Ending of June, Beginning of July

This really has been quite the summer. We were able to go and spend a few days at Refugio State Beach with several of our friends from Ridgecrest. It was a blast. For the most part we spent all day on the beach and then hung around the campsite in the evening. Boogie boarding was great. The kids had fun making may sand castles, being buried in the sand, and just running from the waves. I even got to spend my birthday (June 28) just soaking in the sun and being lazy. Justin treated me to a seafood dinner in the evening and bought me a sweatshirt in Santa Barbara (I was freezing). It was fun to walk on the pier and to watch the different people.

Tyler and Grace Cannon running from the waves
Justin catching the waves on the boogie board


Mackay's style of boogie boarding

Annual cover the kids in the sand - Mackay's turn

We left the beach on Tuesday and were so sad to leave earlier than everyone else. Come to find out it was a blessing in disguise. My Grandma Mackay passed away after having a stroke on June 29 in the afternoon. My parents had been trying to get ahold of me all weekend and through the week. I think I really worried my mother. We arrived home after spending the day having fun eating and Chili's, and going to see WALL-E. It was 8:30 p.m. when we got home and I received the message on our answering machine (I would have gotten it sooner if I would have charged up our cell phone (sorry mom)). Anyway I sent everyone to be and started on the laundry so that we could make it to the viewing on Wednesday afternoon. Thanks to a friend I was able to get the laundry done and get a couple of hours of sleep before we left for Utah on July 2 at 4 a.m. Luckily I was able to sleep in the car for a little while.

My grandmother, Belva Pulley Mackay, had just turned 87 at the being of June. She mentioned just 4 days before her birthday that this would be her last birthday and that she would pass away sometime in the next year. She mentioned being visited by family and especially her mother. My mom said that her passing was a peaceful and beautiful experience. I feel bad that I was not able to say goodbye to her before her passing but felt comforted at the funeral that all was well and Grandma Mackay was happy and could do all the things now that she couldn't do for the past few years. She was a wonderful lady and will be very missed. If there is one thing that I learned from my Grandmother it was being grateful for all she had and never complaining about anything.

Anyway we were able to spend time with family for the 4th of July weekend. We went and saw a parade in Magna in the afternoon on the 4th and then headed up to Lyman, Wyoming to do fireworks with Justin's twin brother in the evening. It was a lot of fun.
Mackay and Tyler loved being with and seeing many of their cousins. They were even surprised to know that they had so many second cousins.

On Saturday the 5th of July we had a special Mackay reunion and dutch oven cooking with all of my mom's family. It was so much fun to visit with and see cousins, aunts, and uncles. Hopefully we can keep up a tradition of doing that.

Now we are back home for a few days and still moving like crazy. It has been so hot so we are grateful for friends and their pools that they share with us.