This is the Pacific Ocean!  La Jolla Shores to be exact.  Grant was insistent on going to the beach at least once while we were in San Diego, so we checked into our hotel in downtown and then headed to the mass of humanity that had congregated in La Jolla.  It was insane. The kids all boogie boarded and I hung out on the shore with my toes in the water and sand...it was wonderful.

 And THIS is the reason for the visit to San Diego...Comic Con International...The kids have been looking forward to this for an entire year.  Frankly, Bill and I don't understand the desire to be surrounded by a bunch of odd folks, many who are dressed up in a wide variety of costumes and some who don't apparently bathe for the entire 4 day convention.  It's the coming together of actors, creators, writers, etc. in the entertainment industry.  This year marked the 44th annual event.  The crowd was estimated between 130,000-200,000! It was a crazy spectacle.

 Our hotel was in the perfect location.  We stayed at the Marriott Gaslamp, one block from the convention center. Absolutely prime.  We could see Petco Park, the Coronado Bay Bridge, San Diego Harbor and the San Diego Convention Center from our room.  We felt completely spoiled! It was awesome.

 While the kids were doing their "geek thing", I walked and enjoyed being in the heart of America's Finest City.  I walked to Seaport Village...one of my favorite places, every morning.  This was a typical view while I walked.

 Occasionally the kids would send me a picture text...this was them waiting in line...they waited in lots of lines...

 Sitting in a "panel"... this is what they do too.  They were excited to see many of their favorite actors and personalities from movies, tv, the internet, etc.

 I took advantage of being in the same city as one of my favorite temples.  This holy place holds special significance to me.  We were living in LA when it was built and dedicated.  We attended the open house and then I attended the dedication with my mom,  We were blessed to be in the celestial room with President Hinckley.  It was a choice experience.  As I sat in the celestial room, I reflected on that special day. Sacred memories.

 I changed into my swim suit in the car in the temple parking lot...(thank goodness for a big back seat and darkly tinted windows:)...and headed to the bay for some Southern California sunshine.  It was heavenly.

 It was great meeting up for dinner with some of my San Diego family. Uncle Terry and Armida, Jim, Christin and her daughter Marissa met me for some yummy dinner and great conversation.  They live in a beautiful part of the world. 

 I took the opportunity to visit one of my old "haunts"...Yogurt Mill in El Cajon!  It was just as good as I remembered.  Funny thing, I ran into an old girl friend from high school who was visiting from Washington.  It was wonderful catching up after 33 years!!!

 And this is the church I attended when I was a child and youth...Obviously the building has been updated and the huge tree that used to stand on the corner, has long since been removed.  I have some pretty fond memories of this place.  My Grandma and Grandpa Shippen attended this building until they both passed away.  Both of their funerals were held in this building.

 And this is the house I grew up in ... 668 Trenton Street.  Oddly enough, it still looks the same.  My mom sold it in 2003 when she moved to Texas to live across the street from us.  It hasn't changed a bit since she sold it...although the palm tree and the crepe myrtle look taller.

 Get ready for an Addie overload of pictures!  Grant ADORES this baby! She thinks he's ok too...it's amazing the tenderness that comes out of this giant of a boy when his niece is around.

 One of my favorite things is when Addie shrugs one shoulder and smiles.  She's captured my whole heart.

 Garrett loves this little girl too...let's be honest, none of us can get enough of her.  It's a shame we can't see her more often...but when we do, she has all of our attention.

 Daddy greeting his princess after work at the Shakespeare Festival. Nope. She's not loved at all.

 Addie loves the water, so we all changed into our suits and headed for the public pool.  Aunt Christine is one of her favorite people...so she had no problem swimming with her.

 LOVE this...trying out Mom's shades:)

 I cannot believe she is ONE!  She looks so old in this picture.  Sitting like a big girl with her wristband on and Dad's car keys around her neck.  So dang adorable! (and her model mom sitting next to her:)  Two cuties for sure.

 We always try to squeeze in a production at Tuacahn...we saw The Wizard of OZ.  It was good, not great.  It didn't help that Garrett's performance in high school rivaled the Lion in this production....No seriously!  And these are paid professionals.  We did enjoy being together and having William and NaKya with us.  We invited Papa, but with his missionary duties, he doesn't like to be out too late.  Maybe next time:)

 This had to be added...On Addie's actual birthday (July 8), this was her "smash cake", her tutu, her crown and her darling backdrop that her talented mom whipped up for the special occasion. She was pretty pleased with all of the attention:)

 Since we weren't in town for her actual birthday, and because we are all together here in St. George, we did a combination birthday with Aunt Christine, whose birthday is on July 24th.  Addie loves her aunt, so sharing another party wasn't a big deal.

 We had a yummy Blizzard S'mores ice cream cake from Dairy Queen.  Christine's first choice is never "real" cake, so she chose this.  It was wonderful!...and a change in desserts is always good.

 Addie and Christine helped each other open their gifts.

We LOVE our Addie girl!  She brings so much love to our lives...It took her a little while to warm up to us, which was hard (just being honest), but that's because we don't see her often...and apparently "face timing" doesn't count.  But she did warm up.  She's such a happy, friendly baby!  One day she'll know just who we are and that we are pretty cool...:)

***I should mention Bill's left eye...since I write this blog for our posterity...  The same day we attended the Lionel Richie concert, Bill had a routine eye appointment.  The doctor determined from his eye scan that he had several hemorrhages in his left eye and referred him immediately to a retina specialist. The specialist injected something into his optic nerve, because it was swollen.  This procedure left his eye blood red.  (That's why he wore sunglasses at a night concert.  His eyes were very sensitive and the bright lights bothered them.)  He had understood that his eye would be back to normal by now...not yet tho'.  He's been tested for all sorts of stuff...diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.  Everything is negative.  He has a follow-up appointment this week with the specialist.  We are hoping for some answers.  This did surprise us both.  Bill is the most healthy person in our entire family, hands down!  He runs and eats right and has energy...always.  This is just so very strange.  We have been praying that all will be well:)

 A couple of weeks ago, Bill and I went to see Lionel Richie at Fair Park in Dallas.  Although we had gone to Hawaii as part of our anniversary celebration, when our actual anniversary rolled around, Bill surprised me with tickets to this concert!  It was a blast!  We had perfect seats! Seventh row, right in the center!  Lionel stepped out and sang hit after hit!  It was a terrific show! It was July in Dallas, so the weather was a bit steamy, but we loved every minute of it!  This was a great night Bill!  Thanks for being so thoughtful! I love you!

 Grant was the last of the Caspers to have his wisdom teeth removed.  He was "lucky", just like Garrett, to be put completely to sleep at the hospital for the procedure.  Apparently, these to guys have unique tongue anatomy (they are big) which can cause challenges if the doctor does the operation in his office with lighter sedation.  All in all, we are grateful to have all of the oral surgery behind us.  Grant was a bit apprehensive about the ordeal, but he did great! 

He took over the game room and slept on the hide a bed for 4 nights with complete control of video games and Netflix.  To say he is spoiled, would be an understatement.

 Happy 1st Birthday Miss Addie!

Yesterday Addie turned 1!  It's hard to believe that a year has passed since this precious angel became a part of our family.  She has brightened our days and made our family so much richer.  She had a fun celebration with family and friends yesterday which included a darling "smash cake"...she loved every present and especially every one's attention.  She likes attention:)  We are excited to see her on the 20th for a second celebration and more attention showered on the birthday girl(s)...she will be sharing the limelight with Aunt Christine, whose birthday will be on the 24th.  July is a great month!  Happy Birthday sweet baby.

TRY and keep on trying

until that which seems

DIFFICULT

becomes possible and that 

which seems only possible 

becomes HABIT and a 

real part of YOU!

--Dieter F. Uchtdorf--

What do we get when we set goals and then actually reach them?...A sense of personal accomplishment, peace, joy, strength, confidence, positivity, knowledge.  Really the list is endless.  Several months ago, I set a personal goal for myself, something that I've needed to do for a long time.  Today I was triumphant in reaching the goal I set.  It's a great feeling.  I pray to continue to grow and learn and gain strength as I journey on my path to becoming a better wife, mother, friend, daughter of God...one day at a time:)