Friday Night

One husband mowing at the farm hopefully doing what he wants to do.  Two kids at a high school football game doing what they want to do. Two more kids playing on a school play ground and NOT going to a high school football game. Very obviously doing what the prefer to do. 

Me?  Enjoying the peaceful moment. 

Happy Friday!!

Potato Harvest and Barn Building

Sunday John and I spent a few hours working in the garden and orchard. 

A lot of our time was spent digging taters. 

I hate digging potatoes.  A lot. 

But I like the bounty we harvested. We dug probably fifty pounds of potatoes. I see pots of potato soup in our future. 

Come visit. I'll share. 

Also I have good news to report. 

Our barn is finally starting to look like a barn. 

See?

Our builder says we are quite the talk of the neighbors. No one can believe we went to the trouble to build a board and batten barn anymore. 

Obviously someone still builds board and batten. Namely us. 

Can't wait to see it done....walls painted with stalls and doors in place. I'm getting excited to see this project finished!

Play Ball!

Beautiful night for a game. 

Back to school!

Yesterday was the first day of school. Everyone survived and seems to be off to a good start. 

Grace and grant were excited to see friends and meet their teachers. Grace is starting fifth grade. Grant is in third grade. 

John and Emily are not quite so excited to start their junior year of high school. Early mornings make for a rough start to the year. 

Today sitting in a doctor's office after school....

Yes. I took their picture before I woke them up. 

Life will never be the same

Just sayin'. 

Finally got their licenses yesterday. We tried last week but we did not have an original birth certificate.  Details!  We went back for a second attempt Monday. John got his license, but it took a third trip for Emily to get her license. She couldn't pass the vision test without her glasses. So three trips and twenty dollars later they are both legal drivers.  Please pass the Valium. 

Emily and I drove around the neighborhood last night. She did very well other than the six pretend pedestrians and one very real dog she almost ran over. We need to work on what coming to a full stop actually means. 

John was busy doing the homework that is due on the first day of school tomorrow. He didn't want to drive any last night. I think driving so much at the farm has taken some of the sparkle off of getting a license. 

Today we celebrate the last day of summer. We are at the water park with friends playing and having one last summer fling. Tomorrow it is back to the grind as they crack open the books for a new year of learning. 

Happy Tuesday!

Getting Closer!

Petrified Forest National Park 

Last park we visited on this trip. We were there on Saturday as we made our way east to Albuquerque. 

Sunday morning we left bright and early. 

Not early enough though.

Grant and Grace found just enough time to play in the playground sand pile after breakfast.  This necessitated a trip to the showers before getting in the truck. 

A long day of driving through New Mexico and Texas to our next destination in Oklahoma City was made even longer when the A/C in the truck decided to take a little vacation of its own. No A/C through one of the hottest areas we have driven this trip. I was very proud of the kids. There was very little grumbling about the heat. Most of it probably came from me too!

Tonight we cooled off in a beautiful KOA and enjoyed one last vacation swim. 

Fun Stuff

Sister love

Camp cooking

Birthday celebration 

Lunchtime in Flagstaff

Petrified Forest paleontology play zone

Panning for gold in Williams, Arizona

Happy Sunday!

Week Two

 Mesa Verde National Park

Durango Train Museum

Arches National Park

HooDoos  weird name  even weirder formation

Tunnel located on road between Bryce and Zion Canyon ..... 1.1 mile long tunnel..... we had to have the tunnel shut down from the other direction because dual trucks won't fit in a single lane in the tunnel.  We got the tunnel all to ourselves.  It had some beautiful openings where we could see out into the canyon as we drove through the tunnel.

Zion Canyon had to rank up high on our list of favorite places to see.  It was so different from the other places.  Hard to see in pictures, but the rock formations were massive and beautiful.

Here we are wading in that wonderful slot canyon in Zion Park.

Gilley's Restaurant in Vegas

David took us to a custom car shop that is featured on The History Channel.   Count's Customs is the name of the shop.  We walked through and looked at many cars in his personal collection.

Elk entering Grand Canyon Park

Relaxing around a campfire after a long day hiking the parks.

Friday was a fun day playing in Flagstaff, Arizona.  The kids navigated an extreme ropes course that challenged them both physically and mentally.  Grace and Grant did the kid course. John and Emily were old enough to do the adult course that covered five progressive skill levels.  After almost three hours, we pulled them off the course at the end of level four.  They were both wanting to do the fifth level, but it was getting late in the evening.

We are now headed eastbound.  Today was our last stop at a national park.  We visited the Petrified Forest National Park and the Painted Desert National Park near the Arizona border.  Tonight we are stopped in Albuquerque on our was back to the beloved midwest.  


I hope you aren't tired of reading about our travels.  We have had such a great time. We have seen so many amazing things and learned a great deal about our amazing country.  We truly live in the greatest country on earth.

Goodnight!  See you in a few days!