The Great Communicator

Portrait constructed from jelly beans.

Yesterday we went  to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.  It was really neat, the exhibits were put together really well and they were very interactive. 

I was impressed by the quotes from his speeches and diaries, as well as the things that drove him and his vision.  Whatever your politics, you have to admit he was an extraordinary man.

President Reagan had these plaques on his desk to help inspire him.  Sorry they are so hard to read; they didn't allow flash in any of the exhibits.  I think you can read the large one, but the smaller one says, "There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit."

 Another cool thing is that this Presidential Library houses the old Air Force One!  It was used by the past eight presidents (it was retired in 2001).  Ronald Reagan's library received it because he logged the most miles on it out of all the presidents who used it.  He traveled to 26 foreign countries in eight years.

The views were incredible.

The grounds were beautiful as well--they even had a memorial with a piece of the Berlin Wall.

 

One more awesome thing!  They are currently housing a temporary Disney exhibit (Walt and Ron were friends).  Maybe it's only because I'm the biggest Disney nerd the world has ever seen, but I loved seeing props, costumes, and behind the scenes of the movies that shaped my childhood.  I only wish we had more time to explore--the library was closing in 10 minutes once we finally reached the Disney portion, so we had to hurry through it.  I feel like I heard one of the docents mention that Disney is thinking about creating their own museum. UM, YES, THEY SHOULD.  I would eat it up.  

And thus ends the Summer of Dan, officially.

Dan is my Minnie Driver

 Have you ever seen the movie Return to Me?  It stars Minnie Driver as the recipient of a heart transplant, who ends up falling in love with the widower of her heart donor.  It's been one of my favorite movies since I was 12 or 13 years old.  One of my favorite scenes occurs at a bowling alley; Minnie Driver's character comes from a large Italian (and Irish!) family, who all love to bowl.  They're all really good at it, and as the scene opens we watch them each get strike after strike. Then her love interest steps up...and hits like one pin.  This is pretty much the story of my life.  I married into a large Italian family that loves to bowl and is really great at it.  I think bowling is fun, and I thought I was getting better...but apparently I still need the bumpers! 

They still cheer for me when I hit a pin just as loud as when they get a strike.  I guess sometimes real life really is like the movies.

Home

1.

 Sorry for the absence the past week.  This month has felt like a whirlwind. It seems like we've been going, going, going all month, and as much as I love adventures and parties and family and friends and long road trips and swimming and the movies and the beach and mountains and BYU and hellos and goodbyes and visits and surprises and long lost friends and shopping and trying new things and the cabin and reminiscing...it's nice to be back in my own home and have the opportunity to breathe for a bit.

2.

 Last night when I finally got home from our trip to Utah, I wasn't feeling very well.  I had a bit of a head cold and between the pressure from driving through all the mountains and the twists and turns and bumps and a really big lunch, my stomach just wanted to turn itself inside out.  All I could even think about doing was passing out on my bed (and maybe making a quick trip to the bathroom so my stomach could finish taking care of that whole turning itself inside out thing.)  Dan helped me into bed and brought me some medicine and cough drops with a glass of water, he fed London and played with her until she was ready for bed, he changed her diaper and put her in some jammies and laid her down for bed.  After spending almost a week without him, it's not hard to remember why I love him.  It's so good to be home.
 

3.

1. London playing in the living room.

2. Waking up at the cabin this last week.

3. Bowling with Dan's family.

Welcome Home!

Nothing says, "Welcome to America" like In-n-Out, silly string, and nerf guns.  Right?

Dan's brother Zach (or as we affectionately refer to him, "Zachy-poo") finally returned from his mission to Paraguay on Saturday.  We're so happy he's home; two years is a long time!  

First time holding his niece.

 

Here's to cramming in as much fun as possible into this week before Zach leaves for college!

Muggle Quidditch

This birthday party made me proud.  For Mason's 12th birthday, he wanted to play Quidditch, the most popular sport of the wizarding world.
Obviously, this was the muggle version; no broomsticks, our balls weren't really the right colors (and the bludgers and snitch couldn't really fly on their own...), and our goal posts weren't exactly up to code, but it was short notice.

Our seekers eventually gave up on their seeking of the snitch.  I think they were having a hard time finding it because they would have rather been chasers.  So we let them join in and said they could just play to 200.  I think even the kids who weren't Harry Potter fans had fun.  And it was pretty dang fun to watch.

For those interested, our quaffle is simply a water volleyball.  Our bludgers are just ordinary rubber bouncy balls that the beaters threw at the chasers--they could only throw it at someone carrying the quaffle, and once hit, the person carrying the quaffle had to drop it.  If the seekers were hit with a bludger, they had to freeze for five seconds.  We used a yellow golf ball for the snitch (we just hid it before the game began.) 

If we'd had more time, maybe we could have spray painted the balls the correct colors, and found a way to raise our hoops a little higher.  The nerdy perfectionist in me has already started formulating plans for next time.  My birthday is just around the corner... Just kidding haha.  Maybe.

The spectators.

100 years.

Dan's great-grandma Ann celebrated her 100th birthday yesterday.  She is such an incredible lady!  She was running all over to meet and greet everyone who had come to her party.  And there were so many people there!  It was inspiring to see the many people whose lives Ann had touched. 

[Stole this from Aunt Debbie's facebook!  The Vacarello side of the family.]

Not many people can say they met their great-great-grandmother!  London loves snuggling with Grandma-Ann.  In fact, she was so comfortable, she fell asleep on her lap during all the pictures. 

100 years apart!

Love this great, big, Italian family I married into.

Happy Birthday, Ann!  And many more!

Beach Babies

The weather has been blissfully perfect this last week.  Is there anywhere more perfect than a beach?  I hope London develops an appreciation for it early on in life, because I can foresee us spending so much time here the next couple years. 

Can I just add that there is nothing cuter than a baby in a swimsuit?  F'reals. 

Take me out to the ball game

London went to her first baseball game!  It was a Padres game, so I guess that means she's on my side of the Padres/Dodgers divide in our household!  Poor Danny, all alone.  Maybe someday he'll see the light...

What a great way to spend our last night in San Diego!  I sure miss my family, and can't wait to see them at Thanksgiving!