Christmas 2009

Grandma Marion and Grandpa Steve stayed with us. We enjoyed visits from Christian, Austin and Katie, along with Austin and Rachel.Opening presents on Christmas morning.

Christian wore his dalmation footie pj's, in fashion among all the Larsen men this Christmas.

Austin and Rachel gave Dylan his very own "Cars" shirt.
Dylan likes his Lightning McQueen toy car, which he calls "Ka-chow."

Annual Thanksgiving Festivities

Thanks again to Mom and Dad, who hosted a fantasticabuously wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

Thirty Years of Robinsons Running the Turkey Trot!

My "running" time qualified me for a special award.

Dylan's first run. A new generation of Turkey Trot Champions is coming.

The annual group photo.
It doesn't seem complete with out Brent/Debbie; Ben/Josh; Matt/Stephanie; Scott/Chari and Stephen. We missed you.
Maybe Grandma Marion can photoshop everybody back in!

Legal World Celebrates Newest Addition to the California Bar

"The State Bar of California congratulates all applicants who have passed the July 2009 California Bar Examination."

Official California State Bar Website, 22 November 2009

And we congratulate Christian and Katie who worked so hard to make this happen! We're proud of you both!
***
On the lighter side:

Definitions of lawyer on the Web (I kid you not):

• a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
  wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
• The burbot (Lota lota), is the only freshwater gadiform (cod-like) fish. It is also known as the lawyer, and (misleadingly) eelpout, and closely related to the common ling and the cusk. It's the only member of the genus Lota.
  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawyer_(fish)

I wonder how many burbots passed the bar exam?

Play Time at the Park

Princess, Dylan and I walked down to the park. Christian joined us.

Dylan liked playing with the leaves.

Christian spun Dylan around and around, 'til Dylan got dizzy.
Come back and play some more!

Trick or Treat

This year our special "treat" was Dylan, stopping by to trick us as a little cowboy!
Thanks, Christian & Katie!

Welcome Back Heather

Welcome back from your mission, Heather!
Your homecoming talk was fantastic. Good luck at BYU.

Alaska Photos from Brett Frasier

Thanks to Brett for sending some pictures of Barrow, Alaska, where Brett often goes on work.

The top of the world.

The Bowhead Whale Skull
Where is the rest of the skeleton??

Visitors

One of our coyote friends paid a visit recently.


Elder Lammert and Elder Bailey visited us also.

Painting Underway--Thanks for the help!

Thanks to all who came and helped me paint the house this week:
On Labor Day: Ryan, Austin, Rachel, Christian (with visits from Dylan, Katie and Jane), Steve and Marion! Plus Christian and Ryan worked on the house for 2 more solid days.
I did the front doors yesterday and the end is in sight! Hooray....

Teamwork.
No paint was dropped into the air conditioners--that would have been a mess to clean up!

We started out on the shady side.

Christian instructs Dylan on the fine points of rolling paint.

Thanks to Rachel, the stucco planters look great, for the first time since ... ever!

Me, the human dropcloth.
Thanks, Mom and Dad!

WET PAINT

This has been a painting weekend.
I have an overly ambitious goal of finishing the house painting project tomorrow. Considering that this will involve stucco on three sides of the house and eaves on one side, plus some trim on the front, etc., it is way too ambitious. But it makes the project seem smaller if I put a shorter deadline on it. Fortunately, Raustin, Ryan, and Christian are going to lend a hand!

This is along winded way of saying: no new photos today. Instead, here are two more from our recent Utah Frasier-Family Reunion Vacation.

Audrey and Olivia:

"Look at size of that drop!!! Will the cousins ever return alive from Colossus at Lagoon?"

Why I now believe in reincarnation:
How else could I have posed for Michelangelo's David?
(Before the double-chin, wrinkles, and thinning hairline, of course!)

30 Years on August 23, 2009

Thirty years together!

August 23, 1979-August 23, 2009

“There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.

Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries...."

Shakespeare.

I am so glad to have caught the right tide with Robyn, and to be sailing with her ever since.

Back from Vacation--Frasier Family Reunion Aug 09

We had a wonderful vacation at the Frasier Family Reunion in Bountiful/Park City/East Canyon. Too many photos to include all. Here are a few. More to come later.

We survived the "Wicked" Ride at Lagoon!

Beach Volleyball at East Canyon. Ryan and Jan "dominate."

Family gathering at Grandma Joyce's back patio.

Picture time.

The cousins hanging out at the swing set.

Thanks to Grandma Joyce and all who planned and made this fun reunion such a success.

UCLA White Coat Ceremony, Etc.

Rachel and Austin at UCLA, August 7, 2009
Austin is wearing his new "white coat," presented to all incoming medical students, Class of 2013.
During the "White Coat Ceremony," at Royce Hall he took the "UCLA Medical Oath."
This begins: "Today I begin my training to become a physician: a noble profession dedicated to the preservation of life and prevention of human suffering."
On behalf of Steve and Marion, Brian and Susan, Christian, Ryan, and Robyn:
We were proud to be there with Austin and Rachel.

On Saturday, Dylan came over for a visit. He enjoyed his walk (in a stroller) to the park accompanied by his furry friend Princess.

Dylan and his "serious" look--just after leaving the park playground to head for home.

Sunflowers and Sunny People

Austin and Rachel stopped by to view the sunflowers
they have tended since they were seedlings.
Austin starts medical school tomorrow!
We are excited and proud of Austin and Rachel.

Dylan loves music. He had fun playing the triangle with Grandma Robyn.

Ryan successfully hid from my camera all night.

Enjoying family and church on the "celestial schedule"--from 2-5 pm.

Robyn and Jeff Attend Conference in West LA

Rachel, Austin, Ryan and Jeff
In front of Raustin's new apartment in UCLA Married Student Housing Complex.
We stayed there while at the attending the conference--Raustin and Ryan were visiting family and friends in Utah.

Robyn and Jeff
Attending the annual Kleinfelter's Syndrome 47XXY conference.
Held this year at Mt. St. Mary's College in the beautiful hills above Brentwood in West LA

New Phase

It is wonderful to have our married families living close by!

Christian, Katie and Dylan finished law school
and have moved back to Foothill Ranch

Austin and Rachel have moved into their UCLA Student Housing Apartment
--ready to start Medical School.

House Painting--Summer 2009

Austin and Rachel have been painting our house this summer.
They planned the project, procured the paint, prepared the house, and have already done the hard stuff--including painting under most of the eaves.

Austin and Rachel on the "Stairway to Heaven"
Its a 32' extension ladder.

Austine working on the eaves. Don't look down.

Rolling the front of the eaves

Thanks, Austin and Rachel!

Mt. Conness Hike--Yosemite 6/30 to7/3/ 2009

Mt. Conness Backpacking Trip:
Three Families, Four Cousins, Two Birthdays and Four Days in Yosemite.

We had a great backpacking trip, Greg and Nathan, Jeff and Ryan, Brent & Debbie with Ben and Josh. Hiking together, with backpacks or cross-country, over 18 miles of beautiful and rugged Alpine Yosemite terrain, we learned a lot about love, mutual support, teamwork, and accomplishment. Plus, we became experts in packing and unpacking "bear canisters" to keep the food away from the bears. Debbie celebrated a birthday milestone on the trail, as did Ryan (#17)!

Mt. Conness Expedition Members
Ryan, Jeff, Brent, Josh, Nathan, Debbie, Ben, Greg

Day 1: Gathering in Yosemite, Tuolumne Meadows Campground

Arriving in Yosemite Valley

Beautiful vista, 5 min from our first campground

One hour spent packing all food into bear canisters the first night.


Oops. Brent forgot two old sticks of gum in his and Debbie's camelback water packs.
The bear found it during the night, ate the gum and a bite of the foam padding for good measure. Debbie's pack survived; Brent's did not!

Debbie laughs off the bear visit.
She says the bear sounded like someone's "scratchy" snoring.

Day 2: 6 mile hike to Young Lakes, via Dog Lake

At the trail head.

Greg leads us across the first of many high-water streams

Brent and Debbie celebrate the stream crossing. Brent's ankle, sprained badly only three days before, is miraculously strong.

Happily exhausted along the trail, about 1/2 way there.

Rest time.


Lunch stop at a meadow along the way.

Ben, Josh, Nathan and Ryan hiked ahead. They beat the oldsters to camp by 2 hours. Here's their trail marker to let us know we were still following them.

Day 3: 6 miles, cross-country to Mt. Conness & back to base camp

Starting out for Mt. Conness, 7:30 am

Pointing the way to the peak

The 4 Amigos, peak in background

Greg and Jeff

Ryan and Dad.
Happy moment for Dad.

Nathan and His Dad.

Timmy the Marmot, looking for lunch.

At the highest point on Mt. Conness's shoulder.
We didn't pick up the summit trail, and so turned back before it got too late in the afternoon.

Nathan and Greg

Ryan and Jeff, Roosevelt Lake (at the base of Mt. Conness) in the background.


A quick video showing our group along the shoulder of Mt. Conness, above Lake Roosevelt
Brent and Debbie are crossing the slope below.


Ben, Josh, Ryan and Nathan, heading back down to Base camp, which is about 3 cross-country miles away under the high peak to the right ("Ragged Peak")

Self-portrait, arriving back at our base camp on Young Lake, late in afternoon.
We were hiking cross-country for about 9 hours.

Brent and Debbie share a romantic moment, walking across the meadows below Roosevelt Lake. It's Debbie's Birthday!

Fixing Josh's packstrap

This is the second tent site selected by the seasoned scouts.
Unlike the first, this site was on level ground so people didn't slide out during the night.

Here's the waterfall "shower" enjoyed by Nathan (pictured), Ben and Josh, while Ryan watched hoping no one would slip off into the snow/rocks/lake.

Day 4: 6 mile hike out, from Young Lakes to trail head

Wishing Ryan a happy 17th birthday at camp on Day 3. He's opening his present (wrapped in a paper bag), a Yosemite bookmark with his trademark "Wolf," from his "Yosemite hiking buddies." Debbie received a similar bookmark, with a picture of a gum-chewing Yosemite bear.

The group, assembled ready to hike back. Nathan asked, "Dad can I have the keys to the car?," knowing that they'd rocket down the trail and arrive hours before the 50-something hikers.

I literally walked the soles off of these boots.
I had to tie the soles on to keep them from flapping off.

Ryan rocks.

Greg kept us all positive as we hiked along, telling his true stories of trail wisdom.

Josh was great for boosting morale.

When there was a slippery snow slope or difficult stream to cross, we could count on Ben to lead the way.

Nathan, a trail gazelle; nothing seemed to slow him down

A million thanks to Brent for getting the trip organized, and to Debbie for her loving family spirit that kept us all together.

This picture is for Mom and Dad:
Brent, Jeff and Greg, heading down the trail.
Thanks for teaching us about the wonderful world of High Sierra backpacking,
and for all the happy trail memories past present and future.