Aussies, camps, and fireworks

We bought bubbas cats (Dorothy and magnolia, or Dotty and Mags if you’re feeling frisky) a cat greenhouse while we were in NY, and D wanted to show bubba and jeanne the variety we have at our Aldi. 

On Monday we went to the dentist where both Adi and Delaney received glowing reviews and Ms. Claudia didn’t know we had a Frankie. 🤣 She was like, is this another daughter? - which is so funny because we’re at the dentist all the time, but I guess Frankie’s not. 🤷‍♀️ Also, I have been so diligent in making sure they did all their breathing exercises and I was so happy they both looked so good. Because so many times they haven’t. Adi is on the 7th level out of 12 and D is on the 4th of 12. Someday we’ll finish and it will be so wonderful. Also, I found out that in January our dentist will no longer take our tricare dental, but then I realized that we’ve paid for all 7 of our orthodontia programs and we don’t really need to carry 2 dental plans anymore. Hallelujah. 

That night we had a private party at the pool because some of our favorite Aussie’s - the King/Reynolds clan came to visit. Everyone brought food and we ordered pizza and it was so great for the hour and a half before the thunder hit.

Then the party moved to a house, so we walked over and gave hugs and promised to visit, which I reeeeally want to make happen. Maybe 2025 the Rays do Australia? 

I got the sweetest card from Helping Hands thanking the church for the food truck. We’ve got big plans for our service project in September and it’s so exciting and wonderful. 

This morning I went over the girls camp packing lists with Adi and Frankie, we packed lunches, and then it was off to load up for girls camp. They were both so excited and nervous and happy and scared. All the prayers that all goes well. 

Now Delaney is experiencing what no other of our 11-year-old children have experienced - 4 days as an only child. So far she says it’s weird but she doesn’t mind it. This morning we went to the $1 summer movie. We saw Lyle, Lyle Crocodile and I know now why we had never seen it. 

After we picked up paint to refinish Frankie’s vanity that is moving to Delaney’s room and my moms old dresser that is going to Frankie’s room. I loved coming home to this Grove box on our porch. We do ❤️ the planet and we are trying to reduce our waste, especially plastics. 

We got some pictures of our campers. They stopped at the Richmond temple which is so beautiful and I can’t wait to worship in. 

All of my kids love fires. Like love love. I lit a candle today and D played for an hour, lighting birthday candles with it, playing with the wax, blowing them out. 🤷‍♀️

We cleaned out Frankie’s vanity drawers and D scraped all the stickers off the mirror. Tomorrow we’ll sand and start painting!

Then she and Matt stripped and scraped the paint off the chair and took the cushion off. We’re trying our hand at reupholstering too. We’re selling her little vanity and our little business lady asked if she would keep the money from the sale or we would. We decided splitting it is a fair compromise. 

I went to pick up the mail and it started raining on me, and Delaney and Matt were just putting their chair project away and D was already playing in the rain, so then we danced and Matt and I proved we still know how to skip and it was so fun. 

And finally, some fireworks pictures from Mountain Fest that bubba sent. 

My one boy! ❤️

And almost all my girls. ❤️❤️❤️❤️



Finally, the coolest drone picture of Point Lookout. So beautiful!

A (Sun)day in the life

Stake Sundays are long but awesome. I had no idea what stake people did before this calling - so here’s a typical Relief Society Sunday.

We had in-person stake council from 7-9. We have stake council every month, and we alternate between in-person and zoom. It takes about an hour to get to most buildings in the stake, so I leave at 6:00. President Cheney is moving, so we got a group picture - he said “I tried to smile!” I feel so very blessed to serve with this crew. 

I had planned to attend Bayside RS and then Calvert Sacrament Meeting and RS, but I got to talking to some of the brothers, and then to Elizabeth for an hour, so I missed Bayside. Oops. They did a scripture chain and I’m gonna try it though

Calvert was wonderful, they have such a fabulous ward - definitely one of my favs. I sat with Sarah during sacrament meeting and Angelise for RS and my cup was overflowing. 

I got home at 3:00 and laid on the couch while Matt finished dinner. It’s taken 17 years to get him making Sunday dinners consistently, but I think we’ve arrived. In preparation for Spain, he made gazpacho and a ham and bean crockpot delight, and then for dessert he and Laney made a chocolate pudding with cookies. The gazpacho was good, it had a great flavor, but I couldn’t do the whole glass and I didn’t like drinking it - I switched to a spoon. 

I had an adult leadership committee meeting to work on our stake service project from 5-6:30, then Matt and I took a nice long walk and caught up on all the things. Family scriptures and then A League of their Own, which is one of my very favorites. Sundays are long, but I really love them. 

Home

Before we knew it it was Saturday and time to head home. We were all super tired because Friday was a long and late day. 

But we got up early, showered - the girls had to get the river off, and headed for one last brekkie at Meme’s. Super yummy and tasty! We had the best week and loved being B&J’s first visitors!

There was a long list of lighthouses I wanted to see, but I took 3 off my list because it would have added 2 hours and I was already adding several. 😬

Stoney Point is a private residence with “No trespassing” signs all over. 

I get not wanting strangers traipsing in your yard, but you live in a lighthouse, come on.

Looooove her!

This was 11:30 and it was so dark!



Next up was Salmon River. They rent this out as a B&B. 

I went in the marina building and they were selling passports so I asked if they have a stamp and they did! 🎉 Also a picture for my lighthouse wall. 🎉🎉

Then Oswego West Pierhead. She’s so cute, do you see her out there at the end of the jetty?

No? You don’t? I didn’t either. 👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼 We drove all the way out there and it was juuuust foggy enough to not be able to see. Booooo. 

This is what she looks like on a clear day. 

Finally, our last 2 lights - Sodus Bay, which we were able to climb. 



And Sodus Bay Outer light, which we could have walked out to, but wasn’t open. I would have loved to walk out there, but it was already 2:00, we’d left Meme’s at 10:30, and we were only 30 minutes closer to home. 😬😂

I have no regrets. Ok, one regret. I wish I would have done some research and seen some lights on our drive up. But maybe we’ll go back. 

Here’s the outer light from the tower. 

And a fresnel lens in the bright bright sun. 

I could kiss her. 

They had a cute scavenger hunt here too that all the girls did. 

They loved lighthousing with me, although they were pretty surprised when I said we still had 7 hours and 20 minutes left to drive after we left this guy. 

We picked up a late lunch/early dinner around 3:30, then only stopped one more time for gas and potty’s. 

We made excellent time and only got slowed down once on 295 and it wasn’t stopped traffic, so I call that a win. 

We listened to an Adi book and it was an easy, beautiful, and enjoyable ride. 

We got home just before 10:00 and got the car unloaded and I got my suitcase unloaded. I had stake council at 7:00, but I had a hard time sleeping - too much Mountain Dew to help me stay awake but it kept me awake too long after we got home. 

Anyway, it was a great trip and I’m so glad we made it happen!

To Canada with love

It’s no secret that I ❤️ Canada. So when adi asked if we could pop over for breakfast, I didn’t take a lot of convincing. 

I let the girls sleep in longer than I should have. We didn’t have nearly enough time in Canada!

I’d found a breakfast place, but then it was too swanky. We checked out the loveliest food truck, but they only took cash and I only had $11. They pointed us to a little hole in the wall that was just right. 

We walked over via the park and library. D thought this was funny and snapped a pic for papa. 😂

Ana’s Cafe, so yummy! 

Then it was time to head for our cruise, so we popped into a cute store and then headed back to our car. A Canadian Legion!

A piano out and about for all to play - love it so much! And I’m jealous that my girls can all just plop down and play beautiful music. Someday I’ll get my act together and join them. 

I didn’t do any research about what to expect around bubba’s house until we got there and I realized it’s a really cool part of New York known as the 1000 Island region AND there are tons of lighthouses around them. Then I found this cruise that goes to a lighthouse on an island and lets you climb and I really wanted to do it. We couldn’t get any day to work with our times that Christian and jeanne were both off until Friday, and even then it was playing by ear till the hour before the cruise left. I said a little prayer and it worked. Heavenly Father really is mindful of us, even for silly things like lighthouse cruises. 

The boat was a glass bottom boat, which was a new experience for most of us. 

We had the best weather the whole trip - low 80’s and no rain. 

It was absolutely pleasant out on the water. 

And so so pretty. We all decided we could dig an island house. I’d like to live on one for a year and see how I liked it. 

We cruised the shipping canal and got to see several big ships. They have salty’s that cruise ocean and fresh water with a pointed front, and then lakers that have a more rounded front. We saw both. 

The cruise to Rock Island is short and then they took us all around on the way back. 

But first we had an hour to kill on Rock Island. 

First we toured the Keeper’s Quarters. 

She was initially on the other side of the house and only the top portion where the line is. Then they realized they’d built the house too tall and had to move her and make her taller. This is not an uncommon lighthouse occurrence. 

She’s just a short little lady, perfect height for me. 

We all climbed up to the lantern room and our guide spent 10 minutes telling us stories. 

I loved the wood paneling on the walls and ceiling - so pretty!



I love dragging my crew lighthousing with me! Everyone agreed the cruise was the favorite thing we did all week. 

There was a pirate that kept the light for a few years, so they give kids clues and let them treasure hunt. D was all over that and ran all around the island on her own. 

She got a little bag of goodies for her searching. 

The circle flower garden is where the lighthouse used to be. 

Glass bottom!

We saw the bottom when it was only 5 feet deep then immediately dropped off to 30 feet. Also beams from a shipwreck, but I never did really see those. 🤷‍♀️ I couldn’t make them out. 

Osprey nest! Bubba saw them in there, but I didn’t. I do see a theme here though. Whomp whomp. 

They told us about several of the islands. And D was a star passenger when he asked how many islands there really were and she knew (1864) because we’d read it at the Canadian welcome center. 😂

I love seeing my kids have fun together. 

These two live in a really cool part of the country!

Eagles nest!

Cute little island post office. 

Clayton, New York. Clayton was my momma’s maiden name. 🤗

Bubba and jeanne treated everyone to Dippin Dots after our cruise, and then we stayed out in Alexandria Bay while they went home and then brought us back dinner. 

The girls really wanted to swim, so we found the worlds smallest beach and they froooooze in the water. 

Bubba and jeanne made hamburgers and pasta salad and when they came back we picnicked at the beach and walked around. There was a huge biker rally so it was kind of fun to see thousands of bikers descend on cute little A Bay. 

Then it was time for our Drive-In movie, which was also in A Bay. 

We saw Elemental and could have stayed for Little Mermaid but it had started raining and we were all tired. 

The movie was so cute and we love love a drive-in! It was the best day of the week! Perfect ending to our trip!