Okay, it is quite obvious that I stink at daily blogging. I cannot seem to get on here every day. I even set a reminder on my phone, but I have become quite good at ignoring reminders (because I set one to workout daily too).
Day 8 is "A moment when you felt the most satisfied with your life."
That isn't too hard. I am pretty darn satisfied with my life. I enjoy my job, love my husband, have great kids. I'm thankful for my house, my car, my friends & family. I have nothing real to complain about. If I had to pick a moment, it would be on vacation this summer. Despite the fact that we were missing Seth, we had a great week together. I think any family of four that can spend seven days and 3400 miles in the car together without any fighting is pretty happy family! So there....I'm satisfied. Maybe I am easy to please or maybe I have finally learned that lesson in contentment that has plagued me for years.
Day 9 is "How you hope your future will be like."
First of all, who made this blog challenge up? It seems a little repetitive to me and I am only on Day 9. I think I already had to write about where I see myself in 10 years. This is more of the same, eh? I guess for this one, I'll think further into the future.
Derik and I are planning (hoping) to retired when I am about 55. We would like to have a nice RV by then so we can travel the country and visit all the grand-kids. I assume my kids will not live in Amarillo so I would like to be able to go see them whenever we like. Derik also has a dream of visiting every major league baseball park in the U.S.
Hopefully I will have three lovely daughters-in-law and some grandchildren by the time I'm in my 50's (and not much before then!) that I get along with wonderfully. Seeing that I didn't get to have a daughter of my own, I hope at least one of my sons will marry a girl that I can go shopping with and enjoy spending time with. (1 out 3 isn't too much to ask!) I think we would also like to be able to take the grand-kids on the road with us for a little time each summer. I know some kids that get to do this with their grandparents each summer and it just sounds like such a wonderful time to bond with your grand-kids and really be a part of their lives.
Okay, so that's it. Tomorrow I will try to post Day 10, but all bets are off. The odds aren't in my favor!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Friday, August 24, 2012
Four Years Back or Forward
I was looking back through my blog and found this post from 2009. How cute is he? Braden was just finishing 1st grade and that picture of him with Mrs. Stary is just adorable. What a cute little face! It seems like just yesterday that he was in her class.
Time flies! I feel like I say that a lot, but it really seems like the years are passing faster and faster. If the next four years pass just as quickly, I might just curl up in the fetal position and cry.
In four years, Dustin will be starting his sophomore year in college. (Hopefully at WTAMU!) Seth would be beginning his Junior year in high school and Braden would be a Freshman. Yikes! That's too scary to think about.
Time flies! I feel like I say that a lot, but it really seems like the years are passing faster and faster. If the next four years pass just as quickly, I might just curl up in the fetal position and cry.
In four years, Dustin will be starting his sophomore year in college. (Hopefully at WTAMU!) Seth would be beginning his Junior year in high school and Braden would be a Freshman. Yikes! That's too scary to think about.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
BC Day 7: Zodiac
The question is do I think my zodiac profile matches up with my personality. Hmmm...
According to this Horoscope.com site, I am a Gemini. I've never paid much attention to this stuff. I figure its all a bunch of crap. Now that I have read over the profile, I see some things I agree with.
My favorite color is Green, which is the one colored listed under favored colors. That's right on the money. (Which is also green by the way!)
The personality portion says:
According to this Horoscope.com site, I am a Gemini. I've never paid much attention to this stuff. I figure its all a bunch of crap. Now that I have read over the profile, I see some things I agree with.
My favorite color is Green, which is the one colored listed under favored colors. That's right on the money. (Which is also green by the way!)
The personality portion says:
Versatility is a great keyword for this dual
sign. Expressive and quick-witted, the Gemini presents two distinctive sides to
his or her personality, and you can never be sure with which one you're going to
come face-to-face. On one hand, the Gemini can be outgoing, flirtatious,
communicative, and ready for fun, fun, fun. Yet when the other twin is present,
you can find this air sign contemplative, serious, restless, and even
indecisive. Both twins are able to adapt to life's circumstances well, making
them wonderful people to know. Things are never boring when a Gemini is on the
scene.
I agree with all of that too. Maybe there is more to all this zodiac stuff than I thought. I read through all the others areas that are listed and I would say I agree with most of what it says. Maybe I should start reading my daily horoscope!
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Day 6: 30 Facts
30 Interesting Facts About Myself
1. I graduated high school the day before my 17th birthday.
2. I once hit a deer at 75 mph and didn't stop the car until I got to work.
3. Technically, I have 5 brothers. (not counting the three in-laws)
4. I attended 5 different elementary schools.
5. I watch teenager-ish shows/movies. (Secret Life) They are my guilty pleasure.
6. I never enjoyed reading until the last five years or so.
7. I was terrified to become a stay at home mom. Now I can say it's was one of the biggest blessings!
8. I love going to see live music! Small bars or big concerts...It's all good.
9. I have owned more pets than I can count. (I grew up with country cats and dogs. Don't judge!)
10. I have been trying to color my hair back to my natural color to a few years now. It's not possible.
11. At 14, I hiked to the bottom & back out of the Grand Canyon. Thought I was going to die, but I would do it again!
12. Watching hoarders makes me want to purge my house of any unused junk.
13. Dirty Dancing is my favorite movie and I was in love with Swayze when I a kid. (Before NKOTB that is!)
14. I love to dance when no one is watching. (Not Dirty Dancing style!)
15. I had my son at the exact same age as when my mother had me. (Even down to the month!)
16. I have a step son that is half my age, who rocks by the way.
17. I grew up thinking that all divorced parents were good friends, even after remarrying.
18. People sleeping on the couch is a pet peeve of mine.
19. I enjoy sleeping on the couch. (Haha! Yes, this drives Derik crazy because I don't let anyone else do it.)
20. I hate unloading the dishwasher. Don't mind loading it. Just don't make me put them away!
21. I'm the PTA President at my son's school and I'm darn good at it.
22. I was the definition of a wall flower in high school.
23. Public speaking used to terrify me! Not sure how I conquered this, but it really doesn't phase me at all anymore.
24. I would love to build a house in the country and own some horses.
25. I love love love my dogs, but I think about getting rid of them almost daily.
26. I wish I was a cat person instead of a dog person.
27. I have a daily cleaning schedule that I follow with to keep the house clean now that I work. I didn't clean today. Oops!
28. Hot Tamales are my absolute favorite candy!
29. I really want to be a good runner, someone that runs every day because they love it. But I'm not and I don't.
30. I have been to 25 states so far.
Wow! That is difficult. Not all interesting, but all true.
1. I graduated high school the day before my 17th birthday.
2. I once hit a deer at 75 mph and didn't stop the car until I got to work.
3. Technically, I have 5 brothers. (not counting the three in-laws)
4. I attended 5 different elementary schools.
5. I watch teenager-ish shows/movies. (Secret Life) They are my guilty pleasure.
6. I never enjoyed reading until the last five years or so.
7. I was terrified to become a stay at home mom. Now I can say it's was one of the biggest blessings!
8. I love going to see live music! Small bars or big concerts...It's all good.
9. I have owned more pets than I can count. (I grew up with country cats and dogs. Don't judge!)
10. I have been trying to color my hair back to my natural color to a few years now. It's not possible.
11. At 14, I hiked to the bottom & back out of the Grand Canyon. Thought I was going to die, but I would do it again!
12. Watching hoarders makes me want to purge my house of any unused junk.
13. Dirty Dancing is my favorite movie and I was in love with Swayze when I a kid. (Before NKOTB that is!)
14. I love to dance when no one is watching. (Not Dirty Dancing style!)
15. I had my son at the exact same age as when my mother had me. (Even down to the month!)
16. I have a step son that is half my age, who rocks by the way.
17. I grew up thinking that all divorced parents were good friends, even after remarrying.
18. People sleeping on the couch is a pet peeve of mine.
19. I enjoy sleeping on the couch. (Haha! Yes, this drives Derik crazy because I don't let anyone else do it.)
20. I hate unloading the dishwasher. Don't mind loading it. Just don't make me put them away!
21. I'm the PTA President at my son's school and I'm darn good at it.
22. I was the definition of a wall flower in high school.
23. Public speaking used to terrify me! Not sure how I conquered this, but it really doesn't phase me at all anymore.
24. I would love to build a house in the country and own some horses.
25. I love love love my dogs, but I think about getting rid of them almost daily.
26. I wish I was a cat person instead of a dog person.
27. I have a daily cleaning schedule that I follow with to keep the house clean now that I work. I didn't clean today. Oops!
28. Hot Tamales are my absolute favorite candy!
29. I really want to be a good runner, someone that runs every day because they love it. But I'm not and I don't.
30. I have been to 25 states so far.
Wow! That is difficult. Not all interesting, but all true.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Blog Challenge Day 5
Okay, so I am a little behind. No surprise there, huh?
Day 5 of this Blog Challenge says "A Time You Thought About Ending Your Own Life".
I cannot recall a time in my life that I ever felt lost or desperate enough to even consider it. There have been bad times and I have plenty of regrets, but I don't think I have ever considered it. I think that goes back to being a child taught that God would never put more on you than you can handle. I have always thought that suicide was an indication of lost faith and giving up on God. While I have had times that I doubted and even times I felt God was not looking out for me, I don't think I could ever completely give up hope and go there.
Hope this whole daily blog thing gets a little more uplifting soon. Not much fun so far.
Day 5 of this Blog Challenge says "A Time You Thought About Ending Your Own Life".
I cannot recall a time in my life that I ever felt lost or desperate enough to even consider it. There have been bad times and I have plenty of regrets, but I don't think I have ever considered it. I think that goes back to being a child taught that God would never put more on you than you can handle. I have always thought that suicide was an indication of lost faith and giving up on God. While I have had times that I doubted and even times I felt God was not looking out for me, I don't think I could ever completely give up hope and go there.
Hope this whole daily blog thing gets a little more uplifting soon. Not much fun so far.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
BC Day 4: Religion
I'm a Christian.
I have attended Baptist churches as a child and as an adult. I was out of church for my teens and early twenties. I am saved, have been baptized (twice, but that's another story). My husband became a believer in 2004. Braden is also saved and was baptized almost two years ago.
I have blogged about my spiritual walk in the past. I need work, as we all do. Lately more so though.
This is a way bigger subject that I have the energy or time for today.
I have attended Baptist churches as a child and as an adult. I was out of church for my teens and early twenties. I am saved, have been baptized (twice, but that's another story). My husband became a believer in 2004. Braden is also saved and was baptized almost two years ago.
I have blogged about my spiritual walk in the past. I need work, as we all do. Lately more so though.
This is a way bigger subject that I have the energy or time for today.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
BC Day 3: Drugs & Alcohol
It's late. Long day. Going to keep this short.
Drugs are bad. Illegal. Don't do them. I could elaborate about experiences and the dangers of drugs, even "gateway drugs" like pot, but it's late. I hope my kids make wise choices and avoid the trouble of finding out for themselves what kind of trouble drugs can bring you.
Alcohol is an adult beverage that should be consumed responsibly. Again, I hope my kids wait until they are adults and then choose to consume wisely.
Not a day goes by that there isn't something in the news demonstrating the pitfalls that drugs and alcohol can bring. This is a no brainer. Not enjoying the blog challenge today. Maybe I'm just tired and cranky. Bedtime!
Drugs are bad. Illegal. Don't do them. I could elaborate about experiences and the dangers of drugs, even "gateway drugs" like pot, but it's late. I hope my kids make wise choices and avoid the trouble of finding out for themselves what kind of trouble drugs can bring you.
Alcohol is an adult beverage that should be consumed responsibly. Again, I hope my kids wait until they are adults and then choose to consume wisely.
Not a day goes by that there isn't something in the news demonstrating the pitfalls that drugs and alcohol can bring. This is a no brainer. Not enjoying the blog challenge today. Maybe I'm just tired and cranky. Bedtime!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Day 2: 10 Years From Now
Where do I want to be in 10 years?
Still happily married to my sweet and wonderful husband, but enjoying a lot more time together.
Have Braden in college with Dustin and Seth both in a satisfying career.
Debt free, with the exception of the mortgage and maybe a single car.
Still working for CISD in a position that makes me feel good about myself & allows me to help others everyday.
Hmmmm....
Definitely thinner or at least more fit. It would be fantastic to have completed a couple 5Ks by then. And to have hiked the Grand Canyon with my husband and boys. Derik has lots of hiking goals that require me to be in better shape, which is something I need to be anyway.
I guess I'm pretty happy with my current life. So other than paying off debt, I don't have any radical changes or crazy goals for the next ten years. Just want things to stay as good as they are now or keep getting better!
Still happily married to my sweet and wonderful husband, but enjoying a lot more time together.
Have Braden in college with Dustin and Seth both in a satisfying career.
Debt free, with the exception of the mortgage and maybe a single car.
Still working for CISD in a position that makes me feel good about myself & allows me to help others everyday.
Hmmmm....
Definitely thinner or at least more fit. It would be fantastic to have completed a couple 5Ks by then. And to have hiked the Grand Canyon with my husband and boys. Derik has lots of hiking goals that require me to be in better shape, which is something I need to be anyway.
I guess I'm pretty happy with my current life. So other than paying off debt, I don't have any radical changes or crazy goals for the next ten years. Just want things to stay as good as they are now or keep getting better!
Monday, August 13, 2012
Blog Challenge Day 1
So I'm a day late! I'm a dollar short too. Nothing new. Here we go. Day 1 is to discuss your current relationship.
I am married. I have been married to Derik for almost eleven years. We have been together for almost thirteen. We have a great marriage. It hasn't always been great, or even good, but right now it is great.
I think there are a couple reasons it is great right now. Mostly because I am married to a very loving and considerate man. Even when I don't deserve it, he is loving and forgiving. Sometime in the past year I have come to adopt a new way of thinking.
Somewhere I read these two statements and they rang true to me:
"The grass is greener where you water it."
and
No matter how long you have been married, you should "date your husband".
For many years, I was always thinking the grass was greener was elsewhere. Not that I wasn't happy with my husband, but it was the idea of always wanting more or better or different. When are you are always wanting or waiting for something more, you cannot be very happy with what and who you have now. So I have been mentally working on being content. Praying for contentment.
The other idea of "dating your husband" sounds simple, but after I really considered what all it entailed, I realized I had let many of the things you do when dating fall by the wayside over the years. I began leaving little sweet notes for my husband again. I try to make sure I look good when he comes home or if we are going somewhere together. No more endless yoga pant and pony tail days. I try to make sure when he comes home, that I greet him with a smile and a hug and kiss, instead of immediately dumping all the crappy parts of my day on him. I text him sweet, playful messages during the day. There are plenty of things, little considerations, that you give someone when you are first dating. I have just been trying to extend the same to my husband. Some days I do better than others and some days I stink at it. But overall, it's helping. I think Derik is happier in our marriage and I know that I am.
So my current relationship is a great marriage that I think will last another 50 years.
I am married. I have been married to Derik for almost eleven years. We have been together for almost thirteen. We have a great marriage. It hasn't always been great, or even good, but right now it is great.
I think there are a couple reasons it is great right now. Mostly because I am married to a very loving and considerate man. Even when I don't deserve it, he is loving and forgiving. Sometime in the past year I have come to adopt a new way of thinking.
Somewhere I read these two statements and they rang true to me:
"The grass is greener where you water it."
and
No matter how long you have been married, you should "date your husband".
For many years, I was always thinking the grass was greener was elsewhere. Not that I wasn't happy with my husband, but it was the idea of always wanting more or better or different. When are you are always wanting or waiting for something more, you cannot be very happy with what and who you have now. So I have been mentally working on being content. Praying for contentment.
The other idea of "dating your husband" sounds simple, but after I really considered what all it entailed, I realized I had let many of the things you do when dating fall by the wayside over the years. I began leaving little sweet notes for my husband again. I try to make sure I look good when he comes home or if we are going somewhere together. No more endless yoga pant and pony tail days. I try to make sure when he comes home, that I greet him with a smile and a hug and kiss, instead of immediately dumping all the crappy parts of my day on him. I text him sweet, playful messages during the day. There are plenty of things, little considerations, that you give someone when you are first dating. I have just been trying to extend the same to my husband. Some days I do better than others and some days I stink at it. But overall, it's helping. I think Derik is happier in our marriage and I know that I am.
So my current relationship is a great marriage that I think will last another 50 years.
The first picture is our first dance ever (Dec 2000) and the other is this summer in Arches National Park. We are still pretty hot I think! Haha!
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Vacation Pics
Four Corners
First stop in Arches
Grand Targhee Resort
Grand Tetons
Geothermal pools in Yellowstone
Grand Prismatic Pool
Beautiful waterfall
Cool kid with a cool statue
Roosevelt Arch
Lower Falls (worth the hike)
Playing in the snow on top of a mountain on the 4th of July
Mount Rushmore
Crazy Horse Monument
One fantastic trip!
Summer Update
Last post was in April. Ugh! I really stink at this. In my defense, I started working in April and it seems like it's been non-stop since then.
I started working HR for CISD in April, just part time. It's has made the summer fly by! I cannot believe that school starts in two weeks and I start full time in two days! I got a position at Arden, where I have been volunteering and subbing for the past four years. Of course, Braden isn't there anymore! He will start 5th grade at the Greenways Intermediate, where I am PTA President. Trying to stay involved despite working full time. We will see how that goes.
As I said, summer has flown by! Braden and I drove to Houston to pick up the boys the day after school let out in May. It was nice to start the summer with them here, instead of having to wait a week or two like we have in the past. Unfortunatley, Seth got a little homesick after 4 weeks and decided he wanted to go home at the end of June. We were all bummed, but he's 13. I am sure I ditched my dad and step-mom a lot when I was 13 and they only lived across town, not 600 miles away from all my friends.
The week after Seth we home to Houston, we went a on a week long epic vacation! (I know, we tried to convince him to stay at least for vacation but no!) We headed across New Mexico to Four Courners first. The kids got to be in four states at once for all of a minute because there was a line of people waiting to take photos and it was like 110 degrees in the shade! We snapped a few pics, shopped the Native American booths around the monument, and high-tailed it to the sweet air conditioning of the car. We headed for Moab, Utah. No particular reason we chose Moab, other than it was the furtherest we could drive on Day 1 and not end up in the middle of nowhere.
We stopped at Wilson's Arch just before getting into Moab and the kids were in awe! It was very cool to see such an amazing rock formation right off the side of the highway that we could climb without having to hike anywhere or pay anyone. We checked into our hotel in Moab and headed for the brewery so Derik could sample the local brews. The food was great, the whole outdoorsy-adventurous atmosphere was super cool. We were loving this little town!
The next morning, we got up with the sun and headed to Arches National Park. So amazing! It was picture perfect and the weather was mild in the morning. We took tons of pictures and hiked all the nearby arches, even climbing up a few places that Derik wasn't thrilled with. Dustin and Braden still say this was the best part of the trip. It was amazing to stand in the middle of a rock arch that had taken a hundred thousand years or longer to form. Amazing isn't a good enough word to describe this beautiful and awe-inspiring place. It was pure evidence of God's creation to us as nothing that terrific could be made without the intent of inspiring wonder and awe.
About noon, we headed northeast across Utah, through Salt Lake. We saw lots of Morman temples and even BYU along the way. In the heart of Mormon country, their temples can be seen from far away. They are gleaming bright white with tall spires pointing to the heavens. It was a long day in the car. We made it in to Idaho close to dinner time. The green rolling hills with mountains in the distance were beautiful. Finally just before dark, we drove over the state line into Wyoming (like 2 miles over the line, the area was referred to locally as Wydaho). We were staying at Grand Targhee Resort which is up a mountain at the end of the road. It is a ski resort and was almost deserted off season, which was great for us. No crowds here.
The next two days were spent exploring Yellowstone National Park. I will spare you the play by play or we will be here for days. We saw stunning waterfalls, including one that required a 600ft hike down switchbacks to view. I made it back up without a heart attack or piggy back ride so I felt accomplished. We walked a 3 mile track to view geyers and geothermal pools, which Braden was a little afraid of at first. He was picturing himself being boiled to death, melting flesh and all, should he trip and fall off the walkway. We saw Elk and Bison, up close and personal. We drove to the original entrance that Teddy Roosevelt had built. Spent sometime in West Yellowston, Montana eating Mad Dogs (a delicious concoction of a brat dog and brisket that I will be duplicating at home) and checking out the bears and wolves in the wildlife refuge center. It was A LOT of driving in two days. The entire week was A LOT of driving!
After two days at Yellowstone, we were ready to move on. We headed west across Wyoming, the most desolate state in the union. Hours and hours of driving with only a couple gas stations along the way. It was beaufiful but lonely. We did pass directly by a strip mining facitility, where saw warning signs about 'orange clouds'. When we got to an area with good signal, I googled it and found out that strip mining produces poisonous orange clouds that are toxic and should be avoided at all costs. Glad we didn't drive through one! We finally made it to the Black Hills of South Dakota by that evening, found a hotel and some good dinner.
The next morning, we headed to Mount Rushmore. Awesome! I would recommend everyone visit once. For me, it didn't inspire any deep patriotic feelings, but the amazing feat of the men who built this without our modern technology were inspiring. It is very cool. We also saw the Crazy Horse Monument, which once finished will be three times the size of Rushmore. (If they ever finish it!) Be warned that everything at Crazy Horse costs you! It was obvious that they are still tryin to raise funds to work on the monument. Braden thought this was the coolest though. The whole area of the Black Hills has so much to offer. The towns are quaint, lots of shopping, and plenty for kids to do too. Had we known how much there was there, we would have waited and done a separate trip there. I can guarantee we will go back to spend more time in this area.
The final day of driving south, back to Amarillo, was LONG and BORING! 12 hours in the car on two lane highways through Nebraska, eastern Colorado, and the Oklahoma & Texas panhandles. I wouldn't suggest that drive to anyone! Ugh! As much as we wanted vacation to last forever, we were all ready to get out of the car when we reached the house. It was a great trip. 3,400 miles in total. We learned that we can all enjoy each other for a week, even in close quarters, but maybe not for much longer than that. We also learned that we would rather spend more time in one place than drive so far and try to fit so much in. Good lessons learned and we look forward to even better vacations in the future!
I'll post some pictures of the trip soon.
Dustin stayed another two weeks after vacation. Braden was sad when he left, but he has done well (better than past summers). Braden did a two week introductory tennis class at AC and thinks he might want to continue lessons once school starts. Dustin's been busy with friends and football since going home and we haven't heard much from him.
I was hoping for one last get-away before I start full time, but it wasn't in the cards. So I am enjoying this weekend, slept in yesterday and got up for a workout and dog walk this morning. Thinking maybe some pool time is in order. I am feeling the need to savor the last bit of summer.
I am going to start a 30 day blog challenge. Hoping I can stick with it and post daily at least through the challenge. We'll see how that goes. I don't have a good track record.
I started working HR for CISD in April, just part time. It's has made the summer fly by! I cannot believe that school starts in two weeks and I start full time in two days! I got a position at Arden, where I have been volunteering and subbing for the past four years. Of course, Braden isn't there anymore! He will start 5th grade at the Greenways Intermediate, where I am PTA President. Trying to stay involved despite working full time. We will see how that goes.
As I said, summer has flown by! Braden and I drove to Houston to pick up the boys the day after school let out in May. It was nice to start the summer with them here, instead of having to wait a week or two like we have in the past. Unfortunatley, Seth got a little homesick after 4 weeks and decided he wanted to go home at the end of June. We were all bummed, but he's 13. I am sure I ditched my dad and step-mom a lot when I was 13 and they only lived across town, not 600 miles away from all my friends.
The week after Seth we home to Houston, we went a on a week long epic vacation! (I know, we tried to convince him to stay at least for vacation but no!) We headed across New Mexico to Four Courners first. The kids got to be in four states at once for all of a minute because there was a line of people waiting to take photos and it was like 110 degrees in the shade! We snapped a few pics, shopped the Native American booths around the monument, and high-tailed it to the sweet air conditioning of the car. We headed for Moab, Utah. No particular reason we chose Moab, other than it was the furtherest we could drive on Day 1 and not end up in the middle of nowhere.
We stopped at Wilson's Arch just before getting into Moab and the kids were in awe! It was very cool to see such an amazing rock formation right off the side of the highway that we could climb without having to hike anywhere or pay anyone. We checked into our hotel in Moab and headed for the brewery so Derik could sample the local brews. The food was great, the whole outdoorsy-adventurous atmosphere was super cool. We were loving this little town!
The next morning, we got up with the sun and headed to Arches National Park. So amazing! It was picture perfect and the weather was mild in the morning. We took tons of pictures and hiked all the nearby arches, even climbing up a few places that Derik wasn't thrilled with. Dustin and Braden still say this was the best part of the trip. It was amazing to stand in the middle of a rock arch that had taken a hundred thousand years or longer to form. Amazing isn't a good enough word to describe this beautiful and awe-inspiring place. It was pure evidence of God's creation to us as nothing that terrific could be made without the intent of inspiring wonder and awe.
About noon, we headed northeast across Utah, through Salt Lake. We saw lots of Morman temples and even BYU along the way. In the heart of Mormon country, their temples can be seen from far away. They are gleaming bright white with tall spires pointing to the heavens. It was a long day in the car. We made it in to Idaho close to dinner time. The green rolling hills with mountains in the distance were beautiful. Finally just before dark, we drove over the state line into Wyoming (like 2 miles over the line, the area was referred to locally as Wydaho). We were staying at Grand Targhee Resort which is up a mountain at the end of the road. It is a ski resort and was almost deserted off season, which was great for us. No crowds here.
The next two days were spent exploring Yellowstone National Park. I will spare you the play by play or we will be here for days. We saw stunning waterfalls, including one that required a 600ft hike down switchbacks to view. I made it back up without a heart attack or piggy back ride so I felt accomplished. We walked a 3 mile track to view geyers and geothermal pools, which Braden was a little afraid of at first. He was picturing himself being boiled to death, melting flesh and all, should he trip and fall off the walkway. We saw Elk and Bison, up close and personal. We drove to the original entrance that Teddy Roosevelt had built. Spent sometime in West Yellowston, Montana eating Mad Dogs (a delicious concoction of a brat dog and brisket that I will be duplicating at home) and checking out the bears and wolves in the wildlife refuge center. It was A LOT of driving in two days. The entire week was A LOT of driving!
After two days at Yellowstone, we were ready to move on. We headed west across Wyoming, the most desolate state in the union. Hours and hours of driving with only a couple gas stations along the way. It was beaufiful but lonely. We did pass directly by a strip mining facitility, where saw warning signs about 'orange clouds'. When we got to an area with good signal, I googled it and found out that strip mining produces poisonous orange clouds that are toxic and should be avoided at all costs. Glad we didn't drive through one! We finally made it to the Black Hills of South Dakota by that evening, found a hotel and some good dinner.
The next morning, we headed to Mount Rushmore. Awesome! I would recommend everyone visit once. For me, it didn't inspire any deep patriotic feelings, but the amazing feat of the men who built this without our modern technology were inspiring. It is very cool. We also saw the Crazy Horse Monument, which once finished will be three times the size of Rushmore. (If they ever finish it!) Be warned that everything at Crazy Horse costs you! It was obvious that they are still tryin to raise funds to work on the monument. Braden thought this was the coolest though. The whole area of the Black Hills has so much to offer. The towns are quaint, lots of shopping, and plenty for kids to do too. Had we known how much there was there, we would have waited and done a separate trip there. I can guarantee we will go back to spend more time in this area.
The final day of driving south, back to Amarillo, was LONG and BORING! 12 hours in the car on two lane highways through Nebraska, eastern Colorado, and the Oklahoma & Texas panhandles. I wouldn't suggest that drive to anyone! Ugh! As much as we wanted vacation to last forever, we were all ready to get out of the car when we reached the house. It was a great trip. 3,400 miles in total. We learned that we can all enjoy each other for a week, even in close quarters, but maybe not for much longer than that. We also learned that we would rather spend more time in one place than drive so far and try to fit so much in. Good lessons learned and we look forward to even better vacations in the future!
I'll post some pictures of the trip soon.
Dustin stayed another two weeks after vacation. Braden was sad when he left, but he has done well (better than past summers). Braden did a two week introductory tennis class at AC and thinks he might want to continue lessons once school starts. Dustin's been busy with friends and football since going home and we haven't heard much from him.
I was hoping for one last get-away before I start full time, but it wasn't in the cards. So I am enjoying this weekend, slept in yesterday and got up for a workout and dog walk this morning. Thinking maybe some pool time is in order. I am feeling the need to savor the last bit of summer.
I am going to start a 30 day blog challenge. Hoping I can stick with it and post daily at least through the challenge. We'll see how that goes. I don't have a good track record.
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