Jan 2026 recap
Between our Hawaii trip and Josh’s mission stuff, there’s not a whole lot else to report. But here’s a few more Jan happenings.
Mopeds, Diving and more
Mopeds and MaKena Cove–Rusty A few days before we left, Tara had a really strange backache. Then a few little rash spots on her stomach. By this morning, the rash was all over her stomach and back and was huge and red and awful. Poor Tara had Shingles on our trip to Hawaii! So I…
Dec 2025 Recap
In no particular order…..
Blake’s 16th birthday
Dear Blake, Wow—16 already! This year has been another whirlwind of growth and joy. You absolutely nailed Driver’s Ed and earned that coveted permit—hands down one of the proudest “I still can’t believe I drove a car today” moments. I loved watching you in your first driving lesson at the airpark; you handled it like…
Christmas (Eve) 2024
It’s AUSTRALIA DAY!! And Banks family Christmas morning. Even with our impending trip, Santa still found these big kids on the nice list. A new monitor and gaming chair for Blake, a (new to her) laptop and new coat for Halle, and a Raspberry Pie and new shoes for Josh. Blake turned his presents into…
Halle’s 21st birthday
If I refuse to believe it, does that mean it didn’t happen? Just kidding. Nothing has brought me more joy than watching you grow up. You are so smart, driven (you woke up super early in Australia to take an interview for an internship!) and just plain fun to be with. Our family always feels…
Josh and Rusty go scuba diving
We told the kids if they could swim 500M without stopping they could get scuba certified and we would take them diving. And I wanted to spend more time with the kids. Josh took us up on it so we went diving. We basically repeated Tara and I’s trip to Cozumel because it’s the best…
High Adventure 2024
Rusty here. Gemini turned my journal entry into quite the exciting high adventure trip report: Embarking on the Holy Cross Wilderness: A Backpacking Odyssey Anticipation crackled in the air that Wednesday evening as we meticulously checked our packs, ensuring every essential item was accounted for. X and Y’s tardiness added a touch of unexpectedness to…
Banks Bunch Park City edition
After the celebration, the whole family headed to Park City for a few days of relaxation and connection. We really needed this! The house was awesome–it had a racquetball court in the basement, along with weights, badminton, ping pong and volleyball. The kids had a blast down there! We also had the most beautiful deck…