Griffiths Family Reunion

Dear Gabriella,

You are so blessed to have a family that makes an effort to all get together.  I feel closer to the Griffiths extended family than I do to my own because they have a family reunion every other year where your Great-Grandmother, Nana Griffiths, and her nine children and their families all try to plan a few days of fun together.  This year we were very fortunate that the reunion happened to be planned in Vista where your Nana and Papa live, and it is nice and close to us.  Your Dad had to work, but I took you and Charlie because I wanted you to be able to play with your cousins, and I was excited to meet all of the new babies (Devin, Lena, and Liam).

We arrived at the reuinion on Wednesday afternoon just before lunch.  Your Papa decided to take everyone to Upper Crust Pizza.  We all thought he was crazy for wanting to eat at the restaurant with 9 children under 5, but we went along with it to please Papa, and you all did very well.  Later that evening we spent some time at the campsite where the whole Griffiths clan was staying.  You immediately went and hung out with your cousins and played in the dirt. 

That evening, your Papa took you and your cousins to the little park near the campsite.  Having your Papa push you in the wagon was probably one of your favorite parts of the trip.

One of the nights we were at the campsite, your Uncle Mike found a big bullfrog.  You were so captivated by this, and you almost gained enough courage to touch it.  You really wanted the frog to jump through your legs, so you kept spreading them apart and pointing in between them yelling, "Tunnel, tunnel!"  This is a game you play at home with me where you say "tunnel" and then run underneath my legs.

The next day we all went to Mission Bay.  I was worried this whole week about how I was going to be able to watch you and Charlie with so many other little ones around, but everyone helped out, and we had a great time.  You especially liked going on the waverunner with your Papa and playing in the sand with Reese and Adelyn. You and Charlie both got a little sunburn, but it was totally worth it!

Friday was beach day, and the whole Griffiths clan went to Oceanside.  This is the beach your Daddy grew up going to.  I was, again, a little worried about having you and Charlie at the beach, and I only planned on staying there a couple of hours, but you two had so much fun that we stayed there most of the day.  You especially liked building sand castles.  I tried to get you to hold a sand crab, but you just wanted to look at them.  It was so warm that we all enjoyed spending time in the water too.  It took you a while to get used to the waves pushing you over, but you got the hang of it after a while.

Your new cousins: Liam (4 weeks), Lena (2 months), and Devin (5 months)

Saturday was the last day of the reuinion, and we all had a pool party at your Nana and Papa's house.  You had fun playing in the water and having Nana push you on the swing. 

Aunt Kari and her boyfriend Alec

Your cousin (and buddy) Tyler getting ready to make a splash

Aunt Alex and Uncle Kurt

Nana Griffiths with the new Pyne baby (I can't remember the name)

We ended the day with some delicious carne asada and pictures of all the grandkids.  It was a bit of a circus trying to get all the babies to sit still and smile for the camera, but you and Charlie did a great job.  These were my favorite pictures of the bunch:

I love this picture of you giving baby Liam a kiss.

We had to leave that night so that we could be home for church in the morning, but we had a wonderful time.  I really appreciate all of the hard work that goes into planning these reunions.  So far, I have been able to just show up and enjoy the festivities, and I hope to be able to continue to attend in this fashion.  We are so blessed to be part of such a large, close-knit family.  I am proud to wear the name Griffiths . . . most of the time.

Love,
Mom

A Good Man

Dear Gabriella,

Sometimes I forget what a good man your father is until he does something so unexpected like what he did today.  I tend to focus on his incessant use of the computer, leaving of dirty socks inches from the laundry hamper, and little things that in the end don't really matter.  I realize that underneath his desire to conquer the virtual world lies the heart of a good man.

Your dad called me up this morning at 7am and said that he was going to be bringing someone home that he met at the checkpoint, and she was going to be taking a shower in our house.  "She?" I questioned.  "Yes . . . you'll see," he replied.  I figuered if she needed a shower and he was bringing her to our house while I was there, she wasn't much of a threat to me.  I also know that your dad would never put his family in danger, so I trusted he knew what he was doing. 

About 30 minutes later he texted me, "Don't know if she has deseases . . . Hepatitis . . . blah blah blah."  "This is weird.  I am trusting you will tell me the whole story later," I replied.  "Nah," he teased.

Around 8am she came into the house, and I immediately recognized her smile, but nothing else about her.  "That looks like my old student Jenny.  Maybe it's her sister," I thought to myself.  While she was in the shower, I asked Dad if he knew her name.  He said that another agent there knew her name was Jennifer Peters.  It was my student Jenny.  The Jenny I knew had bleached blonde hair and was a bit curvy.  I would always seat her in the front of the room because she couldn't see the board well and she often needed help.  She was never a discipline problem, and she was always sweet to me when she saw me in the hallways both the year I was her teacher and the year after.  This Jennifer (who told the agents that her name was Alexis Devine) had stringy, uncombed brown hair.  She was thin, her legs were unshaven, and she had a difficult time completing sentences and answering questions.  She was obviously on drugs and mentally unstable. 

While she was in the shower, Dad instructed her to put a towel around herself and put her clothes outside the door so that I could wash them.  It took several times of repeating the instructions before she understood what to do.  I took her clothes, threw them in the wash, washed my hands, and then got some of my clothes out for her to wear (including a Gila Ridge High School t-shirt).  When she got out of the shower, I asked her if she remembered me, and she nodded with a smile.  She sat on the couch watching Bolt with you, Charlie, and I.  When I was looking at her sitting on the couch, I noticed she had a scab from a slit on her wrist.  She seemed nervous, but she would frequently turn and smile at us and Madi.  I wanted to cry the whole time she was sitting there.  It broke my heart to see her in such a dreadful state.

Apparently, she had been picked up by a trucker, and she was trying to hitchhike to Tucson to get away from her pimp.  The trucker dropped her off at the checkpoint.  She was planning on continuing on foot (and hitchiking) to Tucson in 115 degree weather with no food, water, and only flip flops on her feet.  Dad called DPS (who are the highway patrol here in Yuma), and asked them if they could do anything for her.  They wouldn't do anything because she hadn't broken any laws and she wasn't a minor.  Dad tried to get other agencies to help, but no one wanted to help this poor girl. 

When she got to our house, she said she wanted to go to Phoenix instead of Tucson.  Dad was going to take her to the bus stop and send her on a bus to Tucson, but then when she said she wanted to go to Phoenix, he was unsure what to do.  I told him that neither Tucson nor Phoenix would help her.  She needed help, and he should take her to a rehab facility or try to get ahold of a family member.  Dad decided to take her to Crossroads Mission, which is a local homeless shelter.  They have a detox program there and a facility for her to have food and shelter.  Apparently, she was angry with him for not taking her to the bus stop as he had promised, and she hit him in the face when he told her where she was going.  He called the Mission later in the day to check and see if she was still there.  They said that she was, but she wanted to leave.  They thanked him for bringing her there and said that she had been there before, but this was the worst they had ever seen her.

I want you to know what a good example your dad is to me.  I am sure he was taking a risk by brining a drug-addicted prostitute into his own home, but he did it anyway because it was the right thing to do.  I don't know if Jenny will stay in detox or even if her life will change because of his generosity, but I do know that your dad did the right thing at the right time.  It warms my heart to know that I married such a good man.

Love,
Mom

4th of July Fun

Dear Ella,

This year YW camp was during the week of the 4th of July, so I was camping in the mountains of Tucson while you and Charlie stayed with your grandparents.  Luckily, your dad was able to get the 4th off and he drove up to San Diego to see you. 

His family has a tradition of going over to their good friend's house the Zeltners, having a BBQ, swimming in their pool, playing ping pong, and jumping on the trampoline.  From these pictures, it looks like you had a blast!

Jumping with Papa.
Your Nana bought you this adorable dress.

You are so brave.  I was very proud of you!

That night you went and sat on the roof of Nana and Papa's office and watched the fireworks.  Dad said that you loved them.  Now every time we watch a Disney movie and there are fireworks going off over the castle, you shout, "Fire!"  It's pretty cute.  I'm sorry I wasn't there to see all of your cute expressions, but I appreciate your Nana taking these pictures for me.

Love,
Mom