I am a fan of the road trip. Generally, it is very difficult for me to drive much of a distance without frequent naps, AND I don't enjoy roadtrips with children who can't be reasoned with or otherwise pacified by a movie or ten movies. Add that Chris is very limited in his vacation time in the summer especially, my roadtrip adventures before June/July 2012 did not really represent what it is that I am capable of when indulging my roadtrip self. Three weeks on the road with my children (and at times other choice company), sleeping in NINE different places, seeing countless friends and family members, celebrating the 4th of July, etc. definitely sums up what was for me, a great trip. Here's the detailed version!
First a few pics of the most volatile of my driving companions. We experienced several different emotions with Betsey, but for the most part, she was a total gem to travel with.
The trip was born when my folks said they were going to road trip to Utah for the Manti Pagent. I immediately thought I'd like to go along, and hoped maybe we could at times shift drivers around so that I wasn't facing the entire drive alone. This turned into my parents deciding to drive with me there, then rent a car to do their own excursioning before flying home at the end of their trip. You see, my mama doesn't like me behind the wheel on long trips...and she and my dad wound up making me think it was their best case scenario. True or not, it was my best case for all of us to pile into my van and make part of the trip together. AND I got to be with my dad for Father's Day (yes, that means that we were not with Chris that day, which was sad)!
We drove to Fruitland, ID to stay at Rick and Laurie's for a pit stop. We drove all day Saturday and then slept there that night, went to church there on Sunday and continued on our way. I had fun that Saturday night playing cards with some of the Farmer kids (I think only four of them were in town). So on Sunday, we were on our way by noon south to SLC.
Here are two pics of Fruitland. I didn't take many pics on this trip...my dad pushing Betsey on the swing in the Farmer's backyard and Ruby and Alice enjoying a homemade slip and slide with the Farmer kids (Kade and Claire) and their neighbors. It was a complete change of weather for us, so my kids had a BLAST, and fruitland is such a small town, they ran around a bit with little supervision and let's just say that Alice cried when we left because she wanted to stay there the whole time. It was sweet.
It was Father's Day and we took advantage of a Worldmark resort in Eden, UT (in the mountains not far from Ogden)to break up the drive and spend a nice Father's Day together. We got there around 4pm and had dinner and took the kids for a swim at the amazing pool they have there. We put Betsey down and played PIT all together, my folks and Ruby and Alice and I. It was nice and quiet and at this point, we were LOW on food...especially food the kids wanted to eat. We had a fun time joking that Oma was starving us, because she tends to be a health guru and even though she was the one who made us super yummy Carribean Stew for dinner, it was still the running joke.
On Monday, we checked out and went on to SLC. We dropped my parents off at the airport to rent a car and then headed for West Jordan where we planned to stay a few nights with Kerry McMullin and her fam. Somehow I knew that my cousin Trina was in town with her kids and I called her to see where they were and we were like two miles from each other, both ready for lunch and both in the car...so we met at Wendy's for lunch! Perfect! Here is Trey, Amaya (holding Bets), Ruby, Jadyn and Alice. It was fun to catch up with them as always.
We stayed three nights at Kerry's house. She was a great host in spite of having her own big family reunion trip planned for the day we departed...she was in charge of buying ALL the food for a HUGE family reunion! Anyway, I'm so glad we could be there and play with Lizzy, Joey and see Sam running around all grown up and adorable. I saw a few friends on Monday night for the Bachelor at Kerry's house, which was fun. I went to dinner one night with my old mission companion, Amy Smedley which could have stretched on for hours and hours longer had I not had the kids with me, it is always so much fun to catch up with her. Kerry also invited Monica and Mimi and their kids down to play in her neighborhood pool and stay for dinner. Monica couldn't stay, but Mimi and the kids did and it was wonderful to be all together! I would have loved to stay with Mimi as well, but she was still living with her parents at that time.
Here are Alice and Betsey on Joey's floor. The only pic I have of Kerry's house! Lame!!
I was very, very excited to meet up with LYNDSEY (6 months pregnant)!!! I hadn't seen her in at least 4 years...I guess since she was very pregnant with Lily...because I'd never even met Lily! Crazy. I never thought we'd go that long! She had moved from AZ after finishing her Masters in Occupational Therapy and she took a job in Saint George, UT to be close to her brother Ben, who has ALS. She works one week on and one week off, so we took advantage of her off week to meet in Manti, UT to camp! What a great idea, right? NOOOOOO! NOT A GOOD IDEA! The campground was reportedly FULL when we called to make reservations. It was the week of the big Manti Pageant and we were so relieved when we got reservations there for camping...even when they were full. Well...they put us up in this field where we had like a 12x12 spot with no water, no fire pit, nothing...just some grass and a few hundred tents all around us. It was over 100 degrees and we had NO SHADE. None. We thought we were going to be camping in the lap of luxury because the grounds had a pool and a restaurant...let's just say that a pool that is the size of some hot tubs (okay, it is bigger than a hot tub) crammed with fifty or so youth is NOT an ideal scene for any lap of luxury experience. Thank goodness for really good company! It was just Lynz, myself and our kids the first night and day. We were happily making the best of it, went out to eat in town and the next day we packed up a cooler and went to the city park which has an amazing semi-waterpark pool. We got all set up, even with our canopy for shade, and someone puked in the pool, evacuating us for the rest of the day...rather, the whole day. A hot, hot day. We swam at the park and made the best of it (we really were having a great time in spite of everything) and Mimi and her four kiddos rolled in that afternoon.
Yay for Mimi! I needed some time with her and was so bummed out that we couldn't slumber party in Midway, so she came down with the kids to join the "fun". She didn't have fun. Sammy and Mia were both a little sick and they didn't sleep well at all, so neither did she. She lasted 24 hours before understandably heading home where she could enjoy more comfort and the kids could actually get some sleep. Before they left we had 24 hours of interesting fun...
My air mattress was losing air quickly, so the kids had a great time jumping on it and launching each other off of it. Miss Mia happily playing with the mattress...
Alice already had chapped skin at this point. I must have bought three different lotions and five different sunscreens to try and keep her comfortable, but the girl just doesn't have skin that tolerates long term sun exposure. She is so dang cute in this shot...thanks to Mimi for bringing her camera!
There were happy moments for Mimi after her arrival...the moments you can enjoy when you don't know you have a sleepless night ahead of you!
Alice, Max, Ellie, Lily and Mia at play. Alice looks sad here, but there was no sadness...I think i tis just the timing of the shot.
Our tent city! Basically, the field was housing multiple youth conferences all around us. So we had TONS of young people all around, at one point we had a rock climbing wall close by driven in for an activity for the youth. Soon...the true fun would begin in the form of a dance complete with a DJ. Oh yes.
Max, Alice, Ellie, Ruby, Lily, Sam and Jense and Mia on the mattress...
So did I say there was a dance?! THERE WAS! It got rocking around bedtime. Good timing? Picture it. Camping, tent edge to tent edge, three women and 9 children and MC Hammer as the background...One Direction? Rhianna? You name it. Until 11pm. The kids had a great time of it...dancing on the fringes. There were some perks...the adult chaperones were feeling our pain and spoiled our kids with 1/2 melted ice cream treats.
The next day, we attempted day two at the pool...hoping for a full day. We were once again, all set up, we had shade, a table and a cooler of food. And the best company I could imagine. Mimi wasn't having a great time because of the whole no sleep factor. Her two littles were crying most of the day and eventually she bailed to drive them around for a nap in her van. After that plan failed, and Jense turned up with an insane sunburn, she was OVER IT. She packed up and crusied home as fast as she could. Poor lady. We missed them but didn't blame her a bit.
My cute girlies in the pool...
Saturday morning, Lynz took off as planned. Her hubs and her folks came through town to get her and it was fun to see them! It seems like someone took pictures of that. Dang it! My parents were just getting into town as well, and they stopped by the campground to see everyone too. Then I literally drove around desperately looking for somewhere to lay my head that night. To envision my odds, you must know that Manti is home to 3,200 people. Then, during the annual pageant...15,000 people come on average per night, plus a cast of 900 people a crew/technical support of 300 and 900 volunteers. Ummmmm...ALL THE HOTELS WERE FULL, I don't even know where 1/2 of these people stay, but I didn't have great odds. I was paid up at the campground but in no way considered staying there for a night alone, and I was tired of the heat and sun and I needed to do laundry and sleep somewhere comfortable. I saw a vacancy sign pointing down a residential street. I followed the sign to an old house and knocked on the door. It was free. $100 per night. Air conditioning, a kitchen, a LAUNDRY ROOM, a shower, a tub, two bedrooms. SOLD. That fast. YES, I'll take it. I moved in and took a nice nap with Bets, then dropped my kids off in the Pageant mayhem with my folks.
They wandered around all the street vendors set up there and eventually got some seats at the pageant all cozy with blankets and some warm layers. I enjoyed an evening of peace as Bets slept and I did laundry and showered and enjoyed some alone time. Really, really enjoyed it.
Thank you mom and dad for coming significantly to my rescue! We went to church the next morning all together and then checked into a now very, very vacant Manti hotel. The pageant ended and the place was like a ghost town in comparison! We got a suite with two bedrooms for like $80 per night. We spent the afternoon between a park and in the shade of the Manti Temple. It was nice to have another day with my folks.
My parents got the girls these pvc bow and arrows from a street vendor at a craft fair that was across the street from the temple. They loved them...archery is all the rage these days with several popular movies, Brave and Hunger Games being out. Anyway, they love them!!
One of the most prominent things about my mom is her love for the gospel. It being Sunday, we listened to her read about Manti church history and other things throughout the day. I love my mama.
Swinging at the park.
Opa, the swing pusher...
On Monday morning, June 25th, we parted ways with my parents heading for Glenwood Springs, CO. They headed to SLC to fly home. It is an eight hour drive to Fort Collins from Manti, so I broke the trip up into two 4 hour drives by staying a night in Glenwood Springs. We got there and instead of doing any sightseeing (by this time, I was pretty much in full phobia of heat mode...like extreme style...I was hating the persistent heat) we just hung around at the pool together. We got to Fort Collins on Tuesday, staying at Mike and Sage's house. Chris didn't arrive until Friday night very late...so for the next few days we had lots of fun swimming at the neighborhood pool, playing with cousins, visiting Sage's hospital/workplace, etc. My kids love being with their Pierce cousins! They ended up getting Pam's kids, who otherwise slept at Sam and Perry's house, to stay at Mike and Sage's house, and that meant taking over Mike and Sage's floor! There were seven kids sleeping there for I think about two nights. So fun!
Doug's Heather was 7 months pregnant with very healthy twin babies, and we gave her a shower one evening. It was nice to meet her friends and see her showered with love for her pending little miracles. Look at those diaper cakes...fancy!
Chris and Pam's family got there that weekend and more fun followed. Hunting for crawdads for one...(know that there would be close to NO pics below if it weren't for Pam! She was busy taking pics for us all week...I am so grateful!)
Spending a little time with Nana. We went to her place and took dessert and the Porters came and we enjoyed sitting outside (in the wretched heat, sorry...but it was a plague that never left my mind the entire time we were out of WA), the kids wrestling in the grass, etc. Then we went inside for a special gift for Nana...a talent show by her great grandchildren.
Here are some of the fun, talented performers...starting with Zoe, Mattie and Pierce!
Alice played the piano...
Betsey showed how well she can ride her pretend horse, Ruby. She can say, "trot", "canter", and "ho", and we think it is pretty spectacular.
Mike and Porter played the piano together...
Nana thoroughly enjoyed the show.
Ruby also played the piano.
We had a family dinner one night at the great neighborhood pool. So fun!
Sage and Mia. Love Mia...so cute!
I was thrilled anytime I was in the water. THRILLED. I may have suggested we swim every single day. Swim or stay in the air conditioned (still hot at 77 degrees, but much better than outside) house!
Porter got a chance to be a lifeguard for a few minutes. Pleased as can be. Nice vintage shades!
One the 4th of July, we went to a free breakfast and patriotic program put on my Chris's parents' ward. Pam, Heather and Sam performed a nice musical number and we had a good pancake breakfast followed by minimal participation in a cute bike parade.
Everyone standing around.
After the breakfast, we went to a park (it had to be a shady one) for some fun relays and games we each organized a few things and had a lot of fun playing together in the grass. Chris had been given some much desired metal detectors by his family for his pending birthday and he and some of the men hung around at the park by the river searching for anything that could make them rich fast. They did actually find an old ring that is real silver, and had a diamondish stone in it. The silver is real, but not much else. :) Still that is a fun activity!
Matt pretending to whack Chris during a nap.
This pic was taken AFTER we left for home without Ruby. I still think it is super cute. Porter, Mattie, Ruby, Beckett, Zoe and Pierce.
This is Sam and Perry the night we sat outside at Nana's facility.
Mia...short for Amelia. She's such a cutie!!
We spent a lovely day at a park in the canyon leading to Estes Park. It was really beautiful and Pam did an amazing job being patient with all of us and taking all these amazing pictures for us. The whole fam...
Doug and Heather's family...Caitlin and twins on the way!
Us.
Mike and Sage with Beckett, Porter and Mia.
Pam and Matt with Mattie, Zoe and Pierce.
After pics, and hanging out at the park for awhile, we continued up the canyon towards Estes Park. the plan was to do a little hike/walk at a lake, but when we arrived, it was actually raining! We drove up to the entrance of Estes and I was amazed that I'd never been there, what a cool place! We had a nice dinner there together before heading back home.
Ruby was heading home on a one-way ticket a week or so after our trip, so she could have some extra time with grandparents and Nana. Chris got to fly into Colorado to meet us, but he was on tap for the long drive home...24 hours of driving, to be exact. We aren't fools...we broke the trip up the fun way...first stop after 8 hours of driving...Midway! During our trip, the McDonald's had moved into their own joint and we were their first guests. I don't have many pics...but this one is pretty cute...Chris, John and Jense went looking for buried treasure with Chris' new metal detectors and guess what they found!? A bonafide, locked treasure box! It probably is some sweet kid's time capsule he means to dig up in a few years, it didn't appear to have been buried long. There was just random junk inside, but it was a thrill for sweet Jensen.
The next morning we left for another 8 hour drive to stay at Rick and Laurie's house in Fruitland, ID (perfect pit stop, great company...always fun). We missed our desired route from Midway to Ogden through the mountains, so we wound up in SLC at the hour when we were all hungry. We stopped at the SLC temple for an hour to walk the grounds, take in the beauty and get a bite to eat.
In the "middle of nowhere" in Idaho, there is a super quirky gas station with alpacas in the front of it. It is very, very quirky. I found this pic on flickr.
We fed the alpacas the food provided in a little dispenser out front of the gas station.
At another stop, Betsey had wet through and emerged from the bathroom like this...
Ruby doobs, fresh off of her first flight. I was frantic to arrive on time, but forgot the gate she came in on while I ran past her gate. She saw me and called for me but wasn't allowed to chase me down, so I got more and more frantic running around looking for the right flight and when I finally figured it out, she'd been waiting like fifteen minutes. :) She was a brave traveler!
