A Quick Over-View in Pictures and Words of our big vacation.
Day 1: Drove to Richfield, Utah, where my Grandma J grew up.
Stopped in Vail for our picnic lunch and to just take in the beauty.
This was the only day we did roadtrip games. The boys were both loving their books and MyGirl enjoyed long naps in the car on the rest of our driving days.
Day 2: Bryce Canyon National Park
Also on Day 2: Zion National Park
Saw Brigham Young's winter home
Slept in St. George.
Day 3: Vegas/Henderson
Saw our old house and my dear friend Jeannette whom we met for lunch.
Finally arrived in California
Stopped in Costco for groceries and to pick up the cake for the anniversary party.
Realized my friends Amy and Jeanette are very similar personalities. . . hadn't put that together until this day.
Day 4:
Went to church in our old ward in Long Beach
Saw old friends, heard my dad's testimony
So happy to be with our cousins again
Had a great salmon dinner, played games like
Jacobs Family Trivia and Are You Smarter Than The Grandparents?
Here: Minute to Win It:
We all had balcony rooms on the 7th floor.
Ours faced the Disneyland fireworks.
The cousins rotated among all the rooms.
Jacobs Family
Day 4-9: Stayed in Anaheim in three condos
Among our activities in California: Disneyland (where Cowgirl fell and chipped off the bottom of her tooth, requiring emergency dental work,) Huntington Beach (twice), Angels baseball game, Knott's Berry Farm, Meeting BFF Kathy for dinner at P.F. Changs, seeing the movie Planes in Downtown Disney, our whole family eating at Cheesecake Factory for our last dinner. With the exception of Long Beach and seeing Mikes parents in Alta Loma, we stayed in Orange County most of the time. It was SO wonderful to be all together more than once, though we split up and did different things some days. We are blessed to have parents who have loved each other for more than fifty years, who have set such a wonderful example for us all, and who have loved us all more than we can ever return. It was a joy to be able to celebrate and honor and play with them! Mom and I even visited our favorite quilt shop in Costa Mesa.
Day 10: My family, minus Cowgirl, drove to the Grand Canyon.
Day 11: We hiked, we photographed, we saw several California Condors.
As it was the Sabbath we waited and bought souvenirs the next day at our hotel.
It was awe-inspiring to see what Heavenly Father put into motion.
If He can create this amazing place, what can He do with our own mortal clay?
My boys read a lot of books on this trip, mostly in the car, but even at the Grand Canyon.
It did rain pretty hard here in the early afternoon. We were drenched but
dried off again and stayed here all day long.
Day 12: Back in the car
It took us two more hours just to enjoy the East side of the Grand Canyon.
We saw Monument Valley. It was on my bucket list.
We visited Four Corners. Its become quite the touristy spot unlike when we were there twenty years ago.
Upon entering Mesa Verde that evening we happened upon a momma bear
And her three bear cubs. The sweetest moment was when one of the cubs came to kiss their momma.
This was such a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us. We spent about ten minutes just watching and loving their interactions before they strolled out of view.
Day 13: Mesa Verde
We hiked into a few cliff dwellings. This was one. We saw many kinds of ruins and learned a lot.
I liked finding hidden things among the stones.
MyGirl found she has a love for all things about the Puebloan Indians that lived here and was excited to find wild buffalo gooseberries as well as Indian Paintbrush flowers.
Day 14: Got up and left the hotel in record time.
We were ready to be home.
One of our favorite parts of the whole drive was between Durango and Pagosa Springs.
Colorado really is a beautiful state!
The best part of this day, though, was sleeping in our own beds.
Home, sweet home.
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