Citrus Hill Project - Fall Break day 3

This morning started early with a trip to our favorite Puerto Rican gym and then breakfast of fruit bowls up on the deck. I love this part of our routine and we rarely break from those two things while we’re here. We headed out pretty quick after that and drove to Ceiba to catch a ferry to Vieques. We’ve been to the island culebra a handful of times now but never spent any time on the other island Vieques. We’ve all been so excited to try it out!

The ferry ride was short and smooth and we all made it here without any seasickness! That’s a win. 

The first beach we visited was one we’ve been anxious to see. It’s a black sand beach and the sand comes from the volcanic rock on the island. It was really cool to see the mixture of sands and play in sand that is a color you typically don’t see. To get there we hiked for about 10 minutes through a jungle full of hermit crabs and huge spiders hanging on their webs above us. We stopped to look at one particularly large one then hurried our way past the rest and pretended that we didn’t know they were there. We were glad to make it to the beach. 

I got a glimpse into the life of my boys as I watched them all disappear around a corner and then streak towards the water at full speed. And you better believe that Josh was there leading his pack of sons! I just love all five of these boys in my life!

After Playa Negra we headed to another beach so the boys could boogie board. We ended up at Sun Bay Beach which is a big arching half circle with warm water and beautiful views. We spent the day just soaking in the warm sun, catching crabs, playing in the sand and water and enjoying every minute of the beautiful weather! It was a great day on the beach. 

After dinner at a yummy place called Bananas we headed back to Sun Bay Beach to set up camp for the night. We brought hammocks and mosquito nets for all of us and a small blanket for the boys to sleep in. We showered in the open showers on the beach (which felt amazing to clean off the salt water!) and then jumped into our hammocks before the mosquitos chomped us to death. Now here we are laying in our hammocks, the boys are chatting away from their own corners and I can’t even hardly believe that we get to sleep in the open air on this beautiful beach! It is an absolutely gorgeous night. I guess tomorrow will tell how the night on the beach went but as for now it doesn’t get much better than this!

Citrus Hill Project - Fall Break Days 1-2

It’s finally time for us (most of us anyway) to head back to PR! Josh has been there a handful of times since June but the rest of us have waiting lots of month to get to go back again. Fall Break for the kids is next week so we took them out a few days early and get to spend a good chunk of time down there working on the house. This turned into a boys trip as the girls have band and school commitments they couldn’t get out of, so we left them with friends and grandmas for a couple weeks and off we went! 

Josh took an earlier flight than the rest of us so he could get down and get the van and come back to pick us up. We ended up with an overnight layover in Chicago so the boys and I rented a hotel room for the night and came back the next morning to catch our second flight. It worked out great so we weren’t tired but did make it seem like we were flying for a solid 24 hours. We got a great deal on our flights though so it was all good! The boys did great on the flight and we were so happy to see Josh pull up to the curb to pick us up! We stepped off the plane to a perfect temperature and light rainstorm. Just what I picture when I think of Puerto Rico weather. 

We made a quick stop at Costco to fill up on food and then made it home just in time to crash into our beds and sleep off the plane ride. 

Today we woke up rested and ready to work! Josh and the Hammer boys worked hard last week getting the tile out of the bathrooms upstairs. There’s still some to go so that’s where we worked this morning. We have a little mini jackhammer that works well getting underneath the tiles, but it is hard, sweaty work. We all helped though josh of course did the bulk of the work. Our goal is to finish up both bathrooms before our trip ends. 

The boys also took some time to trim the bushes and grass with their machetes. They’ve been looking forward to getting their machetes out for weeks and they spent a good portion of the morning chopping whatever they had in their sights. 

One of my goals this trip is to catch up on some sleep so I also worked hard on that goal and going a nice nap this afternoon while it rained outside. It was the perfect nap/chill weather. 

Later this afternoon we walked down to the basketball hoop and played for a while before dinner. And Josh and I polished off the night with another Costco run to get a generator that was about to go off sale. Totally worth the drive to Carolina! Now we’re set. 

Sunrise

We woke up to this beauty this morning...

 

Chilly Day

We had our first really chilly day of the year and the first snow visible in the mountains.  It was gorgeous!  We drove up the canyon to look at the fall colors and loved seeing the white tipped mountains in the background.  We also enjoyed a chilly (and sometimes rainy) football game but loved being in that stadium to cheer on the cougars!

 

Halloween Concert

Rease and her symphonic band had their Halloween concert tonight.  They played some really fun songs and were dressed up in their costumes which made for a fun night for all of us!  

 

School puppets

Keen and his class made these amazing hand puppets in school with their teacher.  They used all sorts of supplies to make whatever kind of puppet they wanted and there are some super cute ideas up there on display.  Such a fun project!

 

Citrus Hill (October) - Hammer Labor

This trip included some serious muscle showing up day two.  Hammers and all their beef came one day after my arrival and it was well received!  These boys know how to work! 

Clearing the property including plantains, bushes and weed trimming then lead to tile removal along with toilets, fixtures and tubs.  At one point I went upstairs to check on them and they all had their shirts off and covered in red tile dust.  

The odd rainstorm would draw them outside to wash and cool off.  It was so good to work alongside these great friends! 

And of course, right on queue, the minute the junk hit the ground it was picked up by Jesus (a local) happy to take it to get recycled.  I told him he was an answer to my prayers. 

Eduardo (electrician) and his crew and Edgardo (plumber) pushed forward and even tag teamed the setup of the cistern, pump and pressurized water tank. 

First water from the Cistern! We now don't have to worry about the daily water outage.

Hammers love the beach so we made our way to Culebra to stay a night on Flamenco beach.  These boys don't ever stop getting in the water.  It was pitch black before we could get them out of the surf. 

Snorkeling at Melones beach in the AM then back to Rio Grande on the afternoon Ferry.  It was such a great trip!

The rest of the beach included more work along with Charco Frio.  Pikole on the way to the airport was the cherry on top and the acai stains on JT's mouth. 

Awesome week Hammer Men.  Let's do it again!

Conference tower

General Conference wouldn't be the same without some amazing lincoln log towers being made...

 

New York girls trip - Day 4

Our last day in the city and we visited the 9/11 memorial and museum first thing this morning.  It was INCREDIBLE and also very sobering to remember that day 20 years ago.  The museum is so well done with amazing tours and artifacts left from that day.  We could have spent 2 full days there but unfortunately we had just a few hours before we had to get to the airport.  We loved being there!

We got on the subway for the last time in lower Manhattan and rode all the way out to JFK airport.  It took us about an hour and a half to get there but we avoided all the traffic that way and had plenty of time to get checked in before our flight left.  As we said goodbye to Britt and headed home, we promised each other that this would not be the end of our girls trips!  Next year? Same group, new destination!  Love all these sisters of mine like crazy!

New York girls trip - Day 3

We had a day packed with all the things we wanted to do before our trip ends. We have loved riding the subway into town every day and it’s so convenient with a stop right by the house we’ve been staying in. We feel like we’ve finally caught on to where to go and how to get there by train! 

We got to Manhattan around 9:30 this morning and walked over to Madison square garden to see if we could get a tour. Turns out they’re not doing tours right now (due to covid 🙄) so we just got to take a picture outside. Then we made our way slowly up the streets to Central Park, shopping, eating and sight seeing along the way. We found the naked cowboy (we were hoping we’d see him!), went into the fashion district and found a fabric store to die for, ate some yummy food, continued to people watch (one of my favorite things) and just enjoyed the beautiful day and pleasant company we are in! We ended up at the zoo in Central Park and hung out there for a little while since it was such a nice day outside. The four of us sisters actually had tickets to go see The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon so we figured that the zoo would be as good a place as any to get mom all set and leave her on her own for a few hours. She was happy to be with the animals and said she could walk up to the temple too if she had extra time. After lots of instructions and mom reassuring us that she would be ok, we left her on her own in New York City (what were we thinking?!) and made our way to Rockefeller square!

About a month ago we put in for the lottery to get tickets to see the tonight show. I didn’t actually think we would get chosen but just a few days ago we got the email that we had 4 tickets! Sooo exciting! Once we got there, it was quite a process to get checked in, show our vaccination and ID cards, wait in the holding area and divide into groups according to what number or letter we were give.  Finally after about an hour we were led into the studio and got to see where the tonight show is taped every day! It was so cool to be there and see what goes into making a show run. The woman who seemed to be in charge told us that the whole point of the show is to have a great time, so laugh if things are funny and applaud when Jimmy and the guests arrive. So we did! We had a GREAT time being there and Jimmy is actually super funny and fun to be in the same room with! We loved the band, the guests, the jokes, the retakes, the in betweens, the games and every bit of it! It was such a fun day to be there. Definitely a highlight of the trip!

After we left the show we jumped on a train and headed out to Queens to the Citi Park to the Mets play. Mom had made her way to the ballpark by way of a cab (because we couldn’t get her to use Uber or Lyft so figure me a good old taxi was as good as anything) so we met up with her and got there not too long after the game had started. It turned out to be a fun night at the ballpark and just warm enough that we weren’t too cold until about the 8th inning. Mom loves watching baseball and we were all happy to be there together and take in one more New York moment. 

New York girls trip - Day 2

Steph and I got up this morning and ran along the river walk. It was sooo fun to see the city across the river and watch everyone headed back and forth into town. The perfect way to start the day. 

We had a busy day seeing all the things that we wanted to see. First stop was the Rockefeller center and up the tower to the lookout. It was AMAZING to see everything from up there. We spent so much time picking out different landmarks that we knew and trying to figure out what all the other ones were. The view was sooo cool and it’s incredible to see the size of New York City. 

Also fun to see what else is at Rockefeller square: the Today Show, ice skating rink, Jimmy Fallon and so many other famous spots that we’ve all seen on tv. 

We left Rockefeller square and made our way up to the temple which is about 25 minutes north walking. We stopped at a few spots to look along the way but then we’re so glad to make it to the Manhattan temple. Pretty amazing to have such a peaceful spot in the midst of a loud and busy city. We loved being there as a family and had such a great session together!

The rest of the day was spent doing all the best things you could think of in New York: shopping, eating good food, people watching at Times Square, and walking all the famous streets and stopping at all the trendy stops. Only on a girls trip can wandering around the city with not much of a plan be fun!

We finished off the night on Broadway seeing the play Come From Away. It was INCREDIBLE. I loved every minute of watching those talented people up on the stage. It’s a play based off of a book about the town Gander Newfoundland that hosted all the planes that had to land after 9/11. It was a beautiful story of how those people opened their lives for a few days to take care of 38 planes full of stranded people. We all loved it! 

It has been such a fun trip to be together and talk and laugh all day long. Love these ladies so much!

Citrus Hill (September) Day 1

The day started on a beautiful note.  After a session at The Stay Fit Factory and my morning ritual on the upper deck Eduardo (electrician) and his guys showed up to gets started pulling wire upstairs.  This is a shot of the new windows installed by Juan and Luis Garai just last Friday.  They look awesome!

Gordon Hamn beat me here by two days so we got right to work (after a long discussion on a variety of topics).  I cleared the brush with the weed trimmer, he followed be hind me with the pressure washer.  We made quick work and the results were super noticeable (see the last picture).  

Just before mid-day Christian (on of the workers) asked if I had a light bulb to test some of the initial wiring.  This is may be the first electrical lighting that has been upstairs in more than a decade.  Even Christian got pretty excited about it!

So there we have it! Progress for the day includes half the wiring complete upstairs (with the hardest part yet to do) and a bright clean front wall that is ready for paint.  It's gonna be incredible!  

Last shot of the night is one of the solo bulb still shining bright upstairs. The house is going to really pop once the lighting, paint everything else is complete.  This is getting exciting!

Night, night...

 

New York girls trip - Day 1

The Losee girls decided that a girls trip was in order so here we find ourselves in New York City for the week! The trip started off with a bang and a wrong address/Airbnb mixup that got mom pretty spooked. We wandered around Brooklyn looking for an address when in fact we should have been in Astoria 30 minutes away. Never mind that it was dark and we were far from our actual destination. We were fine. Mom was freaked. So we got out of there and found the real spot which turned out to be great and right in the heart of Astoria - close to the subway and lots of restaurants, gyms, etc. We settled in and we’re so happy to be in the Big Apple!

Our first stop today was a visit to Lady Liberty! It was a bit of a soggy morning and we got some good laughs about the outfits that we suited up in to stay dry. The most funny was the hunchback that Brittney turned into trying to keep her backpack dry underneath her raincoat. We had to laugh every time we glanced over at her! 

We had a great time on Liberty island learning all about the bulding of the statue and the details that went into getting it here. It is really pretty cool. 

We took the ferry to Ellis island after that and spent an good amount of time there as well. It was so cool to walk through and tour that place that has had so many immigrants come through in the past. It was such a process to get to the United States and another big process to get through all the inspections and such. Really really cool stuff today!  

After the ferry dropped us off we walked across the Brooklyn bridge to the other side. It was the most beautiful afternoon and we had the best time talking and laughing our way across to Brooklyn. We found a delicious pizza spot called Grimaldis and had a great early dinner. We talked about kids and budgets and things that bother us and any other random topic that came to mind! Just the perfect way to spend the day as sisters! The walk back across the bridge was gorgeous as the sun was going down and all the city lights were starting to turn on. We found a cookie spot and and ice cream spot and stopped at both of them for a treat before we jumped on the subway to head home. By the time we got back we had logged over 10 miles of walking! Not so bad for our first day in the city. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring! 

BYU football

 

Color Run

Rease volunteered at the color run tonight as part of her NJHS hours.  She got really into it as a volunteer...

 

Mountain Biking again

Rhen had her final mountain bike race this weekend in Cedar City.  It was a really fun day and the weather held out long enough for these kids to get through their race.  Rhen has really liked mountain biking this year and I know she has made so much progress!

 

Desh principal's pride

Desh got the Principal's Pride award today and was so excited to get this from Mrs. Hernandez!  He works so hard in school and already loves it so much.  Keep up the good work Desh!

 

Marching band friends and family night

The marching band friends and family night was tonight at the high school and we were all so excited to see this program that they've been working on for all these months!  And all the darling young women made it their activity for the night and came to support Rease as well.  It was so fun to see them all there cheering for this girl that has worked so hard!

 

Family pinwheel

Our family home evening tonight ended in making a family pinwheel on the grass.