Trip to Cali- Part 3 (Sept. 21, 2014)

Wayne and Kathy wanted to see us again before we left, so Joshua and I decided to plan a time to see them before church in the morning. Esther's chruch doesn't start until 10:00 am their time, so we thought that we would have time to meet for breakfast before then. We had to get up early to make it on time. We were meeting them at 7:30 am. We also had to pack up since we would be heading to Norco after church. Some how we managed to get there on time. What we thought would be a small group ended up being a big group! There was Wayne and Kathy, Grandma Jean, Bobby and Janice, Daniel, David, and us. It was great being able to talk and get to know everyone better. Bill was going to come, but he twisted his ankle while bike riding so he stayed home. I didn't know Bobby and Janice very well, so it was the perfect time and I sat in the middle so I could visit with everyone. We had a great time and stayed there for about 2 hours! No one wanted to leave. It got close to the time and we waited until last minute to get to church. Daniel, David, Wanye, and Kathy were going to go to church with us. We said good-bye to everyone and headed to church. We arrived so late that we didn't get to sit together. I felt a little bad over that. Daniel and David sat with us during the service. After church we visited with family and friends, and it was really hard leaving because there was so many people who wanted to talk to us. We did eventually get going and said good-bye one more time to everyone and then left. It took us awhile to get to Norco (its about 45 mins away from Victorville) and we were running a little late. We got there around 12:30 pm. We finally got there and Mindy didn't come out. I was so disappointed because I really wanted to surprise Mindy about the car. We drove with the top up until we got clos to her house and then put it down before getting there. So we started towards the house and she came out. I pointed out the car and she could not believe it! She was so surprised! It was so nice to see everyone again. I changed my clothes and then we all sat down to eat. Brad was there with his girlfriend, Vanessa. She was really nice. I am glad he found someone like her. We also got to meet Jeremy, Mindy's new boyfriend. Sue and Jeff were there and it was great to see them too. We had sandwiches, veggies, and fruit. Everything tasted so good! We had a great time with them. Then we always have a great time with them. Jeremy listened mostly, didn't talk much, but that's okay because we did enough talking for everyone. After eating Brad and Vanessa left and we headed towards the big room and talked some more. It was hard again to leave to go to the airport. Our plane left at 4:00 pm. We kept putting it off. Sue took some pictures of us in our car and we headed on our way. It was nice that we didn't have to travel far to get to Ontario. We forgot to get gas before heading back in, so we had to go back out and get gas. We were worried about getting to our gate on time with all these stops and Joshua had to talk to the rental car place about the tire still.  So we brought the car back in and Joshua talked about the tire. They said that they would refund our money and we headed back to the airport . We took a shuttle back and since we knew what we were doing it didn't take us that long to get there and get through security, plus our gate was right there. Soon we were all loaded and heading to Phenix, AZ. We didn't have a long lay over there. So we got to our gate and I picked up some snacks for this trip because we didn't have time to eat before our plane took off again. Some where along the way we lost Joshua's travel pillow, so I bought him another one. It didn't take long before we were all boarded and flying again. I could not wait to get home because I didn't feel like I had dranken enough, even though they were lower in attitude. It must have been because they are dryer there. We made good time and got home about 8:00 pm our time. We didn't have to wait at the baggage claim, which was nice. But we did get turned around with trying to find our car. I ended up losing my travel pillow, oh well. We found the car and it was damp and drizzling outside. It was alot different than what we had in Cali. After paying and drving along, we decided to stop and get something to eat and some gas. We stopped at Wendy's and ate in the parking lot and then got some gas and went home. I was so tired; I could not wait to get home and to bed. It seemed to take forever to get home and it kept getting later and later. My mom called us to see where we were at. They stayed the night again because we were going to be so late getting home. We finally got home, brought in our bags, and went to sleep. It was 12:00 am when we finally went to sleep, but were glad to be home.

Amy and Mindy at Paterson's house:

 Mindy and Jeremy:

 Joshua and Amy:

 In our rented mustange:

Trip to Cali- Part 2 (Sept. 20, 2014)

The next day, we slept in until 8 am. It was really nice being able to sleep that late without kids waking us up. We got dressed and went down to eat breakfast. We were not in a hurry to get to Wendy's house because she had a late night and would not be getting up early. As much as we missed the kids, it was nice not having to rush to get things done and to be able to sleep in. After eating we went back upstairs and got ready for the rest of our day. I took a shower, then made sure I had everything needed for the day since we probably would not be coming back to the hotel. We headed towards Walmart again to pick up a few things for Chirstopher's and Isaiah's birthday party and a few other things we forgot. Then Joshua wanted to go to the Barstow Mall to see if his old karate teacher was still there. After looking around for awhile, we found him. Joshua had so much fun catching up with him. The guy was real friendly and showed Joshua that he still had his sword that Joshua fixed the handle on. I took some pictures of them together and then I made Joshua practiced some of his moves that he had learned. Of course I took a video. Joshua did rather well and I think it will make a great memory for him. On our way out, we passed someone that had run out of gas and was asking for help. So Joshua and a few other people went to help them out. By the time we reached Wendy's house, it was almost lunch time. Cathy and her new boyfriend were there. Joshua got to meet him and would have liked him if he was not dating his mom. Soon after Bill, David, and Daniel arrived at the house. You could tell that Bill was uncomfortable, which can you blame him? I was busy talking to Wendy that I didn't notice, but Joshua did and came over and said that he was going to take his dad out of the house. I was so proud of him for thinking of it himself! I told him that I would be fine and that I thought it was a great idea. Cathy and her new boyfriend left soon after that. Then Cathy came back in and was showing Wendy some engagment rings. I was sitting by Wendy, so I could not help but notice, plus she was not trying to hide it from me. I was so surprised. I had not heard about her being engaged. So I asked her and she said yes. I knew that I had to tell Joshua. After Cathy left again, Daniel came over and sat with us and was talking with us. It was getting around time to go to the party if Wendy was up to it. Joshua and I had offered yesterday to either take the kids or help get her to the party if she was up to it. Wendy wanted to go and was not in as much pain as she was that morning. So I called Joshua about the party and about getting up something to eat. We were leaving late to the party, but better late than never. Daniel, Bill, David, and Joseph left earlier so that they could head by Aaron's gym. Wendy wanted to be able to talk to me more, so I drove her car. Joshua took J.B. and Rebekah in the mustange. Can you believe it? I drove on the freeway in Barstow! She really wanted me to drive her, so I did it. It seemed to take a long time to get to Esther's house, but we made it without any problems. I helped get the kids in and J.B. helped Wendy get in. There were alot of people there, family and church friends. I didn't really know anyone outside the family. Cathy was there for awhile, then left to be with her boyfriend. I sat down to talk to Grandma Jean for awhile and then decided to see if I could help Esther out. I decided that I could just sit there and not talk to anyone or I could see what I could do to help Esther out. At first she said everything was fine, then I asked her if I could take pictures for her. I had to take pictures on her cell phone beacuse I had forgotten my camera at Wendy's house. I was so disappointed. So I busied myself taking pictures, helping clean up from the pinata, helping serve the cake and ice cream, and then cleaning up after the party. I did have fun because the people from Esther's church are very nice, so helping was not a total waste of time. It was starting to get late and we wanted to see the ranch that Bobby and Janice had before we left. We said good-bye to everyone before we left because we would be going to church with the DeKeyrels and then heading to Norco before our plane took off. I rode with Grandma so that I could have some extra time with her. Bill rode with Joshua and Daniel and David followed us. It was nice having that time with Grandma; we talked alot. The sun was starting to set as we got there. The ranch is just beautiful. They have horses, a cow, chickens, and a rooster. Grandma had fun driving me around showing me the place. We didn't get to see Bobby and Janice because they were at a meeting held at their house. We didn't go in the house, but what we did see was amazing. They had a zip line set up at their house and Joshua and Daniel went on it. It looked like fun, but was alittle too wild for me. It was getting dark so we decided to head back to the hotel. We ended up loosing sight of Bill, Daniel, and David so we just followed Grandma a certain time and then took off. We ended up passing them. Joshua and I felt bad for not bringing Wendy home, but as it turned out they ended up staying for dinner at the Dekeyrels. So it all worked out. I wanted to get my camera tonight because we were going to be getting up early to get ready for church and we were meeting some of his family for breakfast. I didn't see any time to go by there to get it and I didn't want to wake up Wendy if she was resting. So Bill came over and opened up the house so that I could get my camera. Then we all said good-night, for we were seeing them in the morning, and went our seperate ways. Joshua and I went in In-n-out Burger to eat dinner. The food was okay. Then we headed back to our hotel and go in the jacuzzi tub in our room and just relaxed. It was really nice to sit there and relax. Soon after we went to bed because we were going to have to get up early tomorrow.
Joshua and his old karate instructor:

 Bill and Amy:

 David, Grandma Jean, and Joshua:

 David, Grandma Jean, Daniel, and Joshua:

Horse corral at ranch:

 Kids' play castle:

 After riding the zip line:

 

 

Trip to Cali- Part 1 (Sept. 19, 2014)

Joshua and I decided to make an unexpected trip to California. We knew in the back of our minds that we probably would need to before long depending on how Wendy was doing. Joshua has been in contact with his parents and they said that it probably would be better to go out now. Wendy's liver is failing and is functioning around 50%. Her eyes are yellowing and she is also forgetting things. We were going to go around the 26th, but we decided to go on the 19th and stay the weekend. It was expensive, but I am glad that we decided to go. The cool thing was that Joshua's brother, Daniel, was also flying out for the weekend. Joshua has not seen him for 4 years. We left Denver, Colorado at 8:00 am. So we had to get up really early so that we could beat the traffic and get there before our flights. It was dark and cold as we headed towards Denver. Somehow we always manage to get there just before our flight, even when we try to get there two hours before. We had a hard time finding a parking spot and then getting in the airport. Then we had to print up our tickets and find our gate. I was getting hungry because I didn't eat before we left (who would want to eat breakfast at 4 in the morning!), so we decided to eat there at the airport. We made it to the gate on time and had tiime to eat before getting on the plane. Joshua and I were able to sit together and we sat by a Chinese couple that Joshua started talking to while we were waiting to board. I think that it was ordained by God because the guy was brought up Christian, but didn't have any religion. They talked about many religious topics and the guy was open to talking about anything. I was so tired, but could not go to sleep. So I just read my book. The trip took about 1 hour and 20 mins to get to Phenix, Arizona. We didn't have that much of a lay over, so we rushed to the next gate, which was not that close. While passing we bought some travel pillows to use on our next flight. We boarded again and this time Joshua sat in front of me and I sat one row behind. I was nervous at first, but the two guys that sat on either side of me were friendly and willing to help me, so I felt pretty good. I used my pillow and was fast asleep the whole flight, which was about an hour. When we landed it was smoggy, hot, and plain yucky. I am so glad that we left! Since we had 3 bags as carry ons, we didn't have to wait for the baggage claims. So we took a shuttle to the car rental place. They were low on cars and it took awhile for Joshua to get done at the rental place. We walked out to the rental lot and were walking towards a mid-size car. We pasted 2 mustanges and I was teasing Joshua by saying, "We don't have the kids; We should have gotten the mustange." I was carrying on so that the lady turned around and said you want the mustange? I give it to you." So we got the mustange on the price for the mid-size! You should have seen us, we were so excited! We decided on the mustange with the convertable top. We could not wait to get on the road in our car! So we headed towards the exit and down the street when Joshua heard a thump sounds. So we headed back and found out that there was a screw in the tire. We went around and around with the rental company. We had to call the road side assistance and even had to pay for the tire to be fixed. Joshua was not happy and it kept getting later and later and so that made both of us not happy. We landed at 12pm and we didn't leave Ontario until 3pm. We had not eaten anything since about 7am and the whole deal with the tire didn't set well with us, especially since it was not our fault. So we went to the tire place and ate at a restraunt near by while they fixed the tire. We were feeling better after we ate and drank some water. We were on our way about 3:30pm. While driving, we hit some traffic, but nothing that bad. Joshua's parents kept calling us to see where we were, and we had hoped to get there and visit before the big gathering tonight. It looked like we would only have time to stop by Walmart real fast, take a quick shower, and then head over. I felt like a mess and wanted a shower before seeing everyone. So we made the quick stops and took a quick shower, got ready, and headed over. We drove with the top down and were so excited to get there because we knew that everyone would be excited. And they were, as some of the family was getting there as we were. I went in right away and Joshua talked to the people outside. I had brought an angel called "Courage" from Willow Tree and a necklace that said "Someone Special" on it. I think Wendy liked it alot. There was alot of people there: John, Catherine, and their girls; Grandma Jean; Wayne and Kathy; Bobby and Janice; Bill; Cathy; Deborah and her boyfriend; Daniel; David; Chris, Esther, and their boys; and Angelina. It was alot of fun with all the family there. I hung around Grandma, Aunt Kathy, and Bill. They took pictures of all the kids together and everyone seem to have a great time. Joshua wrestled with David and David over took Joshua and almost caused him to pass out! Great times (not)! I encouraged Joshua to take Daniel, David, and Angelina out for a car ride. They had alot of fun and Joshua had fun going 100 miles an hour down the street! Then I encouraged him to take his dad out and they had fun. Wendy was getting tired so we all left around 9pm. We headed back to the hotel and rested before going to bed.

Amy and Grandma Jean at Wendy's house:

J.B. and Wendy:

Jermey, J.B., and Joseph:

Isaiah DeKeyrel:

Deborah and Esther:

Isaiah DeKeyrel:

David and Joshua:

Joshua and David:

Joshua and his mom:

Bill and Amy:

Chris and Esther DeKeyrel:

Wendy and Angelina:

Joshua and Wendy:

Christopher DeKeyrel Jr.:

Joshua and his dad after a ride in the mustange:

 

Back (Left to Right): Angelina, Catherine, Daniel, Wendy, Esther, Deborah

Front (Left to Right): David and Joshua

 

 

Flowers From Joshua

Aren't these flowers GORGEOUS!!! He has such great taste in flowers!

Auntie Mindy- Part 3

On May 26, the weather was so nice that we all decided to head to the park. This was the last day that Auntie Mindy would be with us. We were so happy to see her and sad to see her go. We were suppose to go to a graduation party for Andrew before they left, but Sue (Mindy's mom) ended up getting sick :(. So they left soon after. We miss you, Auntie Mindy!