Haphazard Happenstances

Happy Birthday Baby!

2015-10-19T20:02:00.000-05:00

Oh, my... my baby is 12 years old. I cannot believe it. Like seriously, I can't believe it. She's old now. No longer my "baby". I mean, heck, she's taller than Elisan now and edging in on me.

I love this kid with all of my heart. Truly. But, if I had to be honest, and I will be... Kyla is a hard child to parent. She is stubborn, hard-headed, know it all, head strong and intense. She shuts down when she is tired or hungry (hangry anyone?) and is ALL about her friends these days. I can hardly get a hug from her anymore.

There are days when I get frustrated, knowing that I don't know how to parent her the way she needs to be parented. But, I'm working on it. I'm praying more about it more. The truth is, she is a remarkable kid who is driven, intelligent, hard working and stinking funny.

She is gorgeous and could seriously be a model because she is so comfortable in front of the camera. She is crazy athletic. In fact, one gentleman at the recent volleyball game pointed Kyla out of the crowd of other players commenting how naturally athletic she was, without knowing that she was my daughter.

Kyla, your future is bright. Use your hard headedness to your benefit. Keep your standards high and reach for the stars. You can do anything you put your mind to.

I love you, my baby.

First Day of School - 2015

2015-08-19T13:51:00.000-05:00

It's already back to school time at the Wagner household.

We had such a wonderful summer and I am sad to see it end. I truly enjoy having the girls home with me during the summer. I feel like a big 'ol mother hen, having the chickadees at home with me. That's the way it should be... or at least, that is how I feel. There are days that I feel that I would have been perfectly content to have homeschooled them, but then I realize that I am not equipped to teach. So, off to school... and the world they must go.

I enjoy the summers because it is a time for them to get back to the basics. By the end of the school year, it seems they are so tired, stressed out and moody. Plus, we get the added bonus of attitude and mouthiness, to which I blame their friends. It's true as I've seen it time and time again. Once summer hits and they've spent the first two weeks at home, the attitude and mouthiness completely disappear. Like, it's a stinkin' miracle! So, yeah... I'm never too excited to see school start up again.

The last couple of weeks I have watched Elisan talk incessantly about high school. She is so super excited to be a Freshman! I'm glad to know that she loves school as much as she does. Granted, her graduating class will be less than 30 students so her "idea" of high school is a bit skewed. A friend of mine said her kid's 9th grade class at Round Rock High School was over 900 kids. That just blows me away. JUST THE 9TH GRADE CLASS! I think Elisan's hair would catch on fire if for some reason we had to enroll her in public school. I just feel blessed that we are able to continue her in private school where she can receive a solid CHRISTIAN education, that values morals and Christ-like behavior.

Kyla has been a bit reluctant to starting school again. Although she's a really smart kid, she had an incredibly busy year last year with her school schedule, school sports, club soccer and additional training she did. She literally did not have a break all.year.long. It was maddening for me to watch, but she and Randy were all gung-ho about it. However, by the end of the school year, she was done. She was done with her extra training, done with her select team (they weren't a nice group of girls to spend time with - on or off the field...) and the school work seemed never ending. She was tired and I feel, we, as her parents were to blame. I think that is why she was reluctant to start up again. Not necessarily school as much, but the crazy schedule that accompanies it. But, this year, Randy and I are working to make it not as stressful on her. Plus, we encouraged her to take study hall as an elective this year to help with the homework/study load.

All in all, I think it will be a great year for both of them.

This year, I am planning on taking off from most of my volunteer roles I have accumulated over the the years. Last year, I was homeroom mom (3rd year in a row), Booster Club board officer (2 years in a row), track coach (4 years in a row) and graphic designer of all things Booster Club related (two years in a row).

In my now free time, I've signed up for a new Bible study called "Discerning the Voice of God: How to Recognize When He Speaks" by Priscilla C. Shirer. I'm excited about it, because let's be honest, we could all hear from God a bit more these days.

I'm also going to focus more on my photography business and I can't do that if I'm spread too thin. It's something I enjoy and think I'm getting pretty good at. I've already had 4 parents say they want to book me for senior sessions and that is AMAZING to me. It's exciting.

I would like to find a volunteer/serving role that uses my gifts and talents, so I'll keep my eyes peeled for that opportunity. Until then, I'm going to be an official homebody and that's okay!

Happy Birthday Kid

2015-08-13T19:19:00.000-05:00

So, yeah, this happened yesterday. My girl turned 14.

I remember being 14 and I just cannot believe I have my own 14 year old daughter.

Life was hard when I was 14 ... I cannot hardly imagine how hard it is now. No need to get into the social media aspects of it all... that's crazy enough. But, the reality of having information at your virtual fingertips at all times is mind-blowing. But, that's all my 14 year old has known. There is no life before the internet for her and that's weird.

I mention this because MY fourteen is way different from HER fourteen. And while her way of life is very different from my way of life back then, her LIFESTYLE is way more sheltered than my LIFESTYLE ever was. Does that make sense?

For example: When I was a pre-teen/teenager, I had my own phone and phone line in my room. It was a phone line that my brother and I shared, but essentially, I could call anyone (anytime) that I wanted. And vice-versa... including boys!

I can say without a doubt say that Elisan has not had a phone conversation with a boy to date. Never. And, I can say without a doubt that Elisan has only had ONE text "conversation" with ONE boy and that first time was just last week!

So, yeah... her 14 year old lifestyle is different from what my 14 year old lifestyle was.

Another example is sleepovers. I participated in sleepovers nearly every weekend. Either at my house or at a friend's house. That was just a given. (At which time, we'd call boys, etc... on my own private phone line... )

Elisan has never had a sleepover and has never been to anyone's home for a sleepover.... EXCEPT for her 8th birthday party in which we had a moment of weakness and allowed a sleepover at our home. Oh, and wait... she did attend a sleepover when she was 7 for a friend's birthday...and, I was there, spending the night as well, helping my mom friend manage all of the girls. So, that one really doesn't count, does it?

So, yeah...call us over protective parents, I don't care. But, that's the thing. This whole WAY OF LIFE (i.e. current modern living that has been thrust upon us) vs. LIFESTYLE (the way we as a family choose to live) has really rocked the apple cart in the way of parenting. What was acceptable 30 years ago, is no longer acceptable... at least not to me.

Now, girls are not just talking on the phone to boys until the wee hours of the morning... they are using FaceTime to communicate with boys... and doing/showing God know's what to God know's who. That scares me. Like, really scares me.

And so, there are those who think that we are über strict in our parenting style, but ya know what? I'm okay with that. Because right now, it feels right. And as she grows, we will grow too. And as trust is developed, we will trust more. It's not that I don't trust her now, but we have held back on the opportunities for trust to be developed. I'm sure it's there... its just the opportunities have not presented themselves. As an incoming Freshman to high school, those trust opportunities will become more and more available.

So, happy birthday kid. There is no other person in this world that loves you more than your mama. Those many hours of crazy pregnancy labor coupled with your horrific birth experience and non-stop crying for 4 months have paid off. You are a beautiful, kind, sweet, incredibly smart and amazing young lady. I'm honored to be your mom... even when I thought you would never stop crying.

A Gallon a Day...

2015-08-10T15:25:00.000-05:00

So, I'm on day nine of drinking a gallon of water a day. So, far, so good.

The first day, it was really hard sucking down all of that water. I felt bloated and more bloated.

By the 5th day, it was not hard at all and I found myself finishing my gallon by 6 p.m., versus 10:00 p.m., right before I headed off to bed.

Seems like now, I'm MORE thirsty than ever before and I reach for my water out of habit now. In fact, I wake up in the morning parched. Like literally dying of thirst. It's totally weird.

To make things easy, I used my gallon plastic pitcher and fill it up in the a.m. I use room temperature tap water, as I find it hard to drink/gulp chilled water.

I drink 32 ounces of water BEFORE I have my first cup of coffee. This is my "rule" so I don't get behind on drinking. Once that first 32 ounces is done, the rest is easy.

Have I noticed anything different about my skin? No. I have seen some people that posted before and after pictures with no dark circles under their eyes after 30 days of drinking water and that may be the case for me. I'm still only 9 days in, so who knows... My tummy is not magically flat now that I'm consuming more water... I am using the restroom a lot, though... does that count? I don't feel as if I'm eating as much as I once was, probably since I'm full of water.

Am I drinking flavored water? Nope. It doesn't taste good to me. The only other thing I'm drinking aside from ONE cuppa coffee in the a.m. is water. No sodas, no tea, no Crystal Light, nothing.

So, there ya have it.

Oh, and here's a before picture. I'll try to post a 30 day picture if I can remember.

Ugh, 42... YOU are not my friend.

One Proud Mama

2015-08-10T15:07:00.001-05:00

Since I can't recap the entire last year, I suppose I can hit the highlights.

The biggest thing that I am most proud of from both of my girls, is them being awarded the highest overall GPA for their grade. Kyla in 5th grade and Elisan in 8th grade. They worked so hard to achieve this award and I couldn't be more proud of them.

Elisan actually set out at the beginning of the year to get the highest average. She was a girl on a mission... MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. Elisan is a hard worker and excels at anything she puts her heart into.

Kyla, though... what a surprise! She's a smart girl, no doubt, but she has to work hard. And by hard, I mean, she has to really put in the effort and time. Randy pushed her this year, no doubt, but she prevailed. This on top of the soccer she played for Lonestar's top u11 team and three school sports. She managed to juggle (no pun intended...) it all and pulled it off with exceptional skill. So, proud of her!

Both girls work hard, but play hard as well. Elisan won the CRUSADER of the YEAR award in athletics. Kyla won the MVP award in basketball.

Elisan's volleyball team was undefeated the entire 8th grade year. She played basketball and really enjoyed it. She ran track again this year and has proven she's a long distance runner. Her coach, Coach Wentrcek is excited to have her run Varsity Cross Country and Track this year knowing that she will represent well.

Kyla played school volleyball, basketball and track this year. And while, the volleyball and basketball teams were new to the sport, Kyla stood out as the best player among them all. She stole the show during basketball season and was very fun to watch. In track, she ran the mile and came in first place among 5th and 6th graders. She also placed in the long jump and in the relays. She very nearly placed in the high jump and perhaps could have had she had more training. (I had the privilege to coach the team again!)

All in all, it was a great school year for both girls. It was a busy year and it flew by.

And now, the days are ticking down to the beginning of high school for Elisan and middle school for Kyla. In fact, they start next week! This mama is sad to see summer end once again, but know they are ready to be among friends and back to a normal routine.

Free!

2015-08-08T20:04:00.000-05:00

There's something freeing about making my blog private. To be perfectly honest, I was tired of telling my life story for the world to read only to have it not read. With the advent of Pinterest, I felt as if the only reason why people came to my blog was for some freebie that got pinned... not because of what I had to say.

And, so... the blog became a hassle. I had no desire to keep it up and by the wayside it went.

And here I am again. A year later, with a lot of living under my belt, starting anew.

I'm hoping to keep up more, now that I'm writing only for myself (and possibly the girls should they choose to read my blog.)

I'll see ya around soon,
Erica

Wagner Road Trip 2015 - Vacation Recap

2015-07-24T11:36:00.000-05:00

Okay, okay... so, I've been gone an entire year... but, a friend asked me if I was going to blog about our recent road trip and I told her I would. So, without further ado... here's a quick recap of our Wagner Road Trip 2015!

First stop, the Pacific Northwest. Mount Rainier was beautiful and we saw it on a (mostly) cloudless day...something I'm told doesn't happen too often! The wildflowers were also just starting to bloom. The Grove of the Patriarchs trail was phenomenal... So many massive trees!

Ruby Beach in Olympic National Park off the Pacific coast was beautiful. The rugged rocks off the coast are called sea stacks. The water was cold and as you can see, we definitely needed warm clothes. The starfish, sea cucumbers and sea anemones could easily be seen because it was low tide. The bottoms of the rocky sea stacks were covered with them!

Hiked through the HOH Rain Forest of Olympic National Park. Lush and green! It's amazing how the landscape can change so dramatically!

Possibly one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. North Cascades National Park was a definite favorite. The water in this picture was truly turquoise (No Photoshop needed here!) Roaring waterfalls were at every turn from the melting snow. It was very beautiful! (My heart goes out to the victims of the recent ice cave collapse that occurred in North Cascades National Park. Such a tragedy.)

Words can hardly describe the beauty of Glacier National Park in Montana. We hiked and explored as much as we could in our two short days there. The bear in the picture was foraging alongside the road and we were lucky to be close enough to get a great picture of him. The picture of the reflected mountain is a totally legit picture taken by me.

White water rafting in the Salmon River. Randy's friend owns a rafting and guide business in Stanley, Idaho and he invited us to spend the afternoon rafting! So much fun!

Arches National Park in Moab, Utah is one of the most extraordinary places I have ever been. What must have occurred here thousands, upon thousands of years ago to form these incredible arches and rock formations is truly mind boggling. If you ever have the opportunity to visit this national park, it is well worth the visit!

Canyonlands National Park in Utah was such a stark contrast to Arches NP. Canyonlands is literally across the highway (or the Moab Fault) from Arches. After checking out all of the canyon overlooks, Randy convinced us that his GPS tracked a "shortcut" back to Moab that was only 18 miles. Um, that shortcut was an off-road 4x4 trail that was NOT a shortcut at all. We spent over two hours off-roading on Little Canyon Road. Fun? Maybe for Randy...

Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado has been on my bucket list of national parks for quite some time. These cliff dwellings were established approximately 800 years ago. And trust me when I say, they were under a cliff overhang, over a deep canyon! The Ranger guided tours were very informational and interesting. Hard to imagine people actually lived there!

And finally,

Thank you to this guy for researching, planning and plotting our road trip adventures for the last four years! 25 National Parks and counting...

Wagner Road Trip 2014 - Zion and Bryce Canyon National Park

2014-07-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

Before we headed out of Zion, we had another mini-hike planned for the morning.

The Narrows Hike in Zion is a very popular hike. However, you need wading boots because you are definitely going to get wet. The very nature of the Narrows Hike is trekking through the Virgin River between the narrow canyon. We knew in advance that we would not be hiking the Narrows, but it was possible to hike up to the Narrows entry point.

Photo source

Here we are at the beginning of the Narrows Trail.

Here's where you enter the water and where our hike ended.

On the way back, we stopped off at this pool to check out the fish. The water was so clear.

I love how the water streams down the canyon wall like condensation. The wall was filled with beautiful flowers, honeysuckles and greenery.

We headed out of Zion and made our way to Bryce Canyon National Park also in Utah. I've seen pictures from Bryce Canyon but the photographs of the Hoodoos pale in comparison to the real deal. There is just no way to describe it. One of the more visually stunning parks I've ever been to.

Starting our trail at Sunset Point.

Making our way down to Wall Street.

Inside Wall Street.

Making our ascent from the Queen's Garden.

Still hiking UP from the canyon. It was hot!

We headed back to our cabin and took a nap. It was a long 3.5 mile hike in the noon-day sun. We needed a break!

We had dinner at a local pizzeria near our cabin. We had a running joke the whole trip and it was that the people who work in National Parks are on "Mountain Time" or "slow-as-molasses-running-uphill in-the-winter" time. I think we waited for our pizza for about 45 mins. Not the model of efficiency I must say. But, it was good and we beat the dinnertime rush. (Thank goodness!)

After dinner, I headed back to the canyon to check out the Hoodoos once more. The sun was lower in the sky so you could make out more detail of the Hoodoos in the shade of the canyon.

The square shaped hoodoo on the left is Thor's Hammer. The tallest hoodoo in Bryce Canyon and one of the most recognizable hoodoos in the world.

Close up of Thor's Hammer. It looks like it could topple at any moment.

The cabins that we stayed in at Bryce were beautiful and decorated so lovely.

Photo Source

The next morning we headed out quite early because we were facing an 11-hour drive to Albuquerque. On the way out, we stopped by the National Park sign and took our obligatory picture.

We arrived in Albuquerque at dinner time, ate local Mexican food and went to bed early. We had another long drive ahead of us... this time 12 hours. We made it home by 8:30 p.m. that evening and we were so glad to be home.

Our road trips are a lot of fun. There is a lot of pre-planning involved, but once we hit the open road, it's nice and relaxing. I hope that before the girls are too much older, we can plan one more BIG road trip. Thinking about Washington, D.C. next. Maybe in a couple of years.

Wagner Road Trip 2014 - Zion National Park

2014-07-07T09:12:00.000-05:00

We left Sequoia National Park and headed back to Vegas. This time around, we didn't stay on the strip, but rather in a hotel and casino off the strip.

Interestingly enough, it was the weekend of the Comic-Con (Comic Book Convention) that was held at our hotel. There were people dressed like comic book heroes and apparently, the less clothes they could get away with... the better?

Um, it was definitely NOT something we planned. In fact, I bet we would have seen less scantily clad people had we stayed on the strip! Needless to say, there was no reason to hang out Vegas the second time around. So, the next morning, we headed out to Zion National Park in Utah and arrived in time for lunch!

After lunch, we headed out on the biggest hike of our lives - Angel's Landing, which is also one of the most famous hikes in the U.S. Randy was prepping us for this hike for weeks. Talking about how awesome it would be, but also, that it was going to be hard. We headed out on the hike around 1:00 p.m. on a blazing hot day.

Here we are seeking shade shelter after about the first 15 minutes. Thank goodness for Camelbaks full of water! (If you are ever planning a trip to any National Parks invest in Camelbaks. They are work every penny!)

Still blazing sun, but look at that trail. It's steep and strenuous!

Beautiful view, though.

Ah, a bit of shade! Little did we know, we were about to head into "Refrigerator Canyon" where the wind blows between the canyon walls, where there is plenty of shade and no steep grades. Perfect way to prepare for the final ascent.

Here we are in Refrigerator Canyon.

We met a hiker during a quick break and she said that we were almost to the top. We just had to navigate "Walter's Wiggle" which is 21-sharp turning zig-zag switchbacks.

Finally, we made it to the sandy plateau of "Scout's Lookout" where we ended our hike. The hike to Angel's Landing continued another .5 miles, but sadly it required hanging onto chains, while climbing, to reach the top. Oh, and did I mention, there's a sheer cliff on each side?

Randy checking out the remaining portion of the trail. However, he didn't make it too far. The girls were near tears when he even 'thought' about hiking the remaining trail.

The girls taking a break at the top of Scout's Lookout.

This sign posted did not help Randy's case of continuing the trail.

On our descent down Walter's Wiggles. Kyla and Randy navigated the switchbacks better than Elisan and I did, so they got quite a head start on us.

Elisan loved the wind erosion against the canyon wall. It was pretty!

Elisan and I working our way down the trail... slowly but surely.

Here's the remaining portion of the trail. Looks fun, right?

Look how shaded the picture above is. The sun was finally behind the mountain and the way down was much more pleasant than going up. Once we were safely on the ground, we took the shuttle back to our lodge and watched more World Cup Soccer - U.S. vs. Portugal.

After the game, we ate at the Zion Lodge restaurant called Red Rock Grill and it was delicious. After we ate, we took a leisurely walk to the Lower Emerald Pools.

Check out the water fall we were walking under. It was lush and green in the lower pool area.

Here they are wrapping up our evening stroll!

We headed for the bed soon after.

We were all dog tired!

Wagner Road Trip 2014 - Sequoia National Park

2014-07-06T00:00:00.000-05:00

We caught a glimpse of the Sequoia trees while in Kings Canyon, but I wanted to write about these ancient trees in my entry about the Sequoia National Park.

My family visited this park when I was four years old and honestly, I don't recall much about the trip. I do remember seeing photos of our trip in the family photo album and I really wanted to bring the girls to see the Sequoias.

To learn some interesting facts about Sequoias, this website offers some quick facts and information regarding the largest living things on earth!

Elisan standing in the fire scarred trunk of a living Sequoia.

One thing that I learned about Sequoias is that the NEED fire to help them grow. A controlled fire burns the underbrush. The heat from the fire opens up the Sequoia cones and seeds virtually rain down onto the newly cleared (burned) ground where the seeds can take root. Sequoia trees by design are fire resistant, so while they can burn, they don't die.

Surprisingly, this is NOT a Sequoia pine cone. This is actually a Sugar Pine Cone.

This egg-sized cone is a Sequoia cone.

Climbing Moro Rock, a granite monolith inside Sequoia National Park.

The view from (not quite the top of) Moro Rock.

General Sherman Sequoia tree. The largest living thing on earth!

Being silly on the Redwood Canyon Trail.

A giant Sequoia amid the forest.

Another interesting fact about Sequoia trees is that they only grow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Read below:

"All naturally occurring groves of giant sequoias are located in moist, unglaciated ridges and valleys of the west slope of the Sierra Nevada range in California, United States. The giant sequoia is usually found in a humid climate characterized by dry summers and snowy winters. Most giant sequoia groves are on granitic-based residual and alluvial soils. The elevation of the giant sequoia groves generally ranges from 1,400–2,000 m (4,600–6,600 ft) in the north, to 1,700–2,150 metres (5,580–7,050 ft) to the south. Giant sequoias generally occur on the south-facing sides of northern mountains, and on the northern faces of more southerly slopes."

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoiadendron_giganteum

The Big Stump Basin, standing on the Mark Twain Tree Stump.

The Big Stump Basin is a quiet reminder of how man can enter a completely beautifully preserved area and destroy it for profit and gain. The Big Stump Basin was home to the Smith Comstock Lumber Mill that was in business during the 1880's.

I loved Sequoia National Park. It was beautiful, fascinating and a joy to revisit.

Wagner Road Trip 2014 - Yosemite and Kings Canyon

2014-07-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

Our last morning in Yosemite, we packed up and headed to Glacier Point Trail to see the panoramic view of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, Hanging Rock, Yosemite Falls and Yosemite's High Country.

As you can see in the picture below, it was a bit chilly that morning, but as we begun our mini-hike, we quickly shed our extra layer of clothing.

View of Half Dome to the left.

A short 30 minute hike down 4 Mile Trail.

A view of Hanging Rock.

A tourist photo of Hanging Rock back when people were crazy!

Another picture of Half Dome.

"The impression from the valley floor that this is a round dome which has lost its northwest half ."

Interesting Fact:

The North Face's quarter-circle logo, produced by California designer David Alcorn in 1971,

evokes Half Dome, a massive granitic monolith in Yosemite National Park.^[6]

We headed out of Yosemite and headed North through Fresno on our way to Kings Canyon. Traveling through Fresno was interesting because of the fruit farms we saw along the way. We must've pass 50 or more orange groves. Sadly, aside from the green fields from the orange groves, California is suffering from a drought which has left everything dead and brown.

The landscape quickly changed as we headed into Kings Canyon. Another twisty and turning drive along a mountain road finally ended in the Kings Canyon valley floor.

Kings Canyon was peaceful and not inhabited by the masses of people. It was quiet and relaxing.

Roaring River Falls was an easy walk to reach.

Here is my artsy, slow shutter speed version of the waterfall.

I set my camera to Aperture Priority, the adjusted the aperture to 22 f-stop and set my ISO to 200. The shutter speed automatically calculated based on the Aperture Priority. Since I didn't have a tripod, I placed my camera on a nearby rock and set the timer to 10 seconds so ensure a perfectly still camera.

And yes... the name of this particular road was in fact "Road's End",

which could only mean... the end of the road.

Road's End actually begins an enormous and popular backcountry hiking trail. This mama doesn't do "backcountry" hiking...ever.

We headed out of Kings Canyon early the next morning to make our way to the companion park of Kings Canyon, the Sequoia National Park.

Wagner Road Trip 2014 - Yosemite

2014-07-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

I had no idea that when we left Death Valley after lunch that day, that we would have another 7 hours of drive time to reach Yosemite National Park. And the last hour of driving was inside Yosemite driving on twisty and turning switchbacks along a mountain road (read: cliff). To summarize... by the time we made it to our hotel inside the park I was suffering from a bad case of car sickness (which I never get!)

We arrived at our hotel, the Wawona Hotel around 8 p.m. when Randy mentioned, "Hey, by they way... our hotel room doesn't have a toilet or shower."

WHAT?! (I guess since it was built in 1876 and maintained it's historical past, they didn't feel the need to add bathrooms to all of the rooms.) There was however, a very nice common area bathroom and showers, which in retrospect, wasn't so bad after all.

To add insult to injury, because of the bears that live in Yosemite, we had to haul our entire truck-load of stuff into our 2nd floor teeny-tiny room of our "historic" hotel (including 4 large suitcases, 2 large storage bins and two ice chests.) Needless to say, we barely had room to walk around our room. But, I digress...

Historic Wawona Hotel

The next morning, after a wonderfully quiet and peaceful night of rest and a delicious continental breakfast at our hotel, we headed out to our first trek of the day. We stopped by the Yosemite Falls and caught a view of the Upper and Lower Falls.

The Lower Falls of Yosemite Falls.

This is called the "tunnel view" of Yosemite Valley. This view can be seen as you emerge from a tunnel in the park.

We ventured out on a hike called the Mist Trail. It was a relatively strenuous hike along granite steps. The closer you get to the falls, the wetter and slippery the steps become, i.e., the "Mist Trail" (see below).

See the mist of the falls and lush green grass?

At Vernal Falls.

The Park Ranger told us about an easier trail that would get us back down. So, rather than head back down once we reached Vernal Falls, we kept heading up to the top of the falls so we could connect with another trail. (Um... easier?)

My family at the top of Vernal Falls.

The top of Vernal Falls.

The Silver Apron is basically a water slide of water streaming across a sheer granite face before it turns into Emerald Pool which leads to Vernal Falls. (Unfortunately, several people have died by sliding on the 'slide' and being swept up in the current in Emerald Pools only to plummet to their death over the falls. Warning signs people... read them, adhere to them.)

We finally connected to our alternate route trail, which was the John Muir Trail and headed down another 2 miles to the bottom. Many, many dirt trail switchbacks. No fun, but definitely better than climbing down slick granite rock steps with the masses.

After 3 hours and 8 minutes of hiking, we finally made it to the end. A cold sandwich from the deli cooler and a soda was the best food I have ever eaten. It was a rough day of hiking, but honestly, I feel fortunate to be in the physical shape it requires to hike these types of trails. There weren't many people making the 4.5 mile round trek we took and I can see why.

After lunch, we stopped by the visitor center.

We arrived back to our hotel, showered and had a lazy afternoon. Next up, day two at Yosemite.

Wagner Road Trip 2014 - Death Valley

2014-07-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

Our drive to Death Valley in California was a long one. Randy took the scenic route...

Once we arrived at the Death Valley National Park entrance, little did we know that we still had another 1.5 hours of traveling inside the park until we reached the first notable stop, which was Badwater Basin.

Along our journey inside the park, we happened upon this fellow (coyote), who was walking on the road. Randy stopped the vehicle so as not to hit him and he walked around the vehicle checking us out. Here he is in mid-yawn, clearly not impressed with us. (That pink on the picture is the reflection of my t-shirt on the glass. Randy wouldn't let me roll the window down for a clearer shot.)

Badwater Basin is the lowest place on North America (and one of the lowest places in the world). 282 ft below sea level.

Standing on the salt flats of Badwater Basin.

Furnace Creek Visitor Center. It was 97 degrees while we were there. And truthfully, while it was hot, it was not unbearable.

We ate lunch at the only local restaurant. We had pizza and watched World Cup Soccer on the restaurant television.

I'll have to admit... Death Valley does not rank high in my list of favorite parks we've ever visited. In fact... it's probably close to last. That's not to say I wouldn't recommend visiting, it's just that I don't need to go back.

After lunch, we left Death Valley and headed out to Yosemite National Park.

Wagner Road Trip 2014 - Las Vegas

2014-07-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

On the way to Las Vegas, Randy and I surprised the girls with a stop at the Hoover Dam. The Hoover Dam Bridge (or the Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge) was opened in 2010. It's a massive bridge that spans the Colorado river, connecting Arizona to Nevada.

What's interesting is that when you cross over the bridge, you can't see the Hoover Dam, so much to our dismay, we couldn't even show them what we were going to see until we walked on the pedestrian path on the bridge.

This picture gives you an idea of how massive this bridge is! Photo source.

At the entrance to the pedestrian walkway. You could either take the stairs (not shown) or the switchback wheelchair accessible ramps.

Passing by the Nevada State Line sign on the walkway.

The Hoover Dam view from the bridge.

The girls and Randy on the bridge. Notice the railings... there's not much keeping people from taking a plunge (to their deaths, no less.)

The Hoover Dam was about 30 minutes from Fabulous Las Vegas. As we drove onto the strip, we saw the famous sign. Of course, there was NO WAY I could convince Randy to stop and take a picture here. Look at the mobs of people!

We had hotel reservations at the Mandalay Bay, but a week before our trip, Randy got an email offer to upgrade to THE HOTEL of Mandalay Bay! Our room at THE HOTEL was fabulous. Our room was a suite, with sitting room w/large plasma t.v., huge bathroom with a jacuzzi tub, additional 1/2 bath and sunrise views of Las Vegas. Too bad we had the kids with us!

(photo source)

Photo source

Once we arrived, we raced down to the "beach" area and the girls played in the wave pool and lazy river. We could've spend all day there, but we had to get ready to see the Blue Man Group that evening.

Before the show we did a bit of sight seeing, but the truth of the matter is, Las Vegas isn't for families anymore, or was it ever? We did walk to the Bellagio, but sadly it was too windy for the water fountain show.

The Blue Man Group show was at the Monte Carlo Hotel & Casino. (Incidently, that's where Randy and I spent our honeymoon back in 1998.) The show was awesome and the girls really enjoyed it. It was Kyla's favorite part of the entire vacation. My take on it... it was sensory overload - lights & sound! I left with a headache, but nothing a couple of ibuprofen couldn't handle.

After the show, we grabbed a New York deli sandwich in the New York, New York Hotel & Casino. It was stacked so high with deli meats I had to remove 1/2 of the meat so I could eat it. Crazy! But, it was yummy. We took in a few more sights and lights of the Vegas strip and called it a day.

Photo source

The next morning, we left Vegas and headed out to Death Valley!

Wagner Road Trip 2014 - Petrified Forest National Park

2014-07-01T09:57:00.000-05:00

Let me say for the record... the Wagner's know how to CRAM-IT-ALL-IN-ROAD-TRIP-STYLE!

In 11 days we traveled through 5 states, visited 7 National Parks, stayed in 10 hotels, took 1550 pictures, hiked 12 trails and drove 3800 total miles ... the 2014 Wagner Road Trip is down in the books!

Our first day, we drove 12 hours to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Since we were driving to California, we had to pack on the distance early on. The next day, we drove to the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. This park is also home to the Painted Desert.

No road trip is complete without THIS picture.

The girls and the Painted Desert.

Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark,

located at Kachina Point, once served as a respite for travelers along historic Route 66.

The family is checking out the petroglyphs of the ancient civilizations.

A view of the petroglyphs.

Blue Mesa

Crystal Forest that shows the sparkle of quartz and amethyst of the petrified logs.

More petrified logs showing the crystalized wood.

Checking out the Giant Logs Trail.

Yep, that's a giant petrified log!

After we left the Petrified Forest, we headed to Flagstaff, Arizona. We ate at Salsa Brava, which was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives with Guy Fieri. One word... AMAZING. They had a salsa bar that featured 7 salsas! From mild to fiery pineapple habenero. We had the fajitas and they were delicious. We also stayed in the historic Route 66 section and the hotel we stayed in was no doubt a part of the Route 66 history. Meaning... it could have been updated/remodeled, etc. (Yikes!)

The next morning, we headed to Las Vegas!

School's Out! Whew...

2014-05-30T17:00:00.001-05:00

Can't believe that I'll have an 8th grader and a 5th grader next year! Where did my babies go?

Photo Dump

2014-05-28T20:49:00.000-05:00

Here's some pictures of what we've been up to...

Randy's brother Andrew got married. He married a gal named Larinda... which, incidentally is my middle name. Weird.

Kyla was inducted into the Elementary chapter of the National Honor Society.

Elisan was inducted into the Junior High chapter of the National Honor Society.

Kyla had awards chapel. She was awarded the award for outstanding performance in Physical Education, the highest average in Bible Memory and the Presidential Achievement award for maintaining all A's for the entire school year. Great job!

Here I am congratulating my girls' track team for finishing FIRST place in the district track meet! We had such a great meet!

Also, Elisan's award night was a big success for her. She was awarded highest average in Bible, Math, Science, English and Spanish. She also received the Presidential Achievement award as well.

Kyla's team recently had a soccer tournament and finished first place in their division.

Her team also finished in a three way tie for first place in regular season.

During the tournament, Kyla crashed the goalie. It was pretty intense. (She's the one in black... flying over the goalie.)

Kyla also recently had tryouts for her new team. She made the TOP team in her age group... basically in the top ten group of girls out of 200+.

Here's Elisan diving for the ball. She had an amazing soccer season this year. Her coach actually told her that she was the best goalie in the league! WOW! That's amazing... especially coming from her former professional soccer playing coach who once played with the world-famous Pele'.

And that seems to be about it. Only 1.5 days left of school and I could not be more excited for some down time! (If only that were true...)

Um, yep...

2014-04-18T10:04:00.001-05:00

....it's been a whole month since my last blog post. It's not as if I haven't thought about blogging... I just haven't carved out the time to do so.

Lot's of stuff happening around here and as usual, the end of school has us swamped with track, school field trips, all things soccer related - games, practices, etc., and end of school projects, reports and events, etc. Fun, fun!

Throw into the mix a few photography sessions and you have the makin's of one busy mama.

But, probably the biggest news (for me, anyway) is that Randy surprised me with a new vehicle about three weeks ago!

The girls and I pulled up to the house and I hit the automatic garage door opener and there sat my dream car! A brand new Toyota 4-Runner 4x4 Trail version. It's black with black interior and super cool!

We've talked about getting a new vehicle, but I had it in my mind that we would wait for another year or so. But, Randy had other ideas. He already knew exactly what I wanted, so he just went and got it for me. Pretty cool man I've got there, don't ya think?

The girls are out of school (Friday & Monday) for Easter break and I could not be more excited! We needed a break in a bad way. I think today we'll stop by Sonic, get a big drink and head to the park for some much needed down time.

A rant, if you will...

2014-03-13T11:52:00.002-05:00

So, y'all, I don't offer up many rants on my blog, but I've had two very particularly annoying things happen to me THIS week alone, that requires some venting on my part.

First rant:

At the check out counter at Kohl's (which is a store that I loathe, but was buying Elisan's must-have dress of the season) when I was asked by the employee if I wanted to "Put this on my Kohl's charge?"

I replied, "No thanks. Visa will be fine." To which she replied... "Do you have a Kohl's charge account with us? If not, then you can apply to today and get up to 30% off today's purchase!"

I replied, "No thanks. We're a one credit card kind of family."

She she asked me, "Are you a Kohl's reward points member? If you sign up today with your email, you will get bonus points that can be applied to your next purchase."

Me, "Um, no. I am already signed up to receive your emails."

By now, she was getting very irritated with me and says, "No, this is different. It's a points system that rewards you for purchases. We signed up more than 20 thousand people at this store alone! Our store was part of a pilot program and because of the success our store had, Kohl's decided to offer the rewards program nationwide!"

And I declined. Again. To her dissatisfaction.

Really, I just wanted to make my purchase... exchange pleasantries and get outta there. But, by the time I was done checking out, I was so irritated with HER, that I walked out mad vowing to NEVER shop at Kohl's again.

I realize it's their job and they probably get a bonus for each sign up (whether credit card or rewards program) but after a certain point, I would also think that the sales lady would sense my frustrations and knock it off.

Second rant:

Once my van hit 100K miles, I stopped getting it serviced at the Honda dealership for oil changes. It was just too much of a hassle for me. So, over the last couple of years, I've been content to bring it into the quickie lube places (where you aren't even required to leave your vehicle) for an oil change. But, today, I decided to bring it to Midas because I had a coupon AND they threw in a tire rotation with the oil change for free and I definitely needed the tire rotation.

I'm sitting there minding my own business when the gal sitting next to me was called into the garage to check out something on her vehicle. When she returned, she phoned her husband and told him that the service tech recommended xxx-amount of service on her car, etc. etc. She then told the service tech that her husband would take a look at the car and told the service guy to just change the oil. I chuckled and said to her, "That always happens to me too." And she said, "They think just because we're women, that they can con us out of a bunch of money for services we don't need."

Well, no less than 5 minutes, the same service tech was calling me to the garage to take a look at my van. I politely told him that my husband was capable of making any repairs to the vehicle, but that I appreciated him pointing it out.

When I walked back into the waiting area, that gal and I burst out laughing. At least they are consistent.

And, by the way... my van has 140K+ miles on it. EVERYTHING needs to be flushed, cleaned and replaced!

It's SPRING Break!

2014-03-11T12:09:00.000-05:00

So, the girls are at soccer camp this week. All week. All day. And they are having a blast so far. This is their third year to attend this Spring Break camp and it has been all Elisan could talk about for the last week of school.

I think they needed a break. Having multiple ice days and late starts at school was no consolation to their need for a break. However, I'm a little bummed that Easter is so late this year... That means our next break is still a long way aways.

Over the weekend, I brought the girls out to buy a dress. Randy's brother is getting married in early May and I wanted to get them a dress as soon as the new Spring dresses hit the stores. So, Kyla is basically a stick with legs up to her neck so finding a dress that fit her in all manners of speaking - length and bodice was no easy feat. In fact, when we found a dress that fit her in the bodice, I pretty much decided that we were done with her. And truth be told, it's a cute little dress and she will be beautiful in it. That is, if she can keep her shins and knees from getting banged up between now and the wedding.

Elisan was a bit more picky about her dress. The first problem is that she is 12 and in 7th grade and doesn't want to shop in the girls' section any more. She wants to shop in the juniors section. Unfortunately, she's just a wee bit small to fit into most of the jrs. clothes. Thankfully, after trying on... oh, I don't know 20 dresses, she found the dress she wanted. (A word to the wise... take pictures of them in every dress they try on so they can remember what they loved and didn't love about each one! That's my TIP of the day!)

The picture doesn't do this dresses justice but I did want to show you what we ended up with!

Elisan wants to wear a long turquoise pendant with this bright coral dress and her cowboy boots. Hmmmm, I'm okay with the pendant, but the boots? At least not for the wedding.

In case you're wondering... and I know you are... YES, I'm still counting calories and I'm still working out like a crazy woman. And, YAY ME, I'm really beginning to notice changes in my arms, shoulders, butt and legs. FINALLY. This 40-something business is cramping my workout time-line. I was hoping for these results in February... NOT March. But, it's all good. I'm just glad my body is still capable to lift weights and run. 40-something isn't all that bad.

In honor of Spring Break, I've begun advertising for my SPRING MINI-SESSIONS! I'm so excited about offering these mini-sessions!

If you want to book a spot, mention that you saw it on my Haphazard Happenstances blog and I'll take $10.00 off the session... making it only $65.00! For more specific details, click on over to my photography website.

I'm off to my craft room to sew my little heart out. I'm working on some super cute bunting to use in my spring photography sessions. I'll be sure to post pictures of it when it's complete!

Happy Spring Break, y'all!

2014-03-07T11:09:00.001-06:00

Another Win!

2014-02-17T16:08:00.001-06:00

Elisan's team won 1st place in a tournament over the weekend. They played an older age bracket... and stomped the competition. Fun weekend for them.

Force 03G

Grace, Nayeli, Aria, Katelyn, Jewells, Elisan, Haley,

Addie, Hannah, MacKenzie, Elizabeth, Erin,

Carlyn and Aislynn

Elisan being congratulated by her coach for a great save!

Priceless!

Highlight Reel

2014-02-08T11:45:00.000-06:00

Yeah, yeah... I realize it's been nearly three weeks since my last update. So, here's the highlight reel...

1.) Randy finally shaved his beard and cut his hair. Man... that was a long time coming. He looks so much more handsome without all of that hair covering his face. And, several people confirmed that he looked better beardless and that he looked younger without it! Hallelujah!

2.) Basketball season is coming to a close. Elisan's team is undefeated. There are 5 very phenomenal 8th grade basketball girls on the team and they have led the team to victory after victory. Of course, Elisan and her fellow 7th graders get plenty of playing time and they are having a lot of fun. The 8th grade girls are great role models for the younger girls and I'm so glad that Elisan decided to play basketball again this year.

3.) I mentioned that Elisan had her science fair last month. She placed 6th out of 35 kids. Not bad! Her project was comparing the national brand laundry detergent (TIDE) vs. store brand (HEB) vs. homemade detergent (Borax, Washing Powder and Castille soap) on various stains. The national brand was the clear winner, while the HEB brand and homemade version results were equal. Interesting stuff!

4.) We all ran our very first 5K race on February 1st in Georgetown. It's called the Cupid's Chase. We all ran such different times that we ended up running solo by the end of the race. I'm so proud of Kyla and Elisan for their hard work! They did amazing and I think they may have caught the 5K racing bug.

Our results were:

Kyla finished 1st place (out of boys and girls) in her age group 1-10 yrs; Time - 24:51
Elisan finished 2nd place in her age group 11-14 yrs; Time - 27:15
Erica finished 4th place in her age group 40-44 yrs; Time - 28:40
Randy finished 7th in his age group 40-44 yrs; Time - 25:17

5.) I've really been hitting the gym hard lately. And, I'm still tracking my food and calorie intake. My weight lifting as really come along and I'm amazed at home my body has "muscle memory" as I'm doing these weight lifting exercises I haven't done in over 18 months. I've noticed my definition coming back in my arms and legs and it's a nice surprise.

6.) Randy and I just finished booking all of our travel stops for our summer vacation "ROAD TRIP 2014 - CALIFORNIA HERE WE COME!" We are traveling to Yosemite National Park and making stops along the way to Death Valley National Park, Las Vegas, Sequoia National Park & Kings Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park. We'll be making pit stops in Flagstaff and Albuquerque as well. The driving will definitely be more grueling this time around, with two very long days on the road, but it's all worth it!

I'm so glad that Randy and I decided to do the National Park tours with the girls. This will be our third summer trip in a row to do this kind of trip. They are old enough to remember it, yet young enough to still enjoy it... if that makes sense! Last thing I want is a teenager in the back seat making the trip miserable for the entire family... and lucky us, Elisan won't be a teenager until after this trip!

And that's about all for now.

Brain Dump (1st ed. 2014)

2014-01-17T11:24:00.002-06:00

Y'all, if I had not experienced the relief myself, I wouldn't be a believer. Because how on earth does a strip of stretchy kinesiology tape (or KT tape) make your muscles feel better?

But, one day Randy brought home a roll of KT tape to use for his plantar's fasciitis (which I also suffer from) and he swore it worked. So, I tried it out too and it does! I have been able to run pain free since I began using it.

So, the science fair is today and I'm sad to say that Elisan did not require any help from her mama. What? Last year, we worked side-by-side for many hours making sure her project board was interesting and balanced and visually appealing. But, this year, she refused to let me help or offer my opinion. That stinks! I mean, that's great. I'm glad she's taking initiative.

Speaking of Elisan... she placed 2nd in area-wide competition for "reasoning" in Math Oympics. She goes on to regionals next month. (Last year, she took first place in the regional competition, so she's hoping she can hold on to her title!)

Kyla has become a rainbow loom bracelet making expert. All weekend long she watched rainbow loom tutorials online and practiced step-by-step with the instructor on making new and fascinating bracelets. She can now whip out an intricately detailed bracelet in no time.

Randy told me he'd consider cutting his beard and hair on the first day of Spring. Y'all, that's 2 months away. What?! I'm not sure what's gotten into him, but I'll have to post an updated picture of his bear and hair soon. He doesn't even look like himself anymore. It's a little disturbing.

You may have noticed my "budding photographer" button on my blog. Well, that's because I have decided to offer my photographer services for hire. This is a huge baby step for me, but I feel good about it. My rates are really low right now... I already had a friend chastise me about it (hah), but I set the rates low enough so that as I hone my skill/talent, I will have room to raise my rates when the time comes. I'm excited to see where this road takes me. In the meantime, check out my website here.

Oh, and an update to my last post about Elisan running track this season. Well, as it turns out, a little (positive) peer pressure has made her decide to run track this year after all. There will of course, be soccer conflicts, and soccer is the priority right now since she is the goalie, but I think track is such a fun sport, I'm glad she signed up!

And finally, a bit about what I've been doing at the gym these days... Jumping Rope! Love it! I've always been good at jumping rope. Must of been all of those "Jump Rope for Heart" fundraisers we did every year in elementary school (Thanks Coach Hammerly). But, nonetheless, I've really enjoyed adding another layer of cardio to my workouts. Jumping rope is a full body workout and it takes a lot of endurance. So what I do is jump rope for one minute and rest for one minute. I do this for 10-15 minutes. By the time I'm done, I'm done... literally.

Cupid's Chase 5K

2014-01-15T10:55:00.004-06:00

All four of us are signed up for the annual Cupid's Chase 5K on February 1st.

Last time I signed up for this race back in 2011, it was canceled due to frozen conditions. Let's hope that doesn't happen this time around.

I hope this race will spark an interest in the girls to compete in 5K's more often. I think they will both do well.

On a different note, Elisan broke the news to me the other day that she doesn't want to sign up for Track and Field this year. I'll have to admit... this mama's heart was broken, but I completely understand. Middle school track takes a lot of hard work and dedication... and right now, her hard work and dedication goes to soccer. It would be hard to excel at both.