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I shared a "sneak peak" of our family picture at the end of June... tonight my sister (click here to see her photography blog) gave me a disc of the pictures I chose, and they are ready to be printed. Here are just a few. You have to agree... my family is beautiful!!!
My four kids
Andy's family
Jeff's family
Jeremy's family
Caitlin's family
I think pretty much anyone who knows me really well, or reads my blog... knows that I love the ocean (t'ocean). But does anyone know how much Mike equally loves Yellowstone? And that Mike loves to take me to the ocean, and that I love to take him to Yellowstone?... which is what we did this weekend. It was especially fun this time to join our kids Jeremy and Emily, and our handsome grandsons Mason and Tanner. We also took a side-trip to Yellowstone Bear World in Rexburg (one of those places you drive by on every trip and say, "one of these days we'll stop there", well... "one of these days" finally arrived).
Mike at his favorite place in the park... Hayden Valley. He, Jeremy and Mason spent a couple of hours sitting patiently waiting for a grizzly bear and a pack of wolves. The bear was a no-show, but seven wolves appeared and joined an eighth and the guys watched them make their way across the valley.
This was one of very few elk we saw on this trip, which was very unusual, we usually see so many.
We spent one night at the lake hotel. This is a great spot to sit and capture the beauty of the lake... although I just wanted to capture a picture of the family (just ask the guy that took the picture for me).
Last look at Hayden Valley on our way out.
We sat and watched this grizzly playing in the water for several minutes at Bear World.
A "tour truck" at Bear World, filled with people feeding the bears. It reminds me of what Yellowstone was like years, and years ago.
When I was growing up my parents frequently took us on day trips. One of the places we went (many times) was Pineview reservoir. I'll always remember the first day of school my junior year. When dad got home from work, our family piled into the station wagon and headed up Ogden Canyon to enjoy dinner and family night at Pineview. We had only driven part of the way up the canyon, when the car broke down. Fortunately, it happened at a very large pull-out right across the road from what is now the Alaskan Inn. In 1974 it was an old, closed down business, but luckily for us there was still a working pay phone, so my dad went to call a friend for help. In the meantime, my mom got busy cooking our dinner on the side of the road. She got out the bar-b-que, started the charcoal, and cooked hamburgers. Now the highway in Ogden Canyon was a very busy road (lots of other people were having success at getting to the lake). There we were, with our beach chairs out, mom cooking hamburgers, the 8mm movie camera recording the entire event, and the people driving by were shouting out of their windows, "hold the pickles!!" I.WAS.MORTIFIED. I was only sixteen after all, how else would you expect me to feel!?! But as I have "matured" I've looked back on that experience with fondness and laughter. A family in our ward (the Hess's) rescued us. My parents and youngest siblings rode in the station wagon as it was being towed by Brother Hess. All of the older children (including the Hess kids) rode in the back of the pick-up IN.THE.DARK all the way home from Ogden canyon. We had the time of our lives. I'm sure had we arrived at the lake we would have had a great time, but it would have been just another day at the lake... but I will never, ever forget "the trip to the lake that wasn't".
Last week we had a fun trip with our family at Pineview. Jeremy recently purchased some fun new "toys" and we all got to enjoy them. Andy cooked us hamburgers for dinner, the grandchildren played in the water and the sand. It brought back a lot of memories and we made some new ones. Coincidentally we had a little "car" problem this time as well. A tow rope got stuck in the propeller of one of the jet skis while Mike, Jeremy and Jeff were on the lake. But there were rescuers there that night as well, who kindly towed them back to the dock.
Last week Caitlin and I went on our annual trip to Tuacahn to see Disney's "The Little Mermaid". This is all I have to say about it:
A.MA.ZING!!!
Mike at his favorite place in the park... Hayden Valley. He, Jeremy and Mason spent a couple of hours sitting patiently waiting for a grizzly bear and a pack of wolves. The bear was a no-show, but seven wolves appeared and joined an eighth and the guys watched them make their way across the valley.
This was one of very few elk we saw on this trip, which was very unusual, we usually see so many.
We spent one night at the lake hotel. This is a great spot to sit and capture the beauty of the lake... although I just wanted to capture a picture of the family (just ask the guy that took the picture for me).
Last look at Hayden Valley on our way out.
We sat and watched this grizzly playing in the water for several minutes at Bear World.
A "tour truck" at Bear World, filled with people feeding the bears. It reminds me of what Yellowstone was like years, and years ago.
Adam, Zach and Will got in on the performance again with Tambourine Man.
Here is just some of the crowd with a few of our Endless Summer "family" in the foreground.
Alex, Alana and Bob; our cousins.
Tiffany and Mike; our friends.
Andy singing Long, Cool Woman and introducing the band members.
Today was the day we took our baby girl to college. Un.be.lievable!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where have the years gone!?! Does anybody know?
Caitlin insisted on checking into her apartment complex by herself... but I snuck in a picture.
We look happy. Don't we? If so, we fooled everyone. I suppose we are now officially "empty nester's"... in a "non-bird" way of course.
Moving into her room at her apartment (actually, most everything in the picture belongs to her roomate). I think she's going to be just fine... hopefully her mom and dad will be.
Last week Caitlin and I went on our annual trip to Tuacahn to see Disney's "The Little Mermaid". This is all I have to say about it:
