is ready for camping. bryson is so beyond excited to go to the mountains and do some fishin' and hikin' and smore's roastin'. he only asks me about 100 times a day when we are going. i suspect he will do the same thing when we are in the car as well...*sigh*

i was packing for bryson and happened upon a fishing vest that i believe someone gave him when he was 5 months old! now - at 3.5 he is going to wear it...random! he is pretty stoked on it since he was in the room with me the whole time i embroidered all the fishing vests for this year's trip. if i have time i just may embroider his too!

i ordered some more shirts and wanted to make bryson a camping shirt. i was inspired by linz and solera and picked up my hoop and embroidery thread again after swearing it off...and probably swearing a little in the process as well...detail is not my thing...but i liked the simplicity of how this shirt turned out i don't mind my lines being super neat or stitches matching on this little number...in fact...it may add to its charm - at least to bryson! and that is who matters since he will be wearing it! so - here we go! about to take bryson's first *real* camping trip and bodie's first *semi-real* trip as well! what i mean by real is the memory factor...and that bryson is now mobile and therefore more of a camping challenge. i can't wait to show him one of our favorite places in this world and hopefully impart some love for camping...because lets face it - he is going to be going whether he likes it or not...so hopefully he does! wish us luck!

anniversary fishing

this is late...but bryan and i celebrated 7 years on the 6th and used a sport fishing certificate. i had never been before and had wanted to, so i was very excited to spend the day with my favorite fishing buddy and enjoy a beautiful boat ride off of newport harbor. the experience was lovely. i am well aware that pretty soon before we know it our lives will become tumultuous once again, so it was lovely to have the day alone staring at the ocean in a contemplative state. it was almost too quiet - too much outside our norm. from the time bryson wakes up to the time he actually stops fighting sleep, he is a constant stream of words and noise. we adore the booger, but quiet is not a part of our lives. anyway, we first fished for barracuda, and i was quite happy not to catch any...they seem rather ugly and i hear they dont taste well to boot. after the barracuda we ended up fishing for bass - i caught a rockfish and bryan caught two striped sea bass. he then cooked me a fabulous anniversary dinner and we dined on shrimp and sea bass freshly caught and he also cooked up a sculpin that someone on the boat gave to him - which was also delicious! i am very fortunate to have such an amazing husband, who consequently is amazing looking and also an amazing cook to boot!