Viva Mexico, Viva la independencia!

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am the champion of celebrating what Blair calls "non-holiday holidays". I can't help it. Of course, my Spanish teaching background practically requires me to celebrate September 16th, Mexican Independence Day. So, here are the picks to prove that I love to find any excuse to eat Mexican food and have a fiesta.

Me and Blair getting ready to host the fiesta.

Aunt Sandy with Will. They were buds from the
moment she gave him a tortilla chip.

John, Steph and Lisa

Hard core Mexican fans: Shauna and Dave

Green enchiladas and Mexican rice.

Outside lining up for the pinata.

Dave: "Let me tell you the best way to break a pinata..."

Stringing up the pinata.

"I'll give you some candy..."

Will's first shot at the pinata.

Stephanie, the parrot's about to get ya!

Swing Shauna!

Blair...almost...

Lisa, finally someone who can make contact.

Dave. Too much horchata?

Blurry Jodi. Thanks a lot Dave.

Sandy getting ready to pack a punch.

Will with all the goodies from the pinata. In heaven!

Gardening and other domestic ventures...

So, this year our garden did okay. A lot of things died because of all the rain and cold weather, but we did get some huge carrots, nice lettuce, tomatoes and squash. I was just so excited to see our first watermelons starting to grow. I had to take a picture. I'm so nerdy.

Gigantic carrots!

Blair and I found some wild grapes growing in the back of our apartment complex. He was set on making grape juice and I said I had no idea how to do that. He asked his grandma for her steam juicer and we attempted it. It actually turned out pretty good! He was so proud of those 5 bottles!

Grapes look weird when they are steamed. Kind of like...well...you know.

Thumbs up for the first try.

Canning has always frightened me. 1) I didn't want to be a "canning mom". Somehow I thought that would make me step back a decade and I would start wearing high water cotton pants and Keds sneakers. 2) Then I would become responsible for the canning knowledge I possessed and therefore obligated to can anything I ever grew in my garden. Well, I just kept looking at all my tomatoes and I just couldn't fight my feeling anymore because I couldn't stand to see all of them go to waste. So, I decided that salsa was the best way to enter the homemade canning world. My friend down the street helped me and I discovered that it was not as hard as I thought. Also, there was a really weird satisfaction and pride that came into my heart every time I heard a "pop" of the lids as they sealed. I am no longer afraid. I am boldly going where so many "canning moms" have gone before. And the thing is....I am quite content. Can't say I LOVE to can, but for now, I am pleased with my work.

Camping

My brother and sister-in-law were nice enough to take us camping at the end of August. It was Will's first camping trip. He loved the dirt and didn't mind crawling on the weeds and mud. He is a natural camper!

Playing with a ball in the dirt.

Sitting around the fire. We roasting hot dogs
and had some dutch oven cobbler. Yum.

Dave was nice enough to teach Will all
about Cheetos. Loved them.

I just couldn't get over the sight of my brother in this redneck fishing
gear. He insisted on letting one of his overall straps on his
fishing waders hang down. It was the "cool nineties look".
I don't think there is anything cool about it. He looked hilarious.
Sorry Dave.

California trip

So, my friend Charlie from California got married in August, so we decided to take a road trip to California for the event. It was fun, but quick. I had tons of nostalgia driving down the streets of East LA. It was bitter-sweet. I love those places and those people.

Eating sopes in a ghetto mexican restaurant.
They were delicious. Just like I remembered.

Blair outside the "mercadito" posing with the mannequins.

LA temple. It is simply HUGE, and beautiful.

Outside the "Mercadito" in front of the huge
shrine to the Virgin Guadalupe.

My friend Sondra behind the wheel of Miguel's new Solstice.
She was in heaven.

My old landlord in the mission, Miguel.

Blair spent most of his days doing homework in my aunt's apartment.
Had to finish his very last online course before graduating!

My cousin Lauren, me, Will, Blair and my cousin Kyle before church.

Michael, Lauren and Kyle. Thanks for taking care of us!

Bear Lake

Sheesh. Sorry it has taken me so long to post these. Our patch cord for our camera broke (someone put it in his mouth and bit it..). Anyway, here are the picks of Bear Lake summer vacation. What fun! There are tons of pics, so I didn't label them all, otherwise it would take forever to read through everything.

Will's hat on dad's head.

"Sand is good for eating too!"

"Land ho!" -Rossuergen (How do you spell it Norb?)

Dad took Will for a ride on the four-wheeler. He was unimpressed, as usual.

Norb introduced us to a cardboard cut out of one of his great great ancestors. The family resemblance to Ross is uncanny.

Too many people in the house to shower? No problem. Shower in the great outdoors!

Is that Graig? Is he alive? One too many boat trips.

Nothing like a little Marshall family meditation, on the beach no less.