Yosemite Valley

We woke up bright and early to begin our first day at Yosemite.  A tour guide would be taking us to Yosemite Valley with four other passengers--an older couple and a mother with her son.  Our guide told us that Yosemite Valley is the most popular part of the park with nearly 4 million visitors each year.  Luckily, our early June travels combined with having a tour guide that's familiar with the park, helped us explore the valley without the large crowds or long lines of cars.  In fact, many times, he took us to less explored places, which made us feel as if we had the park all to ourselves.

I'm not sure where to begin except to show pictures.  The Grand Canyon was AMAZING because of  the enormity of the canyon itself with its layers of rock "revealing millions of years of geological history" (Grand Canyon National Park Service Website).  Yosemite was different because of its variety--there were mountains, falls, valleys, rivers, snow-melt lakes, and giant sequoias.  Each site was different and BEAUTIFUL.  We never knew what was next, but they saved, perhaps, the most majestic for last--the giant sequoias or redwoods.

The "Tunnel View" of Yosemite Valley.

Bridalveil Falls

El Capitan - One of the most famous granite rocks in Yosemite (approx. 114 milllion years old).
Many rock climbers come to El Capitan.  From our view, the climbers were little black dots you
could only see with binoculars.

Yosemite Valley Chapel--the oldest building in Yosemite National Park--is listed on the National Register
of Historic Places and is still a popular destination for weekly worship services and weddings.

Yosemite Falls

Hanging out by the Sentinel Meadow, Sentinel Bridge, Yosemite Falls, and the Merced River.

The Merced River

A place for lunch...

Half Dome (about 87 million years old)

The Merced River is so clean and clear (and cold)!

The Ahwahnee Hotel, now called the Majestic Hotel, is on the floor of Yosemite Valley.  It opened in 1927
 and was constructed from steel, stone, concrete, wood, and glass.  It's hosted presidents, kings & queens,
and other nobility in its day. Now it's still a place for the elite, going for $800 per night.     

The "lounge" area inside the hotel.

The dining room...

My favorite part--Giant Sequoias

Lewie walking inside a giant sequoia that fell.

Tree Hugger!

These trees have been around for thousands of years.  (The oldest one known is 3,500 years old.)
There is definitely something magical about these ancient forests.  I want to live here!

Our tour lasted about nine hours.  Lew and Little Lewie went back to the cabin to put on their bathing suites.  I went back to nap.  It was an extraordinary day, and there would still be much more to see!

A National Park Adventure - Yosemite

When I was a teenager, I always dreamt of taking a road trip to see our beautiful National Parks.  When I didn't have a chance to fulfill this dream, I made a promise to myself that I would do it with our family.  Last year, we all went to see the Grand Canyon, which was on top of my "National Park list."  This year, after some research and consideration of finances, we chose to go to Yosemite National Park.  This year's trip wasn't as long as our visit to Arizona and the Grand Canyon, but it was still AMAZING!

As usual, I will have to break up this trip into several different posts as there is just too much to show and explain.  We started with our six-hour plane ride to Sacramento, California and then traveled another three hours to Groveland, California to stay at the Evergreen Lodge, which was just outside of Yosemite.  The three hour drive wasn't at all what I expected.  The first hour was highway, but shortly after, we drove through farms, rolling hills, and then along the ledge of a windy mountain that climbed up further and further (CA Hwy 120).  Before long, we were 8,000 feet above sea level and still climbing.  My fear of heights set in, and I literally felt as if I held my breath for the rest of the drive to the lodge.  

Once we arrived, there was no time to waste.  I had signed us up for a happy hour sunset tour of Yosemite, which was to depart 30 minutes after our arrival.  We quickly went to our cabin, set down our luggage, and dressed ourselves in preparation of the tour, knowing we probably needed warm clothes and bug repellent.

Once the van departed, we found ourselves with the tour guide and two other couples--one older (probably in their 60's) and one younger (probably in their late 20's or early 30's).  Lew and I instantly had this strange feeling.  The younger couple was an example of who we were about ten years ago (before we had Little Lewie).  The older couple was an example of who we would be in another 10 to 20 years when Little Lewie would be an adult.  I suppose we should be happy with our age at this moment, but I did find myself slightly missing the young us from ten years ago....

The sunset behind Yosemite's mountains was beautiful, and we had good food (cheese, fruit, crackers, & wine) and good company.  We noticed right away that many of the trees around us were black and charred--this was due to one of California's largest wildfires in 2013.  While I expected the guide to tell us the fire was "bad"--he unexpectedly told us it was good.  Forest fires (as long as they are contained) are good and actually necessary for the environment to grow and replenish itself.  The Evergreen Lodge, back in 2013, actually survived the fire, as firefighters were allowed to move in and use it as their home base to combat the blaze.

Once the sun set, we were back to our cabin at the Evergreen Lodge where Lew and Lewie decided to get into their swimsuits for a quick dip in the pool.  I rested knowing we were about to hit the trails of Yosemite Valley the very next day.   (There were five more adventures ahead.)

Our cabin at the Evergreen Lodge

The pool before sunset.

Lewie's First Communion

The weekend before the tornado, Mother's Day Weekend to be exact, Lewie made his First Holy Communion.  This was a special day for us because it helped solidify his initiation into the Catholic Church, and he made his First Communion in the very same church that I did (thirty-six years ago).

Over the years, I've watched friends and family members stop going to church.  Even more, many of Lewie's classmates and friends are growing up without practicing any type of religion.  While I have been known to miss a few Sunday masses myself, I have continued to be an active member of our church because 1) it makes me feel part of a long-time family tradition, 2) it reminds me to follow the Ten Commandments, especially the most important rule of all: "to love thy neighbor," and 3) it keeps me spiritually connected and grounded.

Lewie and I have a routine every night.  Before we go to bed, we say one thing we're thankful for and we say a few prayers.  Sometimes we pray for sick relatives, sometimes we pray for safety, and sometimes we pray for larger global concerns.  Lewie has learned that God is not Amazon; we can't pray for something and expect it to arrive in a neat little package the next day.  However, he is learning that when life is difficult or scary, God is there to help us.  Rather than be fearful, I remind Little Lewie about the power of  Faith, Hope, and Love.  I remind him what it means to be a good person, and I show him how praying with intention (from the heart) can mean everything.

A highlight from Lewie's First Holy Communion was that he was asked to read the Responsorial Psalm, "I am the Bread of Life."  As he read, he was taught how to put his hand in the air to show the audience when it was time for us to speak.  He did such a great job that everyone, even the deacon, told him that he was "hired" to become a reader.  His response to everyone was the same: "I get the reading gene from my mom."  The reality is that I've personally been reading for St. Michael's Church since I was fourteen years old.  I was asked to read for my Confirmation, and then I was "hired" to read ever since.

Little Lewie standing with little cousin, Crystal.

Other highlights were watching the children bring "gifts" to the priest and seeing them make a circle on the altar to say the "Our Father."  In my mind, the ceremony had more meaning and more symbolism than what I remembered from my First Holy Communion.  It was refreshing to see how over the years, the Church has changed from a "fire and brimstone" mentality to one of more inclusion, love, and compassion.

At the end of the ceremony, we had some treats downstairs in the church basement and then took a few pictures.  Then, less than an hour later, we drove to a restaurant to celebrate with family.  We had a small celebration with less than 20 family members, but it was a nice moment.  We had good company, good food, and a good reason to celebrate. It was a proud moment of honoring tradition while teaching Lewie the importance of practicing faith, love, and compassion.

My mom with Little Lewie

Our proud moment at the restaurant.

Little Lewie and his three cousins, Sarah, Brooklynn, and Lily

Little Lewie and Aunty Missy

Little Lewie and "Ninny"

God Bless You, Little Lewie.

Tuesday's Tornado

I don't know what to say.  The whole experience is still a little surreal.  Each morning I wake up to birds chirping and everything sounding fine until I go outside and relive the destruction.

On Tuesday, at approximately 5:05 p.m., I shuddered at work as I watched dark green clouds fill the sky and the words "Tornado Warning" light up everyone's cell phone.  All my coworkers and I wondered if we should seek a safe place to hide as we saw strong winds, lightening, and hail burst from the clouds through the atrium glass window.  We were scheduled to begin an award ceremony in an hour, and we wondered if the award recipients and their families were now in jeopardy as they were most likely driving to our campus.

The storm ended about a half an hour later with little to no visible damage.  Those that drove and braved the storm had stories to tell about traffic and fallen trees, but we dusted ourselves off thinking that was the worst of it.

After the ceremony ended, I tried calling my mom only to learn that her landline was out of service.  I then called my husband to learn that he couldn't reach home.  Both sides of our road were blocked, and emergency crews gave us the bad news that no one would be able to get to their homes that night.  On the contrary, no one would be able to leave their homes that night either.

I panicked, but what could I do?  My mom left me a quick message with her cell phone to say that she and Little Lewie were okay, but after that message, she wasn't picking up the phone anymore.  I stayed over a coworker's house and attempted to drive home that morning.  Still no luck....

On Wednesday evening, reality hit.  The news reported that an F1 Tornado touched down in our town and then traveled another 9.5 miles, leaving behind a path of destruction.  The Tornado came ripping through our road, and trees and telephone poles either snapped like toothpicks or were uprooted like removing candles from a birthday cake.  The woods behind our house was destroyed.  Our trampoline and swing set took flight and then smashed.  Favorite trees in our yard came down.

Our driveway

Trees in our yard.

Trees that came down from across the street.

Our missing trampoline.

Remnants of our swing set and trampoline.

Trees from the woods by our garage.

When the emergency crews and construction vehicles finally allowed Lew and I to drive home, I couldn't help but cry over the war zone that was once our beautiful neighborhood.  There was car damage, house damage, and everything in-between.  Words can't explain how I felt when I was finally able to hug my mom and son.  They had lived through a tornado!  The storm I saw at work was nothing in comparison to what they had been through.  My mom said she heard what sounded like a freight train, and then she and my son immediately climbed into the closet underneath the stairs.  (We don't have a basement.)  The house shook, the storm windows blew into her bedroom, and her bedroom door kept on banging fiercely as now the wind and air pressure started popping out ceiling tiles in the kitchen.  It was the scariest five or six minutes of their lives, and as you can imagine, my son was beside himself--crying, shaking, and hyperventilating.  (He still doesn't want to fully talk about it.)

The following are pictures of our road  just a few houses down from us (after two full days of cleanup...)  Most of our town and surrounding towns look just like this.

Now that the cleanup has begun, I am both thankful and upset.  We are blessed because we are all safe, and our home was spared.  I am upset, however, because the cleanup will take many, many years before we can forget, and even then, there will still be a scarred landscape.  My son has now lived through a freak ice-storm, several blizzards, two hurricanes, and now a tornado in his nine years of life.  This is not normal.  Climate change is real, and I'm afraid for Little Lewie's future.  I wish climate change wasn't part of a political platform.  It's not a Democrat issue or a Republican one--it's a human one.  The human element in all of this cannot be ignored.

Our electricity is back up and school is scheduled to begin again on Monday, but more severe thunderstorms are scheduled for tomorrow.  I will do my best to comfort my little guy, and my mom and I might need a little comforting too.

The End to Private Roller Skating Lessons...

Since February of 2015 (at the age of 6), Lewie took roller skating lessons on Saturday mornings at Roller Magic.  In the beginning, lessons were every week, and Lewie started very slowly--barely moving his feet--right foot, then left foot.  In fact, the first few lessons were spent trying to help him coordinate his balance and learning how to get leg strength, so he could actually push and glide, rather than shuffle his feet.

Lewie taking his first lesson in 2015 at age six.

Over time (three years to be exact), Lewie learned how to do scissors and crossovers.  He could skate forwards while squatting and skate backwards.  He wasn't training to be a speed skater or to win some sort of dance routine.  The goal was to simply get him feeling comfortable on skates and to help him learn a few tricks in case he ever wanted to impress his friends (or we wanted to impress our friends).

When he started at six years-old, I never could have predicted how long this "era" would last.  Maybe it would last one year or maybe it would last ten.  From the start, Lewie loved his skate instructor, Ms. Christine, and his lessons became a combination of skate instruction and socializing.  (She was willing to listen to his Minecraft rantings, and so a friendship was born!)  Over time, Lewie talked to her about other things involving school, Cub Scouts, teachers, and friends, too.

Little Lewie and Ms. Christine at his last skate lesson.

When Ms. Christine notified us that she would not be giving private lessons beyond April, our hearts sank.  We had gotten used to our Saturday morning routine, and Lewie loved having the skating rink all to himself.  While sitting in the empty rink, watching him learn new tricks, I couldn't help feeling nostalgic every week.  Roller Magic is the same roller rink I went to during my childhood and high school years.  It was the place where I had my ten year birthday party, the place of my first real kiss, and later, the place where I had one of my first dates with my husband-to-be.

Thankfully, Roller Magic is going strong and not poised to close anytime soon.  While private lessons may have ended, we still have the chance to go to skate sessions, celebrate birthday parties, and even do fundraisers.  (We did one for the Cub Scouts back in March.)  I did place our name on a list should anyone else decide to offer lessons, but in the meantime, I'm sure we'll have no problem finding other Saturday morning activities.  Maybe Ms. Christine will come back some day; we'll wait for the next opportunity.

Our last skate session. Our sadness made it a low energy day.