Ok, waaaayyy too long without writing anything to remember some big events in the Parry household, so I'm going back to last October and remembering our favorite moments of picking up our missionary Cody, who served in the LDS Costa Rica San Jose Mission :)
1. Ok, here's a toughie, not. It's seeing Cody for the 1st time in two years at a sketchy bus station in the middle of San Jose. He was in a small town and said the bus ride in would take "2 to 4 hours depending on mudslides and stuff." Luckily, delays were few and he made it into the city pretty quickly. My first impression was, tall and SKINNY! Eating a steady diet of rice and beans, then walking for many hours every day, took some weight off him. But his smile was the same, and we had an awesome reunion!
2. Firsts for Elder Cody. He was most excited to have his first hot shower in years and loved a comfortable hotel bed. And it was fun to hear him try to remember English again. He had only worked with one English-speaking companion during his two years there. "What do you say--when someone sneeze?" "How do you say . . . .?" It was a half-Spanish half-English combination spoken in a quiet, soft tone for a few days.
3. Going to Guacimo. We drove to a small town in northern Costa Rica where Cody served for 6 months. We were able to visit with many people he worked with and even baptized. Ok, the ride there wasn't a favorite moment. We got delayed by rainy mudslides in the mountain area. But once we made it, just like in the US, kids would come running! "Elder Parry!! Otinorinco!" (Parry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb). They'd call their friends who would also come running, and it made for fun reunions. One teenage boy probably summed it up well when he said, "The missionaries since you leave not as fun." Cody and his companions had set up church soccer games and activities :) One lady asked him to give her reading assignments. We even saw and were able to thank his "other grandma" who took care of him when he had dengue fever. "He lay on this floor for over a week." Things I learned: people love missionaries who've connected with them. People love their tvs (most homes had them on and loud the entire time we all visited). Also, the pre-tech days are long gone. At the first humble home we visited, a young boy pulled out an ipad, asked our address, went on Google Earth, and showed us our home. He even practiced his English and said, "nice house."
4. Going to the Mission President's Home for a last meeting. 20 missionaries were being released the next day, and President and Sister Wilkinson graciously invited us to join them for a final meal and meeting together. We learned that they still have young children at home, all of whom were doing homework and then practicing music when we arrived, so we learned that Sister Wilkinson had her hands full with family things. She served an American feast, smiled a lot, and reminded me of Mrs. Santa Claus. President Wilkinson gave Cody one of the best compliments we have ever heard when he said Cody was "one of the most Christlike missionaries" he had ever met. He could trust him anywhere, anytime, and with anyone. Most of what else was said, including testimonies of all the finishing missionaries, was in espagnol, so I got a headache trying to understand, with my background in gringo English and some French.
5. Traveling with Brent and Brenda Mangus. They have been to Costa Rica over 40 times, mostly with US Olympic Development Program soccer teams, and they led us around like true pros! We knew that Cody wouldn't be released from his mission and be able to do water activities, etc., so before we picked him up, we went with Brent and Brenda on a fun rafting adventure (got stuck on a rock and had to each swim at one point).
6. Enjoying the Arenal volcano-warmed water park with pools of varying temperatures and some pitch black and crazy water slides, plus a nice buffet meal.
7. Hiking to a beautiful rainforest waterfall and really enjoying all the green, green, green vegetation.
8.Hiking with Cody in Manuel Antonio National Park--seeing beautiful rocky and white sand beaches plus all kinds of animals, ending with an active family of monkeys!
9. The Marriott Los Suenos resort. We enjoyed the nice pool, good restaurants, and workout room comparable to a hotel stay in Hawaii for a fraction of the cost.
10. The waterfalls, scenery, and animals in La Paz Nature Park near the top of the Poas volcano. Loved the jungle cats and colorful birds, didn't especially love the snakes :) The employees charged us for two people and said our "tour guide" was free because Cody was wearing his (now old) white shirt, tie, and missionary name tag. It was his last freebie as a missionary . . . before we flew home and loved the neighborhood greetings at our little airport late at night.
(The bottom ten list would definitely include driving in Costa Rica. Adventures in crazy car rental, mudslides, rain, mountains, curves, impossibly short exit and entrance ramps, and people walking along the freeways day and night).
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Top 10's from Lake Powell
When I was growing up, every year my family borrowed our grandpa's boat, cleaned out all gross remains from his fishing trips, filled it with water skis and lovely and extremely uncomfortable orange life jackets instead, and left for Lake Powell on the last day of school. As I got older, we progressed from camper stays to the AIR CONDITIONED (yeah!) early motel there, then to a houseboat, and life on the Lake got sweeter. My husband and I lived in Philadelphia for 4 years and St. Louis for 5 more, so we had little time for Lake Powell runs, but then we made our way back to Utah. And now with our own family, Lake Powell trips have become a Parry tradition. It's hard to choose just 10 favorite reasons we love it, but I'll try.
1. The night sky. Best star viewing of almost anywhere I've been. Ever.
2. Boating on blue water surrounded by staggeringly beautiful red cliffs. (The scenery is in plenty of movies. We've spotted Lake Powell as "Mars" in John Carter and its area in "Texas" in The Lone Ranger.
3. Water skiing. I'm from the old school, before wake boarding was even invented :). Early mornings and late evenings on Lake Powell we can still generally find a nook or canyon with perfectly smooth ski water. Ahhh. 4. Cliff jumping. Actually we like jumping off the houseboat too.
5. Mid-day movies. When the sun is hot overhead, we tend to take a break inside. How spoiled we've become :)
6. Food. We usually invite people who come with tasty meals and treats to feed an army.
7. Jumping in the lake and not getting cold. Compared to those northern Utah mountain lakes, well, 80 degree water is just perfect.
8. The kids. Every year the wake boarding tricks and flips get more impressive, the rope burns from tube wars get a little scarier, and new competitions such as best falls on the wake skate impress.
9. Hiking around the area. People come from around the world to see the red rock formations, and hidden coves and canyons, even petroglyphs and other ancient finds, are treasures.
10. Time together with family and great friends. My older kids plan to come home when they hear it's Lake Powell time, and they spend days thinking of famous but easily forgotten names to win at the fabled "Name Game."
1. The night sky. Best star viewing of almost anywhere I've been. Ever.
2. Boating on blue water surrounded by staggeringly beautiful red cliffs. (The scenery is in plenty of movies. We've spotted Lake Powell as "Mars" in John Carter and its area in "Texas" in The Lone Ranger.
3. Water skiing. I'm from the old school, before wake boarding was even invented :). Early mornings and late evenings on Lake Powell we can still generally find a nook or canyon with perfectly smooth ski water. Ahhh. 4. Cliff jumping. Actually we like jumping off the houseboat too.
5. Mid-day movies. When the sun is hot overhead, we tend to take a break inside. How spoiled we've become :)
6. Food. We usually invite people who come with tasty meals and treats to feed an army.
7. Jumping in the lake and not getting cold. Compared to those northern Utah mountain lakes, well, 80 degree water is just perfect.
8. The kids. Every year the wake boarding tricks and flips get more impressive, the rope burns from tube wars get a little scarier, and new competitions such as best falls on the wake skate impress.
9. Hiking around the area. People come from around the world to see the red rock formations, and hidden coves and canyons, even petroglyphs and other ancient finds, are treasures.
10. Time together with family and great friends. My older kids plan to come home when they hear it's Lake Powell time, and they spend days thinking of famous but easily forgotten names to win at the fabled "Name Game."
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Top 10's of Favorite Daughter Ashley
Happy Birthday to our favorite (and only) daughter Ashley! She's a doll and a great friend, and it's her first birthday on which she gets to wake up and go to work :). Party on! (Or, some parts of growing up aren't all that much fun, but it's life.) Some of my best memories with Ash--
1. Our mother-daughter cruise with Tracy and Lexie Parry. We might have set a Princess Cruise Line Record for movie viewing by the pool. We also might have set a record for sampling desserts, but having seen some people on cruises I might be overstating a bit there. We also enjoyed snorkeling with sea rays, beach time, dance time, sudoku (her) crossword puzzle (me) time, and and talk time.
2. Graduation trip to Africa. Quite a wild experience! Beautiful Capetown and safari adventures including being in the middle of a lion hunt (one lioness was an arm's length behind us, as we froze on the back row of the Land Rover). Up close and personal with hippos, rhinos, zebras, giraffes, elephants, you name it. We even had a glass enclosed exercise room and saw monkeys and beautifully colored birds while running on the treadmill.
3. "Groupie" touring with Ashley when she was chosen to represent the US on a softball trip to Italy. From Venice to Rome to Milan, we saw wonderful towns and wonderful sites. Also, she played great and shortstop and at the plate, capping off the end of her college softball years. Too bad she was on a sugar strike and didn't try the gelato at every stop with us though.
4. "Groupie" visiting Hawaii to watch Ashley play softball for four college years and for her and Lyndon's college graduation! Awesome accomplishments! We also got to meet her on Thanksgiving weekends in Hawaii. Waves, beaches, pools, hammocks, waterfalls, flowers . . . Hawaii really is a paradise.
5. Preschool and kindergarten moments. A headstrong and precocious girl, she provided some most entertaining scenes on both sides of the spectrum. On any given day she may insist she was a horse or be the ideal student. I didn't know if I would hear a bit of neighing or quotations like, "May I please have some beets," or, "Mrs. Schulte, someone is breaking a safety rule."
6. Her preschool dance performances with numbers (and cute costumes) from "The Lion King" to "Achy Breaky Heart" to "Les Miserables." She moved on from dance and through lots of violin years, often performing her best right in programs and competitions.
7. Horse lessons and rodeo/gymkhana competitions. Ashley became quite an accomplished rider and still claims she will buy a horse before she buys a car.
8. Soccer games. Watching her sprint past other players to get the ball. She and Ashley Timo as forwards at Snow Canyon were an unbeatable team.
9. Being together. When she visits, we tend to do everything together, from working out to eating out to going out. Otherwise, we have to settle for texts and emails.
10. Watching our awesome daughter get married to awesome Lyndon. Our family day at Disneyland and family beach day, complete with cheesy skits, were fun and adventurous. Then a beautiful ceremony in the Newport Beach LDS Temple couldn't ever be topped.
1. Our mother-daughter cruise with Tracy and Lexie Parry. We might have set a Princess Cruise Line Record for movie viewing by the pool. We also might have set a record for sampling desserts, but having seen some people on cruises I might be overstating a bit there. We also enjoyed snorkeling with sea rays, beach time, dance time, sudoku (her) crossword puzzle (me) time, and and talk time.
2. Graduation trip to Africa. Quite a wild experience! Beautiful Capetown and safari adventures including being in the middle of a lion hunt (one lioness was an arm's length behind us, as we froze on the back row of the Land Rover). Up close and personal with hippos, rhinos, zebras, giraffes, elephants, you name it. We even had a glass enclosed exercise room and saw monkeys and beautifully colored birds while running on the treadmill.
3. "Groupie" touring with Ashley when she was chosen to represent the US on a softball trip to Italy. From Venice to Rome to Milan, we saw wonderful towns and wonderful sites. Also, she played great and shortstop and at the plate, capping off the end of her college softball years. Too bad she was on a sugar strike and didn't try the gelato at every stop with us though.
4. "Groupie" visiting Hawaii to watch Ashley play softball for four college years and for her and Lyndon's college graduation! Awesome accomplishments! We also got to meet her on Thanksgiving weekends in Hawaii. Waves, beaches, pools, hammocks, waterfalls, flowers . . . Hawaii really is a paradise.
5. Preschool and kindergarten moments. A headstrong and precocious girl, she provided some most entertaining scenes on both sides of the spectrum. On any given day she may insist she was a horse or be the ideal student. I didn't know if I would hear a bit of neighing or quotations like, "May I please have some beets," or, "Mrs. Schulte, someone is breaking a safety rule."
6. Her preschool dance performances with numbers (and cute costumes) from "The Lion King" to "Achy Breaky Heart" to "Les Miserables." She moved on from dance and through lots of violin years, often performing her best right in programs and competitions.
7. Horse lessons and rodeo/gymkhana competitions. Ashley became quite an accomplished rider and still claims she will buy a horse before she buys a car.
8. Soccer games. Watching her sprint past other players to get the ball. She and Ashley Timo as forwards at Snow Canyon were an unbeatable team.
9. Being together. When she visits, we tend to do everything together, from working out to eating out to going out. Otherwise, we have to settle for texts and emails.
10. Watching our awesome daughter get married to awesome Lyndon. Our family day at Disneyland and family beach day, complete with cheesy skits, were fun and adventurous. Then a beautiful ceremony in the Newport Beach LDS Temple couldn't ever be topped.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Top 10's with Connor in 2014
This has been a great and exciting year for Connor, our third child, and I thought I'd record some of the best memories surrounding him as he leaves to be a missionary for the next two years . . .
1. State Rugby Championship. Senior Year, and he was Team Captain, helping with team strategy on the pitch as our player #10. Two heart-palpitating, nail-biting games in the semi finals against Olympus and the finals against East High School, and Snow Canyon pulled out the win :). Our local newspaper called it a "Dynasty in the Desert." We're a small team physically, but we're well coached and play with a lot of heart.
2. Mission Call to Iquitos, Peru. Connor and his friend Warner Rigby received mission calls the same day and opened them together, with lots of friends at our house (Warner's was to Honduras). Connor was hoping for a German-speaking mission, after taking three years of it in school, but, hey, Spanish is the new challenge :) Actually, a couple of years ago a friend their age drowned while at Scout Camp, which made Connor and a bunch of his friends think seriously. They decided that their friend, K.J. Harrison, was needed on a mission in Heaven, and they signed a pact that the rest of them would be worthy and serve missions when they were old enough. A youtube video of Snow Canyon Class of 2014 Missionaries shows all of these friends fulfilling their promises, and they are now going all around the world sharing the message of Jesus Christ.
3. Graduation trip to New Zealand. What a great group of boys (20 from Snow Canyon), a great group of coaches, a great group of relatives and friends who hosted us, and great rugby too.
4. High School Graduation. Wahoo! Connor received High Honors and received an award from the school Principal, Warren Brooks, for "Outstanding Young Man." He was accepted to BYU (go Cougars!) and plans to play rugby there after his mission. Both sets of grandparents were able to come and share in the happy event.
5. 18th birthday--and the Parry Sky Dive! We now have 3 crazy children who have chosen to go Sky Diving when they were old enough. Connor went the day before he left for Peru and loved his experience with SkyDive Zion, overlooking beautiful Zion National Park. 20 minute ascent, barrel roll take off, and a safe landing made for a fun and memorable day.
6. Connor landing wakeboarding back flips. Wahoo :)
7. Connor, Dylan, and Wyatt all playing together. Our youngest sons were able to play at the same time for a few minutes on the rugby pitch in New Zealand, played together on our Ward Basketball Team, and played against each other in the friendly end-of-year Snow Canyon barefoot rugby match. Fun memories to see them all back each other up, or hit each other down and then help each other up . . .
8. Mission Farewell weekend. We enjoyed gathering with family and friends and hearing Connor bear his testimony and give an excellent talk. Connor has a nice spirit about him. His farewell happened to be on Father's Day, and he chose to use examples of how his dad and two grandpas help others. He also recognized his younger brother Dylan as a "never give up" kind of guy--the time he was recovering from an appendectomy, took a mountain bike spill which resulted in head staples and road rash over much of his body, then suffered a broken nose (yes, it was sideways until his doctor dad pushed it into place) yet ran right back into a rugby game.
9. Small moments together. Shopping for mission clothes. Eating at In and Out Burger and Honolulu Grill. Yucky mounds of vaccinations before going to South America. Singing in the Hummer (and being chauffeured; I don't much like driving but all my kids do)!
10. Mission Setting Apart and saying Good-bye at the St. George Airport. Actually I like getting weekly emails better than saying good-bye, but he's off to Peru and sounds excited to be there.
1. State Rugby Championship. Senior Year, and he was Team Captain, helping with team strategy on the pitch as our player #10. Two heart-palpitating, nail-biting games in the semi finals against Olympus and the finals against East High School, and Snow Canyon pulled out the win :). Our local newspaper called it a "Dynasty in the Desert." We're a small team physically, but we're well coached and play with a lot of heart.
2. Mission Call to Iquitos, Peru. Connor and his friend Warner Rigby received mission calls the same day and opened them together, with lots of friends at our house (Warner's was to Honduras). Connor was hoping for a German-speaking mission, after taking three years of it in school, but, hey, Spanish is the new challenge :) Actually, a couple of years ago a friend their age drowned while at Scout Camp, which made Connor and a bunch of his friends think seriously. They decided that their friend, K.J. Harrison, was needed on a mission in Heaven, and they signed a pact that the rest of them would be worthy and serve missions when they were old enough. A youtube video of Snow Canyon Class of 2014 Missionaries shows all of these friends fulfilling their promises, and they are now going all around the world sharing the message of Jesus Christ.
3. Graduation trip to New Zealand. What a great group of boys (20 from Snow Canyon), a great group of coaches, a great group of relatives and friends who hosted us, and great rugby too.
4. High School Graduation. Wahoo! Connor received High Honors and received an award from the school Principal, Warren Brooks, for "Outstanding Young Man." He was accepted to BYU (go Cougars!) and plans to play rugby there after his mission. Both sets of grandparents were able to come and share in the happy event.
5. 18th birthday--and the Parry Sky Dive! We now have 3 crazy children who have chosen to go Sky Diving when they were old enough. Connor went the day before he left for Peru and loved his experience with SkyDive Zion, overlooking beautiful Zion National Park. 20 minute ascent, barrel roll take off, and a safe landing made for a fun and memorable day.
6. Connor landing wakeboarding back flips. Wahoo :)
7. Connor, Dylan, and Wyatt all playing together. Our youngest sons were able to play at the same time for a few minutes on the rugby pitch in New Zealand, played together on our Ward Basketball Team, and played against each other in the friendly end-of-year Snow Canyon barefoot rugby match. Fun memories to see them all back each other up, or hit each other down and then help each other up . . .
8. Mission Farewell weekend. We enjoyed gathering with family and friends and hearing Connor bear his testimony and give an excellent talk. Connor has a nice spirit about him. His farewell happened to be on Father's Day, and he chose to use examples of how his dad and two grandpas help others. He also recognized his younger brother Dylan as a "never give up" kind of guy--the time he was recovering from an appendectomy, took a mountain bike spill which resulted in head staples and road rash over much of his body, then suffered a broken nose (yes, it was sideways until his doctor dad pushed it into place) yet ran right back into a rugby game.
9. Small moments together. Shopping for mission clothes. Eating at In and Out Burger and Honolulu Grill. Yucky mounds of vaccinations before going to South America. Singing in the Hummer (and being chauffeured; I don't much like driving but all my kids do)!
10. Mission Setting Apart and saying Good-bye at the St. George Airport. Actually I like getting weekly emails better than saying good-bye, but he's off to Peru and sounds excited to be there.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Top 10's from New Zealand
After years of planning and a great rugby season, we were able to travel to New Zealand with the Snow Canyon High School Rugby Club. The experience was rugby filled, and the country was gorgeous, green, hilly, chilly (Southern Hemisphere, so winter during our summer), sheepy (made that one up), Lord of the Rings Hobbity (that one too), and kia ora welcoming. We were especially lucky because our youngest three sons were all able to travel and even play. Connor had just graduated from high school (awesome kid, High Honors Graduate, Captain of the State Championship Rugby Team . . . I know, it's bragging, but hey), and we were able to experience one great trip together before he leaves for an LDS mission to Peru. The one thing I want to forget is the jet lag (it's 3 or 4 am and I'm wide awake, for the third night in a row). But other than that, some of the highlights I want to always remember are below:
1. Being welcomed into the Maori culture. Our head coach, Michael Pururi, was born in New Zealand and has many relatives who actually welcomed us as family. Coach Steve Howard also lived in New Zealand for eight years, and his friends and former neighbors kindly hosted boys as well. The boys were able to stay in two different maraes, and we enjoyed traditional welcome ceremonies, singing, and massive and delicious meals. I have traveled many places but never experienced this level of cultural sharing before.
2. Going to the New Zealand LDS temple where Coach Pururi was able to perform baptisms for all 23 team members who traveled with us. Rare, spiritual, and amazing. The adults were able to attend an early temple session and then observe. We learned that Coach P's parents met while both were on "temple building missions" in that exact place, his mother from Samoa, and his father from New Zealand. We also were privileged to meet the Temple President, Sid Going, a former All Black (New Zealand's World Championship All Star Rugby Team) who refused to play on Sundays and influenced the team to play on Saturdays (which they still do, decades later).
3. Seeing "Hobbiton," where outside scenes from both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies were filmed. It was as gorgeous as it appears on the big screen! 44 Hobbit structures remain, and the area is set up for Bilbo Baggin's Eleventy First Birthday Bash. The details were fun (fake $1.5 million tree over Bilbo's home with 280,000 leaves, each wired on, then repainted and rewired per Peter Jackson's specific directive). We got to eat in the Golden Dragon and see the 12,000 sheep on the actual property (who weren't "pretty" enough, so different breeds were brought in during filming. Seriously, sheep extras).
Makes us want to watch a Hobbit-based movie marathon!
4. Rugby. We attended a fun professional game, three Junior World Championship Games, and played against some of the best junior rugby teams in the world. Hamilton Boys High School (2,200 boys, 30 rugby teams among them, players from all over the rugby world. Seriously, I never even knew rugby boarding schools exist). Every small town we drove through had a rugby pitch (or two or more). Rugby games are broadcast 24/7 there. It was fun to experience New Zealand rugby. Boy are they good. And BIG. And fast.
5. Running. Every place we went, I spent a day or so learning my way around, and then enjoyed some fun runs. The chilly temperatures actually made for perfect running weather. I got a calf workout barefoot on the beach in Raglan, ran along the waterfront in Auckland, and ran with the horses, cows, and sheep in tiny North Havelock.
6. The Maori hangi (I think I spelled it correctly). It's similar to a Hawaiian luau. The boys helped prepare a pig, dug the pit for it in the morning, and in the evening we had what our youngest son Wyatt called a second Thanksgiving! The Pururi family and local members of our church sang, danced, and fed us so graciously.
7. Church and the Single Adult Fireside concentrating on Rugby, or sport, helping to shape strong, valiant young men. Connor and a couple of his teammates spoke, and Coach Pururi's message was touching as well. And boy, do they put our typical Utah Ward singing to shame! They sing beautifully and with wonderful spirit and harmony!
8. Ascending the Sky Tower to see all of Auckland and the surrounding area.
9. Watching Dylan bungee jump, riding a jet boat race course and a giant catapulting swing with Wyatt. A fun bit of adventure never hurts :)
10. Spending an awesome two weeks (capped off with a 5 hour layover in Honolulu complete with a quick trip to Waikiki Beach--returning wet and sandy and happy) with Scott, the boys, and friends. It was truly a trip to remember.
1. Being welcomed into the Maori culture. Our head coach, Michael Pururi, was born in New Zealand and has many relatives who actually welcomed us as family. Coach Steve Howard also lived in New Zealand for eight years, and his friends and former neighbors kindly hosted boys as well. The boys were able to stay in two different maraes, and we enjoyed traditional welcome ceremonies, singing, and massive and delicious meals. I have traveled many places but never experienced this level of cultural sharing before.
2. Going to the New Zealand LDS temple where Coach Pururi was able to perform baptisms for all 23 team members who traveled with us. Rare, spiritual, and amazing. The adults were able to attend an early temple session and then observe. We learned that Coach P's parents met while both were on "temple building missions" in that exact place, his mother from Samoa, and his father from New Zealand. We also were privileged to meet the Temple President, Sid Going, a former All Black (New Zealand's World Championship All Star Rugby Team) who refused to play on Sundays and influenced the team to play on Saturdays (which they still do, decades later).
3. Seeing "Hobbiton," where outside scenes from both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies were filmed. It was as gorgeous as it appears on the big screen! 44 Hobbit structures remain, and the area is set up for Bilbo Baggin's Eleventy First Birthday Bash. The details were fun (fake $1.5 million tree over Bilbo's home with 280,000 leaves, each wired on, then repainted and rewired per Peter Jackson's specific directive). We got to eat in the Golden Dragon and see the 12,000 sheep on the actual property (who weren't "pretty" enough, so different breeds were brought in during filming. Seriously, sheep extras).
Makes us want to watch a Hobbit-based movie marathon!
4. Rugby. We attended a fun professional game, three Junior World Championship Games, and played against some of the best junior rugby teams in the world. Hamilton Boys High School (2,200 boys, 30 rugby teams among them, players from all over the rugby world. Seriously, I never even knew rugby boarding schools exist). Every small town we drove through had a rugby pitch (or two or more). Rugby games are broadcast 24/7 there. It was fun to experience New Zealand rugby. Boy are they good. And BIG. And fast.
5. Running. Every place we went, I spent a day or so learning my way around, and then enjoyed some fun runs. The chilly temperatures actually made for perfect running weather. I got a calf workout barefoot on the beach in Raglan, ran along the waterfront in Auckland, and ran with the horses, cows, and sheep in tiny North Havelock.
6. The Maori hangi (I think I spelled it correctly). It's similar to a Hawaiian luau. The boys helped prepare a pig, dug the pit for it in the morning, and in the evening we had what our youngest son Wyatt called a second Thanksgiving! The Pururi family and local members of our church sang, danced, and fed us so graciously.
7. Church and the Single Adult Fireside concentrating on Rugby, or sport, helping to shape strong, valiant young men. Connor and a couple of his teammates spoke, and Coach Pururi's message was touching as well. And boy, do they put our typical Utah Ward singing to shame! They sing beautifully and with wonderful spirit and harmony!
8. Ascending the Sky Tower to see all of Auckland and the surrounding area.
9. Watching Dylan bungee jump, riding a jet boat race course and a giant catapulting swing with Wyatt. A fun bit of adventure never hurts :)
10. Spending an awesome two weeks (capped off with a 5 hour layover in Honolulu complete with a quick trip to Waikiki Beach--returning wet and sandy and happy) with Scott, the boys, and friends. It was truly a trip to remember.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Top 10's from our Thanksgiving Cruise
After waiting WWAAYY too long, I'll catch up a little of the Scott Parry family happenings. Over Thanksgiving, we had a fun if short Royal Caribbean cruise from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Cozumel, Mexico and back. Along with just being together, these were some of our favorites:
1. The Flowrider. Scott and the kids rocked on this one (it's actually the reason why we chose this ship). We rented the Flowrider out in the evenings, and they surfed and boogie boarded and had a lot of fun.
2. X-Terra Park in Cozumel. It was impressive (and we are not usually Mexico fans). We did 2 well-organized courses of zip lines (12 zip lines each), got muddy in crazy amphibious vehicles, swam through underground caves, and hit our heads (mostly Lyndon, who is 6'5") and each others' boats on cool stalagtite formations :)
3. Teen dodge ball. This cruise had fun activities for teenage boys who enjoy hitting other people--and it was legal! When one boy complimented Connor with: "You're a f---ing bomb!," we realized we weren't in Kansas, I mean Utah, anymore.
4. Eating. We got on the boat hungry and went straight to the buffet. Really, we may have set some kind of record here (the boys with at least 3 trips back for more food--just about every meal)!
5. Watching football games in the hot tubs. It was Thanksgiving weekend, after all.
6. Treats!!! My favorite foods include the word chocolate and come after the meals, and the cruise didn't disappoint. Scott liked the strawberry shakes from Johnny Rockets best, he and I tried some of the gourmet cupcakes, and even our boys who aren't eating sugar desserts this year found a selection of sugar-free treats every day!
7. Warm weather = reading by the pool. 80 degrees on the 1st of December = NICE.
8. Movies and shows. Any time we wanted a bit of down time, there was something funny to watch.
9. One dress up dinner. The boys ordered just about everything on the menu when they learned it was possible.
10. After the cruise, we had some extra time so went to an Alligator Farm outside of Ft. Lauderdale. Our little air boat and the not-shy alligators next to us didn't disappoint.
1. The Flowrider. Scott and the kids rocked on this one (it's actually the reason why we chose this ship). We rented the Flowrider out in the evenings, and they surfed and boogie boarded and had a lot of fun.
2. X-Terra Park in Cozumel. It was impressive (and we are not usually Mexico fans). We did 2 well-organized courses of zip lines (12 zip lines each), got muddy in crazy amphibious vehicles, swam through underground caves, and hit our heads (mostly Lyndon, who is 6'5") and each others' boats on cool stalagtite formations :)
3. Teen dodge ball. This cruise had fun activities for teenage boys who enjoy hitting other people--and it was legal! When one boy complimented Connor with: "You're a f---ing bomb!," we realized we weren't in Kansas, I mean Utah, anymore.
4. Eating. We got on the boat hungry and went straight to the buffet. Really, we may have set some kind of record here (the boys with at least 3 trips back for more food--just about every meal)!
5. Watching football games in the hot tubs. It was Thanksgiving weekend, after all.
6. Treats!!! My favorite foods include the word chocolate and come after the meals, and the cruise didn't disappoint. Scott liked the strawberry shakes from Johnny Rockets best, he and I tried some of the gourmet cupcakes, and even our boys who aren't eating sugar desserts this year found a selection of sugar-free treats every day!
7. Warm weather = reading by the pool. 80 degrees on the 1st of December = NICE.
8. Movies and shows. Any time we wanted a bit of down time, there was something funny to watch.
9. One dress up dinner. The boys ordered just about everything on the menu when they learned it was possible.
10. After the cruise, we had some extra time so went to an Alligator Farm outside of Ft. Lauderdale. Our little air boat and the not-shy alligators next to us didn't disappoint.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Top 10's from Visiting Ashley in Albuquerque
Well, I'm super slow at recording, but RIGHT after the St. George Marathon (my 11th; cool weather made for a nice day and I was pretty happy with 4:04 time) my husband and I left for Albuquerque, New Mexico. We wanted to go this week because it was the week of their famous Balloon Festival, but we mainly went to visit our daughter and son-in-law. I pretty much Frankenstein walked to the two airplanes and the next morning, but things were good after that. My favorites were . . .
1. Spending time with Scott, Ashley, and Lyndon. Surprisingly, it was fun taking Ashley and Lyndon to Costco, where they could choose stock up items and were like kids in a candy store. (Well, we did get a giant bag of Halloween candy.)
2. Watching the awesome and massive balloon launch. 500 balloons in every shape, color, and size in an hour or so on "Mass Ascension" morning.
3. The buffet breakfast at the balloon launch, with Lyndon excited. "Hey, they have eggs!" "Hey, they have chocolate milk!" "Hey, they have ice cream!"
4. Watching General Conference together.
5. Seeing their cute apartment, her P.A. School, and the University area.
6. Hiking to see many ancient petroglyphs.
7. Checking out restaurants from "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives." We especially liked The Standard, with inventive dishes and delicious desserts.
8. Going to the Nuclear Science Museum. Interesting facts and history presented in enjoyable fashion.
9. The Thursday morning balloon launch of "Special Shapes." Some favorites we named Aquaman, the Wells Fargo Wagon, a Massive Cow, and a Pirate Parrot. The evening fireworks rocked as well.
10. Day tripping to Santa Fe for art and artisan shopping.
Not especially my favorite, taking last place in the bowling foursome. Also not a favorite, going to the famous cable car but not being able to ride: they said too windy (but I've been on the tram at Snowbird in massive wind lots of times :). Something to look forward to next time we're in town.
1. Spending time with Scott, Ashley, and Lyndon. Surprisingly, it was fun taking Ashley and Lyndon to Costco, where they could choose stock up items and were like kids in a candy store. (Well, we did get a giant bag of Halloween candy.)
2. Watching the awesome and massive balloon launch. 500 balloons in every shape, color, and size in an hour or so on "Mass Ascension" morning.
3. The buffet breakfast at the balloon launch, with Lyndon excited. "Hey, they have eggs!" "Hey, they have chocolate milk!" "Hey, they have ice cream!"
4. Watching General Conference together.
5. Seeing their cute apartment, her P.A. School, and the University area.
6. Hiking to see many ancient petroglyphs.
7. Checking out restaurants from "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives." We especially liked The Standard, with inventive dishes and delicious desserts.
8. Going to the Nuclear Science Museum. Interesting facts and history presented in enjoyable fashion.
9. The Thursday morning balloon launch of "Special Shapes." Some favorites we named Aquaman, the Wells Fargo Wagon, a Massive Cow, and a Pirate Parrot. The evening fireworks rocked as well.
10. Day tripping to Santa Fe for art and artisan shopping.
Not especially my favorite, taking last place in the bowling foursome. Also not a favorite, going to the famous cable car but not being able to ride: they said too windy (but I've been on the tram at Snowbird in massive wind lots of times :). Something to look forward to next time we're in town.
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