Our Adventure out West! Week 2
Sunday was church and it was great to go with family. We spent the rest of the day talking and watching the Olympics. Then Tristan (my nephew) and his wife came over for dinner and it was great to see them. We missed Chandler because he was at the beach while we were there and then had to work and Bradley had already left for West Point (and Ethan is on his mission) so out of 31 family members on both sides we saw 28 of them this summer. Not bad! The three of us sisters even went over to visit another aunt that night for about an hour so I also got to see two of my aunts this trip as well.
Monday our family went to This is the Place Heritage park. I had never been there before and it is very close to Cindy's house so we decided to check it out and we had a great time. We pulled hand carts, imprinted leather, did pony rides, played at a fun park, saw a tinsmith and blacksmith at work, helped a lady card and spin wool thread, made arrowhead necklaces, the kids panned for gold and we got delicious fresh doughnuts. It was a fun place and a great Utah experience. We went back to Cindy's to chill for a bit and pick up Abbey then we went to North Salt Lake to a bounce house place that Christina had free tickets for so we all got in for free. Lily and Abbey got a bit bored but the other kids had a great time bouncing around for an hour and a half and I was happy to see my friends again and get to talk some more. Josh went and hiked Ensign Peak while we were there and also had a great time. We dropped Abbey off at soccer tryouts and then had pizza with Cindy and got packed up.
Tuesday morning we said goodbye to Cindy's family (Debbie had flown out the day before) and got back in the car, this time to head east. Wyoming is not my favorite state to drive through and there is literally nothing for hundreds of miles. We told the kids we would get some lunch and then seriously didn't pass a fast food restaurant in the entire state. But Josh drove fast and we made good time to the house in Tabernash, Colorado where we met up with my in-laws. It wasn't the best location but it worked. We just hung out and had dinner that night and watched gymnastics.
Wednesday we went to Grand Lake and it was beautiful. My in-laws came with us to do a "hike" that was just over a mile but went up to a waterfall. It was really so beautiful and was a highlight for me. It was easy enough that the kids did it without complaining but it was really pretty and I love moving water (creeks, rivers, oceans, waterfalls). Then we walked around the little town for awhile and it was super cute. We got ice cream, bought some t-shirts and then went down to the small beach area. It was pretty cold water but we all eventually jumped in and it was refreshing and fun. Josh and Curtis were going to do a synchronous jump (like driving in the Olympics, complete with the prancing steps beforehand) but Curtis faked Josh out and he went in alone. It was pretty funny but later they did jump in together. It was a beautiful day! We also had family pictures that night and while I wasn't super impressed with the photographer, it will be nice to have a few good pictures of the kids and our family. Everyone was cooperative and we celebrated with fudge when we got back.
Thursday we decided to go back to Grand Lake and this time Zac and Amanda and the little kids came with us. It is tough to find things the whole family can do together with such little kids who needs naps and can't do much so we decided to go back to the beach area. They played pretty well and then my father-in-law rented a pontoon boat for an hour so we went out on it and I loved it. The lake is pretty small so we went around it a few times and looked at all the beautiful houses. The kids tried to jump in (Josh and Nikki did too) but the water was super cold (later we found out it was only 52 degrees!) so that didn't last long, The kids all took turns driving and it was just lovely to be out on the water. We went back to the house in the late afternoon to change and then we went horseback riding. Josh's dad took Brandon on a pony ride and the rest of us (5 of us plus Nikki) did an hour-long trail ride. I was a bit nervous at first because my horse seemed prone to wander but once we got going he did great. Emma was so brave and she loved it, though everyone enjoyed it. No wildlife sightings but it was pretty and fun to explore the mountainside on a horse.
Friday we packed up (yet again--four different houses/beds in two weeks) and headed out. We went to Idaho Springs for a nice lunch to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday and walked around the cute town. We went to a park and saw lots of river rafters going by. Then we drove back to their house near Denver but I wasn't feeling great when we got there so I laid down and I think fell asleep for a bit. When I got up we had cake and ice cream and watched more Olympics.
Saturday we went for a walk and played a park for a bit and Zac and his family came to meet us. Then we said goodbye and got packed up and headed for the airport. Josh had noticed a problem with our flight to Atlanta--it was going to be late because it had to fly around a weather system so we were going to miss our connection. We waited in line and expected to be rerouted or helped in some way but she basically said sorry, the best I can do is book you for Monday. That was super frustrating and I was pretty mad. We just wanted to go home and there was nothing they would/could do for us. So they booked us for a stupid flight Monday afternoon, the kids and I found a spot to hang out, Josh went to look at other airlines and I was checking Southwest online. I found a better flight on Monday (earlier and direct) so we were able to change to that one but couldn't get anything for Saturday or Sunday. So, we called my in-laws and they drove back the 40 minutes to pick us up, they reset up all our beds since we had cleaned it all up before we left and we stayed until Monday. I was pretty upset but really it was just Josh that was going to have to pay the price for missing more church and work. I was more mad that they were so unhelpful, unapologetic and felt no responsibility for the situation. But, we made the most of the time and went out for a special Colorado pizza Saturday night with everyone.
Sunday we went back to church and then chilled in the afternoon before heading over to Zac's for another cookout. My niece was so happy to see her big cousins again and it was a nice and relaxing day. Then we went back, got packed up, again, and got to bed since we had to be up at 5am to catch our flight. Monday we got up and got to the airport, checked in and through security, got breakfast and then walked on the plane. Our flight was smooth and quick and we ended up being home by 4pm. Josh went straight to work and I unpacked, did laundry, took the kids to Potbelly, went to Target and BJs then got everyone in bed.
It felt good to be home after so long but we had a fantastic trip. The kids were so good and did a great job of keeping track of their stuff. We didn't lose anything or leave anything behind. There was minimal complaining (except about our Boulder adventure) and everyone slept pretty well. We had wonderful family time and loved seeing so many aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. The kids were up for all our adventuring and surprisingly enjoyed it all. We were so well taken care of and fed and we felt very successful in introducing our kids to the west. It was great to re-establish relationships with our family and some friends and all in all, we came home feeling happy and refreshed.
What an amazing vacation! I am glad you were able to spend so much time with family and friends in the west. (and, unrelated, but of course I did not eat any onions :)
ReplyDeleteSo glad you were able to have so many fun experiences with family. It looks like everyone had fun!
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