Saturday, August 2, 2008

Eureka!

For a long, long time I have been thinking the whole problem with our modern American society's health has been related to the fact that our lifestyles are no longer healthy. We have too much. Too much prosperity equals too much access to as many delectable mounds of sweetness as the heart desires, and too many fast food items that are truly plastic that we eat because our life is too fast paced. We have so many inventions to make our lives easier that we have become sedentary beyond our forefather's wildest imaginations. If only there was an easy way to enmesh more exercise and healthier food choices into our current situation, we could overcome these obstacles to a strong heart and a slim waistline. People, I have discovered the way. I'm going to tell you for free: Build your one and only bathroom two blocks from your home. You cannot borrow anyone else's and you cannot get there by car, you have to walk.

We spent a lovely 3 days and 2 nights at Yuba Lake on the North Beach and due to shrinking lakes, the outhouse is 2-3 blocks away, across former lake bed sand. I not only had to take myself up there, but every one of my offspring every time they had to go, and when they forgot their shoes, I got to carry them piggy back. That did a lot to jump start my exercise program that should have already started a month ago. I have muscles all over the place that I never knew about before. Too bad we came home...I guess I could ask my visiting teacher if we could use her bathroom, but I'd really rather not deter her from the urge to spontaneously bake me bread or cookies (made with whole grains of course).

So, the lake was fun and everyone got fried, mostly because it was noon by the time I finished all the A.M. trips to the bathroom, thus freeing me to start attacking people with sunscreen. My feet got burned. Enigma is complaining 200 times a day about the fact that her chest is peeling and it looks like she has a map of the U.S.A. on her bosom. I assumed she was old enough to put on her own sunscreen.

We had a blast and it was so relaxing, because I didn't even have to clean up 2 flats of orange soda pop cans that were slashed with a knife in the trunk of the van while we set up the tent this year. I thought maybe the boys were too old to do that anymore, but apparently not, because while I was cleaning today, I found this

IMG_0365

? I need a break. Anyone want to babysit? I didn't think so. You probably don't want to sleep over either, do you?

Thanks, Amy by the way, for babysitting this week, you are so brave!

So, back to our trip- Thanks to the fact that Utah not only has the Deer Hunt in the fall, it has Pioneer Day on July 24, we got to take a little vacation. That was after I finished reading the big journal my pioneer ancestor wrote. It is so weird to me that I keep finding out that all these podunk towns in Utah were established by some ancestor, who then hightailed it to Arizona. It sort of makes me feel like I belong here. As long as I can run off to Arizona, that is.

I'm having concentration issues here, so here are some shots from our trip. First, the lake at sunset-

IIMG_0143IMG_0235Carino

IMG_0068

Guess who did this work of art.

IMG_0083aThe Things head out to sea.

IMG_0097a Brothers "lovingly" playing together. The swamp thing is Gigio who must protect his eyes and nose from the water.

IMG_0112The Things called this their castle.

The seagulls loved us.IMG_0173a

IMG_0139a

Papi the sailor man gets ready to unload the sea doo.

IMG_0118a Sand dunes near the bathroom.

IMG_0145a They're not crickets, but they are interesting little friends of the Things.

IMG_0185aDragonflies have fun here too. They are making a heart!

You won't believe it but some of these did a break dance on my living room floor the other day. I'll spare you the video because they were camera shy.

IMG_0246Enigma.

IMG_0244 Gigio.

IMG_0248I was there too and I blinded everyone with my reflection. We had representatives at one point or another from all Papi's working establishments as well as his bro. I haven't had time to try to stitch together shots of the whole panorama yet. Other than too much wind, we had great weather. We came back to visit with my bro and his boy from Boston. His boy is 3 and we finally got to meet him in person! He charmed our socks off. He kind of reminds me of Opie from Andy Griffith. Oh, and it was nice to visit with Hans, too! We got two trips to the in-town bro's to see fireworks since the first day they got rained out. Now it's back to real life. Sigh! I love vacations.

8 comments:

RAQ said...

Awesome photos! I think you are right about the bathroom/exercise program! Very funny!

Anonymous said...

i love all of these awesome photos!! and you look so CUTE!!!!

you are so right about we PEOPLE not eating right anymore & not having healthy lifestyles!!!

why are we doing this to ourselves!?!?! it's crazy huh!

your family is adorable!!!

caramama said...

Love the pics! Sounds like it was a good time.

Ashley said...

Wow, those are so many great pictures! It looks like you guys had such a fun vacation!!!

Joanna said...

Cute photos! Glad you had a good time.

Karen said...

Wow, that looks like so much fun! I think I've got Mexico on my chest. You'd think I'd be old enough to apply my own sunscreen too, wouldn't you?

And that weight loss idea is genius, except I can see a lot of UTIs going on for the long holds.

Jennifer @ Fruit of My Hands said...

What fun~ Great pictures~

I hate hate hate not having close access to a bathroom. I think if my bathroom were at stake, I'd willingly work out more, just to keep it nearby.

Carrie and Troy Keiser said...

Sounds like a good trip even with the trek to the potty!