well, we came, we saw, we ate, we laughed, i think we even cried. the reunion was a complete success, and i believe most were very glad them came. as for my family, i mostly enjoyed the kids playing with cousins. that honestly was the big draw or motivation for me. i have special memories of summers with cousins from my youth, and well, i want my kids to have the same. it was a real joy to see them all playing, laughing, running around, as if they had never been apart. why can't adults meet and greet like that?!?
anyway, while the drive up was long, but in anticipation, seeming not so bad, for us, the drive home was brutal. we came back through the desert in searing heat (reminds me of why we left phoenix), and toward the end of the day, found ourselves in las vegas for dinner. after dinner, we did the big push into san diego. what we didn't know is how awful, brutal, even 'crash derby' li the drive was like from las vegas to los angeles on a sunday evening...pointer, NEVER do that.
las vegas is about 3-4 hours from los angeles. so folks converge on it in mass for play time (remember, what happens in vegas, stays in vegas. THANK GOODNESS! i hate vegas). anyway, it was literally bumper to bumper traffic all the way in, and it was rude, pushy, dog-eat-dog kind of traffic. even the truckers got in it. we were almost pushed off the road by one. keep in mind it was about 105 degrees, and through mountains, so the a/c was on and off. sweating kids, crying baby, hot, nursing uncomfortable mom...you get the ugly picture boy, we'll never do that again.
despite all this, looking at the photos show below reminds me of why we'd do it again. for all you uncles and aunties out there, i guarantee there will be at least one photo you'll want copies of. so, have a look, and thanks for the memories.
james and fam.
PS went surfing again last evening...so-cal can really be addictive.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
the move...life in SoCal
well, by now i suppose some of you wonder how things are here, and how we're all doing after the move. in short, well. i have yet to tire of the cool evening and morning breezes or the sunny morning skies. don't know what to tell you. it honestly makes me smile every morning when i wake up...but first, the move.
well, it was painful, and long, and tiring, as jubie was largely taking care of the baby, and i was managing the rest alone. the church/relief society was very helpful taking turns a few hours each day with the boys. we simply couldn't have done it without that help. so, i was there directing traffic with the movers, they are paid to pack as quickly as they can essentially (by the job, not the hour), and if it was just a move, then no biggie. but we needed to move to temp housing for some period of time while we sell the oregon home, so that required dividing all our belongings into temp vs. long-term storage items. you know, toys, kids clothes including some as they grow, jubie's clothes, including some as she "shrinks." anyway, you get the picture. it was hard to decide what to take and what to leave. it was just chaotic for me.
after the movers left, i met the cleaning lady and cleaned the house top to bottom. we spend the night at a family's house in the ward, and then i met carpet cleaners the next morning to finish it for selling. by 12pm, the house was spic-and-span top to bottom, i walked around w/ my video camera to take some last shots/video of the house, shed a tear or two, packed some final materials in the car, and drove slowly away. we'll likely never see our house again, and it wasn't an easy decision. but it's done. a step of faith in the dark... jubie flew ahead that morning, so by 1pm i was on the road with the boys (crazy me!).
i decided it may be a while before i see that part of the country again, so i chose to drive down 101 from northern cal to the bay area, passing through the redwood national forest. that was a good choice. we spent the night in crescent city, ca (very cool there, and i didn't pack jackets for so. cal). so after a brief stop at wal-mart for a sweatshirt, we headed to a late dinner. after a few stops as most places closed, we found a hotel restaurant open later and got some grub. i've not seen the boys consume spaghetti so quickly in my life...it was good to see. maybe dad can manage this after all. being tired, i wasn't in the mood to search for a hotel room, so i asked at the front desk for any empty rooms. keep in mind this was july 3rd, and crescent city has a great fireworks show on the 4th, so rooms were tight. they had ONE left, offered it at a discount, so we took it and went to bed. they boys loved their big bed and jumped away (mak fell and hit his head...wouldn't you know), but all were asleep by 12am.
if you watch the news, you would have seen that northern cal was on fire the past few weeks, and we ran into the smoke and darkened skies somewhere south of the redwood forest. it was surreal, and naturally i questioned moving to california, but that was all too late. we broke out soon enough, pushed through to the bay area in decent time, and even enjoyed some late dinner at my in-laws and fireworks both driving along the bay as well as at my in-laws place. kai enjoyed it much, and i played kid again (mak was kind of scared of the noise).
so, after a few days of relaxing in the bay area, jubie and i made our way to san diego. when we left, there were still fires in the sacramento area, and so the 5 all along the central valley was hazy and very hot (108) most of the way to la. just before we climbed the mountains into la, we stopped at in-n-out for some burgers, and enjoyed being in cali again. dropping into la, we hit traffic, again reminding us of why we don't like cali, but made our way through and found ourselves in northen san diego county very soon enough. in fact, we arrived about 7 hours after we departed, and had we not hit traffic, we'd have arrived in 6 hours. much closer to family now we think. i wanted to call robert and kei as we went through la to announce our arrival, but didn't have his number on the phone. but the thought was still fun.
the movers arrived a few days later with our temp boxes, i spend the better part of two days unpacking, and we started living life. found a trader joe's, found a japanese market for me, found a filipino market for jubie and got all the necessities.
so how is life you ask? well...take a look at the shot below and you'll see we're in a major adjustment period. we've moved from a nice 2500 sq foot home with 60' trees and a garden, to a huge apartment complex, with many families of various backgrounds (lots of indians and chinese), but mostly filled with young students and singles near SDSU.
so it kind of feels like we're starting all over again really. underground parking garage, elevator to our floor (after taking 10 trips or more to unpack our car, i determined to buy a little carrying cart which has saved immense amounts of time hauling groceries etc.), small kitchen, etc. but it's clean, it's got a great pool and exercise facility, a separate kiddy pool with play ground, so the boys will love it (btw, we left the boys in he bay area till we settle life a little here). today was our anniversary, and i took jubie to la jolla for dinner which was about a 15 minute drive. so the area is nice and close to the coast. i drove through torrey pines to get there. can't complain. but still need to adjust. don't know how long we'll be here, but i would guess about 90 days or more. sometimes, with the number of people and apartment environment, i feel like i'm back in japan. it's just odd.
our ward is brand new, created 4 weeks ago. it's made up of mostly married students and young families (like 85%). jubie mentioned she'd never seen anything like this before. it reminded me much of a wymount terrace ward at byu. they have 3 nurseries to give you some perspective. many kids, and i think kai and mak will have fun. jubie made friends quickly, and i think she'll enjoy the other young mothers to meet/befriend. in fact we learned the elder's quorum president lives just two floors below us literally, which was oddly funny. she's got a 5 and 2 year old as well. anyway, we'll see, but it seems like a good way to help acclimate to the area from this ward.
traffic? well, not terrible, but not great either. i live about 3 miles from work now. the interstate isn't really bad at all. BUT, merging on in the morning and evening coming home with the traffic lights and numerous cars is murder. i spend more time waiting for my lane light to merge on i5 then i spend driving on the 5. it's terrible. i won't tell you how long it takes, but let's say it can vary much depending on when you leave.
for now, i'm going to say "adieu." it's late, and this is much longer then i planned. look for part 2 about life at qualcomm. and honestly, you'll enjoy reading this if you've ever worked in a corporate environment, or been married to somebody who has. i'm still pinching myself let's say.
chow!
well, it was painful, and long, and tiring, as jubie was largely taking care of the baby, and i was managing the rest alone. the church/relief society was very helpful taking turns a few hours each day with the boys. we simply couldn't have done it without that help. so, i was there directing traffic with the movers, they are paid to pack as quickly as they can essentially (by the job, not the hour), and if it was just a move, then no biggie. but we needed to move to temp housing for some period of time while we sell the oregon home, so that required dividing all our belongings into temp vs. long-term storage items. you know, toys, kids clothes including some as they grow, jubie's clothes, including some as she "shrinks." anyway, you get the picture. it was hard to decide what to take and what to leave. it was just chaotic for me.
after the movers left, i met the cleaning lady and cleaned the house top to bottom. we spend the night at a family's house in the ward, and then i met carpet cleaners the next morning to finish it for selling. by 12pm, the house was spic-and-span top to bottom, i walked around w/ my video camera to take some last shots/video of the house, shed a tear or two, packed some final materials in the car, and drove slowly away. we'll likely never see our house again, and it wasn't an easy decision. but it's done. a step of faith in the dark... jubie flew ahead that morning, so by 1pm i was on the road with the boys (crazy me!).
i decided it may be a while before i see that part of the country again, so i chose to drive down 101 from northern cal to the bay area, passing through the redwood national forest. that was a good choice. we spent the night in crescent city, ca (very cool there, and i didn't pack jackets for so. cal). so after a brief stop at wal-mart for a sweatshirt, we headed to a late dinner. after a few stops as most places closed, we found a hotel restaurant open later and got some grub. i've not seen the boys consume spaghetti so quickly in my life...it was good to see. maybe dad can manage this after all. being tired, i wasn't in the mood to search for a hotel room, so i asked at the front desk for any empty rooms. keep in mind this was july 3rd, and crescent city has a great fireworks show on the 4th, so rooms were tight. they had ONE left, offered it at a discount, so we took it and went to bed. they boys loved their big bed and jumped away (mak fell and hit his head...wouldn't you know), but all were asleep by 12am.
the next day, we woke up leisurely, and found some breakfast before heading down 101. 
we all wanted to stop and hike here and there, so we did till we got out of the forest. it was great fun and here are a few shots too boot. 
we all wanted to stop and hike here and there, so we did till we got out of the forest. it was great fun and here are a few shots too boot. 
if you watch the news, you would have seen that northern cal was on fire the past few weeks, and we ran into the smoke and darkened skies somewhere south of the redwood forest. it was surreal, and naturally i questioned moving to california, but that was all too late. we broke out soon enough, pushed through to the bay area in decent time, and even enjoyed some late dinner at my in-laws and fireworks both driving along the bay as well as at my in-laws place. kai enjoyed it much, and i played kid again (mak was kind of scared of the noise).
so, after a few days of relaxing in the bay area, jubie and i made our way to san diego. when we left, there were still fires in the sacramento area, and so the 5 all along the central valley was hazy and very hot (108) most of the way to la. just before we climbed the mountains into la, we stopped at in-n-out for some burgers, and enjoyed being in cali again. dropping into la, we hit traffic, again reminding us of why we don't like cali, but made our way through and found ourselves in northen san diego county very soon enough. in fact, we arrived about 7 hours after we departed, and had we not hit traffic, we'd have arrived in 6 hours. much closer to family now we think. i wanted to call robert and kei as we went through la to announce our arrival, but didn't have his number on the phone. but the thought was still fun.
the movers arrived a few days later with our temp boxes, i spend the better part of two days unpacking, and we started living life. found a trader joe's, found a japanese market for me, found a filipino market for jubie and got all the necessities.
so how is life you ask? well...take a look at the shot below and you'll see we're in a major adjustment period. we've moved from a nice 2500 sq foot home with 60' trees and a garden, to a huge apartment complex, with many families of various backgrounds (lots of indians and chinese), but mostly filled with young students and singles near SDSU.
so it kind of feels like we're starting all over again really. underground parking garage, elevator to our floor (after taking 10 trips or more to unpack our car, i determined to buy a little carrying cart which has saved immense amounts of time hauling groceries etc.), small kitchen, etc. but it's clean, it's got a great pool and exercise facility, a separate kiddy pool with play ground, so the boys will love it (btw, we left the boys in he bay area till we settle life a little here). today was our anniversary, and i took jubie to la jolla for dinner which was about a 15 minute drive. so the area is nice and close to the coast. i drove through torrey pines to get there. can't complain. but still need to adjust. don't know how long we'll be here, but i would guess about 90 days or more. sometimes, with the number of people and apartment environment, i feel like i'm back in japan. it's just odd.our ward is brand new, created 4 weeks ago. it's made up of mostly married students and young families (like 85%). jubie mentioned she'd never seen anything like this before. it reminded me much of a wymount terrace ward at byu. they have 3 nurseries to give you some perspective. many kids, and i think kai and mak will have fun. jubie made friends quickly, and i think she'll enjoy the other young mothers to meet/befriend. in fact we learned the elder's quorum president lives just two floors below us literally, which was oddly funny. she's got a 5 and 2 year old as well. anyway, we'll see, but it seems like a good way to help acclimate to the area from this ward.
traffic? well, not terrible, but not great either. i live about 3 miles from work now. the interstate isn't really bad at all. BUT, merging on in the morning and evening coming home with the traffic lights and numerous cars is murder. i spend more time waiting for my lane light to merge on i5 then i spend driving on the 5. it's terrible. i won't tell you how long it takes, but let's say it can vary much depending on when you leave.
for now, i'm going to say "adieu." it's late, and this is much longer then i planned. look for part 2 about life at qualcomm. and honestly, you'll enjoy reading this if you've ever worked in a corporate environment, or been married to somebody who has. i'm still pinching myself let's say.
chow!
Monday, June 9, 2008
She's Here!
many have been waiting, and several have called, she's here. Ysella Leilani Sneddon. our first little girl has already brought us much joy, and her mom significant pain. i can only hope this isn't a prediction for the future. here are the specs...
time: 5:31 PM
date: 6.8.08
size: 8 lbs, 7 oz....YES you read that right, she was HUGE!
hair: dark and lots
health: all indications seem she's very well
i'm certainly very excited to have a little girl. mom worked extremely had to birth her, al'natural i might add!! no meds, no nothing. i think it was about all jubie could take...really. all 8 1/2 pounds of ysella. ysella bruised a little on the forehead coming down the birthing canal, but she'll heal. natural for a large baby we're told. jubie toward the end screamed to get the "vacuum and suck her out." it was a rare moment.
some of you will ask about the name...well, it was one i found when we were first pregnant with kainoa, but didn't know we were having a boy. so, we've been quietly holding on to it since then. meaning, well the original meaning for which i chose it was a derivative of the name "isla" which is a beautiful river in northern scotland (with brown trout fishing i might add). i'm of scottish heritage, and i love to fly fish. so it seamed to fit. besides, its such a a beautiful name. that was enough for me. we changed the spelling to ysella from isella, and since have found a few more meanings for that (a. unpretentious one. b. "the humbler"). If you know what life has been like around our home recently, you'd know that we've certainly been humbled and again, the name fits.
here's more about the isla river in scotland...
Leilani is the name of jubie's best friend from college at byu hawai'i. it appears there was a promise many years about it's use. no worries, i think it's pretty. it means heavenly, or "royal child of heaven." no complaints there.
you can check out the photo show here of the baby, and delivery.
and for fun, a few quick videos of our baby girl.
bath time
that's all for now. i'm off to the hospital!
smiling new dad.
time: 5:31 PM
date: 6.8.08
size: 8 lbs, 7 oz....YES you read that right, she was HUGE!
hair: dark and lots
health: all indications seem she's very well
i'm certainly very excited to have a little girl. mom worked extremely had to birth her, al'natural i might add!! no meds, no nothing. i think it was about all jubie could take...really. all 8 1/2 pounds of ysella. ysella bruised a little on the forehead coming down the birthing canal, but she'll heal. natural for a large baby we're told. jubie toward the end screamed to get the "vacuum and suck her out." it was a rare moment.
some of you will ask about the name...well, it was one i found when we were first pregnant with kainoa, but didn't know we were having a boy. so, we've been quietly holding on to it since then. meaning, well the original meaning for which i chose it was a derivative of the name "isla" which is a beautiful river in northern scotland (with brown trout fishing i might add). i'm of scottish heritage, and i love to fly fish. so it seamed to fit. besides, its such a a beautiful name. that was enough for me. we changed the spelling to ysella from isella, and since have found a few more meanings for that (a. unpretentious one. b. "the humbler"). If you know what life has been like around our home recently, you'd know that we've certainly been humbled and again, the name fits.
here's more about the isla river in scotland...
Leilani is the name of jubie's best friend from college at byu hawai'i. it appears there was a promise many years about it's use. no worries, i think it's pretty. it means heavenly, or "royal child of heaven." no complaints there.
you can check out the photo show here of the baby, and delivery.
and for fun, a few quick videos of our baby girl.
bath time
that's all for now. i'm off to the hospital!
smiling new dad.
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