It's always sunny...at the Garmon residence

Abel stayed with us for about two weeks.  The first week was occupied with Gillian's birthday, lots of sightseeing around the area, and eating delicious homemade dinners.  The second week was a bit busy since the older kids were attending basketball camp all morning, and Charlton was continuing with his swimming lessons.  Abel was sweet enough to be part of the kids' lives by accompanying me to the drop-offs and pick-ups and sometimes watching their games.  Not wanting to waste time, we would stop by Chick-fil-A or In N' Out for lunch and then continue on with our activities and sightseeing.

Here are the kids running miles at a time at running club, playing basketball, swimming, and having a great time with their uncle.

Running club started great, but we were too busy to attend all of the times.  In the end Charlton was the most consistent one with ten miles under his belt, compared to last year when Jefferson broke the record with a total of 45 miles throughout 8 Mondays.  Better attendance next year!

 

 

 

 

 

One of my kids' favorite activities with uncle Abe was swimming at Crown Beach in Alameda with nobody around, and then following it up with a drive-in movie.  We took out some Little Caesar's pizza, popcorn, and candy, and fixed our car comfortably for all of us to sit down and enjoy the night.  Despicable Me 2 was the best addition to our day.

The beach was a bit cold for Gillian and I.  We both had blankets wrapped around us.  The boys, however, were of a different opinion.  James kept drawing mustachioed Mexicans on the beach, and Abel and Jefferson swam further and further till I couldn't see them very well.  I had to send Gillian waving her blanket to them so they could come back.  Knowing Jefferson, he would have probably wanted to swim till they reached the other side of the marina, something that I wasn't prepared for him to do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before Abel left, we celebrated Elijah's birthday with some yummy taco salad and a three-tier cake.  My sweet husband turned 36!  As always, he didn't want much fanfare on his birthday, just plain good food, tasty cake, and his family around him. How differently he and I see birthday parties!

His boss at work surprised him with an all-edible, beehive-shaped birthday cake.  Elijah had taken some of our own honey to work and they all had loved it, especially his boss.  So it was quite appropriate to celebrate Elijah's hard work and friendship with this particular cake.

After Abel left, we decided the coming week was going to be way more relaxed than the previous two.  And we started our quiet week by washing 6 loads of sheets, towels, and blankets used on various occasions throughout our vacation with Abel.  After that was done, the kids and I washed 6 other loads of dirty laundry with baskets full out of each room.  Folding them was quite a feat!

 

After the laundry came cleaning the house.  Even Charlton pitched in with the chores.  He actually demanded that he be provided with a list just like his siblings.

 

After those duties were performed, we set out to enjoy the rest of the week doing nothing.  Well, almost nothing.  We harvested the garden, enjoyed play dates, jumped on the trampoline or snuggled with mom after jumping, worked crossword puzzles, made homemade popcorn, read a bunch of biographies and other interesting books, and just napped.  

 

 

 

  

 

  

 

 

 

"The mountains are calling, and I must go." - John Muir

 One early afternoon, after the kids were done with their running club, swimming, basketball, and chores, we felt we needed some nature relaxation, and what better way than to go and breath the fresh air of Muir Woods. This was Abel's sanctuary. You have to understand that Abel grew up in acres of gorgeous greenery. What made Muir Woods an even more special experience for him was the lack of humidity.  Alas, Georgia is beautiful but humidity makes it hard to enjoy it.  Just walking and hiking through the woods under a perfect climate calmed your spirits and pumped energy into your blood.

 

 

Charlton had donned his superhero masked all day, since 9:30 in the morning.  He kept it as he ran his miles in his running club; he kept when he had to pick up his siblings from basketball, and although he had to take it off for swimming, he made sure he brought it with him and was able to put it on right after.  We were so glad we had a super hero with us since we truly stayed in the woods till it got dark.

Throughout the hike, the kids played with their uncle.  They loved hiding behind trees, getting into holes that looked scary, and best of all trying to see who can strike the best picture.  My favorite part of taking pictures was seeing the kids laugh with their uncle, especially at Abel's idea of popping out of unexpected places.  As we looked through some of those pictures, Abel proposed that we call that particular series "Where is Waldo (Abel)?"

 

 We could have stayed there all day and night, but we got hungry so we headed home.  The voyage through the mountains covered in fog was so beautiful that I have no doubt a piece of my heart stayed behind as we left.  I made sure we returned on the route that took us through the Golden Gate Bridge, something Abel wanted to do before he left. There is such beauty in this world!  God is so merciful to have made this stunning world for us, as well as has allowed us to be creative and build magnanimous edifices with imposing architecture.  The best part of it all is when nature and human creativity are combined into something unforgettable.