traveled

Hello One and All:

I have been trying for a few weeks now to sit down and tell you all about our trip through Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington all in two weeks.  Perhaps today will be the day that I actually start to fill you all in on the details!   

The journey started here:

 Monday, September 17^th

We packed up our rented class C RV and made a mad dash to Yellowstone Park.  The Daddy-O or I had never been there so we figured since we were already going that far north we should stop there first.  We arrived there on Wednesday.

While in route there we made a few stops…

Utah
To enjoy the changing of the season

 

Afton, Wyoming
To have some lunch

 

Jackson, Wyoming
To say “I’ve (finally) been to Jackson, Wyoming."

This three day drive was long and exhausting.  I had no idea it was going to be this exhausting either.  I just looked at the RV as a home with wheels…”what could be so exhausting?”  Every night as soon as the engine turned off I was passed out.  I think the poor Daddy-O was hoping to have some more available alone time with me but not once during this trip did we share a bed.

We arrived in Yellowstone Wednesday night.  Right across from our camp site someone had built this cool fort out of the fallen trees. 

 

Of course our two wasted no time discovering the in's and out's and adding their own piece to the fort puzzle.  

Yellowstone in all was a pretty cool place.  I am glad we made the decision to go there.  It was nice being in the RV because we could eat when we wanted to and we also could go potty as needed.  I think taking two small children in an car without the easy access of a potty would have been trying.  At the same time though I feel the RV might have been a tad limiting because of the size of it. 

For me personally the coolest spot in Yellowstone was Mammoth Hot Springs because of this....

 and this...

 Oh, and this guy...

 

The most amazing spot for me was what is called the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone....

 

 

 

 

My most memorable moment would be the "hike" Bug and I took around one of the sulphur hot springs.

 

 

The best photo taken...

The sun rising and reflecting off of Yellowstone Lake.

 

We only allowed ourselves one full day to travel through Yellowstone.  We know we missed a bunch but at this time in our lives I think we are happy with what we saw.

Phew...I finally have the first post done about or trip.  I hope I can post more soon before too much more time passes.  I am excited to share with you our time in Grangeville, Id.  Hopefully, one day that will be our new home.

right now::

right now::  I am watching and waiting for the steel cuts oats to be done so I can eat breakfast...recipe

right now::  I am wondering when I'll ever get the blog posts done about our trip to Idaho...

right now::  I am gathering recipes for the 38lbs of granny smith apples that will show up tomorrow...

right now::  I have one trick-or-treat bag done and two more to go...pattern here

right now::  I am missing this sweet little spot in Grangeville...

 

 

 

 

 

right now::  I am thankful that the night time weaning of Squish is getting better.

 

right now::  I am looking forward to getting rest at night again.  It's only been four years or so.

 

right now::  Breakfast is starting to come together so I should end this post so I can feed my hungry family.



finished

I have a few blog posts in the queue but I wanted to jump ahead in the order and share with you what I did today. 

Today my sisters and my brother-in-law, C.A.M.P.'D., competed in a 3 mile mud run put on by the folks of Terrain Mud Run.  This was the first for a few things...My first run in years, my first mud run (and not my last), my first run with ALL my sisters, and my first run that ALL of my family attended.

C.A.M.P.'D

L to R:  Me, Chrissy, Dan (the BiL), Michelle, Patti

 

Of course that is the BEFORE photo.

 

Before we had jump over four hurdles, before the barb wired water pit we had to climb through, before the tires we had to run through, before the net we had to climb over, before the giant wooden spools we had to jump over, before the four giant walls we had to climb up and over, before the one really big giant wall we had to climb over, the blue barrels to walk over, the numerous mud pits we had to climb/swim/ walk through before the monkey bars I failed at, before the giant roll off dumpster that was filled to the TOP with water that you swim through to slide down to the finish.  I am sure I forgot an obstacle or two but you get the point. 

 

It was a lot of fun and a great challenge.  Dan ran ahead, Patti and I completed in just under an hour and Chrissy and Michelle brought up the rear.

 

Waiting for the starting pistol to be fired...

 

Patti and I about half way through the course...

 

 BiL killing the monkey bars...

 

Patti and I admitting defeat at the monkey bars...

 

Patti and I ready to swim through the roll off dumpster...

 

 Down goes Patti and I am next in line...

 

There I go....

 

Receivng my finishing award...

 

Here comes Chrissy and Michelle... 

 

Somehow I missed getting the "end" shot of us five but we basically all looked like drowned cats.  Clean drowned cats at that.  This was by far the funniest run I have ever done and I look forward to doing the next one.

 

I want to give a HUGE thanks to my Hubby and the kids for coming out to support me and I would also like to thank my mom and pops for coming out and supporting us as well.  THANK YOU GUYS!  I LOVE YOU ALL!

 

refreshed

I am taking a small break from sewing tonight to give you a little update.

Last weekend the fam-dam-li-o packed up the travel trailer and headed for Roosevelt lake.  You see we weren't no dummies when we decided to buy this trailer because we have some really awesome friends who happen to own a boat.  We bring the A/C and crapper and they bring the weekend fun. 

I have lots of good memories of my own growing up on the lakes here in Southern AZ.  Like, lets say the time my dad thought it was good idea to make all four of his YOUNG kids walk ALL.THE.WAY.AROUND. Patagonia lake.  Those were good times.

I have to tell you how happy we were when we released the kids from the cab of the truck and they both ran into the lake with no reservations. 

This was our home away from home spot. It was perfect.

Told ya! They wasted no time.

Squish also wasted no time tasting the dirt here.  His culinary delights is sampling dirt.

Bug also wasted no time in perfecting his skill....climbing

These lower lakes....Roosevelt, Apache and Canyon are so beautiful.

Here we are Saturday morning waiting for the boat friends to show up.

Not only did my kids have no reservations about playing in the water when they can stand in it but they also had no reservations about being in the water when they only could float.  If that boat was stopped both boys wanted to be in the water ASAP.

 Want to know what's better then a boat to a three and one year old?  Jet skis.  And really super fast ones at that.

 Want to know the best thing about camping....naked babies running loose.

Want to know what's better then a boat AND really super fast jet skis?  An inner tube being pulled behind a boat.

A TON of great memories were made and we can't wait to go back!

missing - explaining - thrifting

In case you haven't noticed most of my posts recently have all had one word for the posting title.  I am kind of enjoying the simplicity of it.  Today, though this post couldn't be summed up into one word so I chose to use three simple words to describe the last 24 hours. 

MISSING....

Our last 24 hours started here...

The Daddy-O's beloved Grandmother passed away four years ago this month.  Bug was just a tiny life growing in my belly then.  I was near the end of my first trimester.  I had the pleasure of letting her in on the secret of the babe in my belly a week before she passed.  I think it was just as hard as losing her as it was with my own grandmother. 

The Daddy-O and I have missed her immensely.  We all always take things for granted when we have them.  With the place that the Daddy-O and I are at in our life we sure could use Grandma and her great wisdom. 

EXPLAINING....

Bug and I have been having a lot of conversations lately trying to explain life, death, and God.  It's never easy trying to find the right 'simple' words to explain these things.  I've been to see Grandma a few times since she passed but I have never brought her new flowers and a flag. 

You see the Daddy-O's Grandfather passed long before I came into the family and as I have heard....Grandma liked to keep blue flowers and a flag on Grandpa's grave---blue; because it was his favorite color and the flag; because he was a veteran. 

Yesterday on a whim I packed up the kids and headed on over to Grandma to bring her some new flowers and a flag for Grandpa.   

Squish, though missed out on the fun. 

Now lets come forward to today. 

THRIFTING....

After I dropped the kids off at my parents house this morning I headed on over to my favorite thrift store, The Family Attic.  I hadn't been in there in a while and I was hoping to find some great fabric or bed sheets to add to my growing fabric collection. 

After browsing for awhile I found this buried...

"This" is the plate on the left--the one with flowers.  When Grandma died I was given her collection of these corelle dinner plates.  Instead of keeping them buried in a box I chose to use them.  To me it's like always keeping a little bit of her around.  Well, in using them three or four plates have been broken.  It saddens me but I would rather still have them there always in our presence.  I have thought about going from thrift store to thrift store trying to find them to replenish my collection but the thought of dragging two little boys around in the dead of summer has stopped me from doing so.   

So when I found this plate buried in a collection of other plates I took it as a sign from Grandma saying "thank you" for the flowers yesterday.  Maybe that's kind of corny but I miss her very much and I'll take any little sign (or plate) to let me know that she is still around. 

Here are some of my other thrifty finds....

A pastel blue and cheerfully pink and orange stripped flat sheets.  These will probably hang out in the travel trailer until I find a good use for them in a sewing project.

A 1984 version of Candyland.  HOLLER!!  The newer versions of the games I grew up with just aren't the same.

A late 1980's version of Aggravation.  This was a game my grandparents always had in their motor home and I have many fond memories of sitting in their motor home playing this game with my cousins, sisters and best of all--my Nana.