My Grandpa Costa turned 87 on August 4th.  On the spur of the moment my mom came by on her way over so I grabbed the 2 ragamuffins at my house and we headed over to wish him a happy birthday.  We put an 8 & 7 on two fig newtons and sang to him.  He was feeling extra tired that day, but I think maybe MOWING HIS LAWN may have had something to do with that!!    He may be tired, but he's still got his quick wit and humor!

I know a lot of you on xanga know my grandparents ("Lou & Len")  since they lived in Ada, OK for several years and enjoyed having the young adults (OK - KIDS) stay at their house during meetings.  Not to mention my family that is also on here: so I thought I would share some pictures.

Well, I figured that I might as well use this opportunity to also share the pics from their 65th wedding anniversary in July.  My mom threw a party at her house with just immediate family, per Grandma's request.  Aunt Cynthia was able to come out and surprise us all!!  And because of that, all of their kids were at the party!  YEAH!!  No Photoshoping this time! 

All their kids!

Mary Alice, Ivan, Cynthia, Myron, Bill, Barbara (my mom) & Louise

Grandpa's brother and sister

Grandma's sisters Margie and Annie

The Big Egg Toss!

Andilee making a toss w/her unique style!  : )

Wade making a catch while Tiffany and Aunt Cynthia watch


Mikey (Sasha's son), Ainsley, Aaron, Sydney and Ethan lined up in competition!

Lane making a splattering catch?!!?

And WHO wins this round?!?  The girls that let the RAW egg drop and roll many a time!  ha!  As you can see, they were SOO excited!!
The BOYS they beat were NOT happy!!!
 


It was soo hot that day . . . but we played volleyball anyway!

So . . . I've been learning a lot about uploading videos to youtube, vimeo, etc.

I was finally able to figure out how to "encode" my dvd production into a viewable slide show on the i-net.

I'm not at all happy with the quality of the pictures . . . but I'll just have to work on that for next time since I'm am just so ready to get this production up and done with! If anyone has any advice on how to make the quality better, please let me know.

So for all of you wondering about how my Half Dome hike went - you can view this video (hopefully) that I made.

I made a better one and burned it on dvd for us to keep and for family viewing that had a lot more details in it (text) and bubbling brook sound effects to go along with my "mountain music", but I am just tired of working on this so I figure this is good enough for this time!

I hope you enjoy and please feel free to ask any questions that might not be answered by this video!

Maybe like "Were you tired?"  ha!!   OH MAN!  It was a MARATHIKE!!  Over 12 hours of hiking and most of it either UP or down hill, not sure which is worst - what do you think Ash?  (Ash is a ol' pro at this) Oh yah, I would like to thank Becky for letting me use her Camelback stuff, her hiking poles, her gloves . . . what else?  I said it many times but I'll say it again:

I would have never made it up those cables if it weren't for the
TWO IMPORTANT G's!!!

GOD & GLOVES!!!

For anyone who might not be able to view this on your xanga, you can go to http://www.vimeo.com/1514056 to also view it.

I was e-mailing this pic to my cousin Rendi and I just HAD to post in on my xanga since there are so many of my xanga friends in it!!  Isn't it great!?!!?  So leave your comments on what you think of this pic and if you remember the day it was taken and what you were doing in your life at that time! I will tell you in another post of what this big event was all about if you were there and don't remember or if you are one of the few that happen to NOT be in the photo!  ha!

Hmmmm . . . . so WHO is hiding behind Megan??!?!?! 

Is that JOEY behind Jennifer??

 

   

  Well, we are leaving for Yosemite again on Sunday night to make the BIG HIKE to HALF DOME Monday morning - so I thought I'd better post my pics of our "little hike" to Vernal & Nevada Fall now so it won't be totally overshadowed by Half Dome! 

As you can see by the dates on the pics, we just went a few weeks ago.  Just Monte and I.  It was great bonding time for us since we're so use to having SOMEONE around, if it's not Ainsley it's some of his track team or my other family.

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Monte & I on the "footbridge" before Vernal Fall


This is Vernal Fall behind me. 

Merced River below. Notice the smoke haze from all of the fires

Monte on the "mist trail" w/Vernal Fall behind.
We got PRETTY WET on this part of the trail, but from the sounds of things the water has already really died down. 
MY MOM (64) went up a couple of days ago w/Becky & Ashley and Kevin Presley and they said they hardly got any drops so I'm REALLY glad we went when we did cuz I love to be wet!

My rugged outdoorsman

We finally made it to the top of Nevada Fall!!!  The water was just . .. HUGE!!!

VIDEO of the AWESOMENESS!




More Video of me sounding like a "dork" . . . yeah!    (Huell Howser, I am NOT!)

And one last video of the awesomeness of Nevada Fall & my dorky sound-effects


So I guess that's all until next time. . . just to let you know I just MIGHT not be able to make it ALL the way to the top of the DOME, (unlike my turbo-hiker friend Ashley!) since I have just a little fear of heights and well . . . you know . . . .  ("mind over matter" - RIGHT?!?!)  Who WOULDN'T be a LITTLE afraid of this?!

PRAY FOR ME!!! 

Well, I didn't "save" and so I lost my whole long post w/pics and descriptions of them . . . so now I'm not feeling "wordy" any more so I'm sorry, but I just don't feel like telling you who everyone is AGAIN!!  So if you have questions please feel free to ask!

"Big B", Ainsley & I! 

The last official "post-Lebanon" volleyball game at the Massey's 

The HARD WORKERS!  Thank you sooo much for all the wonderful years of fun we had out at your house!
The Massey & McKenny Families  (Hi Lynn! )

Monte's Aunt & Uncle
Yvonne & John Unger 50th wedding anniversary

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Errrrr!  So enough of that!  I am TOTALLY saving more frequently next time~!!!

So tonight was Jace DeGough & Bethany Frey's wedding rehearsal. 
In short, my daughter is a HAPPY GIRL!!  Check out the cute Frey boys she get's to walk with!!

BRENT COURTER!!!!!


Being sooo patient - probably wondering if he should be BACKING OUT at this point!

A little video to capture the moment : )  Oh man, I was laughing so hard I didn't know where to start!  I just couldn't believe he was letting her do it!

She was soo excited to be painting someone's nails (since I'VE never let her do it) and she kept looking up at him and saying "Really?  I can?"  ha!

 

 Didn't she do a good job for her FIRST pedicure!??

FYI:  For those of you that don't know, Brent is married to my husband's sister Dana and they live in Missouri : )

 

Poor Brent - I hope this doesn't damage is "rep" too bad!!

And Auntie Dana painted Ainsley's toe nails . . . aren't they soo cute!?!?

  Well, I've been doing yard work all day and finally inside to just veg and play on the laptop while Ainsley watches her Word World on DVR . . .

and then I read Carly's newest blog and I decided to accept the "tag" so I took pictures . . .

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My frig:  FULL of all sorts of stuff!

  

But the OUTSIDE of my frig is more exciting since I "post" so many pictures!
Can you find YOURSELF????

My sink - UNTOUCHED . . . no cheating!!!
We have lots of fresh fruit and veggies around this time of year!
Also note the "cactus jelly" made by my Grandpa Costa


FAVORITE PAIR OF SHOES:

Since Monte is asleep upstairs in our bedroom - thought I'd find some of Ainsley's instead

 

A TOILET - untouched - looks as if Ainsley dropped her clothes again

 

WHAT YOUR KIDS ARE DOING RIGHT NOW:  Ainsley watching her Word World and Super Why on DVR

 

A CLOSET:  This is what we call "the cave".  The closet underneath our stairs is really a toy room/catch all.  The picture, OK POSTER of me is from my high school basketball days when all of the varsity players had their pics up around the gym walls . . . what ELSE am I going to do with it!!?!!?  Actually, I had TWO, but I somehow lost one of them . . .

 

Oh yah!  I forgot the DREAM VACATION one!!

I guess THIS would be it!!  : )

So what does YOUR house look like RIGHT now?!!?!  Isn't this fun!?!?!

Tag!  YOU'RE it!! 

Well, we are still in Missouri - now at Monte's parents house in Cabool and FINALLY have a little down time since we've been going nonstop since we left CA on June 30th!  I see that I had uploaded more pics of HI into my photo manager so since they are already here I will share more Hawaii pics w/you and try to comment a little more on some of them since I was in such a hurry last time to just get the pics up!

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Here is Monte at one of the black sand beaches at our resort (Mauna Lani Point).  Great snorkeling w/hardly anyone around!

My sister Rachel, Khleber Branch, Greg Branch

Ainsley & I with our plumeria flowers that were growing all over the resort area.

Ainsley shopping for a COACH purse!  "LOOK! Just my size mamma!"

Our "private" pool!  : )

Ainsley at Granna & Pappa's "villa" patio that overlooked the beach!


My mom, sis-law (Jill), Ron, Judy (my in-laws) in their "villa"

FYI: Monte, Ainsley and I shared a condo
My mom and Jill & 1 yr old Sydney shared one
Ron & Judy had one

Us in front of Tommy Bahama's Restaurant and store

Judy's steak at Tommy Bahama's

My garlic/herb roasted chicken

Ainsley on our lanai that overlooked the golf course

Ainsley at one of the black sand beaches, collecting white rocks and shells

Greg (my bro-law) grilling fresh market fish at the outdoor kitchen at our resort

Greg's sister Julie and his mom Khleber at our resort waiting for the food to be cooked!

Some of these pics of the resort are for our wonderful travel agent BIG B, who booked our trip for us - but you can go to http://maunalanipoint-px.rtrk.com/ for a few better pics and see the WONDERFUL accommodations we had!!!  I WANT TO GO BACK!!!

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OK, those are all the pics for now.  I've been trying to upload just TWO pics from this "country i-net" and it has been over half an hour and still no luck so I guess I will not be posting any new pics for a while.  We had a great time at the Lebanon meeting - just made it there for the last morning and night service - so have a few pics of that.

I SURE am enjoying these nice BLUE skies out here in the country - coming from the smokey haze we had in CA!!!  Now the humidity is another thing . . . 
 (This pic is from last year - just to show the BLUE skies and wonderful scenery at Monte's parents)

TIRED . . . hiked Vernal & Nevada Falls today @ Yosemite - but wanted to get more Hawaii pics on here.  Will post more later on our Yosemite hike . . .

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PLUMERIA -- LOVE them!!

Nephew Cole boogie boardin'

Khleber (my bro-laws mom) & Judy (Monte's mom) talking over Ron (Monte's dad) in the middle! 

Mauni Launi Resort on the big island . . . had the pool to ourselves most of the time!

 . . . even the GRANDMA'S swam since no one was around!! : )

Our patio at our condo on Mauni Launi - overlooking the huge golf course greens

Lunch on a private beach just for the resort quests

Granna & Pappa w/Ainsley

Sis-law Jill w/niece Sydney 

Kendra & Ainsley had a BLAST in the waves!!

 

Nephews: Lane, Wade, Cole, Niece: Kendra, daughter: Ainsley

Black sand beaches

Active volcanos . . .

more another day - must rest these weary legs!

 

 OK - I MEANT to blog in Hawaii - but was just too busy or tired . . .

So AFTER Disneyland we came home for a couple of days and then left for Hawaii!!

It was for our 10th anniversary . . . but we asked Monte's parents to go along to "babysit" Ainsley for us! 
We then decided to ask the rest of our family if anyone else wanted to go and my mom and my sister-in-law took us
up on it!

Monte & I w/our fresh leis

 
Look at us!  We are so NOT tourists!!  lol!

 

Me, my sister-in-law Jill, niece Sydney, Monte & Ainsley in Honalulu, Oahu

Me & sister-n-law Jill on Waikiki Beach


We hiked to Diamond Head - here's some of the view.  Supposedly, you can see ALL of Oahu from here
except for North Shore . . .

We did it!  (My mom & I) It was an easy trek, until we got the the STAIRS!!  UGGGHG!!  How many?  Like 100 or something?!
That was good practice for Half Dome!!

Ainsley & Monte @ Waikiki Beach

Playing on Waikiki Beach

 
GOOD surfin' waves on Waikiki!

Well, I must go to bed to get some sleep for services in the am - will blog more another day! 

MUCH to tell & pics to share!!!