NEGLECTED!!! Abandoned!! Left for dead!!

Our poor blog!! With the rise of facebook and Twitter, our blog has unfortunately been a casualty! I keep thinking I need to get on here and write something, but there never seems to be enough time. However, with a new, faster computer, I may be able to get my act together and get more on here! That is if everyone hasn't given up on me and won't bother to check back. : )

The school year is almost over! Only five more days! This year has gone very quickly, but I am looking forward to a break. This summer will be even shorter than ever, as the school year is starting a week earlier this next year. The girls have done well. Amanda worked very hard to get her grades up to all As again. Four honors classes and percussion were a lot for her, but she did very well and worked hard! Rebecca has worked hard as well, improving her grades and her AR scores. She loves school and is not looking forward to the summer break! Katrina is looking forward to starting Kindergarten next year! I can't believe my baby is going to be in school! Wow! Time flies!

We are plugging along and doing well. Hope all is well with everyone else!!


A photo of us at the CA Mormon Helping Hands Service Project - May 8, 2010

The Nehring Family Christmas Card

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! This year we were not able to send out Christmas cards to everyone that we wanted to! That would have cost a fortune! So, we are posting our card and letter here for everyone that we were not able to send them to!

Wishing you joy, happiness, and peace this season and throughout the new year!
Merry Christmas and a very happy 2010!
Love, the Nehring family

Giving Thanks!

This year our children decided to make paper chains with all the things that they were thankful for.


Amanda is thankful for family and friends; books and toys; school and education; firefighters, police, CHP, doctors and other people who help people; feelings; movies and TV; the alphabet; and the gospel; food, clothes, warmth, a bed, a house, and everything else I need.


Rebecca is thankful for her family; the gospel; her friends; nature; food; holidays and the earth.


Katrina (who wrote the words she was thankful for herself) is thankful for clothes; food; toys; holidays; cleaning; the house; family; "me"; friends; Jesus; and the world.

It was so neat seeing them help each other put their chains together, helping each other with their spelling and how to write the letters. I am thankful for my sweet children!

On to the next test

All findings on the Endoscopy were considered normal, so tomorrow we are on to the CTscan of my abdomen and pelvis. Tonight I have to drink a whole bottle of gluck and then two more in the morning. Yum! We'll see what results this test brings.
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Upper GI Endoscopy

This morning I went to have my Upper GI Endoscopy done. I checked in and then waited in the waiting room for quite a while. I hadn't eaten anything since the night before, and after a while I was feeling really hungry and my head was starting to hurt.

They called me back and did all the pre-check stuff and then the nurse came in to put the IV in. He tried on my right wrist, and although he initially got in, when he tried to advance the needle it "popped" the vein. I am not sure what that means exactly, because I know it didn't literally pop. Anyway, he gave me a shot of Lidecane (sp?) in the top of my left hand and then put the IV in there. Ouch!! Then they wheeled me out of the pre-op and to the Endoscopy Suite. (I laughed when I saw that they referred to it as a Suite.)

I had a sticky note that I had put on my packet to remind them to make two sets of photos. (Kevin joked that I was going to put these photos in our Christmas card, as with the cost of the copay for the procedure, we were doing this in lieu of a summer vacation.) When the nurse was putting my IV in I joked that I should stick it on my forehead, but instead, I stuck it on the front of my gown. When the procedure nurse saw it, she laughed and said she would have stuck it on her forehead. I laughed and told her that I almost had. (When I came out of the procedure I noticed my sticky note was gone.)

In the "Suite", they hooked me up to a heart monitor, a pulse monitor, oxygen (in the nose) and a bp cuff on my right forearm. They had me roll over onto my left side and they put a block pillow behind me. The procedure nurse said that after they gave me the anesthesia they would put in the mouth block. They said that I would start to feel lightheaded and dizzy, which was normal. They put the block in my mouth and I tried to say something to the nurse and then my whole head started spinning and I said, "Oh yeah! There is the dizzy." And . . .it's pretty much black after that.

I do remember gagging really badly (must have been when it was going in), and at one point I opened my eyes and I could see the screen. I saw pink with red and yellow splotches on it (it looked like a Tutti-Frutti Jelly-Belly), and I could tell it was my stomach with blood on it. The next thing I remember was being in recovery and the procedure nurse was turning me over to the recovery nurse. I lay there for awhile, going in and out, watching the bp reads as they flashed on the monitor.

Eventually the nurse came over when he seemed to sense I was "back" and he asked if I wanted something to drink. I said, "YES!" He asked, "What would you like?" I looked at him for a second and came within a moment's hesitation of being a smart alec and saying, "Scotch, straight up." Instead I asked what they had and selected some apple juice. That tasted really good! They called Kevin to come back to the hospital, and when he got there he, the nurse, gave me my copies of the photos they had taken (one had my pink stomach lining with red and yellow splotches on it), told me that I had mild gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining), that they found two tiny pollops (which they biopsied), and that they saw thickened folds in my stomach lining (which they also biopsied). He said they would let me know the results of the biopsies in a few days. He said I shouldn't eat fatty or spicy foods and I couldn't drive or cook on a stove or use a sewing machine for the next 12-24 hours.

They released me and Kevin and I went to Wendy's to get lunch and boneless BBQ chicken wings and french fries never tasted so good! I felt a lot better (more normal) after I had some food in my stomach. We drove home and I slept for about an hour until Camille brought Rebecca and Katrina home after school. I sure appreciate the friends who took care of the girls today, and Kevin for taking such good care of me.
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First Day of School 2009-2010

This morning started a new school year. The girls were ready and anxious to get started. Their parents, not so much. : )

Amanda is starting 7th grade at Kerman Middle School this year. We know she will do very well, but it is still a little unnerving having our first child enter the world of Junior High. A few weeks ago we went to register her for school and she got her schedule, notebooks and gym clothes. She has all honors classes and percussion. She got to see several friends that she had not seen all summer and she has several classes with many of the students from her GATE class last year. We waved this morning as she and two other girls left to walk to school together. Yesterday was the fifth anniversary that we have been in our home. Five years ago these girls were starting second grade. It is amazing how fast time has flown by. I know that when we were kids you could walk miles to school and it was "okay", but the world isn't the same anymore and so we rely on our many talks about being safe and staying together, prayers for their safety, and resisting the urge to tail them in the car. They would be sooooooo embarrassed!! : )

We drove Rebecca to Sun Empire and the start of 4th grade. She has Mrs. Gaynor this year and we are very happy about that! Amanda had Mrs. Gaynor, so we know what an excellent teacher she is!! The traffic at Sun Empire was insane as usual, so we parked at the canal and walked to the school and across campus. Rebecca is excited to start this new year. She remembers all the things that Amanda did in 4th grade and she is looking forward to doing them this year. Rebecca (and Amanda both) received Advanced scores on their STAR tests last year, so I know that she is going to continue to excel this year in school! Mrs. Gaynor is going to be a great teacher to keep her focused and growing!

And then we drove home with Katrina. One more year at home and then she will be a part of the fray! : ) We are happy to have her home for another year! She is going to blow Kindergarten away. Last night she said, "Listen to this, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0." Wow!

Mariposa

Today we took the last Saturday before school started and made an adventure of it. Kevin has been to Mariposa, CA a few times on motorcycle rides, but we had never been there as a family. So, we packed some snacks and hit the road.

We drove up 41 through Coarsegold and Oakhurst and then on to Mariposa. We stopped a few miles south at the Mariposa Fairgrounds in a place referred to as Mormon Bar. There is a plaque there explaining why it is called Mormon Bar. We had a picnic lunch and then we went to the California State Mining and Mineral Museum. This is a very cool little museum. There were really great displays about all the different types of minerals found in California, a replica mine tunnel, a fantastic 100 year old model of a Stamp Mill, a few 3D maps of mines, and lots of displays about what minerals are used for in our daily lives, and then there was the gold room with some very cool gem and gold displays. This, sadly, is a museum that is slated for closure due to the state budget cuts, but hopefully, due to it's unique nature and requirements that the state will decide that it is more cost effective to keep it open.

We then drove into the town of Mariposa. We were going to start on the east side of town and work west to see all the sites, but the old church that is on the hill as you drive into town was very busy with a funeral for a firefighter. There were fire trucks all over the place and a lot of cars. So, we went past the old Jail and then on to the Courthouse. The Mariposa Courthouse, built in 1854, is the oldest continuously running courthouse west of the Mississippi River. It is a beautiful old building. We were happy to see that they were offering tours, so we were lead around the building by a docent who told us a lot of the history of the building and the county. While we were in the courtroom, the girls got to sit up on the stand. We also got to see the law library. The building was added on to in the 1930's with Roosevelt's WAP program.

From there we drove to the Mariposa Museum and History Center. This is an amazing little museum. We were not allowed to take photographs inside the museum, so we only can describe how great this place is! The docent told us that this museum was rated as the 3rd best in the nation (for it's size) by the Smithsonian, and we can believe it. There is SO much here! There were displays on Mariposa County history, California history, the gold rush, the Miwuk indians, the loggers, the ranchers, the churches, the surveyors, the settlers, schools, stores, etc. There were an amazing amount of artifacts, and someone had painstakingly hand lettered all the signs that were everywhere in the museum, as well as many murals and paintings depicting the history in the area. It was incredible! Outside the museum there were a lot of mining artifacts. It is a very well put together place!!

We went across the street to The Happy Burger restaurant for an early dinner. The girls were relieved to get something to eat (because you know we had been starving them all day!) and we were relieved to not have to hear how hungry they were anymore. (Sometimes the whining makes us wonder if it is worth it, but in the end it is always good to spend the day together as a family.)

Afterwards we did a little geocaching and looked at some of the souvenir shops, and then we headed for home. This is a beautiful area. No smog, just clear open sky and mountains. It was a lovely day.

Test Post

I am just testing this out to see if emailing a post from my phone works like they say it will.

Into the future...!!
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The Nehring's Travel Blog - July 2009

When we go on vacation somewhere, I like to do research to find out what is available to do and see while we are there. This month we were able to spend a week in the Pismo/Arroyo Grande/Oceano/Avila Beach area of the Central California Coast.

In doing internet research on the area, I found that there was not really any specific site that was very helpful. I had to really dig to find much of anything. Information about the area was scattered over several different and various pages. Sure, if you wanted to know which hotels were available or where the antique stores are, there was plenty about that. So. . . I am creating my own little TRAVEL BLOG about the Central California Coast.

**Oceano

I start here, because that is where we were staying. We stayed in a beach house that was very near the beach. Oceano Beach is pretty, but it is open to traffic, so you have to be very careful. The posted speed limit is 15mph, but it is posted waaaaay off to the side at the entrance where no one sees it. Basically, if you are there to sunbathe, I would pick another beach. If you are there to ride on the dunes, this is your place! Believe me, with the State trying to close State Parks this year to save money, this is one Park they are not going to close. It makes them far too much money. The girls had fun flying kites and they found a lot of shells in the shallows of the waves.

The Oceano Train Depot
Located on Front Street, across from the fire station.
www.oceanodepot.org
This is a great place to visit, especially if you are a train or history buff, or even if you are just mildly interested. It is dated from 1904. It is still in the process of being restored, but they have so much there! They do not have "regular" hours of operation, so you have to call to get an appointment to see the place. There is no fee, but they do accept donations. The number to call (currently) is 805-489-5782 and be sure to ask for Mark Wheedon. He was a GREAT tour guide!!

There is also the Rock and Roll Diner (south of Hwy 1 and Pier Avenue). We haven't made it in there yet, but it is made from two cars from the trains that have gone through Oceano. Looks like fun and kids eat free on Monday nights. Hopefully next trip.


The Pismo Nature Center
555 Pier Avenue
Pismo State Beach
Oceano, CA
805-489-8115
www.ccnha.org/pismo-nature-center.html
Open daily (except Tues & Thurs) from 1-4pm, June thru August. (Sept-May it is open Fri, Sat & Sun, 1-4pm)
This is located inside the Pismo Beach Campground in Oceano. It is small, but jam-packed with fun things to see and do. There are displays about things you find in the ocean or on the beach (with a mystery feely box); there is a display about clamming, (with a pitchfork and clams that can be "dug"); there is a display about regional wildlife with pelts to feel, pages to stamp with animal tracks and vegetation, and a sand box where there are large animal track stamps the kids can make in the sand and match with a poster on the wall; there is a display about the Chumash indians; and there are many displays depicting the local animals and birds. The girls had a great time! There are also many different gardens surrounding the campgrounds, but we did not make it to those this time. There is no fee, but they do accept donations. Be sure to sign the logbook, as it helps them with their funding.

**Pismo
www.pismochamber.com/

The city of Pismo is very much the tourist area. There are a lot of shops and places to buy t-shirts and magnets, etc. The beach is nice, and you have to take a walk out on the Pier. We saw dolphins in the ocean while we were out on the Pier. There is plenty of Public Parking and there are lots of pretty clean Public Restrooms. Stop in at the Pismo Beach Chamber of Commerce on 581 Dolliver Street for additional ideas and information. They have a big, huge giant clam out front. You can't miss it. There are good places for fish and chips, Brad's was okay and I have had recommendations for Splash Cafe.

In the winter, Nov to Feb, be sure to visit here to see the Monarch Butterfly Grove. It is on Dolliver Street as you drive between Pismo and Grover Beach. It is amazing! There are butterflies everywhere and docents to talk about all the stages of butterfly life, their migration patterns, etc. It is wonderful!

**Shell Beach

Tide Pools

Shell Beach has good tide pools. There is a stairway down to the beach at Ocean Blvd and Pier Street. Be sure to check the tide schedule. We got a little tide chart from Moondoggies Surf Shop (781 Dolliver Street in Pismo). While we were there the low tides were still a good 1-2' above the average low tide, so we didn't get to see very much, but there were plenty of starfish, crabs, anenomes, barnacles, etc. Be careful on the slippery seaweed though, as a few of us got scrapes and bruises from slipping.

Dinosaur Caves Park
Corner of Price Street and Cliff Avenue

This is a fun park. There are no dinosaurs here (sort of). There is a gorgeous view of the bluffs and the ocean, and there is a park for the kids to play in with all different ocean animals (seals, whales, etc.) to climb on, including a dinosaur and some dinosaur eggs. There is a small ampitheater there as well and we saw some Shakespeare being acted out while we were there. There is also a Farmer's Market there on Saturdays from 8-noon (11am?) and there were some very nice booths.

**Avila Beach

Avila Valley Barn
560 Avila Beach Drive
805-595-2810
www.avilavalleybarn.com
Open 9am-6pm May-Oct, and 9am-5pm Nov-Apr
Do NOT miss this one!! There are no signs on the road to warn you that it is coming up, so watch for the RV Park at the corner of Ontario Road and then it is the next driveway as the road curves to the right. This place is great!! There is a fantastic fresh-picked fruit and vegetable stand, and the gift shops with all kinds of fun goodies. They have baked goods (be SURE to get an Olallieberry pie!! Sooooo good!) They will give you a bag of greens to feed the goats, sheep, cows, and other animals around the barn. There is a sweet shop with really good salt water taffy (we didn't try the homemade ice cream this time). You can go out and pick your own fruits and berries too, which is a lot of fun. Check online for their seasonal U-pick calendar. We picked apricots and olallieberries. We were all covered in dark red juice and we had a great time! There is a hay ride that will take you out to the orchards on the weekends, but it is not too far to walk if you are there on a weekday. We went back there twice while we were in the area!

Avila Beach/Pier
This is a very nice beach, and less crowded than Pismo. There are some fun swings and slides for the kids as well. The Pier is smaller, but we saw a lot of seals while we were out there. Some swam right up to the pier!

A little bit north of Avila Beach is the San Luis Port. There is a really good fish and chips place there called Fat Cats Cafe. We liked this one better than Brad's. Less greasy, bigger pieces, more sauces and curly fries!!

Avila Beach Fish and Farmer's Market
Avila Beach Promenade
www.visitavilabeach.com
Every Friday 4-8pm
I found this one online, and it had a nice, colorful flier advertising fresh produce, local seafood, food booths, family fun and live entertainment. The band was good, there was one booth with seafood and one booth with produce and all the rest were kettlecorn and food. So, not exactly what it was billed as, especially since we weren't there for the food booths.

**Arroyo Grande

Arroyo Grande is the community of the area. There are lots of shopping centers with Kmart, Wal-mart, etc. (if you want Costco, you have to go to San Luis Obisbo). There is also a LOT of history.

Museums of the South County Historical Society
805-473-5077
www.southcountyhistory.org
Downtown Arroyo Grande, between Branch and Nelson Streets and Mason Street and Traffic Way.

Santa Manuela School
Hours, Sat 12-3pm, Sun 1-4pm
This is a one-room schoolhouse that was in use until 1857. It was a lot of fun for the girls to get to see this. They sat in the desks and enjoyed seeing all the things that are different than in their modern classrooms.

The Barn
Hours, Sat 12-3pm, Sun 1-4pm
This is filled with all kinds of fun stuff. There is a player piano, an old printing press, lots of house and farm implements, some old vehicles and tractors, including fire fighting equipment that was used to help in the 1906 San Francisco fire. The docents here were wonderful, showing the girls all kinds of fun stuff, like how heavy the old irons were, etc.

Heritage House Museum
Hours, Sat 12-3pm, Sun 1-4pm
This is a beautiful house with some great displays in it. Lots of old clothes and furniture, a full kitchen with antique refrigerators, washers, butter churns, etc., and more pianos and organs than I think I have ever seen in a heritage museum of this size. One of the docents even played the pump organ for us. It was really fun!

The Swinging Bridge
Right next to the Schoolhouse is the Swinging Bridge, which is one of it's kind in California. It has been reconstructed, as the original, built in 1875, was destroyed in a storm when a tree fell on it. As you walk across the bridge, the whole thing shakes and sways, so the girls enjoyed running across it.

There is also the Pauling History House (Open the 1st Sat of the month from 12-3pm), Ruby's House (Open weekdays 1-4pm) and the Historic Hall (Open Fri & Sat 12-5pm), but we did not get to these on this trip.

The Pismo Beach Historical Park
Hidden way back where you almost can't find it is a historical park that is in the process of being restored. Take Highland Drive up the hill and then go left, down Pismo "something" Drive. (It's not even on my map, so I can't remember the name of the street, but it is in an undeveloped residential area at the bottom of the hill.) There are two historical landmarks, the Price house and the Meherin house, and a Chumash Indian village being constructed. The houses are surrounded by a fence, and there is a box that advertises newsletters put out by The Friends of the Price House, Inc., but the box was empty when we were there. You can walk up to the indian village. It is pretty neat.

Arroyo Grande Library
If you need access to a computer, or a good book, the Arroyo Grande Library is located on Branch Street, right next door to the Arroyo Grande Chamber of Commerce. It is a very nice library.

Klondike Cafe
104 Bridge Street, Arroyo Grande
805-481-5288
www.klondikepizza.com
A really fun place to go for something to eat in Arroyo Grande is Klondike Pizza. They have an Alaska theme and there are peanuts on the tables and shells all over the floors. The pizza is really good, and it is a lot of fun! They have an All-You-Can-Eat on Tuesday nights from 5-9pm.

We had a wonderful time on our vacation and can't wait to come back again to visit and explore some more!

Close call - Scared silly - Did everything right

Yesterday we had a scary situation come up, but everyone handled it exactly as they should, and so it all turned out okay in the end. I start this blog with the end of the story, because it has to do with a rattlesnake and a 3 year old girl.

We were in Auberry, at Kevin's parents' house, and the kids were playing outside after dinner. We have told the kids countless times what to do if they see a rattlesnake while they are walking around on the property, because it is such a serious possibility. Laura and Stone had already walked over the bridge that Dad built over the gully on the north side of the house. Now Katrina was going for a walk with Papa over the bridge. She got to the far side where the boards extend past the end of the bridge. Here there is a two foot gap between the edge of the boards and the rocks. Katrina saw ants in the dirt at the end of the boards and turned around (she has recently been bit several times by red ants and does NOT like to get near them). When she did, she heard the rattle of a rattlesnake and screamed, "snake!". It was only a foot and a half away from her. Papa couldn't see the snake as from his vantage point it was obscured by a rock, but he heard the rattle too. He went running by it and grabbed Katrina up.

Laura was still outside, so Dad yelled to her to bring a shovel. This was the point that Kevin and I (we were inside the house) realized what was happening. We saw Laura running (in that way that you instantly know it is an urgent run, not a run for exercise or anything) and then heard Katrina crying. When I got to the bridge, Laura was holding Katrina and Dad was whacking the head off the snake with the shovel. I took Katrina in my arms and she cried, "the snake almost bit me!". We watched to know that Papa had taken care of the snake, then as we walked back to the house I praised Katrina for doing exactly what she was supposed to do and we talked about how this is why we ask Heavenly Father every day to keep us safe.

Dad brought the headless snake up from the gully and Katrina was very brave and wanted to feel the snake. She felt it's skin and shook it's rattles. I made a little video of her talking about what happened. She said, "Papa saved me.". Thank you Dad, and thank you Heavenly Father!

Dad and Kevin measured the snake. It was 44" long and had 13 buttons on it's tail. It had a big bulge in it's side, so we could tell it had recently eaten, and Kevin thinks that is why it didn't strike immediately. Whatever the reason, we are just very grateful it didn't!