Mulberry Street

Let's see.  I guess I'll start in the beginning and lay out the trip chronologically, because that's how I like to organize things... Thursday we flew to UT (and I should note how fantastic the kids were during our flight).  We spent the remainder of the day getting our gear and food together for the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay.  Audrey made us a fabulous lasagne dinner and we tried to go to bed early. Friday and Saturday Eric and I ran the Wasatch Back.  I really do love running with him and sharing in these experiences together.  Saturday was our eleventh wedding anniversary.  We shared a kiss and some good chocolate in the van.  Good times.  (In hindsight, perhaps we should have visited with family first, then ran the relay.  Starting our trip with a major sleep deficit was a bad idea.) Sunday we recovered.  We spent Father's Day with Grandpa Barry, Uncle Jared, Eric and Uncle Rod.  We were lucky to s...

We had a blast on our trip west.  We played hard and maximized every last minute of our time.  Now, we are all suffering from the subsequent hangover associated with travel. I recorded the above thoughts Sunday night.  We'd been home less than 24 hours.  It is now Tuesday night and I still feel hungover.  We all do.  Only, we should be recovered by now, right?!  In reality, I feel empty because Eric is back to work and I can't find the motivation to get things done.  Our trip was a success because Eric is such a great man.  I would bore you, not to mention run out of space, with all the reasons he helped make this trip such a fabulous one.  The best thing I can say is, "Thanks Hon.  We miss you already." I did make a bit of progress today.  I got the kids back on EST, I exercised (for a mere 20 minutes), and I began the process of sorting through all the pictures from our trip.  What I should have...

We searched and searched but never found our frog prince. The local frog pond was full of frogs, but no princes. Now I wonder if we didn't find him because nobody was willing to kiss them all to find out. Hmm.

A trip to Island Park is never complete without a stop at Big Springs. There are large trout that fatten up (with the help of city-slicker sight seers a.k.a. Yours Truly) at the mouth of the springs. There is also a muskrat that lives nearby and on occasion you can glimpse female moose and her calf, wading in the water. During the heat of the day it is always tempting to dip your feet in the water to cool off. The problem is you don't cool, rather you suffer from immediate hypothermia from the stinging water. However, it is truly a beautiful place.

You can't argue with nature. You can't rush it or slow it down. The best strategy is to sit back and enjoy what it gives you We tried to race the sun to the top of Sawtelle Peak (9,864.84 ft). You can probably guess who won, especially since Eric and I are timid off-road drivers and want to stop along the way for photos. Emory was sleeping soundly at the cabin and Genevieve needed some fresh mountain air. Anytime we visit the west and spend time outdoors, we're reminded of something we're missing in our lives in the east. Wide. Open. Space Post Script - Yes, we are wearing our winter gear (hats, fleece jackets, and snow coats). Then the very next day we wore our bathing suits. Because you do that sort of thing in Idaho, thanks to the weather.

We took Genevieve to the fair. We took her around to see the 4-H exhibits, a few crafts, giant vegetables, and animals. Genevieve thought it was cool enough. She fed the animals with her cousins. She also had fun pretending to milk a giant inflated cow. Who wouldn't? Oh, and she saw a princess. (I know she doesn't look excited, but she was excited.) If you asked Genevieve about our day at the fair, she would probably tell you we wasted too much time looking at crafts and animals. It wasn't until we walked around the corner and this scene met Genevieve's eyes that we had arrived. Genevieve looked around and said rather dramatically, "Look! THE FAIR !" I rode the Farris Wheel with Genevieve and Teagan. We had a great view and I was controlling my ride-induced sickness, that is until my sweet little nephew began to rock the seat back and forth. Genevieve had plenty of over-priced tickets to ride everything her heart desired or until she threw up, whichever came ...

We recently returned from the Gem State. Here are a few hints, through photos, to explain how and where we spent our time. And, the rest of the photos are here at E&A's Photo Site . Eventually, I'll get around to posting my favorites.

Lest I be criticized for my lack of enthusiasm for the west, specifically the Gem State, I thought I would share some favorite shots from our recent trip there over the winter. These photos were all taken at the barn where Eric grew up on the west bench of Pocatello, ID. Well, he didn't grow up in the barn. He did, however, help paint it, bursh horses, stack hay bales, and shovel out stalls. Originally the barn was built by Eric's grandfather who raced chariots. (Yes, in the past century - did you know that chariot racing still took place outside of ancient Greece or ancient Rome?) The barn offered a unique opportunity for our amateur photography. If you look past the junk found in most barns, you can find a handful of treasures. The lighting inside was less than ideal. All of the above shots were favored by a little bit of natural light, thankfully. We used the big flash for shots of the saddles and reins but they didn't turn out, and I can't figure out how to fi...

So I realized I hadn't included all the photos and tidbits from our trip to Utah and Idaho last month. And, since I am a tad obsessive compulsive I can't seem to blog much else until I get this post done. Here goes... We saw all eight of our siblings, their spouses, and their twenty-four children. We saw our four parents and four of our grandparents. We slept in eight different beds over the fourteen nights we visited (Eric got away with five different beds since he stayed in a hotel for work, but still high for one trip!). We ate innumerable sweets in various forms. We ate out WAY too much and paid for it later. We almost sat with Santa and opened presents. Best of all we enjoyed our family and found it very difficult to leave all of Genevieve's 24 Cousins & Counting behind. We always learn a little more about ourselves, among other things on each trip and this one was no exception: Lessons Learned Until next time UT and ID. You may wonder why I would post a picture o...