Stay Cool. Have a Fun Summer. We Are.

Here's the latest and greatest from the Doxeys!


Set Goals Now Kids. As we were coming home from Moss Beach, we were looking for an active hike to get the kids tired. It happened upon us that Stanford a.k.a. "The Farm" would be a nice, forgiving open space to hike around until they dropped.


Our plan worked perfectly. And, in an attempt to get the kids to aspire to things and assert themselves early, we told them if they got a full ride scholarship to Stanford, we would buy them any Lego set they wanted, no matter the price.

I'll even put that in writing for Nate. He seemed to think it was a good idea.

It was fun to experience that incredible campus together.


They were fascinated by the ornate sandstone carving, the famous Rodin Burghers of Calais (Heroes of the 100 Years War) bronze statues, and even getting lost in the Geological Sciences building looking for a bathroom.

It really is an amazing experience to just visit that campus. Highly recommended for inquiring minds.


Livestrong Challenge & My Famous Sister Dorothy. Dorothy and Team Fatty were recently honored for their fund raising efforts for the Lance Armstrong Livestrong Challenge. I won't even try to recount all the details, but suffice it to say, Dorothy is famous.



She and Team Fatty were recently in San Jose and the lead bikers off the starting line among 1000s who rode in honor or in memory of someone afflicted with Cancer.



I was the official photographer for Team Fatty as they were honored at the pre-ride banquet at the Hayes Mansion and also the next day as they kicked off the ride. I ran into an old high school friend there too! Neat experience.

Somehow, I was even able to be there as she crossed the finish line!

Mission San Jose. We always pass by the exit to Mission San Jose, and this time the kids wanted to stop! So, we learned that Mission San Jose was one of the first buildings built in the Bay Area in the 1700s. Amazing history.


Fun for the kids to walk through the church part of it-pretty stark contrast to their tour of the Oquirrh Mountain temple recently. At Mission San Jose, they thought they were living the life of Nacho Libre.

Moss Beach. The Alexander Marine Preserve & Moss Beach is a great place to go when it is ...

A) Low Tide b/c the kids can find starfish, hermit crabs and other creepy crawlies, see sea otters



B) Heinously hot. Seriously--it was 102 degrees at our house and 62 degrees at the coast just an hour away south of Pacifica.


Why even bother with turning on the A/C? Believe me, we don't take the ability to "just leave the heat" for granted.


Utah Valley. Briefly saw all the Call cousins and Grandpa & Grandma Call, hiked 'The Y' with the kids. Refreshed at the Creamery on 9th.





Had an incredible 20th high school reunion. Fun to see friends again after 20 years. The reunion was a lot of work, to say the least.


Navajo Lake Family Reunion. Good, good times. Navajo Lake in Southern Utah. Lots of family, lots of kids. Tents. Smores.


Cheerios planted in the evening grew into donuts by morning. Magical.


Stunningly beautiful scenery--trees, clouds, red rock.

Arts & Crafts.Funny skits. Mountain biking. Raft building with square lashings. Kayaking. Amazing food. Air guitar. Fishing.




Shooting 22's ... pistols and rifles old an new.

Don't worry, there were three lines of safety before you could even get up to the shooting line. Very orderly. I was very grateful there were expert marksmen there too.


4th of July singing, patriotic readings. Spelunking or just walking through Mammoth Caves Lava Tubes, 'lean to' fort for boys, many photos, many smiles. The kids LOVED seeing all their Doxey Gibson cousins!


Caroline Turns ONE!! Hard to believe it has been a year. But alas, it has. Caroline turns one this week. With gusto, she tore into her cake per tradition. Smiles all around. She oved the attention.

Life is good.