School Begins 2015

We enjoyed about a week and a half after our vacation of recovery, fun, and preparation time.  We picked from our garden,

played with the cats,

enjoyed other natural beauties around our home,

and spent a day at the zoo.

Finally, the big day arrived.  We love fresh, new clothes and school supplies!  This is Eve's first day of MIDDLE SCHOOL!  Isn't she so grown up?  The other 2 are looking pretty grown too!

Sterling and Sheri switched to a new elementary school this year (our closer public school because it was full when we moved here last year).

It's exciting to begin a new chapter!  It is great to get back into routine, but I know we will miss all the free time to play and relax.  Each chapter has its challenges and blessings.  We have been blessed by great schools, teachers, and new friends!

Summer Vacation 2015 Part 3

On Saturday, August 8th we left Oregon and drove to Rexburg, ID.  There we were able to meet up with Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Wally as well as my niece Hannah, her husband Joseph and their brand new baby Eleanor.  We actually got to see my sister Jennifer and her family who were also visiting.  Great timing!
We went to dinner at Frontier Pies (Jen worked there in her college days) and loved catching up with everyone!

Then we went to pick up groceries and then stayed with Aunt Carolyn.  I enjoyed talking with her about her books that she has written.  She has written 2 historical fictions about 7 LDS women who came to join the other church members in Utah during the early years of the restored church.  In the morning (Sunday) Wally cooked us a delicious breakfast and Carolyn showed me her cool back yard.  I really enjoyed seeing her and learning from her.

After breakfast we went to Hannah's church to see Eleanor be blessed.  She was beautiful and perfect.  Hannah was so beautiful also!

We then drove south to Utah and stopped in to see my Grandma Iola.  She wasn't home but we did get to catch up with my Aunt Mabel.  We then went to Adam and Nicolle's house were we got to see her neat art work, hear Adam's karaoke videos and have dinner.  Ivan also joined us.  It was such a nice evening!

We then got to stay with Ivan and see the fun things he has done with new furnishings.  We were very comfortable and got a good night's sleep before hitting the road early the next morning (Monday) to go to Denver.  Ivan joined us which made for more fun for the kids and great conversation for me.  Once in Denver we took Matt to the airport and he flew home to work for the week.
On the evening of the 10th (Monday) we had a nice family dinner.  We were pleased to have my niece Rosanna join us.  The kids enjoyed talking with her about animals and playing a cups game.  We enjoyed hearing everyone play and sing around the piano.  It is so fun to see what everyone is learning and bask in the beautiful music.  This is one part of family gatherings that I have really missed out on!

 We also celebrated Annie's birthday.  Oh how I love this sister of mine!  She is such a good friend to me!  She has great advice and gives me confidence to pursue my goals.

On Tuesday we went to the Museum of Nature and Science.  I wish we had had a bit more time to spend here.  The folks without kids were pretty patient with those of us with kids who take more time for everything! :)

In the evening we went up north to see my friend /cousin Gina Owens who recently moved to Denver from Omaha.  She recently had a beautiful baby.  We loved catching up!  (We also got to see her Thursday to go swimming).  Sheri surely loves Molly, and Sterling really enjoys Max!

On Wednesday, August 12th I went with Ivan and my dad to climb "the Incline" near Colorado Springs.  Here is some info about it.  The base of the Incline sits at 6,600 feet (2,000 m) and the trail climbs 2,000 feet (610 m) in just over 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km).  This was a fun challenge, but I could tell that I had been on vacation for a month.  I did NOT feel like I did my best, but I still finished!  I think I'd like to do this one again.

 In the evening we tried to go swimming, but all the pools were closed. :(  We enjoyed dinner at Jennifer's house and played games.

On Thursday, Cat and spent the morning shopping.  I really enjoy getting to spend one on one time with Catherine.  I think it is fun to hear her insights and hear all about her accomplishments/goals.  Eve was sweet enough to watch the kids at Grandma's.  In the evening we went see Gina. (see above)

On Friday, the 14th, we went to Monkey Business with Annie and her kids.  They had a blast!

In the evening we had a picnic lunch with the whole family.

In the evening we went to pick up Matt at the airport.  He was kind enough to join us so that he could help us drive home.

Saturday we were sad to leave all our family in Colorado.  We love spending time with them!  We are so blessed to have them and we can't wait to see them again!

Saturday we drove to Kansas City and were able to visit our friends, the Bacons who just moved there this summer from Omaha.  We were able to celebrate Wendee's birthday and then watch all the kids so they could go to a soccer game together.  The kids loved catching up with their friends and were happy to run around after the long drive.  Later in the evening we enjoyed catching up with Wendee and Patrick even more.

Sunday we drove to Columbus.  I'll bet you can guess the kids' favorite part of being home!

After more than 4 weeks of vacation and driving through at least 10 states, it was definitely sweet to be home!  We are grateful that we could spend time with so many of our friends and family!

Summer Vacation 2015 Part 2

On Friday, July 31st we packed up all our belongings into our van and trailer and were ready to hit the road from Colorado when Matt discovered that the trailer bearing was all but gone on our left side. There was also some damage to the axle. We were grateful that we discovered this before we got very far into our trip to the Oregon coast for Smith Reunion.

 Matt got some quotes and thought about timing and determined that it would be best to leave the old trailer until we came back to Denver and purchase a new trailer. After some time spent trying to get all the wiring properly functioning we headed west. Friday we made it to Orem Utah.

On Saturday we made it to Nevada when we started feeling the van's transmission slip. We were so grateful that we were just a few minutes outside of the town of Winnemucca. We looked for a mechanic, but with it being late on a Saturday evening, no one was available to look at it immediately. We decided to get a motel and see if one of the mechanics would have time the next morning. We definitely were on the clock since Matt was in charge of this year's reunion.

Here we are on the salt flats.

Sunday morning a few guys outside our motel noticed Matt inspecting the engine and were able to give him some advice. Matt cleaned off the engine and added transmission fluid and drove it to see if there were transmission fluid leaks. Everything seemed to be working fine (we think that the fluid perhaps got very hot and bubbled over) and we weren't sure if the mechanic was even going to have time to look at it. The rest of us went to a local ward for church and after much prayer, Matt decided it was ok to get back on the road. With little to no services for many miles we prayed that we would have no further problems. We were able to make it to Yachats, Oregon late Sunday night without incident, quickly set up camp, have a quick dinner and "hit the hay." Thank heaven for guidance and protection from above!

Monday, August 3rd we were happy to see so many of the Smith clan, including Matt's Aunt Martha, his cousin Ryan and his family, Casey, and Matt's Aunt Karen.
The morning started with banana slug races, which left many of the kids with slimed fingers.



Then we went to explore the coast's tide pools.



Then we went to see Heceta Head lighthouse.



Then we explored more of the coast, including Devil's Churn.



The kids went on a hike to see the biggest tree on the Oregon Coast. Two of these photos were taken later in the week.



We were also happy to celebrate Ivy's birthday. What a gorgeous day!









On Tuesday part of the group went to the Newport Aquarium and Hatfield Marine Science Center . . .




. . . and the others went out on a fishing charter. They were fishing for salmon and crabbing. Unfortunately only one salmon was caught, but they caught over 50 crabs. They had them cooked up and we enjoyed them for dinner.











In the evening we also enjoyed making rain sticks and eating s'mores.

On Wednesday, August 5th we spent the day on the sand dunes.  Most went out on dune buggies and ATVs, but the little ones played on boards and slid down the dunes.  They also enjoyed the water.

In the afternoon we enjoyed hiking on the beach again and collecting blackberries.

Christian loved these berries and ate them as we picked.  They were a great bonus to our campsite.

On Thursday the 6th we headed up north to the Short Sands beach.  It was a beautiful day for a picnic and playing on the sand.

On Friday we went to Portland and enjoyed some rose gardens there and also saw a fish hatchery.

After this we went to the Dalles and stayed in a hotel for the evening.  We did laundry, had a nice dinner at the hotel, and then Matt and I went down to a car show/parade in the evening with his cousin Ryan and his wife Tanya.  Afterward, we shared a shake.

This is where we separated from the Smith Family and began our journey back east.  This concludes part 2 of our vacation.

We were so grateful that we could spend time with beloved family members.  We always consider it a treasure!  We are also grateful for all the support that was given.  It was a beautiful and fun time!