A new house for Carie Barlow?

My cousin Carie is looking to purchase her first home. Corrine has spent time with her looking at places in Simi Valley. After waiting on a couple of offers, she decided to give it another go around. We combined looking at homes with FHE tonight.

Since watching Jane Austen movies is a big priority with all of us, we were looking for a house which gave her a place to put a screen for movie watching. We thought this large yard could be a possibility.

Next we wanted to make sure whatever house Carie bought would be well built and provide her a 'sure foundation'. We found this lovely beauty in Simi Valley's 'Knolls" neighborhood.
When we realized what the 'whole package' offered, we decided it wasn't quite the house she was looking for! :) However, it gave us a wonderful opportunity to see another part of Simi Valley and meet some very friendly (NOT) neighbors. Needless to say, Carie's search continues. We found no gold tonight!

After looking at homes we went to Red Robin for a fun dinner and good conversation! Carie and Gina are both in education and their summer is just about over - reality is about ready to start again. After dinner we treated ourselves to ice cream at Baskin Robbins. Yum!

Megan Williams' Baptism Day

Today I had the opportunity to attend the baptism of Megan Julene Williams. She was baptized by her father Jason. She was so excited to be baptized and I am grateful I was there!

Before the baptism the kids had the opportunity to play and swim. Todd and his family, Michelle and her family, mom, Corrine and I were all there. The Williams family had a trampoline, an above-ground pool and they had a blow up water slide that kept the kids entertained. I loved this picture of Jared. Once he found the dirty, he was busy!
Following the baptism we all went to some friends of the Williams family's house. They had a large pool and the Williams' rented a 20ft water slide. There was plenty of food for all and the kids had a great time playing, swimming and eating. It was fun to see all of Marilyn's children and their families. We were also able to meet the newest member - Ryan (Julene's husband).
Michelle, mom and aunt Marilyn
Jason, Andrew, Michael, Megan, Jeffrey & Lynette Williams
Megan Julene Williams

We left Turlock about 7:00 pm and caravaned home with Michelle. Corrine and I drove together. When Ty found out we were listening to the Dodger game on my XM Radio, he chose to drive in our car as well. The Dodgers won! Mom drove with Michelle and the girls. We arrived home about 12:30 am. It was a late night, but it was worth it. I am grateful for family and I am glad I was able to go!

A trip through Fresno

Today Corrine, mom and I left for our quick trip to Turlock. We started out about 7:00 am. Corrine wanted to leave a little earlier because she didn't want to be stuck on the 5 freeway on a Friday. With that in mind we decided to try to attend the Fresno Temple. Because it is a small temple with limited hours the last session we could go to (before evening) was 11:30. Mom and I drove in the front and Corrine was in the back seat working on projects -- mainly getting ready for Girls Camp.

We arrived about one hour early. We found a Jamba Juice and stopped and got one to share. We were grateful for the GPS system that took us straight to the spot. It is a very small temple - looks a lot like the Redlands Temple. However, once we were inside, we all agreed it was a little smaller than Redlands.
After the session (which was full, surprisingly) we walked around the grounds. We got a good chuckle when we found this spot -- cement has been added and we guessed it is where the brides have their pictures taken.
What trip to a temple would be complete without this classic picture? Gotta love it!

After the temple we drove to Far West Books which specialized in LDS books. We wanted to get Megan Williams a gift for her baptism. It was quite impressive for a 'mom and pop' store. We spent about an hour there. By then we were all hungry. We used the GPS to find something to eat and our tummies were very happy (and extremely full) when we found The Cheesecake Factory. After a yummy meal (and yes, we splurged for a piece of cheesecake to split) we were set to proceed to Turlock. With Michelle, Todd, Lynette and their families all coming from Sacramento, we knew we would arrive way before them, but we were fine with the plan. Unfortunately as we were to get on the 99 N, my GPS showed an alert and we noticed it said, 'serious fire' and it was located a few miles up at Herndon Avenue. The CHP were blocking the on ramps for the 99N and so we were forced to choose a 'plan B'. After many phone calls, we turned around and went south to the 41 N and then around Herndon Avenue and got on the 99N just after it. Thankfully we did not have to sit in too much traffic. Unfortunately we were much later than expected. We arrived in Turlock just after 7:00 and used the 'facilities' at Lynette & Jason's and then we headed to the Courtyard in Modesto about 20 miles up the road. We only arrived about 40 minutes before everyone else. Another late night and an early morning to come! Tomorrow will be a full day!

Birthday Celebration

Today was a treat. Debbie Mander is in town for a few days. Eight of us got together to celebrate her 40th birthday at MO's Cafe. Saucha, Stacey, Becky, Corrine, Diana, Debbie, Heather and I had lunch together. It was fun to just relax and spend some time with friends. They brought Debbie a small cake with a candle.

It's My Birthday!

Well here we are at July 16th again! It has been a good day. A few days ago Anna asked me how old I was and I told her I was 7. She figured out that was not possible and said, "No, Alisa, you are 37 - don't forget the 3! Anyway, my '7th' birthday has been a good day. This morning Stacey Lythgoe took me to Eggs N Things for breakfast, I had my hair trimmed and then I went to the Los Angeles County Recorders Office in Norwalk. I spent the afternoon in the basement of the building searching genealogical records. It was quite the experience and I did find a few things. Tonight Corrine arranged for a birthday open house. Mom made Angel Food cake and we had my favorite - vanilla ice cream. It was fun to see several of my friends come over and wish me a happy birthday. The girls were here to help me blow out my candles. Thanks to everyone for the calls, text messages and e-mails! I appreciate it.

Congratulations Amy & Jonas!

On Sunday July 13th I had the opportunity to attend the wedding of a friend, Amy Mays. I met Amy through working with Camarillo Escrow. Amy is a wonderful person and I was thrilled to hear she found her "Prince Charming" (she is 32). She met Jonas through a Christian Cafe website about two years ago. Their wedding was held at the chapel at Cal Lutheran University. It was a wonderful wedding where a lot of effort was made to put Christ at the center of their special day. They are both devout Christians and that was very evident in everything they did today. As we were waiting for the reception to start (held at the Los Robles Country Club) I saw her get out of this beautiful car! I went up to her and took a picture. How many times does a girl get out of a red Mercedes convertible in a wedding dress!?

Amy was absolutely radiating and glowing today! She looked beautiful! I am so happy for her!










How about this picture of my parents? Don't they look wonderful!!! Pink is a good color for mom and I love dad's tie.

Independence Day

On Friday morning Corrine and I went to celebrate Independence Day breakfast with the Camarillo 5th ward. Rachel T is the ward activities committee chair and so we offered to go help her with the breakfast. They do a tri-ward event and her ward was in charge of the food. It was hot cooking pancakes, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. They had a small parade and Anna and Carly participated. This year's celebration was a lot of fun because almost all of the family was in town. It was good to see everyone! We took advantage of the community pool at McKay and Rachel's house and enjoyed an afternoon of food and swimming. Lori was great! She learned how to swim without her floaties. She was so excited! Dinner was a BBQ arranged by Michelle and Rachel at mom and dad's house. We were spoiled this year because the fireworks were at the high school and so we were able to sit out front of and see the fireworks from their house! Corrine's homemade ice cream really hit the spot!

Hollywood Bowl with the Dodgers!

Several months ago Corrine and I were invited by a friend to participate in several concerts at the Hollywood Bowl. Unfortunately Gina was so sick she was not able to go with us to the first one. On Thursday, July 3rd Corrine, Ami Harris and I took Mom and Kate to the Hollywood Bowl. We went to the Chatsworth Metrolink and parked our car and then took a shuttle to the Bowl. We brought our own lunch and enjoyed the evening! They were celebrating the Dodgers' 50 years in Los Angeles. The LA Philharmonic Orchestra was there and they were absolutely wonderful. I could have sat and listened to them for a long time! Tommy Lasorda was there as well as some other Dodger greats. They played baseball themed music as well as patriotic music. It ended with a wonderful display of fireworks set to the live music of the orchestra.