Long overdue update

 

I promised you all that I would update my blog soon so here it goes.  I’ve decided to just share some highlights from 2021.  The first highlight I think for 2021 happened in March.  A few of my friends were gathering in Stinson Beach for a much-needed girls weekend.  I think we had 7 ladies attending so we’d be riding in separate cars.  Our hostess and another friend ended up having a sweet surprise for us when my group arrived at our destination.  Our dear friend, who moved to Missouri 2 years ago, flew in for our ladies retreat.  It was a magical weekend for all of us after the crazy year we experienced.

We celebrated a quiet Easter and I’ve included a photo of us here taken before we left for Easter services.  We also played host to our friends from Missouri who had come for a quick visit before staying with family to celebrate their own extended family milestones.  Our kids had a great time seeing their friends even for a short time.

Easter morning

June was a very busy month for the Thorne’s.  Scott’s brother Russell got married and he and his wife share the same anniversary as my sister and her husband-so it will be easy for me to remember.  Scott was the best man, so we had a full week/weekend leading up to and during the wedding festivities.  It was so good to catch up with relatives we had not seen in a while. And of course Scott's mom made their wedding cake-officially making the wedding cakes of all three of her sons. 

Russ & Natalie's wedding cake/cupcakes

The week after the wedding, our family of 4 took off for our Fort Bragg camping trip that we have missed the last 2 years.  Since California closed abalone diving, we now go to hang out with friends, spend time by the ocean (my favorite part) and Scott goes spear fishing.  This year Leah was in charge of my camera so most of my pics are a lot of wildlife & landscape pics.   I mean- a lot.  She had a photography course she was taking so I think she was practicing some of the skills she learned.  But we did get a few with us in it. 

Our "dive" crew

We returned home for a week reprieve and two weeks later we completed our annual weekend of butchering our cattle for the year.  We finished up our last day celebrating 4^th of July at our friend’s home and then began prepping for our annual camp trip with friends to Lake Francis.  This year looked a little different, as just before 4^th of July we were all notified that our campground we traditionally book every year was shutting down due to their wells running dry.  So, our group scrambled to find camping that would accommodate our group and we providentially found a group campsite near Loon Lake.  We spent a long weekend camping with friends, frolicking in the lake and celebrating a milestone anniversary & birthday for some friends during this annual trip.

All the kids & some friends they brought along

And because we love living in a trailer so much, 2 weeks later we took off for our cross-country trek to Michigan for my sibling reunion.  We had a few pitstops along the way and this year we signed up for a camping adventure called Harvest Hosts, where you can camp for 24 hours only at farms, museums, vineyards, breweries etc. across the nation.  Our family enjoyed this aspect of it and we enjoyed some great food at some of the locations we stayed (breweries), had a quiet night’s sleep away from highways and cities on farms and vineyards tucked off the beaten path, and met some very gracious, friendly people along the way.  Here are some photos from a couple of those destinations.

Winery Camping

Farm Camping

We met up with our Missouri friends in Kansas so that our teen drivers could partake in a defensive driving course called BRAKES that happened to be hosted in Kansas on a date we would be passing through the state.  We camped together at a nearby campground for a couple of days and then we followed them back to Missouri for a short visit.

Morning by lake

We left Missouri and headed to Indiana for two college campus tours with Leah.  On our way to the first college tour, we had a tire blow out.  We were literally a 5-minute drive away on this rural country road and the appointment was in 15 minutes.  Scott managed to pull off the road just enough that our truck and trailer were not in the road.  Luckily this road was not very busy, however the tire that blew out was on the driver’s side.  So anytime a car did come, Scott & Nolan had to step between the truck and trailer to let them pass, before continuing to put our spare tire on the trailer.  The boys got the spare on in record time and they dropped Leah & I off near the entrance so we could make the appointment for the tour while they took care of getting a replacement tire.

They were able to join us at the very end of the tour while we talked to an admission counselor and then it was on the road again for the next college tour appointment.  We lucked out that the 2 colleges in the same state, ended up being in two different times zones, otherwise we would have not been able to make it in time!  All four of us were able to tour the second college together and then enjoyed a delicious lunch at one of our favorite restaurants that we visited on an earlier trek to Michigan to visit my sister and family. 

After a late lunch, we headed to my sister’s Michigan home and we arrived before my other siblings’ flights.  It was such a wonderful visit with both of my brothers & my sister and their families.  All of our kids were there, from the youngest at almost 9 months to the oldest at 28 years, who had just recently obtained a job as a sushi chef and was able to squeeze in a few vacation days to be there!  My sister & her husband were wonderful hostess & host, showing us highlights of the area and putting up with all our craziness!

A few highlights:  Some of us were able to enjoy a Chicago cover band concert at a nearby theater. 

Chicago cover band concert

Most of us adults took a tour and tasting at Journeyman’s Distillery, and then on another evening ate dinner at the same distillery’s restaurant-which if family favorite of ours.  (Scott took one for the team and stayed behind with all the kids so all the rest of the adults could enjoy a meal out. Here he is entertaining my youngest niece.)

We took ATV rides to Cherry Beach to spend an afternoon at Lake Michigan and even took a dunes tour in this vehicle.

Pit Stop during the dune ride

My amazing brother-in-law also wowed us with a Michigan style firework show one evening, and made sure we were set up at the pool or beach with towels, chairs etc.  We were all thoroughly spoiled for the trip and we agreed it felt like we were at an all-inclusive resort.

This trip was the first time we had all been together since our Mom had passed away, so we did spend one of the afternoons as a celebration of life for her.  These are a few pics from our “bubble” blowing machine, as Mom had requested we blow bubbles in her memory and there were thousands of them.

During the visit we squeezed in one more college tour for Leah in Northern Michigan and so far this is her top choice.  We have 3 more schools to visit between now & next fall when she begins her senior year.  Gulp!

We came home to smoky air & housing a couple of evacuee families from the Caldor fire.  Our friends had contacted us the day before we got home about pulling their trailers on to the property to camp.  We were so grateful to be able to provide this opportunity for them and the 2-3 days they thought they’d be here turned in to 2+ weeks.  They were all very grateful to return to their homes still intact as many in the surrounding community of Grizzly Flats lost their homes.  As the Caldor fire is still burning we have experienced smoky days but they have not been as bad as when we returned home on August 18^th.

For the first time, the kids started school before Labor Day.  Both the kids are in high school now, and since Leah began taking some online dual enrollment courses at the local community college (and they started in August) I decided to set our school schedule to match.

Sibling love

That’s all for now.  Were just getting back into a schedule of school, work, church activities, volunteering etc. and trying to find a rhythm since our summer felt like one big vacation from reality.  😊