For the first month or so of my blogging absence I was too busy to blog because of abnormal levels of family and moving activities. And things have since calmed down, but now I've got various computer issues. (I hate posting with no pics.)
Before Jamie got laid off we had this big trip planned to drive out to Vegas, California, and Utah for the summer. My dad had a ticket booked to fly out and drive with the kids and me and then Jamie would fly out later and join us. With the layoff, plans were quickly adapted and the roadtrip turned into a move. So we quickly packed up everything and headed out. Jamie stayed back to finish packing and drive a moving van to Vegas.
The kids and I drove across the country with my dad and stopped in Vicksburg, Mississippi to see the Civil War battlefield and museum. Then my sister-in-law joined our caravan with her four kids in Texas. We were traveling with seven kids: 8,7,6,5,4,3, and 2. We dtook an extra day to show the kids the Grand Canyon, then finally arrived in Vegas. Jamie arrived with the moving van a couple weeks later (thanks Mama Steed and Chelsea for traveling with him!!!) He arrived just in time for me to go with the Steed girls to a girls' weekend in St George. So awesome (but no pics, grr)! I would highly recommend being a Steed girl, best choice I ever made!
After a week in Vegas of hiking, swimming, marshmallow gun wars, petting zoos, games, and all manner of cousin chaos we headed up to Utah to our little patch of heaven. When I tell you our family (my dad's family) has a cabin in Utah, you are probably picturing some nice log cabin with rustic decor. Don't. "The Ranch" is a furniture graveyard with the random leftovers of decorations and supplies from several different households. But it is one of my favorite places in the world and the memories and sentiments attached are worth their weight in second-hand appliances.
Have you ever romantisized a fabulous activity or vacation from your childhood and tried to recreate the experience with your children, only to find that it's not so fun for the parent? And your kids aren't half as excited as you'd imagined they'd be? Well this was not one of those weeks. My kids had as good a time as I did. It was bliss!
Things at the Ranch are just simple and relaxing. You sit on the shady porch and watch the kids play (and enjoy this view-pic above), go for a walk through the aspens, dangle your feet in the creek, gaze at the stars, play poohsticks on the bridge, and pick wildflowers. [sigh] I needed this!
The rope swing- a Ranch classic.See, Emma? Mom's not as old as you think.
Floating down the ditch
Can't reach to dangle your feet from the bridge? Find an extension. Grandma's work great. 
6 comments:
Those were great pictures! I've missed hearing about your family.
(FYI--While you were away from blogging, most of the background sites had problems with PhotoBucket and asked everyone to delete their backgrounds and reinstall them with new codes.)
Gotta love Utah!!
Oh Rochelle! I'm so sad we were in the same place AT the same time and we barely got to hang out with each other! I love the pictures - especially you on the rope swing.
I miss Utah. . .
Looks like heaven! Guess what? We are moving out to Utah this month. Finally! Sad to leave Georgia, but just looking at those pictures makes me more than excited. Congratulations to Jamie on the job!
seriously?!?!?!?!? you came to utah and didnt come to visit or call me?! Im so sad! Sounds like an awesome vacation though and im sure you had a TON of fun! miss you though!
Marni
You look like your twelve in that picture! Which is a hard feat considering how tall you are now. Emma should easily think you may have been twelve at one point in your life.
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