YoungLife Camp 2025

When Skylar got her phone back after four days at camp, I couldn’t wait to hear from her. I texted, “How was it?” and without missing a beat, she replied: “Best week of my life.”

That one line said it all.

I was beyond thrilled that Skylar got to go back to YoungLife camp this summer—especially with all her closest friends. She’d been the only one to go back in middle school, so she was the veteran camper of the group, the only one who truly knew the kind of magic they were about to experience. And from the moment they arrived, it didn’t disappoint.

The days were packed with the kind of fun that feels rare these days—no phones, no scrolling, no distractions. Just pure, real-life connection. They played games until they were breathless, swam, soaked up the sun, dressed up for theme nights, danced under the stars, and laughed until their faces hurt. Without screens, they actually talked—like, really talked—and made the kinds of memories that stick forever.

One of the unexpected highlights? Meeting new friends from all over, especially a group of boys from Point Loma who instantly became part of their crew.

By the time we picked them up, they were already planning next summer’s trip—same place, same friends, and hopefully the same magic. Honestly, after hearing Skylar’s “Best week of my life” review… I think it’s safe to say they’ll be counting down the days.

 

Kauai 2025

This summer’s family vacation looked a little different than usual. Last-minute changes to Madden’s football schedule meant we had to split our trip. Jake and Madden headed out a few days early, and later Skylar, her best friend Anna, and I joined them. We spent two wonderful days together soaking up the ocean, playing beach volleyball, snorkeling, and indulging in the best shaved ice around.

After Jake and Madden left, we headed to Poipu Beach, where the whole Ernest/Austin clan joined us. We stayed at the Kiahuna Plantation — a place I had stayed at as a kid — so it was especially nice to go back and see it again. We had such a great time with the whole family. Everyone loved the beautiful Poipu Beach, spending endless hours in the water and soaking up the sun. One day, we went on a fun family hike that ended with all of us swimming in a waterfall — a definite highlight of the trip. We also enjoyed a traditional luau, which came with incredible food, lively music, and plenty of laughs.

 

Fourth of July 💥

Skylar had the best Fourth of July with all her friends. She spent the day at the beach with everyone else from Carlsbad and hit up Aviara Hotel for fireworks with her besties.  

Jake, Madden and I did a quick trip out to Palm Springs for the 4th since the weather was in the low 90s.  We hit up the Surf Club and then took in one of the best fireworks shows I had seen in awhile.

June 2025

Jake and I went to see Ludacris in concert.  It was such a BLAST!

Skylar had her annual dance camp in Palm Springs.

                               Got to hang with the dance moms for one night which was a ton of fun!                

Headed back to Palm Springs 48 hours later to celebrate Gina's bachelorette party.

Last Day of 7th & 9th Grade

 Another school year in the books!

    7th grade definitely had its ups and downs for Madden. He made a great group of new friends and we even got a few sweet notes from teachers saying he was a pleasure to have in class — though they also mentioned he might be just a little too chatty. 😅 Academically, it wasn’t quite the year we had hoped for. We tried to help him build better study habits, but let’s just say... that often led to more battles than breakthroughs. We're really hoping 8th grade brings a bit more focus and fewer struggles in that department.

    On the upside, he had a major growth spurt this year — it feels like he’s grown inches overnight — and we’re curious to see if that continues into next year!

Skylar’s first year of high school was a major success! She did an amazing job with her grades and study habits — we never had to remind her to prepare for a quiz or test. All her hard work paid off with straight A’s! She was also a total social butterfly, always out and about with friends. There were weekends where we’d drop her off at school on Friday and barely see her again until Sunday!

She loved being part of the school dance team and is excited for another year representing her school in that way. Next year will definitely come with more challenges, but we have no doubt Skylar is ready to take them on.