We went to California this week! I told Kevin that I needed to be on a beach for my 50th birthday and so he arranged it so we could all be there! I've been on a beach when I turned 30 and 40 and now 50. It's a good tradition. I like it. Also, we went back to the Airbnb we used Halloween of 2021. Mariah was on her mission that time so we got to share it with her. So, really, it was the first time we had all been together in California for a long time! Plus, now we're joined by little Miss Avery. We had a great time! We saw the sun less than we would have liked but we were still able to boogie board and walk the beach and watch the surfers and the pelicans. We also enjoyed our big windows inside the bnb and we played games and McKay led us in dancing and songs. We split the kids into groups and they each took a night making dinner which was fabulous. Kevin still made us breakfast every morning after running with Mariah.

 

On the last night, the kids pulled out a game that they made for me for my birthday. It was a variation on the game, Clue, which they know is one of my favorites. Megan used her amazing design skills and made two boards. One had pictures of places we often go as the rooms and the mystery to solve was who did we leave behind, where, and with what? Ha! The other board was even more intricate with all the rooms from our Brookside home. Each was set up as she remembered them with the same floors and clips of wallpaper and upholstery used for authenticity. It was so clever! The mystery on the second board was who got put in timeout, for doing what, and where? The cards consisted of famous misdeeds in Skinner history such as setting the microwave on fire or cutting their sister's hair. Then each of the playing pieces was a wooden peg decorated like each member of the family, twelve in all! It was so fun. They made the rules so that each game played at the same time (so we could all play at once) and some mystery cards required that players switch between games at random intervals. So fun! What a treat! They put so much work into it, especially Megan, and I just love it! It's such a fun idea!

We left on Saturday morning which was New Year's Eve. We drove to Las Vegas where we were planning on counting in the New Year with my family. Kevin was worried about a snow storm predicted to come through on Sunday, though, so we counted down the New Year with New York and then drove the rest of the way home that night. First, though, we had a really fun time with my family. My dad made cookies and a birthday cake from scratch. My sister, Amy, made pizza dough and had a pizza bar where we could all make our own pizzas. Mom brought lots of soda. Maggie drove down from Cedar City and brought chips. Even my brother Pete came for an hour to wish me a happy birthday. All of their efforts meant a lot to me! It was so fun to be with everybody even for just a little bit. Also, that's where I got to see the other thing that they made for me! Sarah asked everyone for memories with me and she made a book called "50 memories." It was so fun to read what everyone wrote! I feel so blessed to have so many loving people in my life. What a great five decades I have had so far. It's been a beautiful life. I love you guys!