Friday, September 18, 2009




HERE'S TO YOU MATTY - The Real Deal
1980's Style






Yep... Ray-ban COOL - Love Mamma

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

GOOD FRIENDS - part I



Traci and Claudia

When I woke up this morning I was thinking how much I love my girl friends. I'm thinking best-type friends, not acquaintances, but people who really know me and still like me. Now, I don't have bunches of them. In fact, I could probably count on my fingers and toes the total sum of my friends. But I must say that the friends in my life are the most talented, gifted, loving, intelligent, supportive people I have ever met. I decided to take my camera to school with the intention of taking pictures of all these "important to me" people. Now, they're not all at school, but a vast majority of them are. After taking just one picture, I realized the magnitude of this "little" project. Thus, I see that I must make this a "parts" post. You know, Good Friends Part I. So, at 6:30 this morning, I got one picture taken - of Traci and Claudia. Can you imagine going to work everyday and getting to see such happy, perky, positive, people at such an early time of the day? Aren't they beautiful! (It's true - inside and out!) They make me laugh, they pick me up when I'm down, they let me vent, they share their thoughts with me, and they do nice things for me ALL the time. I think it's cool how the older I get the better the friends get. It's like I'm finally grown up enough to have the best of the good, better, best. -V

WATER POLO

Katie playing hole-set.

Katie on defense.

Ashley - post game - 2 points - JHS 19/Beyer 2.

Katie (and Hannah) - Pre game - 4 points - JHS 5/Beyer 8

Well today was "water polo day." This event happens twice a week from August until Veteran's Day in November. Now, that's just game day. The other three weekdays are consumed by practice from 2pm until 5:15pm. And... can't forget the weekend tournaments - all day Friday and Saturday every other weekend. Katie is captain of the JV team this year (following in Ashley's footsteps) and Ashley is playing on the famous JHS Varsity Girls Water Polo Team, under the even more famous Brent Bohlender. Needless to say, water polo is a big thing at JHS and in the Raynor house. For me? I'll be grateful when they are both on the same team again (next year) AND when I no longer feel compelled to work until 5pm just to pass the time while waiting for practice to end. I do find that I get: all my work done, scriptures read, errands completed, sore ears from wearing my earbuds too long, and that I can repeat the same playlist 4 times in one three hour period. Maybe one of these days I will learn to be more productive "creatively" during water polo. :-) PS: Next time I'll try to get a picture of Ashley actually playing... her game just moves way to fast for me...

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Impressed!

WOW! Mom manged to put up 12 postings in two days, pretty impressive. Maybe I am no longer the Tech. Queen in the family. I guess we don't have to post again for about 6 months...Awesome! -Katie

Love you, Rachel...


James and the Giant Peach

Peach applesauce
There is a famous children's book called James and the Giant Peach. I remember my mom buying the movie when Caroline, Matty, David, Rachel, Ashley, and Katie were young. I thought it was the most boring movie. But I have a greater appreciation for the title of that book/movie now and want to share it with you. My story is more like "Vicki Meets the Giant Peach." So the long and short of it is, I was eating one of my summer favorites: fresh cut up peaches last week, and the last piece that went down, didn't go down, it went up... You know the holes at the back of your throat that lead up to your nose? Well, this small piece of peach got wedged up in the right hole, not only plugging my right nostril but somehow scraping the back of my throat as well. I tried everything to either sniff it up and out or cough it down and out. I tried squirting close to a full cup of water up my nose. (Thought I was going to drown and ended up giving myself a huge headache after filling every sinus cavity in my head with hot water.) Nothing worked. That small piece of peach drove me nuts. Lindsay gave me the best advice, I snorted close to two bottles of Ocean saline nasal spray. Two days later the piece of peach finally rotted and slid down my throat. The cost: five pounds lighter, a sore throat for the past 10 days, an ear ache, and a voice that comes and goes - still. And a new respect for "the Giant Peach." :-)
Oh, and by the way, thank you Ashley for creating the new way for me to eat my peaches... peach applesauce.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Elder Thales D Raynor





Usually, Katie is our tech person and takes care of every detail in our lives. However, we let this one slip by without making comment. David found the gift that Heavenly Father gave him and decided to become a "Soldier of God." He is now serving in the McAllen Texas Spanish Speaking Mission. With every letter that comes our way, my heart cannot be fuller with joy over the love and hope he is sharing. Aren't I the blessed woman to have mothered two modern day Stripling Warriors!

This one's for Seth.

Caroline was pretty darn hot. And her "Groovy Kind of Love" was...

Parting Shots.



Final photo of the summer...

Rachel craving attention - gotta love it.

I may get in trouble for this one, but Katie's excellent photo scoop shows that - Yep... Rach still sleeps with her mouth and eyes open.

KC caught this totally cool picture of Sarah with all of these irridescent bubbles!

And KC graciously allowed Katie to blow dry his hair into various styles.

Just a few more favorite summer pictures.





Watching Tommy on his first Boardwalk ride was the best. Caroline looked pretty cute as well. When I saw these pictures of Rachel and Tommy, I couldn't resist - can't you just see the "devil in her eye!" She'd been messing with Katie all summer but still had enough left over to tease Tommy.

Cousin Cora's Wedding and the Santa Cruz Reunion





We had a great week of festivities! Plenty of great times with all of our cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents. Santa Cruz always brings back so many memories...

Ashley's Locks of Love


Ashley's been growing her hair out for quite some time now. And this summer it was finally the time to make the cut. She got a great hair style and sent her 11" of beautiful brown hair to Locks of Love.

The Planned - Cancelled - Unplanned Mt Whitney Climb.





Last July we decided to make a Whitney climb with some good friends from Utah. We got the permits for August 2009. We started to plan and then needed to cancel because of our family reunion in Santa Cruz. It would have been a great hike with our Utah pals... Then at the last minute (three days before Santa Cruz) we made the quick trip down to Lone Pine so Ashley could make her trek up the mountain. Ashley was awesome! Not one complaint. Up and down in one day. For me - it's the last time I think I'll make that hike. :-)

Concerts in Rachel's "studio."


What would the summer have been without Rachel's awesome songwriting, beautiful voice, and cool new Martin... We are still singing along to RR-Double R on our ipods. :-)

Summer visits - the BEST EVER!





Of course the best part about this summer were the visits from Tommy and Caroline (we missed having Seth...) and Matty and Lindsay. The walks, the zoo, croquet, Ashley's awesome firepit where we cooked s'mores, and the impromptu jam session. I think I could sit for hours watching Tommy play and discover everything - and - listening to Matty and Rachel play the guitars and mandolin.