2019 Recap and Review

2019 ... not a great year for blogging, or weight, or a lot of things ... of course there were some good memories too. Here I'll try to do a little recap of the good, the bad and the ugly.

• Animals: We had our six ducks for almost the entire year. There was some ducky drama, and I ended up needing to separate some of them (bullying HaniQuack). As winter rolled around, I didn't feel up to another snowy season of lugging water out, and we rehomed the ducks to a cute little farm in Riverton. No more #BlackhamDucks, at least for a while. We still have our two kitties, although we had a scare with Joy, when she got lost for several days. We were happy she made it back home. Cal's hamster died. Landon and Sol added another kitty (Bagera) and another doggy (Cherry) and they bring the two dogs over fairly often when they visit. We had a little monarch caterpillar, but it didn't survive to become a butterfly :(
• Basketball: Colton played with his Wolves every season, in several leagues (Winter Wolves, Spring Wolves, Summer Wolves, Fall Wolves)  He finished up the season with the Jags, played on two separate Showtime teams (Fall Showtime), and then joined the Jags again. Keaton played Junior Jazz again, and really got into cheering on the CHHS team in the stands. Cal likes to get together playing with buddies, joined a few men's leagues and hit the CHHS Alumni tournament. Coop likes watching NBA and went to a Jazz game with his cousins.
• Cars: The lease on the Durango was up, so we transitioned to a purchase, keeping that car. Gray still drives the Sequoia ... but he bought a Razor for recreation. Landon and Sol have been a one car family with his Charger. Cal was able to pay off his Charger. Both Chargers and the Durango had to get into the shop for recall repairs. The Tundra got hit while Keaton was on his way to work, causing a bit of stress there at the end of the year ... so far Coop has shown absolutely no interest in learning how to drive.
• Employment: Landon started a new job with LKL Associates and has really thrived there. Sol  is still using her CNA skills, but switched from Aspen Ridge to the Uof U ortho unit. Callahan is continuing on with his electrical apprenticeship. Keaton decided to give that a try too, but it didn't click for him, so he's now working (and shopping) at the Nike store. It's been a busy year for Grayson with Symphony Homes. The man works so hard!
• Fitness, Fitbits and 5ks: I'm still doing Zumba and working out in the home gym, although my motivation has slipped somewhat, especially toward the end of the year. I did run the annual 5k, but I was the only one to do so. Keaton uses the home gym a bit too. Coop and I enjoyed a variety of raquet sports ... ping pong, tennis, badminton and pickleball. The VR game "BeatSaber" is a workout, as is the latest fitness game for the Switch. There is a picture of the four boys with Fitbits ... but it's a little hit and miss with them. Cal broke his Blaze and I got him a replacement, but K8 gifted him a Versa2 for Christmas. Coop upgraded to the Inspire, but he doesn't like to wear it. Colton wears his, but forgets to sync. One week we thought we lost both Keaton's Flex2 and Colton's device, but I tracked them down with a FitbitFinder app. 
• Gadgets & Games: Added the "Brillance" switches, controlling even more lights and such via an app. Updated the TVs (TCL Roku). Gray got a new Ipad and switched from an iphone to a SamsungGalaxy. Coop got his old phone (it was offered to me but I don't adapt to change very well). Landon, Sol and Cal ended up upgrading, getting iphone 11s. I added earbuds to my audiobook arsenal. We added a PlaystationVR and XboxOne, because we didn't have enough video game systems! Cooper set a goal to make it through all 4800 levels of Wordscapes ... and he did it (I'm on level 912). 
• Home Sweet Home: New blinds ... they were very needed. We had added the housecleaners last year ... still have them! We actually seriously considered a new house, but ultimately decided against it. However Landon and Sol, will be moving into a new home shortly into the new year. They were out of their apartment in August and moved in with her mom while it is being built.
• Medical and Mental Health: Nothing too much as far as injuries for most of the year ... then Callahan broke his foot. We thought it was a broken ankle, but it was just badly rolled. The foot was broken though. In a boot for eight weeks. Grandma had fallen and broken her wrist shortly before. She needed surgery. It's been a rough year with Coop's depression and anxiety. 
• Movie Mania: Landon and Sol joined a movie program with AMC and love going to movies, often hitting two a week. Cooper enjoys it as well, and Landon and Sol are really great at including him and any of the other boys who want to go.
• School Stuff: Keaton graduated from CHHS. Cooper started 10th grade at Bingham High School, but we decided to try online school for him. We've been impressed with Mountain Heights Academy. We had some confusion/frustration as to where Colton would be attending (Elkridge again?) and appreciate his adaptability as he did need to switch middle schools to start new at Joel P. 
• Vacations: Big family cruise at the start of the year (sans Mom, Landon/Sol). Gray had quite a few little get-aways ... to Moab, St. George, Wendover, the Dunes. He and Coop went to Seattle at the end of September, while Keaton joined the extended Blackhams at Disneyland. Gray then did a Hawaii vacation (w/KJ) for his 50th, and Landon and Sol had a Mexico vacation.
• Water Fun: There were several trips to Pineview with the wave runners. Coop and I even made it up one time! Here at home, the hot tub is still getting used (mostly Keaton and Cooper) and Gray's cool water balloon filler came in handy a few times during the summer.
• Weather: While the family was warm in Mexico on their cruise, a HUGE snowstorm hit here at home. School was canceled. That's the first time in my experience as a parent where they actually closed the schools for snow. We had some big rainstorms in the summer (a little flooding and Gray pulling me under the roof runoff) and a hail storm that demolished the garden.
• Weddings and Funerals: Cal made things official with Kate, getting engaged the last day of August. The wedding is planned for next year, June 10th. Pammy passed away unexpectedly, and her loss has hit the family hard.

Here's the 1 Second Every Day recap ...

So that's the recap by theme, now by person ...

• Grayson: Work, work, work! Up uber early, staying late, working weekends. He does manage to find time for vacations though, from a family cruise to heading to Hawaii, to little weekend getaways and visiting family in Seattle. Still smoking, and perfecting the Sous Vide. Loves watching cooking videos. Slimmed down on the Keto diet and says he doesn't even miss sweets and carbs (crazy!). Still a derby dude, and all the boys took turns helping out. 52 derbies plus the derby workshop. But who knows what next year will bring ...
• Jen: Still dancing and trying to get her workouts in but sure struggling with the scale (173.6/188.5 164.2/190.8). Wrapped up the garden and yardwork and is officially done with ducks. Got even MORE into books this year, if that is possible (218 - JenB'sBooks2019). Added small wireless earbuds to her audible arsenal and now has a book going whenever she can (driving, gardening, cleaning, doing laundry, watching sports, mowing the lawn). While never paying full price, got lots of listening in on KindleUnlimited with the library as backup, and is reviewing for AudiobookBoom.  "Auditing" several of Cooper's classes to help him with school. 
• Landon and Sol: Landon's work was literally walking distance from their apartment, and just a couple minutes away from our house, so we still saw them a lot. They moved to Herriman early in the year, but now Landon pops over for lunch almost every day. They adopted another kitty and another dog. Sol is attending LDS Business College as well as working (started the year at Aspen Ridge, now working up at the U). They LOVE going to movies. BIG news, Sol got her permanent residency, so with that (being able to leave the country AND return) the two of them took a trip to Mexico.
• Cal and Kate: Cal is continuing on with his electrical apprenticeship and taking the required school classes along the way. Kate is attending school up at the U and recently started working at the library. They are very frugal and saving for their future together. Cal made things official with a proposal and they are now engaged, with the wedding planned for June2020. Cal enjoyed some basketball in the men's league ... up until he broke his foot! He's still vegetarian.
• Keaton: Finished up his high school year living it up to the fullest. He's super social, attending dances, games and hanging out ... and working. He quit KFC and took the summer off, then started working with Callahan(Camsen) for the Fall. He then switched to a job at Nike and is planning on attending SLCC next semester. 
• Cooper: After a tough year in 9th grade, we had high hopes that getting the permit approved to Bingham and getting into classes with friends would smooth the transition to high school. Alas, it was just too much and after looking into options, he is now enrolled in Mountain Heights Academy for online school. He still loves watching football (we dumped DirectTV and I was SO relieved that the NFL Redzone program would be okay, as he was used to the DTV one) and went to a SeaHawks game with Uncle Kolby. He joined a fantasy football league ... and ended up winning the whole thing ($300!). He loves going to movies with Landon and Sol. He was super excited about the new Pokemon game ... but he bought it and beat it already.
• Colton: After district boundary changes, school was a little up in the air for Colton. We decided NOT to permit, which meant he would be changing middle schools. Luckily, he is an adaptable kid and makes friends easily. He started 8th grade at Joel P and is planning on attending West Jordan, and has already caught the coach's attention there. Colton continued playing basketball all year round, and even went to Vegas with his Wolves. He loves hanging out with his basketball buddies on and off the court.  

JenB's Journey 2019

I have my "JenB'sJourney" blog, where I focus on fitness/health, and showcase some of the shows I watch while working out, and also on books I've read. Just like the family blog, I struggled to keep up with it consistently, especially at the end of the year. I had been doing weekly check-ins, with monthly reviews ... in the end, it was just the monthly reviews. I gave up tracking my intake, and my exercise slipped up some. It all showed up on the scale, and me ending the year at pretty much my high (other than when pregnant). I do still like having the record, even if I'm a little discouraged at the weight changes in the wrong direction.

Looking at the photo collages (above) ... September, while still showing an Intake/Burn graph, didn't have an average for the month, as I missed a few days. I completely quit counting calories the last three months of the year, but that's not the only reason I stopped showcasing the Intake/Burn graph. Fitbit changed up their website and stopped showing that (I would forget to grab it half the time anyway, which is why the graph looks different some months ... when I made it myself in excel). I have decided to bag that graph, and just showcase more photos, and a quick look at the main numbers going forward. My goal had been to have ONE month where I kept my burn above my intake every single day ... not sure I was ever able to make that happen. 

Here's links to the individual month recaps, if you wanted a closer look at the photos, stats and journal updates from that time ...

• January 2019
• February 2019
• March 2019
• April 2019
• May 2019
• June 2019
• July 2019
• August 2019
• September 2019
• October 2019
• November 2019
• December 2019

Red Zone and Football Fantasies

This will be backdated to January 2020

Cooper loves his football. A couple years ago, Grayson was at the AT&T Store and he got talked into switching to DirectTV. We were with Comcast for Internet, and we had kept cable tv ... for sports. NBA of course, but Cooper liked football too. With this DT change, Gray got HBO included, which he liked. So a dish was added to the roof and we figured out the new channels. One thing that was included free that first year was "Red Zone" ... which is a football featurette. With "Sunday Ticket" you could access all the games, but Red Zone would follow ALL the games and show all the exciting stuff, when teams were "in the red zone" and scoring. Coop fell in love with this new way of watching. The ploy worked ... the second year we paid the price to get Red Zone again. As the 2019 season was set to start, our special promo pricing was over and the DirectTV bill inflated so much, we dropped them and went back to Comcast. I was SO worried about the whole "Red Zone" thing though. Apparently there are two Red Zone programs. One by DirectTV, which is exclusive to DirectTV, and one run by the NFL. We could get the NFL RedZone, but that's not what Coop had become accustomed to. I held my breath that first week ... and Coop said the new program was acceptable.

Now I don't understand Fantasy Football at all - but I guess that's one reason why the Red Zone carried so much appeal. It's the scoring and power plays that affect Fantasy Football? So Red Zone lets the guys see all the action at once (seriously, often multiple games being shown at the same time, split screens). Cooper had done some Fantasy Football in previous years with friends, but I guess during the Seattle Trip last fall, Kolby invited Coop to play in a league he had going. What I didn't know (Cooper didn't know either) was that there was an entry fee ($50, which Kolby fronted for him). This went toward cash prizes at the end. 

Cooper won the whole thing. $300 for first place. I emailed Kolby a couple times to get a little background info so that I could understand, and Kolby was great and getting back to me and explaining some things (although most I still didn't really understand). I'd try to get Coop to tell me a little about what was going on, and he had some nail-biting moments during the final weeks, wondering if he'd get eliminated. But he didn't.   I asked him to do a write up of his Fantasy Football experience, and here it is ...

2019 Fantasy Football Season:

Back in September, I joined my third fantasy-football league, but it was a lot different than the previous two times I had done fantasy. This time, I was playing with Uncle Kolby and a lot of his friends in a 12 person league, instead of my own friends making up only a 6 person league. And there was also a cash prize for the winner and the two runner-ups.

I remember when we initially started the draft, and I knew it was going to be much harder than the previous two leagues I was in, since there are double the people. That meant getting a good, balanced team was going to be really difficult since the spacing between every draft pick is much bigger, and the players I may have wanted were probably off the board by the time it was my draft pick. At the end of the draft, I was pretty happy with my team: Michael Thomas, Julio Jones, Josh Jacobs, Deshaun Watson, Phillip Lindsay, Melvin Gordon III, Marvin Jones, Rashad Penny, Rams Def/ST, Hunter Henry, Harrison Butker, and a few other irrelevant picks that didn’t matter. Even though this was my starting team, it changed a ton throughout the season.

I tend to remember this season in two parts, and that is the first 6 games, and then the rest of them. In the first six games of the season, I went 3-3, which was okay, but not compared to some of the other teams going 5-1. It was a pattern for the first 6 games as I won, and then I lost continuously for these games until I was 3-3. My favorite game in that span was against Pbody&RichardSherman, where it was an extremely high scoring game, as well as an extremely close game, of 157.64-156.56 where I won. Both of our scores were at least 50 more points than the prediction for that week. And I remember that week for the sole reason that my kicker got me into the lead late Saturday night, and I took out Jarvis Landry who was playing the next night out of the game, because I was worried he may fumble and lose two points to lose me the game (even though he scored 9 points, I didn’t regret it).

After the sixth game is where it all started. For the next seven games of the fantasy regular season, I went 7-0 and went into the playoffs with a first-round bye and a 10-3 record. Even in the previous two leagues I played in, when players went inactive and didn’t update their lineups, I never had a dominant run like this. Fantasy Football almost never relies on your skill like real football does, but I still felt awesome winning every game. In this stretch of games, my personal favorite when I was up against Kolby. I was the second seed in the league at that point, and I’m pretty sure Kolby was dead last, and even then, winning against him felt awesome because of the angry texts he sent me and that I could brag. Another matchup that was great was the final game of the regular season against the #1 seed. It was a battle of the top two seeds, and the winner would become the #1 seed. Despite being the two highest scorers of the season, the ending score was a pitiful 82.28-77.30, and we both scored the least amount of points out of everyone that week. But the important thing was that I scored a little bit more than him, and I got the #1 seed for the playoffs, and knocked him out to where he no longer had a bye.

It was the first round of the playoffs, but that didn’t matter as I had a first-round bye and was going on to the semi-finals no matter what. But the funny thing is that when I knocked the former #1 seed out of a bye, that cost them their season, and they lost in the first round of the playoffs. In the semi-finals, I was really worried because I was going against the fifth seed who was the hottest team because they had the best fantasy player in the league, Lamar Jackson. Since both the 5th and 6th seed one their matchups the week prior, I initially thought that since I was the first seed, I was going to match up against the weakest seed like they do in the real NFL playoffs. But I was going against the winner of the 4th and 5th seed matchup. I thought I was screwed going against him, and I had good reason. Lamar Jackson played first on a Thursday night, and to no one’s surprise, he racked up 40 points, and just with one player’s performance, he was now heavily favored to win. Nothing seemed to change during Sunday’s day full of football. But Sunday night, Austin Hooper got a few points, and Julio Jones got 13 receptions for 134 yards and 2 TD’s, getting an insane 31 points, getting me into the game. I was down 12 points, and my fantasy MVP, Michael Thomas, was all I had left. And fortunately, he didn’t disappoint as he got 12 receptions for 128 yards and a TD. It was his performance and an ultimate choke from his RB Marlon Mack that won me the game and put me in the championship.

After all of that madness, I was in the championship against the Cinderella story 6th seed. But I really don’t have a lot to tell about this match as I won in a blowout 159.06-90.86. In the championship, I got a new personal high of points in a match, and literally everybody in my lineup for that week got 10 points or more, including the Colts Defence/ST who got a monstrous 30 points for me. And like I said, my team changed a ton, as my final team was: Deshaun Watson, Michael Thomas, Julio Jones, Philip Lindsay, Deandre Washington, Breshad Perriman, Austin Hooper, Harrison Butker, Colts Defense/ST, Chiefs Defense/ST, Denver Defense/ST, Jarvis Landry, Juju Smith Schuster, Carlos Hyder, and Lesean McCoy. And in the championship, there were 3 players in my lineup that I had never used previously in the season, but they still all showed out, and I got the 1st place prize of $300.

I happened to see a "Fantasy Football Champ" t-shirt on Groupon, that I bought him. I'll have to see if he'll agree to a picture when he's wearing it. 

A Blackham Christmas (2019)

This post will be backdated to December 2019.

Christmas 2019

Christmas 2019. It started in usual Blackham fashion, with the annual Blackham gathering the Sunday before the big day. And as usual ... Keaton had to work :( Courtney and Clay had worked up cash gifts from Maga, and Olivia had a minute-to-win-it jingle bell game.

 There was soup and breadsticks and just everyone being together.  

Here's some video highlights of the bell and booty shaking ...

Christmas Eve was at the Westras - I didn't get any pictures! It was a busy morning at home as I prepped presents and food and finished up the slideshow.  Soup and breadsticks and plenty of treats. After dinner, it was the candy bar game (it went super quick!) and then the video. Then some gift exchange ... and home. Keaton had stopped by after work. Landon had come (Sol was working) but had to leave early, so those two missed each other. Callahan didn't make it. No Jensen's this year either, but it's still quite the crowd with everyone else.

Gray forgot to turn his alarm off - so he and I got a 5:00 wake up call.  The boys slept in.  Landon and Sol came over for some breakfast, and then we headed over to Clay's house. Happy to have Keaton with us for this visit. 

We bought a new tree this year, and actually got it decorated!
The cats weren't bad, only getting into it a few times.

 Merry Christmas!

Christmas Cookies and Treats

Mmmmmmm ... tis the season for #jenBbakes! I'm sorry to say, I never got around to making the cute sugar cookie cutouts from previous years. I didn't make gingersnaps either. I DID make the usual cookie press trees and snowflakes. LOVE my different snowflake disks ... no two cookies end up alike, just like real snowflakes. I added red/green M&Ms to the favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and walla ... Christmas cookies! Green frosting and sprinkles to the Swig copycat recipe and again, holiday themed treats. 

NEW this year ... at least in this format, meringue cookies. I've made the "nests" for Easter since I was a teen, and I'd seen little star-shaped "cookies" at stores, so I decided to try them myself. Add a little food coloring and some crushed candy cane... I called them "Peppermint Puffs" and Cooper and I loved them (he doesn't care for them with the candy on top, he prefers plain).  Getting the meringue into the pastry bag was a messy trick, but I love how they look.

I used the mortar and pestle that Gray bought (he uses it for guacamole) and it was perfect for crushing candy canes. I'd tried a couple different crushing methods before figuring this out. Kitten Joy seemed very attracted to the candy cane dust! Who knew peppermint was catnip to her?

As a Christmas Kickoff ... Uncle Clay has done his annual "Leg Lamp Lighting" party for several years now. He makes donuts for it ... lots of donuts. This year, Keaton went over and learned a little, helped a little, and had a lot of fun.

#blackhambirthdays #2019

Many years I've done individual posts for each birthday.

This year ... it's a compilation!

 Sol is a January birthday - 19 years old

 Cute Cal got kissed by K8 - 20 years old

After Callahan's birthday in February, there is a dearth of birthdays for the immediate family. 

There are Aunts and Uncles and Cousins b-days along the way.

And birthdays for Maga, K8 and Grandpa in May. 

Then, at the end of August, starts Blackham Birthday Week.

 Cooper turned 16

 Keaton turned 19

It's a different cake, I promise! 

I mean it IS the same cookies and cream ice cream cake that is a family favorite, 

but there were two of them for the two different birthday boys. 

Landon (turning 24) has his birthday in September, 

but it's right on the heels of Keaton and Cooper's birthdays. 

Lemon Jello cake again for Gray's big 50. 

He got back from Hawaii just in time to celebrate...

and take a birthday nap. 

Poor Colton (14 years old) often has his birthday eclipsed by the holidays.

The white cake with buttercream frosting is a favorite too.

In addition to candles on a cake, "birthday dinners" are something we often try to do.  I can't remember if we got out for Sol or Cal's b-days, but there was a Tepanyaki outing for Cooper and Keaton. For Landon we all went to Salt City Burger. For my birthday (pictured above) we went to Red Robin, then back to Tepanyaki for Grayson's birthday just a couple weeks after. For Colton, we waited until the crazy Christmas rush was over, then had his birthday dinner at Olive Garden. 

Blackham Ducks 2019

2019 was a full year of six ducks. We made it through the winter, through a HUGE snowstorm that closed the schools. There was hail and lots of rain and flooding (the ducks don't mind excess water). There were sunny days in the garden as well. 

After letting the ducks free range the entire backyard last year, we decided to keep them a bit more contained this year. They are SO hard on the lawn. Poop everywhere and they are constantly digging holes in the grass. They still had a lot of space in the garden and unfinished area. Like last year, we had quite a few eggs during the Spring and Summer months. Then, the girls really slowed down.

Between just getting a little burned out, having other things going on, there was some ducky drama that made this year challenging. The two males were generally two peas in a pod. Identical. I really couldn't tell them apart. They had the funniest way of doing a little head bob, then "sneeze" and they'd almost always do it in tandem. BUT ... there were also times they were trying to kill each other! I'm not sure if it was some mating dominance, but it would stress me out. They would fight, there was blood and feathers. I'd try to separate them but they'd go right back at it ... until they were over it and friends/brothers again.   There was also some bullying of HandiQuack this year. I'm not sure why. The two males and Blackfoot would chase her off and not let her settle down with the crowd. I felt so bad for her. Much of the summer I ended up separating the flock, keeping HQ and ond of the other girls with her in one part of the fenced garden, with the other four on the other side. This caused much more stress and difficulty in caring for them. They finally seemed to work things out and I was able to keep all six ducks together again at the end of the year. 

With Winter coming again, and quite a bit more on my plate, I knew I wasn't up to keeping up with and caring for the ducks any more. Grayson found a cute farm in Riverton that would accept animals and we took them out there. It looked like a cute place, with other ducks, chicken and geese, goats, sheep, a cow, pig and llamas. I know they probably won't be quite as spoiled as they were here at in the Blackham backyard, with the peas/tomatoes, mealworms, etc., but it looked like a nice place where they wouldn't be penned up all the time, and would be cared for. Good luck ducks!

Hawaii 5-0

Grayson was turning the big 5-0 this year. That's a big one. Made even more so, as his dad (and his dad's dad) did not reach that milestone age. Kolby and Jami (brother and SIL) had been planning a Hawaii get-away, and thought it would be fun if he joined them. He did, as did Jeff, another friend of the family.  #graysonsgetaways

I really should have Gray write up his memories, right (like Keaton did for the Disney trip, and Coop did a little for his Seattle stay). He did share photos and kept in contact via text (except when his phone died after he used it in the water ... it IS supposed to be waterproof). 

You can bet Grayson went beyond this sign ...

Here's a little video I made from the photos/videos.

... and a couple more pictures

 Gray made it home from Hawaii ON his birthday, so he got to celebrate with us as well.

#blackhambirthdays

Remembering Maga

This will be backdated to the end of October 2019

Maga, Pammy ... she's been an integral part of the Blackham life. So many memories. Marvelous mother, great grandma, friend to everyone. There really aren't words to explain the feelings when we got the call that Wednesday night. I'll keep this post simple ...

I think the crowd attending the viewing was a testament to how many lives Pam impacted during her life. I created a slideshow of pictures throughout her life that was being shown while they waited. Here's a look at a few of the flowers, beautiful bouquets. 

The set up at the chapel for the funeral ... a few of her favorite things.

The program ... (click to enlarge)

Here's a link to an audio recording of the funeral.

The three boys each gave a tribute, each in their own style.

There were tears, and there was laughter.

Maga ... you'll be missed more than you could imagine.

Seattle Trip for Two

During the summer, Kolby brought up the idea of Gray bringing Cooper out to and having Cooper and Kolby (the two football fans) hit a SeaHawks game. So, that happened. The Seattle trip ended up overlapping with the other Blackhams (Maga/Livi, Ana's and Clay's family ... and Keaton) going to Disneyland at the end of September/start of October. The football game ended up being a great one, with lots of action and a close finish with a SeaHawks win.

Gray didn't attend the game ...

He dropped the guys off and then went off exploring on his own.

Eating out is always a big part of any vacation ...

Here's a little recap that Cooper wrote up ...

Yesterday was really fun, we didn’t go to Lunchbox or Din Tai Fung, but there was a place we went to that I will probably want to go to every time we go to Seattle from here on out. We went to Ciudad and it was just really good. There was really good steak, pork, flatbread, and I even tried cauliflower and octopus, so there’s that. And then there was the game. It kind of sucks that I didn’t have my Fitbit for it, because I think I would have easily surpassed ten thousand with the walk up and down to the stadium. And I the game was so good, I don’t think I could have chosen a better one to go to. Hawks won 30-29, after the opposing kicker shanked a field goal he very often gets. During the game, Kolby was yelling his head off, which was really funny, I definitely was not as vocal as he was. I also got a cup I can keep at the game, and Kolby got me a really nice hoodie. However getting home sucked, it probably took us like 30 minutes just to get on the freeway, but it was worth it.

... and then the guys headed home. Cooper even got to experience first class flight, as their seats got bumped up on way. Coop and Gray had a good time, and thanks to Kolby & Co for hosting them!  Kolby also got Cooper into a fantasy football league (there was a $50 entry fee, with cash prizes at the end, Coop didn't know that going in ... but learned that a little later on, and there will be more on that in another post!) 

Doing Disney - Keaton Goes to Cali

Last year, Olivia gifted Ana's boys Disneyland tickets - the trip was set for September 2019, Halloween season. She asked if any of the West Jordan Blackham Boys would like to go too ... Coop and Colton had recently had to make up school after the cruise, and they weren't sure about going through that again (Colton also had games, and Coop ended up on a Seattle trip overlapping this excursion). Keaton though ... he was up for it, and he went to represent our family.  He drove out with Maga and Olivia, and Ana's family and Clay and Courtney's crew met them there.

The littles LOVED having Keaton along!

I asked Keaton for a recap of the trip, and he delivered!

My memory might be off for some of the things we did on certain days so bear with me. 

It was Saturday night, September 28th. I had everything packed for the week and headed over to Maga's house to spend the night as we were waking up bright and early the next morning to begin the trip. I passed out pretty quickly being that it was around midnight. Livi had grabbed me and Aidan a McDonald's midnight snack, and we had turned on Big Hero 6 (which is my type of sleepy ambiance given that I practiced falling asleep to movies and shows my whole childhood). Clay was hoping to leave by about 7:30 and what that means to us Blackhams is 10:00 basically (yes, 10:00 is bright and early). Maga wanted to drive and wouldn't back down on the possibility of her grandson taking over (until later, muahaha). We stopped at McDonald's for breakfast, where I soon learned that was going to be my first meal of the day for the upcoming week. And so began our journey of 14 hours on I-15 with frequent steps on the brake, and history lessons on the legends of Gordy, how Maga's life was growing up in California, and my pa when he had hair (which I believe to be a myth). 

The drive was actually really great, granted I spent a majority of the time on Netflix. But it was fun spending time with Maga and crazy Aunt Livi. After a heap of traffic, we finally arrived in Anaheim and stopped at the Travelodge Inn and Suites so Livi could help Ana and Adrian get settled into their reserved room. Clay was staying in another hotel and we didn't see him that night. Meanwhile. Maga, Liv, and I found our way to Maga's old friend Joyce's apartment, where she was sweet enough to let us stay while she, ironically, was staying in Florida visiting Disneyworld. It was a very great place to stay for us, and from what I heard about Ana's location, better than their hotel. Beds were comfy, it had a well-organized bathroom, I had no complaints.

The first morning? Head to Disneyland! Again, didn't leave until 10:00. We all got ready with our landyards, Disney outfits, and bags to prepare ourselves for the day. Maga introduced me to Airborne vitamins. They boost your immune system, which greatly helped me for the week as I was fighting off a cold. The three of us took one every morning and every night of the week. By the time we got there, Clay, Courtney and their kids had already been in the park for an hour. We drove over to Ana's hotel and met the boys there so we could all walk to the park together. It was, I want to say about 3/4 of a mile, so not too bad. We made it to the back entrance of Downtown Disney and security stops the one and only crazy Aunt Livi. Turns out she brought butterknives so we could spread mayo onto our sandwiches for lunch. Metal ones. Joyce's. We all thought it was pretty funny except for Livi who was genuinely upset thinking she had to throw away Joyce's knives, but instead she walked a ways back in the parking lot and stashed them oh so sneakily behind a bush and made her way back. To add to the humor, she was stopped yet again by security claiming they watched her stash the butterknives on site and declared her too dangerous to enter. My aunt, decked out in Disney gear, with homemade Minie Mouse ears down to the colored toenails on her feet. At this point, Adrian and Maga step in and try to work it out and security said if she just throws the knives away in the garbage, then she can come in. But Livi wouldn't accept, realizing that the knives were not hers ... so she walked all the way back to the hotel and back, all was well. We walked through Downtown Disney to the park entrances where we upgraded our 3 tickets to Park Hoppers so we could bounce between Disneyland and California Adventure's whenever we pleased. I appreciated this a lot.

So, the first day we headed into Disneyland and immediately went to Indiana Jones. I was really excited because I've never been on in even though I've been to Disneyland at least two other times before. Aidan and Amare are excited because it's INDIANA JONES! We waited in line for about 45 minutes, which seemed bad at first but we all got used to pretty quickly, and onto the ride. It was great I loved it! Amare was pretty scared at the beginning because it's a fairly dark and scary placeto start, but after it was done, he said he would gladly go again. We went on a few more rides in the Disneyland park for probably another couple hours and decided to hit California Adventures. I remember California Adventures being the better park from my previous times so I was certainly pushing it. We met up with Clay's crew at the Guardian's of the Galaxy tower. It was new to me because the last time I was on it, it was the Tower of Terror. Aidan backed out at the last minute (Cooper did when our family went years ago). Not as scary this time, but I definitely think it was better! I'm not the biggest fan of Guardians of the Galaxy but it goes to show that you don't have to be a fan to enjoy the ride. Instead of jump scares and feeling like you're in a busted elevator, it's pump up music and like a 360 experience joining Rocket fighting off bad guys and finding little baby Groot. Definitely one of my favorite rides, and in the fan gift shop they had really well-designed robot hands featuring the six infinity stones used in End Game. I got to try on the Thanos glove and the Iron Man glove just for the fun of it. We then headed over to the Incredicoaster, after seeing on the Disneyland app on our phones that it was about a 15 minute wait. We all went over there and waited in a much longer than 15 minute line, but it was worth it. Before, it used to just be the California Screamin' but after a crimson red paint job and lots of sound effects became the Incredicoaster. Definitely did not disappoint! To me at least... Sam didn't want to go on and he backed out with Coco, the picture at the end greatly captured Livi's opinion, and Maga announced that was probably her last roller coaster haha. We found a snowcone shack based on Monsters Inc the abominable snowman that served "yellow snow." I had a special snowcone with blue raspberry filling at the bottom, the yellow snow and a cherry on top so it looked like the Pixar ball and it was delicious. Throughout the day, we went on a few more rides and bounced back to Disneyland to get a feel for everything we have to discover. The last ride I remember going on was Splash Mountain with Ana, Adrian and the boys and I have a fantastic picture on that ride that I will cherish forever our shared enjoyment of getting soaked at 9:00 at night in cotton shirts and socks. Overall, Monday dragged on a little longer than most the other days because no one was really sure what to do or where to go and we're all still getting the feel for it. We headed for home at about 10:00pm and had dinner at a little strip mall with plenty of options that didn't disappoint. Nothing super special, but we ate there most nights and I for one was fine with that.

Day two Tuesday, we decided to focus on California Adventure for the morning and afternoon because that night they were doing the special Halloween event called the Oogie Boogie Bash and you had to have that reserved. We have it planned for Thursday night. Everyone was pretty sore from walking all about the day before and Liv and I had the idea that we can use Joyce's wheelchair for Maga (that she so kindly laid out for us for this specific reason. Maga has been struggling with hip pain). Maga refused saying she can walk just fine. Yeah, sure Maga. We said we'll bring it just in case *wink wink.* This was the first time Maga allowed me to drive and it was because I beat her to the driver's seat. This time, we drove to a little landing zone to drop off Maga and I and had Livi take the car back to the hotel and walk with Ana and them. I convinced Maga to get in the wheelchair and I didn't mind pushing. Turns out, you get into Disneyland a lot faster with a wheelchair so it was awesome! Blew by the line to get in, and everyone waiting in their normal people lines are like, "awww look at that! Grandson pushing Grandma so cute." And me and Maga are like, "muahahahahahaha suckas!" So we headed into California Adventures and we got there about the same time as Courtney and the kids. Clay was up late working the night prior so he was catching up on a little sleep. In the meantime, we went to Cars, Guardians, Toy Story Mania, Incredicoaster, Grizzly Rapids (we got soaked) and we were flying through the lines. Tuesday is already better than Monday. We met back up with Clay, Ana, Adrian, Liv and went to the lazy adults favorite ride Soarin' Through California. Yeah I mean it's cool when you're a kid, but the cousins would all rather go on Incredicoaster haha. We split up into two groups one going to Guardian's and the other Grizzly Rapids (Guardian's is quickly becoming a fan favorite). I went to the Rapids with Livi and some of the littles. After, we got lunch and headed back into California Adventures towards Incredicoaster, so that those who haven't gone can go. I stayed back with Maga and Sam and we watched them takeoff.

While they were waiting in line, my little churro quest began. Nearby there was a Señor Buzz's Churros stand and I got one covered with red hot cinnamon powder. After they're done, we walk back around towards a Cocoa live street performance and we got horchata churros and a cream dipping sauce. Those were amazing. Then, we headed towards Grizzly Rapids for my third time but before going on we got these gourmet-looking S'more churros and that was definitely my favorite one. A few more rides and a pumpkin spice and green apple churro before we headed to the other park. Indiana Jones again, and then the Buzz shooter game ride and right close by to that Star Tours. That made me decide to check out the new Star Wars land where they had an exclusive lightsaber shop where you get to build and keep your very own lightsaber along with a whole surrounding experience. You did have to pay for it ($200) and only two people can come with you so I took the two littles, Amare and Sam, and they helped me build my lightsaber (video here). We three met back up with the fam and we walked through a mythical forest with lots of lights and fog and eerie sounds. At this point it was pretty late and none of us were looking to go on anymore rides, but some of the littles convinced us to go on Autopia which was fun. We ate at Pizza Planet from Toy Story and then to our respective sleeping spaces.

Wednesday was a little bit of a different agenda. We were going to Universal Studios. A farther drive but we only get one day of it (Clay's family didn't do Universal because they did it the year before and went to the beach instead). We got there and the first ride we went on is the brand new Jurassic World. I'm not too big into Universal so I really didn't know what to expect. Turns out, you get absolutely soaked in the first minute of the ride by some giant dinosaur looking whale whatever it was awesome! After that, we did Transformers and it was basically a 360 version watching the movie in 3D, but it was awesome too! Then we went to the Mummy ride, and it's a Space Mountain sort of dark roller coaster really fast ride and I loved it. We learned that those were basically the three best rides in the whole park besides some Harry Potter ride Clay's family say we greatly missed out on. We went on Simpson's, Despicable Me, Kung Fu Panda, and they're all kinda the same boring thing. The last thing we did was the Studio Tour which was pretty cool just seeing all the studios and props they use for popular movies. Fruity Pebbles churro there. Then, that night we went swimming at the hotel pool and hot tub which felt nice for our poor sore legs and feet.

Thursday we didn't have an actual Disneyland ticket. We had the Oogie Boogie Bash that night in California Adventures when it opened. In the meantime, that morning, we went to a taco restaurant in Newport Beach that was delicious, and following breakfast, we went to the beach for about an hour and a half. Of course the boys couldn't help themselves and jumped straight in the water, but Ana and I hadn't expected anything else of them. Then we headed to some famous frozen banana shop. I loved it. I got two bananas and Adrian got a frozen cheesecake. We headed back home and got in our costumes, which was necessary for the Halloween bash, and headed for the park. Basically, there are a lot less people, a bunch of cool lights, free candy, and you can go on any of the rides with almost no wait. Cars, Guardians a couple a times, Incredicoaster three or four times, Toy Story Mania a couple times (me and Clay had a little rivalry and I ended up winning of course because I had a Buzz jacket on), Goofy's Sky School, Swings, Soarin', a couple more churros, and yeah. Fun day, dinner, and home.

Our last Disneyland day, Maga, Liv and I had to pack our things and get to a hotel because Joyce was coming home that day while we would be gone to the park. So we did that, and the met everyone at the Disney gate entrance. We actually got fast passes this day, so we used that to our advantage. I first went with Clay's family to Smuggler's Run, the new Star Wars Millenium Falcon ride and I (a Star Wars nerd) geeked out at about everything I saw (video here). When you get into the cockpit, there are six seats: two pilots, two gunners, and two engineers. They let me have one of the pilot seats because they said that's the most fun one to do. The six of us were easily the best crew ever. Really amazing ride definitely one of my favorites. We all met up and split up a bunch of different times in the day. I went on Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Matterhorn, Space Mountain, Indiana Jones a couple times, Buzz a couple times, Star Tours again, and time flew by. Sure, you're waiting in lines but you barely notice after you get off the ride. For the big finale, we watched a water show called Fantasmic that was pretty neat we all enjoyed it. A GIANT corn dog later, Clay, the kids and I went on Pirate's for our last ride and then we get pictures, souvenirs, last moments and head home to sleep before the long drive back the following day. Maga thought our hotel was absolutely treacherous, and she was right. But it was just for one night (bless Joyce's heart).

Clay hit the road first while the rest of us went to breakfast at a local Denny's. I got to drive my first road trip, the entire trip home. Maga woke in and out of sleep a couple times, asked for a Whopper and Dr. P stop at Burger King which Livi mistakenly thought was a "whoopee" stop. They dropped me home first, talked to the fam, as Dad and Cooper were just returning from their trip too. Everyone was home safe, including my lightsaber ... which I think is broken now, but I would definitely do it all over again!