Monsoon Season in AZ

Grandpa's Party Too

Kevin and Grandpa Tobler share a birthday week. So, they were good enough to share a birthday party too. Caroline – the oldest granddaughter – made her very first cheesecake for the occasion, and the sugar from eating it kicked right in. The kids went wild throwing around plastic balls that Grandma had bought and Uncle Marc even started to juggle.

"I" Want It

For posterity’s sake, I feel like I must record the “I” mania that has swept the nation (maybe the world).

In just my brief lifetime, I have seen the rise of the personal computer. It’s hard to believe that my dad’s law office used to have a room that was entirely dedicated to housing its single mammoth-sized computer. The temperature had to be kept just so.

Later, I remember feeling state of the art, because our home had a computer. I typed on Bankstreet Writer (white letters on a fairly barren black screen), and saved my small compositions to 5 and1/4 inch floppy discs.

Today, I practically hold the world at my fingertips through my iphone. And so does everybody else. The iphone 4 came out this summer, and I stopped by the Apple Store that first day to see if could get one for my mom. It was her birthday. Silly me.

At 1:00 in the afternoon, the line was still around the corner and out of sight. Thankfully, the Apple people put up canopies to protect their customers from the Arizona sun. I still didn't stick around.

I understand the mania though. Apple’s “I” products are amazing. The variety of applications, which make your phone everything from a flashlight, to a level, to a piano, to a credit card machine, simply astonish me. As soon as I can convince myself that I'll use the ipad for work and not just play, I want one of those too.

Anyhow, the iphone 4 came out in June. It is now July. I've heard that over 3 million have already been sold. You would think demand would dry up. But the phones (aka the-mini-do-everything-you-ever-thought-of-machines) are still hard to come by. Nathan and Steph are on multiple waiting lists. This is despite the bad signal reviews.

I just wonder what technology will be able to do by the time Bridgette grows up.

Happy Birthday Kevin

Kevin’s birthday came early this year. Bridgette and I braved the overcrowded Apple Store to get him an ipad. We were so excited about our gift that we couldn’t wait until his actual birthday to give it to him. And at least by giving it early it was a complete surprise! As he immediately began setting up and playing with his new toy, he assured me that we had made the right decision.

Oh Beautiful For Spacious Skies

We had an All-American 4th of July weekend. Since Independence Day was on Sunday, we had celebratory barbecues and picnics 3 days in a row.

We took in fireworks on Sunday night in our own special way. We packed up sandwiches and freshly baked M&M cookies, then hopped in the car and drove over to a small neighborhood park on the other side of Higley. Conveniently, the official Gilbert town fireworks were going to be shot off from a stadium about one mile from there.

We got to the park about 7:30 and let Bridgette loose on the playground equipment. I turned up the tunes on our radio, and we waited for the sky to get dark. Soon enough, others arrived with the same idea. People from the neighborhood all brought blankets, lawn chairs, and anticipation.

When the last rays of sunshine disappeared, firework shows started going off all around the valley. The last display was the one near our park. Because Bridgette was pretty tired by this point, we watched the last explosions from inside our car, then headed towards home. Bridgette was soundly asleep before we got there.

Dad's Day

We love you Dad. And we love lazy Sunday morning breakfasts with you. They’re even better when presents are involved.

All You Need For A Beach Is...

Thanks to cousin Ben (of the Florida cousins), who thoughtfully decided to marry a California girl, we had the perfect excuse to drive out to San Diego and go to the beach!

We've been prepping Bridgette for the trip by reading bedtime beach books ("All You Need For A Beach" and "LadyBug Girl Goes to the Beach"). In the days before our trip, she was super excited, talking non-stop about going to California, swimming in the waves, and building sand castles.

When we finally found a moment amid the wedding/family hoopla to hit the ocean, Bridgette loved it, and we did too. Our souls were refreshed by the warm sand, cool breeze and roaring waves.