August Recap--Rim Fire, Utah Trip, & More!

Hopefully, one of the kids will take pity on me, and fill in the gaps on this blog.  I already keep up the blogs for Eliza and Luke, so I don't do so well on this one.  But a number of events have occurred that should be recorded, so I'll give it at least a bit of an effort!

August for the Houghtons included:

Levi dong the breast stroke (I think)

The annual Tuolumne Aquatics Swim Meet, where Levi, Tess, and Marta swam, and Mom helped.  What can we say. . .it would probably be better if we swam more, but we were there to support the effort!

The newlyweds

My niece Caroline Kemper married Tarl ReedReynoso in the Oakland CA LDS temple on my birthday!  Along with their wedding came the welcome presents of my parents and Caroline's family (my brother) spending some time with us too!

Marta is the first of the Houghton children to totally voluntarily and independently pack up for college!  This is the girls' relatively empty closet after Tess and Marta went through and got rid of the things they would not be wearing.  Also, most of Marta's clothes were packed at this point.

In the changing room

Of course, with the closet cleaned out, school shopping needed to happen.  Marta and Tess requested my presence, but they paid their own bills.  I was just required to hang up the many many many items they tried on!

Thinking of Luke while shopping!

What we could see sometimes from our ridge.

Soulsbyville (not quite big enough to show up on the map)
is just west of Tuolumne city.  Yes, we were close.

In the midst of the shopping and Marta departure preparation, a small fire turned into one of the biggest in California.  And it was in our backyard!  We had much smoke--enough that we had/have to quit using our swamp cooler and whole house fan for temperature management.  We were on "evacuation advisory" for a week, which means we were supposed to have the important stuff packed and ready to go in case of mandatory evacuation order.  We could see flames two ridges from ours at night.  Because of the fire and Mark's responsibilities as Bishop of our ward, we decided we probably should not head off on the Tahoe weekend we'd planned for Marta's sendoff.  So we stayed home and watched movies and checked on people in the ward.  Marta and I finally departed to deliver her to school in Utah on Sunday morning after making a peach cobbler for Mark's birthday.  And about six hours after Marta we left, school in Sonora was cancelled. . .for what turned out to be a week!

View of the fire from Yosemite

The smoke didn't seem to bother Belle the Cat much though.










Even though the fire was raging, we picked 11 boxes of fruit off peach and apple and pear trees in the yard!  (Now I need to get to processing the fruit we did not already consume or distribute, along with the tomatoes and zucchini the garden continues to produce!)





Marta and I arrived in Utah to enjoy a visit with the Woodwards.  We went with my sister Geniel to the top of Snowbird.

Denise and Geniel enjoying the view and being together!

Marta, always good at directions

We got Marta checked into BYU on Tuesday, and then discovered that school in Sonora was cancelled for the rest of the week due to smoke!  In true Houghton fashion, we decided we should celebrate with an impromptu trip to Utah.  So Mark drove through the night, with some assistance from Tess, and arrived in Utah on Thursday to participate in parent orientation and other falderall!

Some of the falderall included a hike to the "Y" on the mountain
above BYU.  We also met up with Tim, Noel, Madison, and Grandma
Houghton, and Cory Heizenrade and Jacob Chain for a fine day of
"wake surfing" and tin foil dinners.  

And then we drove home. . .back into the smoke still. . .to catch up on the things we need to get in place before Labor Day weekend is over--laundry, seminary lessons, lawn mowing, fruit picking, and packing, calculus, etc., etc., etc.

It was truly a memorable August 2013.  

Denise

P.S.  Our missionaries are doing great.  For their updates, check out their blogs.

An Adventure!

In line for the Green Lantern ride at Six Flags: Magic Mountain

After a long day, we were still smiling! :)

At the beach...

Some lovely waves

The Sand Castle that was built upon the rocks (taken after a wave killed all the defenses)

Hopefully we will come up with a real post soon, but until then, I hope this will bide you over.

-Tess

You May be Wondering...

...what it is that we are doing all the time that prevents us from sharing our fun with you! Well, we have been doing lots of daily activities which are time-consuming and exhausting, but we have fit in a couple of fun days.  Now, as you may recall, for Memorial Day, we went on a hike in the Iceberg Wilderness in preparation for a much bigger hike. Yes, I hiked that nice big, rock that looks like half of a dome-Half Dome!

About 17 miles with a whole, 1 vertical mile on the way up and 1, whole vertical mile down. The most physically painful part was on the way down (my knees will never be the same!), but we made it up...

...barely. Can you see this cable here? And the steep, steep, slippery granite that it goes up? That is up the side of Half Dome and is the scariest stretch, by far. With lots of support from Dad and a long line of people waiting behind me, I did make it to the top.

The day that we went was gorgeous! There were clear skies with warm, but not hot, weather. We drank lots of water, but that was good. Mom and Marta spent some time enjoying Yosemite Valley while we hiked (Mom's knees couldn't have made it, she said, and Marta has already done it). The only reason we even got to go was that Dad's friend that he met during his all-nighter in the Mt. Whitney storm managed to get a permit. Dad lacked the luck to win the permit (by lottery system), despite the many, many attempts he has made.

Two days before going up Half Dome, we had a much more tame adventure in the Gallo Center for the Arts.  This was something that everybody had been looking forward to for a very long time, because one of our favorite musical groups was performing that day. At the time we were getting tickets, the evening performance was filled up, but we managed to get into the matinee performance of the Piano Guys! AMAZING! We all enjoyed it and hoped it would never end, but it did. Here is one of there songs just so you can see how amazing they are.

Besides all of that wonderful stuff, we have each been keeping busy. Marta is lifeguarding at the lake, I am lifeguarding at one of our county's four pools, Levi volunteers at our county library, Mom stays busy taking Levi and I where we need to go and working on Family History, and Dad continues to support us all by going to work every day. We all love each other and enjoy spending time together- especially late at night (talking) when we should be asleep. For updates about Eliza and Luke, visit the links (on their names)

Enjoying her Break from School, Tess

School Winds Down and Summer Vacation Begins!

So a few quick updates. . .

Mark, Tess, Jayna and Brenna Webster, Levi, and Jake Evans

We enjoyed a lovely 9-mile hike on a perfectly cloudy Memorial Day in the Iceberg Wilderness (about an hour up the hill from our house), with the Websters and Levi's friend Jake!

Tess, Levi, and Mom "picking cherries"

Our cherry trees (really, just one that produces much) went into high production mode, and despite the fact we shared some with the birds, we're enjoying the fruits of the harvest!

Ready to try drying some!

The graduate!

Of course, a high point of the end of the school year was Marta's graduation on Thursday night (June 6).  She did a fine job on her speech.  We did pull it together to have her computer (complete with decorative cover and neoprene holder) wrapped in a "brown paper package tied up with string" (you should be singing "My Favorite Things" as you think of that), and a dinner out, before graduation.  She didn't attend sober grad, opting to head directly to Stake Youth Conference instead.  So, we celebrated as much as we could before, and now graduation is long past.

Luke thinks our family looks pitifully small in this picture!

Besides last days of school filled with movies and swimming parties and Levi playing at Soulsbyville's graduation, our other major activity was Modesto North Stake Youth Conference.  I was asked to be nurse, which involved some prep and some tricky maneuvering to get things going Thursday morning then jump back to home and graduation and afterward (with a van full of 1st ward boys) head to youth conference again and get back in the saddle.  It was a privilege to associate with some of the finest leaders in the stake, and try to be part of uplifting the youth.  I loved the musical number they practiced, and then performed at Stake Conference on Sunday.  

While the girls were at Youth Conference, Levi and Dad did a "training backpacking trip" to El Capitan.  

Impressive, eh?  Okay, really they didn't climb the face of it, but they did about 18 miles to get to the top from the backside.  

So now we're looking forward to the lazy days of summer.  Ha!  Tess has procured a job at Tuolumne Pool (but she's still working on her license. . .so Mom drives), Marta will be lifeguarding at Twain Harte Lake, Water Polo camp starts tomorrow, the assault on Half Dome is scheduled for Monday, and there are still cherries to be picked and dried.  Let the games begin!

Denise

Oliver Wood?

We received word yesterday that Luke arrived to his mission in Birmingham from the Preston MTC, and was assigned to the town of Stroud.  His companion's name is Elder Wood.!

Elder Wood and Elder Houghton

Oliver Wood?

We're huge "Harry Potter" fans at the Houghton home.  Thus, the news that Luke, in England,  had been assigned a training companion with the name of Elder Wood brings this to mind. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vZL4eHdhRM 

Hope Luke learns to be a great "Seeker."  

Denise

2 Down, 3 to go!

Luke's off!  We dropped him off at the Sacramento airport at 4:00 this morning, and away he flew!  In the man time, we visited teh Sacramento temple last night and did some family baptisms before we took a few hours of sleep and then said goodbye.  Going to the temple was a wonderful way to spend our last day with Elder Houghton!

 In the mean time, on Saturday Mom helped put on a service project for our church, while Dad supported the girls at their VOL league swim meet!  Tess came in 2nd in the 500 free, and Marta finished 2nd as well for her 100 backstroke- dropping her time to a 1:05!

Our cousins the Murphys came up for barbecue and an evening of fun on Saturday... oh, and they volunteered to do dishes!

 On Sunday we spent the afternoon eating and chatting with extended family from California- Caitlyn's on the left, then Macky, Luke, and Jacklyn, with Riley laying on top!

 Sunday Luke spoke in Sacrament Meeting, and we had an Open House/Missionary Farewell in the evening- complete with ice cream sundaes, light sabers, and wrestling!

 After the party was over and the family had left, Luke got to work doing some serious sorting and packing.

Tuesday we packed the suitcases into the van, and headed down to Modesto where Luke was set apart by President Marshall.  Then we drove to the temple, and now we have come full circle back to the beginning of the post!

Life goes on with school, swimming, signing up for college classes, work, senior projects, cooking, church activities, band practices, parades, AP tests, and more!  We will miss our latest missionary, but we know that he is where he needs to be!

If you wish to keep up with Luke on his mission, his emails and any photos he sends will be posted on his blog at www.elderlukehoughton.blogspot.com!  Enjoy!

And so we Marched into April...

We really do try to post, but sometimes, we get so caught up in living life (everything below), that it just doesn't make it to the list of priorities, but I think anybody reading this can probably relate.  Just note that everything I tell you about is not necessarily in order, but you will get the gist of it, I'm sure.

Dad, Marta, Levi, Luke and Mom got to go to the Jordan River Temple in Utah the week before Easter.

Our soon-to-be missionary in front of one of the best buildings on Earth!

Meanwhile, I stayed with some friends and became a certified Lifeguard!

 Dad has mountain fever- he made it up to Angel's landing with Levi in 3 hours in Zion's National Park (above), and took a quick trip up through the Sierras with Mom yesterday (below)!

Marta and I got to go to Disneyland with the Most Awesome Band in the Universe!

Me (far left) and my roommates walking through Downtown Disney.

Marta with some of her roommates waiting for dinner to arrive.

After many attempts (and fails) at a Sections qualifying time on the 500 freestyle, I finally did it two days ago.    Not only that, but I also got a personal record! :)!

At our high school, every senior must do a "project."  Marta's was putting on an event for the man below, who has taught at/substituted for our high school for 50 years now.  That is a lot.  Not to mention that he has the respect of every student on campus because of his jokes and stories.

His last name being Lemon, Marta made the whole event lemon themed (decorations, refreshments, etc.).  This resulted in lots of lemony leftovers that are still being consumed in our home on an almost daily basis.

 We also had April Fools' day, which Mom prepared for with gusto!  We had "dessert" first, which consisted of what appeared to be a cake, complete with piped frosting.  April Fools!  It was really meat loaf covered in mashed potatoes, some of which had been dyed green and piped onto the rest.  Sneaky Mom!  For veggies, we had Oscar the Grouch (shown above, although this wasn't ours).  Then we had "dinner." Rice Krispie Treats with licorice inside and covered in Fruit by the Foot results in very yummy sushi.





Despite the ice cream shown, I was not happy when this picture was taken.  That was the day that it was finalized that Marta, my roommate for 15 1/2 years (a.k.a. my whole life!), is going to leave me in August.  She officially has housing now, and she not only got a new roommate, but she is replacing me as well.  Her roommate is a lovely person (they've gotten to know each other), but she is the girl who must not be named in my presence.  Don't get me wrong, she is a fantastic person, but she is replacing me, which isn't her fault, but I am still getting over it.

A while back, Levi was selected out of hundreds of kids from our county to go to the California State Science Fair for his project (above right).  Since our grandpa provided the most assistance during the experimentation, he flew out for two days to go to the big event with Levi (above left).  As I understand it, they had a wonderful time and got to see lots of cool, sciency stuff!

Yet another fantastic thing that has happened lately was our Church's General Conference, in which we hear modern revelation from our inspired prophet (below right), Thomas S. Monson.  Afterwards, we decided to print out a bunch of our favorite quotes, make them look beauteous, and then put them in our guest bathroom. (below, right)

 Hermana Houghton has been working hard, being trained in her mission, and has started to train others now.    She is at left with her brand new trainee, her trainer, and her trainer's new trainee.  The work goes on!

Meanwhile, Luke has been preparing for his mission in England.  He will get back from BYU on Wednesday and leave a week from then to go straight to the British MTC.  We look forward to his return home and all the excitement of his leaving for two years, although we will miss him lots.

There has been lots happening and we will sincerely try to keep this here blog updated!

Pictures by Marta, captions by Tess.