When a Desert Girl Weeds in New Zealand...

How can I wrap my mind around the fact that these red flowers and the white and purple ones in the following pictures, are supposed to be my enemies?   I've heard them each called "weeds" in the past couple of weeks.  

I tried weeding the patch by our front door in preparation for BBQ/Swim bash for Noah and Cory and friends.  It felt like a fiasco!  I have very little power of discernment here.  Gardening seems topsy-turvy when plants like the giant lily grows as a weed by the side of the road.
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We watched Noah's plane until it disappeared into the clouds.  His last week before his mission was the best ever - mountain and beach, mermaid lagoon, netball, farewell from the branch, BBQ with friends, finishing off our 1000K running chart...

When I jokingly asked if we should pick up a hitchhiker on the way to the temple,
the other Relief Society ladies said, "sure!" without blinking an eye.
I swallowed my surprise, and we had a nice conversation
with young man going to a meditation retreat in Auckland.

My guest blogger, Jess, married in the temple!  What a girl!

1000K

10,000 push-ups

Teenagers and Family Vacation

Over Thanksgiving in Austin, Texas about 15 years ago, I asked asked my cousin, Lorraine, to give me her best advice for raising teenagers.  At the time, she had teenagers and I had preschoolers.  She gave me some advice that surprised me:  when your kids are teenagers, plan to go on vacation with their friends' families, or with other families with kids the same ages.  As I remember it, she explained that these had been some of the happiest, most successful, and most bonding times for their family, in an environment where everyone was happy, and where you could be with your kids in their element and they could be with you in yours.

We didn't actually plan to travel with Roger and Catherine J., and their kids, Will, Charlotte, and Annabelle, and cousins, but we are very thankful that it turned out this way!  And I agree, that vacations with friends have been very successful for our family.

5 memorable days in Russell, on the Bay of Islands, in northern New Zealand:

We were fortunate to have Mom come along for this vacation,
which made it all the more memorable for us.
Great having you, Mom!

Cape Brett - an epic hike!  Noah:  "I feel like I'm in a Kathmandu commercial."

Dophins! I heard their singing under the water and saw them all around our boat!

  

Boys' method of applying 3-way sunscreen.  

On this beach, Mike was the first responder to a man who broke his neck/drowned.
Very sobering couple of hours for everyone on the beach.  

Oak and Mercy face off at the net

Mercy's birthday wasn't in a ferry this year, but in MAVY

Another example of what a strong influence Mom and Dad are in our family -
we listened to this book on the way to and from Russell.  Loved it!

Fascinating autobiography