Category Archives: Vacations

ATI Family Conference – 2016

Last month we had the privilege of attending the annual ATI Family Conference held in Big Sandy, Texas.  We look forward to this trip each year as we anticipate solid messages and heartening fellowship with old and new friends alike.

Before I discuss what actually happened at the conference, let me back up to a few days beforehand.  We had initially planned to fly ourselves (Dad being the pilot of course) to the conference, but after observing some hazardous weather patterns, decided that might not be the safest choice. So the Saturday before the conference (which started on Tuesday evening), we made last-minute plans to fly commercially to Dallas/Fort Worth then to Longview where we would rent a car and drive to Big Sandy.  In accordance with our plan, we boarded a plane *early* Sunday morning.  After sitting in a plane on the tarmac for two hours, we were informed that the flight was going to be canceled because of the aforementioned storm.  Disappointed, we headed home, not quite sure what to do next. After all, it was too late to drive at this point.  A short while later, it was decided that we would fly in our plane to Odessa, TX (which was just outside the wall-of- a-storm) and, well, figure out the rest when we got there!  I think we were all just eager to begin our vacation!  So we made it to Odessa and, upon weather-watching the following morning, opted to rent a car and drive seven hours to our final destination.

Praise the Lord, that we arrived safe and sound, and were able to enjoy a wonderful week at the conference!  Now enough words!  The pictures speak for themselves!

On Monday night, we had the privilege of meeting the Thomas family from Georgia.  We enjoyed playing countless rounds of Spoons with the Thomases and the Ciampis (our fellow Arizonan friends).  Afterwards we headed to the volleyball court to join the ongoing game before calling it a night.  That was definitely the best night of the week for many of us!

It was so sad to leave after an amazing and refreshing week, but we were grateful to have such faithful friends to bid us farewell!

“Not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

~ Hebrews 10:25

Seaside Vacation

This summer our family vacationed in Oregon where we enjoyed a week-long reprieve from the hot Arizona sun. We flew to Portland where we first visited my relatives. It was nice to see my parents and to share my hometown with Kory, Katie and Lauren. We were warmly welcomed by my aunt and uncle who prepared a nice BBQ for us on their back patio. The girls learned how to play a game called “Banana”. That evening we enjoyed dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory.

The next morning we drove to McMinnville where we toured the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum. The girls enjoyed the “Fighter Pilot” movie the most, and Kory and I were awed by the massive Spruce Goose airplane that Howard Hughes designed and built and is now completely housed in this museum.

This giant plane made only one flight on November 2, 1947 and flew just over one mile at an altitude of 70 feet for one minute. The short hop proved to skeptics that the gigantic machine could fly, but that was it’s only flight. It was quite a site to see the original airplane and hear the fascinating stories behind it. We were also captivated by the Titan II Missile and were able to explore this large booster rocket from underneath its missile silo and then watch a simulated launch sequence. Other planes of interest were the SR-71 Blackbird and the Ford Tri-Motor. The girls were planning on going to the Wings and Waves Waterpark next to the museum, but they were too excited to check into our beach house and head out on the sand. So, that’s just what we did.

We arrived in Seaside late afternoon on the second day of our trip and were thrilled when we opened the front door to our deluxe beach house. The views of the ocean were spectacular, the home was cozy and warm, and the location was prime. We were literally 50 feet from the sand. Katie and Lauren put their suitcases in their room and were immediately clamoring to head to the beach.

Lauren and Katie were pleasantly surprised to find a swing set beside a path to the ocean. They spent quite a few hours over the course of our vacation swinging and laughing and meeting other beach-going kids. Kory was the designated swing pusher and made quite a good impression on the other young children around. He said, “kids like me”, to which Katie and Lauren laughed, but I nodded in agreement.

The fine, and ultra soft sand proved to be great for sandcastle building. Lauren built two fortresses, with a moat, castles, and pyramids over the course of our vacation, but the tide washed them away by morning. I think she was sad at the disappearance of her first great work of art, but understood the inevitable when she proceeded to build the next day.

Both Katie and Lauren did endless cartwheels and gymnastics tricks in the sand as well, although Katie was most interested in trying out the skimboard.

A couple of mornings we got up at the break of dawn and walked along the misty beach collecting seashells. Lauren came home with quite an array including two slugs, or as she referred to them, “sluggards”!

The Seaside Promenade is an 8,000-foot long concrete boardwalk between central Seaside and its spectacular beach. The bike ride along the prom and through town was a highlight for Lauren, and Kory and I enjoyed seeing the Lewis and Clark Saltworks that was set up in 1805 and still remains.

We also spent quite a few hours in the local arcade playing a gamed called “Fascination”. This became a favorite memory of all of ours. The Fascination Parlor in Seaside dates back to the 1950’s. It’s a game that used to be common in amusement parks, boardwalks, and arcades mostly in oceanside resort towns.

Our favorite restaurant was Pig ‘N Pancake where Lauren savored steak and eggs two days in a row and Kory had one of the best jalapeno jack cheeseburgers he’s had in a while. Katie wasn’t too thrilled eating at the restaurant two meals in a row, so Kory surprised her by bringing in a small pizza from the pizza place down the street. The Pig ‘N Pancake restaurant has a fascinating story. It all began in May 1961, when the Poole couple opened the restaurant with only $100 cash and $2000 worth of borrowed equipment. Today there are six locations in Oregon. Other eating spots included Dooger’s Seafood & Grill, Mo’s, BeeBop Burgers, Fultano’s Pizza, and McDonald’s.

Another great memory was kite flying. One of our kites was pretty traditional and easy to get in the air.  The other was more tricky to maneuver, requiring at least 7mph winds. This beauty was called the “Skydog Squadron”. On a couple of rainy days, Kory went to the beach briefly to get the kite in the air as high as he could, then he’d tie it to a beached log, and head back to the cozy beach house where he’d back and watch the Skydog Squadron fly from a cozy window seat.

One of the days of our trip we drove down Highway 101 along the coastline to tour the Tillamook Cheese Factory. It wasn’t what I remembered growing up. They used to allow hands-on tours, but now you just view a portion of the cheese-making process from an observation deck. I think the triple scoops of ice cream that we each purchased and took with us on our way out of the factory was the best part. The girls slept most of the drive back to Seaside, and we decided to stay at the beach the rest of the vacation instead of making any more day trips.

My mom drove down and stayed with us one evening. We spent time at the beach and mom got to fly a kite and enjoy the sand. It was a little cool the afternoon she came, so we spent most of the time inside. We ordered in pizza for dinner, played games, and went to bed early. The next morning mom joined us for church services at Cannon Beach Bible Church. It was a great time of worship for the whole family and we thoroughly enjoyed meeting the people at this small congregation. We all enjoyed sandwiches, fruit, and chips back at the house for lunch and then mom headed home. That evening, we watched the movie, “That Darn Cat” for about the fourth time over the course of our vacation.

There were many other great moments, but the time spent with the family relaxing and loving one another was the best part. We all rated this vacation about a 7 on a scale of 10, but looking back now, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Branson Vacation

Last year’s family vacation to Pennsylvania would be hard to top but we may have just done it…

This year, our family decided to visit Branson, Missouri as we have heard about its wholesome family atmosphere and entertainment. We awoke at 2:30am on Thursday, June 30th for a 6:29am departure from Phoenix. Although none of us got more than four hours of sleep the night before, our excitement kept us going well into the night. We had one plane stop in Denver where Katie ate fried rice from Panda Express at nine in the morning and the rest of us snacked on chocolate covered peanuts and candy (healthy breakfast). We played wooden board games such as Tic-Tac-Toe and then caught the last leg of our flight to Branson.

The Ozarks this time of year were lush and green with lots of oak trees, pine trees, and lakes winding their way around the city. We rented a Chevy Traverse SUV for the week and made our way to The Wilderness Cabins where we were pleasantly surprised at our quaint and cozy cabin #2, appropriately named “Pa’s Place”. It was decorated inside with a fishing and hunting theme. We even had a stuffed deer staring at us from the wall. The girls had a trundle bed which was new for them. Lauren got the lower pull-out portion for her bed. The cabin had a kitchenette with a table and a small bathroom and outside the cabin was a front porch with a bench, a back porch with two rocking chairs, and an expanse of forest with lots of squirrels foraging for food.

After quickly surveying our cabin, we headed to Marvel Cave at Silver Dollar City where we took a step back in time and experienced the cave just as the early explorers did – by lantern light! Guides shared historical facts and little known stories as we walked over 500 feet below ground. We saw pools of water, a spectacular waterfall, bat guano and the only known “Spanish ladder” left in the cave circa 1541. After riding in a train car back to the surface, we headed to our cabin for some much welcomed sleep.

We were back at Silver Dollar City the next morning for a full day of fun as we stepped back in time to the 1880’s theme park filled with thrill rides, a craft village, shows and numerous wholesome family attractions. The favorite rides of the day were The Great Barn Swing and Powder Keg which were bravely ridden by Katie and Lauren about a half dozen times each. We saw the Stunt Dog Experience combining tricks, comedy and unique skits by extremely talented stunt dogs with lights and special effects for a fun show. We also saw The Fabulous Wallenda’s Family Circus! Katie and Lauren were in awe and Kory and I reminisced about seeing the family in the Barnum and Bailey Circus when we were young. The girls made wax molds of their hands by dipping them many times in warm wax, which were then painted in three colors and sprinkled with glitter. The concept of preserving a mold of their child-sized hands is great but the wax was so thin that fingers broke off when we tried to transport them. We had to give them a burial in the trash. Overall, Silver Dollar City proved to be a great family experience.

Day three started with a tour of the Titanic Museum which took us back to 1912, where first class maids and a variety of officers and crew members brought the stories of the ship and its fascinating passengers to life by retelling their tales. The artifacts throughout the museum shed additional light on the lives of those passengers and crew members. We saw actual belongings of those on board and artifacts that sailed on Titanicʼs voyage. Upon entry to the “ship” each of us was handed a boarding pass bearing the name of a Titanic passenger. The fate of this passenger was revealed on the Memorial Wall. Along our tour we got to walk an elegant replica of the Titanic’s Grand Staircase, touch the frozen surface of an ‘iceberg’, examine the world’s largest Titanic ship’s model on display, see a First Class Stateroom; Third Class cabin, and learn about Molly and Carter, the dogs that were onboard the Titanic.

As hungry passengers, we decided to leave the museum and get some lunch at Starvin’ Marvin’s, a country/Cajun restaurant. We all selected items off the buffet which ranged from fried chicken, catfish, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, green beans, salad, biscuits and gravy and more. The meal ended with our own personal ice-cream cup. We weren’t starvin’ when we left, that’s for sure.

We then headed to the Sight and Sound theatre for the day’s grand finale where we saw the musical production of Noah. This great Bible story was presented on a 300-foot wraparound stage with 40 foot high sets, a cast of 50 actors, elaborate costumes, amazing special effects, and hundreds of live and animatronics animals. We relived an amazing time in history when God told Noah to build the ark and fill it with every kind of animal, then came the first raindrops and God shut the door. “For just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will also be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man.” We watched a reenactment of Noah and his family as they experienced being cooped up at sea for more than a year. When their trying journey was finally complete, we marveled at the wonders of God’s reward for Noah’s unquestioning obedience and devotion to Him. What an amazing story and lesson. I think we all walked away with increased love for and faith in our God. This was the highlight of our trip.
On our way back to the cabin, we stopped to get burgers at Steak ʻN Shake, which turned out to be a favorite of the trip. We ate there three times during our vacation. The “steak burgers” were some of the best fast food burgers we have had. Too bad there arenʼt any franchises in Arizona. We ate these in the cabin while we played Uno.

Sunday morning, July 3rd, we went to Friendly Baptist Church. The people were definitely friendly, as we received hugs in the parking lot before even getting inside the church. After church we ate Steak ʻN Shake burgers in the car as we drove to Dogwood Canyon Nature Park. We were going to rent Segways but Lauren and Katie didnʼt weigh enough to make them operate correctly. We then tried to ride horses, but Lauren wasnʼt big enough (by their rules). After that, we paid for two ATVʼs to ride around the park, but we missed the start of the tour and were unable to do that so we had to get a refund. We decided maybe we werenʼt meant to do any activities in the park that day, so we took a nice leisurely ride back to Branson.

We checked into a new hotel at Still Waters Resort where we stayed the rest of the trip. We had a nice room with a view of Table Rock Lake which was just a few minutesʼ walk to the lakefront. The resort had several pools, one with a waterfall and hammocks, a marina, playground, market, and Parmesanʼs Restaurant.

That evening we went to Dolly Partonʼs Dixie Stampede. We had a fantastic four course feast that we ate with our hands. The meal included a cheese biscuit, cream soup, a whole mini chicken, pork loin, half of a baked potato, corn on the cob, and an apple turnover. We were stuffed. We ate all this while watching an exciting dinner show filled with friendly competition between the Union and Confederate armies. The show included great horse stunts and a live musical production. Katie deemed this her favorite attraction of the week. That night back at the hotel the girls went down by the lake to watch fireworks which were also visible from the balcony off our room. We thought we were going to get to see a big fireworks display on the 4th, but apparently almost the whole city did their fireworks on the 3rd, so the small display we saw near the lakefront was the biggest display we would see this year. I guess I should have researched that better, but no one was overly disappointed.

On July 4th, we started the day off with much excitement. We rented a brand new 24ʼ triple pontoon boat and everyone went tubing and swimming for the first couple of hours of our morning. It was beautiful out on the water and turned out to be so much fun that we decided to rent the same kind of boat the following day. Both days on the boat were a blast and kept us cool and energized. We also found out that the 115hp Mercury motor was powerful enough to pull all of us out of the water with ease. We were all famished after the first morning on the water and went to Steak ʻN Shake yet again for lunch.

We then went to Ripelyʼs Believe It Or Not Museum and saw some really strange oddities. The next stop was to the Worldʼs Largest Toy Museum which took us on a trip down memory lane. We saw thousands of toys, from die cast cars and trucks, to antique bicycles, dolls, action figures, Kaleidoscopes, cap guns, games, figurines, lunch boxes, and tin wind-up toys. Interacting with the salesman was an experience in itself. He was like a kid in a candy shop with so much passion and childlike enthusiasm for the toys and the patrons who visit the museum and toy store. If only we could all live with such zeal and fervor as this guy. Katie was able to guess 9 out 10 songs in his ‘name that tune’ contest which he played on his plastic clarinet. She became an instant hero and was even given a write-up on their Facebook page. Here is an excerpt:

HOOOOOOEEEEEEEE! What a great 4th of July at the Museum. We were visited by a ton of cool people, but kudos go out to the awesome Nakatsu family, with the Golden Bear Award going to Katie Nakatsu. Katie smashed the record of our mind boggling game of “Name that Tune”. The most ever gotten before was about 5 out of 10 but Katie crushed all other competitors with an astonishing 9 out of 10!!! So everybody join me in the “Krushing Katie” cheer.

Katie, Katie you’re the best,
10 times greater than the rest!
“Name that Tune” is where you rule,
you’re so awesome and so cool!

Thanks for the fun time at the museum.

Our next stop was to Shepherd of the Hills where Katie and Lauren zip-lined their way down the side of a hill from the top of Inspiration Tower. They were both so brave to try the Vigilante ZipRider (170 feet high, 1/2 mile long and 50mph). They werenʼt afraid at all and both loved it.

That evening we were back at The Shepherd of the Hills Outdoor Theatre to watch Harold Bell Wright’s epic story of love, loss, power, hardship, and faith come to life on an outdoor stage . It took over 80 actors and actresses, 40 horses, a flock of sheep, several guns and rifles, an actual burning log cabin, and a vintage 1908 DeWitt automobile to create the live action performance. The Shepherd of the Hills show told us the story of the Ozarks which leaves us with a greater appreciation of the surroundings we visited on our vacation.

Day 6 started out with three hours on the boat, this time with a tube and a knee board. Boating on Table Rock Lake was definitely a favorite activity for the family. What a fun memory.

Our day continued as we drove to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, where we saw an evening performance of The Passion Play recounting the last few days of Jesusʼ life on earth, his death, burial, and resurrection. The story was presented amidst a scenic background with the sun setting in the distance as the story began but it was much more than a production, it was clear that the writers and producers have ministry in mind over mere entertainment.

The last full day of our trip was spent at White Water, Bransonʼs only outdoor water park, featuring rides like Kalani Towers, Pipeline Plunge, Aloha River, and Splashaway Cay. Katie and Lauren had a great time getting soaked while Kory and I found lounge chairs in the shade and read a book together. We were so exhausted from being out in the heat all day that we picked up a quick dinner to take back to our hotel room and played Uno on the kidsʼ pulled down Murphy bed until 10pm.

The final day of our vacation we explored the Butterfly Palace and Rainforest Adventure, a tropical experience with an interactive and educational expedition through the butterfly aviary, living rainforest science center and Emerald Forest mirror maze. We ate brunch at IHOP before heading to the airport and flying home.

Last yearʼs trip to Pennsylvania and this yearʼs trip to Branson were unforgettable family vacations. It will be hard to top these next year, but we have some ideas in mind that weʼre sure will be just as exciting and memorable, maybe with just at a little slower pace.

The Polar Express

Since our family had so much fun on our Polar Express outing last year, we decided to venture there again this year. This time, we invited the LeCompte Family (Anne, Allison, and Kristy), as well as Lauren’s friend, Julia. In order to get rooms at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel and tickets for the Polar Express train ride, we had to book our reservations in March for a December vacation. That’s how popular this adventure has become.

We left our house early Saturday morning and, rather than taking two vehicles, we packed our luggage, pillows, blankets, games, snacks, and the eight of us into Anne’s Chevy Equinox. We were surprisingly comfortable. We had great conversations and fun road games on the way.  My suggestion to sing show tunes was overwhelmingly ignored.  We stopped at Denny’s for lunch and reveled in the huge smiles and laughter that Katie and Lauren had with their good friends.

Later that afternoon we arrived at the hotel in Williams and, after checking into the hotel, took a walking tour of downtown Williams. Katie, Allison and Kristy particularly liked an old furniture store, where they wanted to buy the hip, artfully designed, luggage. We certainly had no room for additional baggage on the way home, so we declined. The weather was cold and crisp, but not snowy and chilly like it was last year. After getting back to the hotel, we relaxed in the hotel lobby near the warm fireplace, enjoyed hot chocolate, and played Apples to Apples.

Prior to the train ride, which was scheduled to depart at 8pm, we had dinner at the Grand Depot Cafe. In addition to a full buffet, the restaurant offered us selections from a pasta station, carving station, salad and soup bar, and a desert corner. After dinner, we made our way back to our rooms where everyone got bundled up for the train ride. The kids put on warm pajamas, scarves, and gloves. Lauren and Julia had matching pajamas that Julia’s mom gave them to open as gifts after dinner, in keeping with their Hanukkah tradition. The hotel grounds were filled with adorable children in festive pajamas, and several adults even joined in the fun.

We made our way to the train depot and waited outside our boarding zone until the train chugged it’s way to a complete stop. Everyone cheered as the conductors and crew got off the train to welcome us aboard. On the train, we sang Christmas carols, enjoyed chocolate chip cookies, and watched the colorful lighted town displays along the way, including a stop at The Polar Express. The girls particularly liked Angel, and elderly lady who served us on our ride. She was quite feisty and exuberant for her age and she played right along with the girls. What a job Angel has, it must make her stay young at heart being around such joyful youngsters every day. Amidst all the cheers and laughter, we listened to the Polar Express story book being read to us by one of the crew members, and then Santa Clause made his way through the aisles and handed each child a bell as a reminder to “believe”.

The following morning we had breakfast at the hotel before heading to Flagstaff to play in the snow. We found a nice place to park near the top of Mount Humphrey’s and, after getting out of the car and putting gloves on, immediately engaged in the long-awaited snowball fight. Lauren wasn’t too excited to be hit by snowballs, but she sure liked throwing them and most of all eating them. Anne was the brave one to lay in the snow and make a snow angel, and Katie, Allison and Kristy climbed a tree. We tried to lob snowballs at them in the air, only to get the snow crashing back down in our faces. It was a great way to expend energy and get some snow play in, but without the proper attire Lauren and Julia started to cry because they were so cold. With that, it was time to pile in the car and head home. Poor Lauren got car sick on the way and we had to stop and let her ‘paint’ the side of the road. We then enjoyed great burger and fries and Bun Hugger’s restaurant in Flagstaff prior to making our way home.  Kristy especially enjoyed the burgers as seen here.  What a great time we had on this mini-vacation, and how grateful we are for the LeCompte family and the friendship and fellowship they provide. What a great start to the Christmas season!

Fall Break 2010

We just returned from a long weekend of Fall Break fun.  Our trip started Sunday morning as we drove to Clarkdale to catch the Verde Valley Railroad.  It was a great trip and the girls really enjoyed the scenery, free snacks, and watching the lady behind us sleep the whole time.  That evening, we bagged out on our reserved bed and breakfast in favor of a Comfort Inn.  After checking in, we drove to Jerome to have dinner at the Haunted Hamburger where Lauren was captivated by the ghost stories.  Needless to say, the Comfort Inn left us all with little sleep and sore necks!

Monday morning, we made the short drive to Camp Verde where we spent the day at Out of Africa.  It was a warm day, maybe a little too warm for us, but we had a great time seeing all of the exotic animals.  We began with a self-guided tour that included the nastiest Hyena I have ever seen.  Later, we watched the Tiger Splash show where we got to see two Bengal Tigers attack dummies – it was humbling to see the incredible power these animals have.

We then boarded a Unimog for a semi-private tour that included zebras, camels, giraffes, and ostriches.  From the vehicle, the girls were able to hand feed most of the animals and it was quite an experience.  That night, we headed to Prescott where we stayed at the famous St. Michael’s Hotel.  This hotel was built in 1910 and is, for the most part, unchanged.  We all enjoyed the original Otis elevator complete with a caged door and old buttons.  In the morning we had breakfast and then took a walk around the Courthouse lawn.  It was a great trip although we all wished we could have stayed a little longer.