The Quiet Week (FSY)

The Quiet Week Outline:

I. Heat Advisory
II. Lincoln Grade
III. Violin Surgery
IV. Presentation
V. FSY

PCT Hike to Kendall Katwalk

 On my way home from dropping a van load of 6 kids off at FSY in Tacoma on Monday July 20th, I hiked to the Kendall Katwalk on the Pacific Crest Trail. It was my first time on this section of the PCT, so it was extra exciting to explore and add a new place to my list of best hikes within 2 hours of Sunnyside.

Walking along the Kendall Katwalk.

Weedy Post

 This week was hot and dry with triple digit temperatures more than twice, but somehow the weeds kept growing, while our vast backyard grass keeps looking crispy-er. The weeds always know when I am away from home, because they grow fastest when I'm gone. During my recent 3 week absence, for example, an alarming quantity of thick noxious weeds popped up all around the borders of our front yard and driveway. I sacrificed body and soul to pull those evil thick tormentors: on Monday, I sweated and weeded for over two and a half hours. That massive effort thrashed my muscles after my 3 week vacation from yardwork, and I was sore for the rest of the week.

Cue the battle cry!

Mother Daughter Denver Week

When everyone else went home after our family reunion, I got to stay in Denver an extra week with my Mom! We started this tradition five years ago, and it is one of my favorite weeks of the summer. We do all of our favorite things all week long and since we have so many shared interests.  As the second of five siblings, I especially relish one on one time with my Mom!  

Brown Family Gathering 2026

Our annual Brown family reunion was from June 27-July 4, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. This was the first time in nearly 10 years that we were missing people from our family. The last time we were missing a someone at our family gathering was when my youngest sister Melody was serving her mission in Cambodia 9 or 10 years ago! As the oldest grandchild, Steve was the first of the next generation to go. He began his mission on June 24th with two weeks of home MTC, so Steve stayed home in Missouri with his dad/mission companion Jesse while the rest of us gathered together in Colorado. We missed them, but Steve was in the right place and it was cool being able to see him wearing his missionary nametag on video calls a few times during the week! 

Our first Steve-less cousin picture in 18 years!

36 Hours at Home

When we got home from our trip to Virginia and Pennsylvania, we had almost exactly 36 hours at home before our next trip: we got home at 1am on Friday morning (June 26th) and left again at 1pm on Saturday afternoon (June 27th). The next trip was to Denver for the Brown family reunion. But before  that, let's talk about our 36 hours at home. It was productive.

Piano hug: 9 days was the second longest I've ever spent away from my piano baby, and it was good to be reunited.

Family trip part 3: central PA and DC

Part 3 of 3: After Virginia, our family adventure continued in central Pennsylvania and Washington, DC! Journal excerpts, edited for coherency and interspersed with pictures:

Sunday, June 21, 2026

We left BV after sacrament meeting (plus 20 minutes of talking), and headed towards Pennsylvania. We stopped for food at Buc-ee's for the cultural experience and barely made it out alive. The massive gas station was packed with people! The food was mediocre, but the bathrooms were clean and nice. Jay was happy to finally experience Buc-ee's. Jeff summed it up: "this is everything that's wrong with our country." HAH. We had to go across the street to McDonald's for some nuggets for Jeff because all the Buc-ee's foods were imbued with nightshades. This drive ended up taking over six hours with all of our stops and detours. 

Family trip part 2: BV Running

Let's be honest: aside from showing our kids where we met and went to college, one of the main draws of this trip was the gorgeous nostalgic running routes! I went on 3 memorable morning runs in Buena Vista, Virginia and felt all of the nostalgia and love of that Appalachian beauty in my soul. This place will always have a piece of my heart. I took almost as many pictures during my runs as I did during the rest of the trip, so I organized the running pictures separately here.

Family trip part 1: SVU and BV

Long post alert! Even though I already hit the highlights of the trip, I'm doing the special blog extended edition of our family trip to Virginia and Pennsylvania because I like keeping track of my memories. The 3 parts of this extended edition are: 

• SVU and BV
• BV running
• Central PA and DC

This post will have a journal entry followed by pictures from that day, for each day we were in Virginia.

VA/PA Highlights

Our family roots are deep in Pennsylvania, where Jeff grew up, and Virginia, where we met and went to college. We took our kids back east on a family trip during the first week of summer break. It was so much fun showing our kids our beloved Southern Virginia University! And the rich rolling greenery of central Pennsylvania! We wore ourselves out running, driving, hiking, and exploring this cherished pocket of the country.

Yardwork

Yardwork is exhausting hard work, but so satisfying when it's done-- just like running! Speaking of running, on the first day of summer break, we did a cross country team 5k time trial down Scoon Road: we drove the kids 3.1 miles up the 1% grade of Scoon Road, dropped them off, and they ran all the way back to our mailbox to see how fast they could run a 5k with a small downhill boost.

My makeshift starting line, carved into the dirt orchard road with a stick and marked with a few rocks and an old tuna can that I found nearby.

The end of the school year

Concerts, recitals, performances, speeches, projects, celebrations, activities, birthdays: the end of the school year is always full to bursting! Here is a photo album of the end of the school year, with captions for details.

Jay, playing the bass at the high school orchestra concert.