Sequoia National Park

Kassidy had her baby!!!!! 

Josie was born late on April 16th and she is perfection!!!!

 But, Tanner lost his job.

BUT, before that, he met with Vangie who introduced the idea of Tanner taking a COO role at Rockwell...

At the end of the day, it's like the Lord is aware of our pleas. Parker is a part of pilot program for missionaries where they participate in the church's emotional resilience classes. He shared with is something he learned recently which was that if you work towards your values and not your goals (like, getting a job that is rewarding and fulfilling that helps me live a balanced life vs making a lot of money) then you live a much more satisfying life. So, our prayers have slightly changed from "please bless Daddy to make all the money" to "please help us to have relationships and experiences that help keep us on the covenant path". When Tanner met with Vangie, she asked him what his ultimate goal was, and he said he wanted to be able to move his family down to OC. I feel like being closer to family, in a ward with more members (especially kids my kids' ages), good leaders, mentors, and friends for us all would be a huge boost for our family. 

Ironically, during Tanner's last week of work, the survey team showed up (and they killed it). Tanner's bosses have been super kind and supportive and basically said they wanted a fresh set of eyes on the building but it still feels like you're getting voted off the island with a blindside. BUT, Friday was his last day and on Saturday we decided to take the kids on a little adventure.

First, we had our big combined MCO rehearsal which went fantastically and we all can't wait for the performance! Then, I raced Jack and Ella back home for soccer games. When Tanner got home with Rayleigh we all sat in the hot tub and talked about plans now that Tanner is technically unemployed. Where should we go? What should we do? We'd talked about a road trip, but where? Then I saw a deal with Shaka Guide- 54 National Park Tours for $99. I also heard about a place called Autocamp in Sequoia so we called and got a deal for 2 nights there and bought the Shaka Guide and the rest is history!

We packed light and hit the road on Sunday morning. The kids had their devices (which had been locked up all week) so they were happy and quiet. Tanner drove so it was relaxing for me, too! We pulled up to Autocamp and I thought it would be cold..... but it was not. I had to wear Tanner's Nike underwear for shorts because all I brought was fleece lined leggings. Anyhoo, I don't wanna brag, but we got THE best campsite in the whole place. We were in the back corner, no one beyond us, right on the river! We had an airstream trailer and a huge canvas tent. It. was. Epic!

We got settled and immediately hit the pool. The kids splashed and played and then took the party to the lawn where we played corn hole and frisbee. I mean, it was pretty much the best. We built a fire for dinner and cooked chicken and potatoes (and broccoli) for dinner which was delicious. And of course we made s'mores for dessert. The resort played Cars for the outdoor movie and we snuggled up with hot chocolate. It made me miss Parker!

That night we all slept pretty well. It got cold! We made pancakes, eggs, and bacon for breakfast and then packed some PB&J for lunch, grabbed some chips and drinks, and headed into Sequoia National Park with Shaka as our guide. Thanks to Ella, we got in for free with her National Parks Pass. We can't sing praises for the Shaka Guide enough.  An adventure isn't complete without it! We learned so much and had an easy, no worries day following along. Who knew Buffalo Soldiers were the first park rangers or that Disney had plans to buy the park and turn it into a HUGE ski resort. Or that a cool gal named Susan petitioned to get the park enlarged and legitimized in 1918 before women could even legally vote! We learned about the Native American's who inhabited the land, we learned about the geology of the area (lots of granite) and how the mountains are still growing! Of course we learned about the Sequoia trees themselves and how fires help them grow- but not the amount we've been experiencing lately due to global warming. 

We saw the hospital wall where a Native American healed an explorer who had hurt his leg. This wall has pictographs over 200 years old! We met General Sherman, the biggest tree in the world! And we hiked to Baldy Peak and saw a beaver!

It was a 10/10 day and the fun didn't stop once we got back to Autocamp. We made tacos for dinner, s'mores for dessert and snuggled up under warm blankets for a nice night's sleep. 

Thankfully we had some good service and were able to chat with Parker half way through the day. He looked and sounded so good but the next day he texted me that he was struggling a bit. I don't think we had a long enough chat and he was sad. But he was able to meet with Elder Cook and learn some power truths. He also bestowed an apostolic blessing and promised the missionaries they would be blessed by their service as missionaries. 

We could not have planned our timing better because the next morning, after a yummy pancake breakfast, we packed up and headed out right as it began to rain. We stopped in Visalia for orange ice cream from Orange Works which is a place Angel told us we HAD to visit. It did NOT disappoint! Yum!

Autocamp + Shaka Guide made for the PERFECT 3 day get away. 

Where to next?

Parker was blessed to have a special meeting with Elder Cook!