Loved The Lighting!

Who would believe that there was this in the middle of the DESERT?!!!

We had been hiking all morning in the desert and ended at the Oasis of Palm Trees in the middle of nowhere.  Well, actually not really in the middle of nowhere....i did see a sign that said 29 Palms was just down the road...but anyways, after hiking everyone was ready for lunch!  So we pulled out all the lunch stuff from our ice chests and made sandwiches for 17 hungry people who had just wandered the desert...on a horse with no name....ooops, wrong story, again, silly no named horse!  After lunch we opened up a ton of bubbles and had fun blowing bubbles everywhere!  Much better than last reunion where we had marshmellow wars with our super cool guns!  I mean the marshmellow war was more fun, but than we saw the sign after we had dispersed about 40 bags of mini marshmellows in our epic battles that read, please pack out everything you brought with you.  We decided to be more planet friendly this year and not give the wild life cavities or bring down their immune system with an onslaught of sugar!  After the bubble blowing tag i saw Ty and Carissa sitting on one of the palm trees.  I loved how the ligh was reflecting all over the place and hoped my camera could capture some of the beauty!  I took one without them knowing and than i had them pose for me and Ryan jumped in right when i went "click", but i love it and think it is hillarious, even if my camera didn't quite capture all the sparkles the sun light was bouncing all over the place!


Had fun brushing the outer part of the picture black and white




Love how Ryan jumped underneath it!  Just wish my camera could have captured all the sparkles, well, probably just dust particles in the air!



Surprise! Merry Christmas Baby!!



It was the most perfectly beautiful day to go to Alcatraz!  Coming in on the boat.

 Ed has wanted to go to Alcatraz since he heard about it as a little boy....my family is just 45 minutes away from The Rock...you would think i had taken him there sometime in the last 16 years....nope, unfortunately it hasn't happened....It has been a long standing joke anytime we see reference to it on TV or in a movie or a conversation...going something like this; 

Ed, "Wow, wish i knew somebody from up there so I could have a reason to go to Alcatraz....."  "Too bad i didn't marry a girl who had family near Alcatraz so when we visited i could go there..."  "Wish we had an excuse to go up to Northern California so i could go to Alcatraz...."  "I've seen pictures of the place, looks really cool..."  "How many times have you been there?"  "Wow, my kids have even been there..."

So, yes, the teasing has been horrendous.....and every San Francisco's sports team always shows shots of it when their home games are aired....there has been no escaping the snide remarks....I honestly did not know Ed had wanted to go to Alcatraz our first couple of years of marriage....when something is in your backyard and you have gone multiple times you just don't realize someone might want to go there, so that part wasn't my fault.  Once Ed let me know he wanted to visit Alcatraz I did try to make that happen.  Unfortunately, when visiting, the days available for going didn't correspond with plans already made on visiting with everyone...so the joke turned to he just wanted to go there before he died.  We tried to go in 2007 when we were visiting from Okinawa, but the only slots they had available were a couple days after he was flying back out to our own rock in the Pacific.  The kids and i were staying longer, so we went, again...without him....Soooo, i knew this trip i really needed to get that guy to Alcatraz!  He's fought in 2 wars in 2 different countries and so i really wanted to get this in before his next deployment!  I called home and told them about the plans i had for Ed's Christmas present.  Grandma and Grandpa thought it would be really fun and wanted to go with us!  Perfect!  I reserved all our tickets for our 2nd day there and mum was the word.  Ed brought up Alcatraz a few times as our fly date got closer.  I told him i was pretty sure it was closed this time of year and that it would be really cold, windy, probably rainy, and just plain miserable to go this time of year.  It was soooo hard to watch his face get that expression of a little kid who just watched his dog die...but i wanted to surprise him!  We flew to Cali on Wednesday and Thursday morning we got up and i told Ed we were going into the City for the day and were going to have fun on Fisherman's Wharf and just enjoy all the Christmas festivities in the City.  He asked about Alcatraz.  I said it was closed. Again, the 'my dog just died' look...i almost caved and told him, but didn't.  As we were driving across the Bay Bridge he was looking out the window and asking if that was Alcatraz out there in the water.  We went on and on about how clear it was outside and that it is sooo cool he is able to see it from the bridge, and again about it being closed during the holidays and how cold it would be out there.  He just looked out the window....the kids knew where we were going and i was sooo proud of them for not spilling the beans!!!  We parked and began walking over to the water and the boats.  We found where we were supposed to board and Ed was just looking at the boat that said Alcatraz Tours and said, "I think they are open..."  I said, "They are!  Merry Christmas Baby!  Our boat leaves in an hour!!!"  He was sooo happy and the kids were all full of giggles!  Sooo, Ed finally got to go to Alcatraz!  I think it was everything he thought it would be.....I am just sooo glad i was finally able to do something on HIS bucket list since he is ALWAYS taking care of my bucket list....scuba certified, elephant riding in the jungles of Thailand, hiking The Great Wall of China, shark cage diving, visiting Guam where my Mom lived as a military brat, family vacation to Hawaii, The Grand Hotel, my famous ferris wheel addiction, family tandem bike riding...the list goes on, maybe i will blog about my bucket list someday....but anyways, 16 years worth of him making my simple and not so simple dreams come true....sooo glad i could take care of one of his, especially since his job is waaaaay more dangerous than mine!!!  We had a great day on Alcatraz!  The audio tour is amazing as it it takes you through the prison and the grounds.  You have your own head set and so you can pause it if you want to stay longer on any given part of the tour.  Or, you can take one in a different language and test your skills!  Haha!  I am sure the tours with the Park Rangers are still just as good as they have always been, but it was nice with the audio tour on how you got all the sound effects to go along with all the stories and the different voices in the narration..it was a perfect day to visit Alcatraz and relive all the history on The Rock!



He didn't know until we walked up to our boat!



Home sweet home for the Michigan boy!



Playing a mock baseball game in the rec yard




The tourist picture...



Is this your first time behind bars? Um, dont answer that!



Ty reading about an escape attempt that happened at that very spot

Sky High!

Sky High, another reason why we are not so fond of North Carolina...there just isn't much to do here, especially in the winter time!  But in California there is always something to do!!!  Rain or shine, cold or hot, there is always something fun to go and DO.  We are not a family that is fond of sitting and watching!  Here in NC it is the movies or stay at home on a rainy or super cold day.  We can only hike sooo many trails, canoe and kyaak the waters, and wander Civil War trails so many times before the kids are a bit irked at the redundancy of our activities!  We have seen the Battleship NC a few times, done the Red Neck Wedding, toured the different plantations, been to Tryon Palace during different seasons, as well as the newly opened hands on mueseum down the road from the Palace, visited the birthplace of Pepsi, done the Ghost Walks, the Pirate Invasion, the Cape Fear Serpentarium, Zip Quest Park, bought our sandals at the Cottin Gin, ate the famous dinner at Mikes Farm, bought our pumpkins on the hay ride, screamed our heads off (well, i did) on the haunted hay ride, saw the Christmas lights on the other hay ride, Medieval Times (twice), the Ripleys Aquarium, the NC Aquarium, Okracoke and Hatteras Lighthouses ( we will see the rest this year), been to Blackbeards house, Shackleford Banks to find the wild Mustangs, which we did as well as go shelling, successfully, gone horseback riding on the Outter Banks and have even ventured up to Virginia and Maryland.....you name it, we have been there, done it....but most of these places you only go to once, where places like Sky High you can go to on any rainy day!!!  Yes, we miss the fun things our other Marine Corps duty stations had to offer, so for now we will branch out and i guess visit places that require us to stay the night somewhere as i think we have exhausted everything there is to do between Myrtle Beach and Raleigh....

But, anyways, enough of my grumbles....here was a fun day at Sky High with all our California cousins, Grams, and Aunts and Uncles.  It is a huge work out but sooo much fun as even the walls are trampolines and you can jump off of those!  I am soo bummed i have no pixs or vids from the foam pit!  There is a place where you can run and jump or run and jump off the walls into this huge foam pit!  Wish i had a picture of Ed trying to get out!!!  He got swallowed up in the foam!  Ryan is the one that does the flips off the walls into the foam pit and i just close my eyes!  Dodge Ball is our favorite and thank goodness there are refs to call you out!  Sooo wish they had one of these near our house!

Oh, and i HATE to jump in the same square as Ed!            He sends me flying! 

Grams can still do her cheerleading jumps!



Vicki in the air and everyone else is related to me!




Ed is in the air and again, everyone else is related to me!



My brothers having fun jumping and yes, everyone in video is family....

Trampoline Dodge Ball is the best!  Most of both teams i am related to....

...and this is why Ryan is usually the last one standing...he just jumps and jumps and the ball never seems to hit him!  he usually gets out by someone on the other team catching a ball he threw. 

Festival of Lights

While on Christmas holiday we had the opportunity to attend the 20th annual Festival of Lights at the Mission Inn in Riverside.  I have no idea how we did not know of this all those years stationed at Camp Pendleton, i mean Vixs was born in Riverside!!!  But, anyways, we went this Christmas and it was just absolutely amazing!!!  For anyone stationed in So Cal or if you happen to be there anytime between the day after Thanksgiving thru the New Year, this is a must do!!!  There are Cinderella Carriage rides, regular wagon style rides all pulled by beautifully decorated horses, carolers singing, some real, some looking very real hanging from the balconies, real reindeer, and outdoor ice rink set up just for this time frame, all the treats you can imagine and plenty of entertainment!  The 3.4 million lights is turned on the Friday following Thanksgiving, so if you are in the area, don't miss out on this incredible Christmas celebration!  AND, if we are ever stationed in So Cal again we are definately staying at this hotel for a night or two!  It is just incredible!!! 

Ty And The Wax Peeps

Ty thought the Wax Museum was pretty cool, but didn't have as much fun posing as Vicki did....but he did like the Halo and Terminator Dudes!

Vicki And Her New Waxy Friends

Vicki had a blast at the Wax Museum while we were in Hollywood!  Here are just a few of my favorite pictures of her hamming it up with her new waxy friends.....




Looking cool with James Dean....

Taking a walk with the Beatles....



Oh No!!!  What should i do with my hair?!! 

Serious discussions with Clooney....

Posing with a Vampire....even though she is Team Jakob!

Thinking things over.....

Going western with John.....

Striking a pose with Mama Mia!





Looking serious.....





 

Vicki And Her Waxy Friends

I Work Out

The whole Christmas Vacation Vicki and Julianna would just randomly say "I work owwwwwt" to just about anything.  Wow, and even a picture to go with their line from a song i hear all the time.....

Found Some Reindeer!

What would Christmas be like if we couldn't see REAL Reindeer?!  Glad i don't have to know, found some!  Yep, only the female reindeers still have their antlers at Christmas time!

Happy 13th John!

Every other year we get together for a family reunion on the Mikolajcik side.  John 's birthday always falls somewhere during the reunion.  This year he turned 13!  We spent the day hiking in the desert, swimming in the late afternoon, dinner at Red Robins, seeing the lights that night at the famous Mission Inn, and ending the night with the famous Costco Chocolate Cake!  Happy 13th John!!!


John giving me a scary face before we start our hike in the desert........on a horse with no name....oooops, wrong desert trip....



......and 17 people wandered into the desert with only a water bottle each.....



Swim time after desert wandering.... 



Red Robbin was Johns choice for dinner, yum!

 

Than off to see the MILLIONS of lights at the Mission

 

.....and ending with a delicious Chocolate Cake!

Chocolate cakes are a favorite for these cousins.....Ryan even had one when we were visiting from Okinawa and his birthday fell during our Mikolajcik time!

Still Holds Our Hands....

Every chance i get i snap a picture of Ryan holding Ed's hand.  Someday he won't hold our hand anymore....and that makes me sad.....but until then i will snap away and than make a book of all these pictures i have taken of Ryan holding our hands.....

More Princess Carriage Ride

I forgot to add these last three pictures to our carriage ride...


Grandma Mik, Julianna, and Vicki




Me up top with our driver




Our beautiful Cinderella Carriage



Ahhhhhh, The Sun Feels Soooo Good!!!

The girls totally enjoyed soaking up the rays while we were in beautiful Sunny Southern California!  


Busy tanning and texting, such talented multitasking Sun Godesses





The best part of So Cal is laying in the warm sun and still seeing snow on the mountains behind ya!



It All began With, “I’m Not Ty”

In early December I asked Ty to do something for me.  He just stood there with his finger going across his upper lip.  I laughed and said, “Hey! I asked you to do this, do it!”  Ty said, “I am not Ty.”  I was a bit confused on his latest game and asked who he was.  He said he was a guy with a mustache and that Ty was not around.  Soon every time I asked any of the kids to do something they would put their finger across their upper lip giving me the mustache sign that they were no longer that child of mine.  It was addicting and I began doing it when Ed would ask me to do something.  We began to get creative giving our looks interesting beards , unibrows, etc.  By the time we arrived in California it had become such a habit for our family that everyone else joined in!  Here are a few pictures of everyone jumping on board to another Ty Craze…..     


Merry Christmas!  Even in our family picture!



The girls got creative!



......and even more creative!






Even with the pose with Grandma and Grandpa Mik!




Complete strangers aren't ammune to the mustache either.....




Vicki copying a mustache dude......




The original Mustache Kid




John addng the unibrow




Ryan even does it in his sleep!