A day in my shoes ...: January 2014

Well this one has been a long time coming. Before I get started let me update on my lat post. I know that was all very scary to read. It was very scary to write. To admit. I feel like I was holed up for 2 months before writing that. I hadn't told Bryce how I was feeling or what I was going through. He knew what was going on but I spared him the hot mess I had in the closet. Not long after that post I crashed. there was that brick wall I had become familiar with. I was sick and sore and upset and couldn't get over myself. for the first time every I had exhaustion. It has taken me over two weeks to start to feel back to normal. I felt better after that post but felt more myself after I told Bryce what I was really feeling. For now my dad is doing better. We took him back to the doctor (he is beginning to hate going to all these appts) and his medications were severely messed up. He felt good enough to come to my house the Saturday before Christmas and hand out while my mom and I did Christmas goodies. He has many many many appts ahead of him but hopefully he is on the road to recovery. He is still not where he was months ago but he is getting there.

So lets get back to my reunions. I left off on the forest fairies... the kids were very enthusiastic about this magical fairy that leaves them all sorts of things. (we made sure we had a variety of things for them from smore bags to stimulating activities and games) Saturday night while everyone was settling down, the kids got to work on their fairy bags. I think they were more enthusiastic then I expected. as soon as they dried we went out into the night to hang them up.

Sunday: Sunday we woke up bright and early. I think they kids were a bit disappointed that the fairies had not come in the middle of the night. Bryce and I decided to take the rzr out for a ride. While we were out we kept hearing this clicking but couldn't figure out where it was coming from. We continued to explore different parts of Island park but mother nature had her way and started raining on us. Like big drops, stinging kind of rain. So we headed back to the cabin for dinner. After dinner the kids were begging Bryce to take them out for a ride. He wasn't gone more then 5 minutes when he came back and the clicking was bad. After going through the entire rzr, we see that the back passenger tire in not straight. We went to take the tire off and sure enough we are missing 3 studs and lug nuts. The rim was completely worn where the studs were suppose to be. Once we took off the tire, we learned that they whole hub was worn and of no use. My family being LDS would frown on us spending money on Sunday. It was 5:45 and the closest store was over an hour away (one way) so I called down to the local rental shop. Luck would have it that they had ordered a hub the week prior for another vacationer that never came to pick it up. we had 7 minutes to drive the 5 miles to pick it up. On top of that, we had purchased 2 extra studs prior to our trip just in case that held us over until we could find someone else who carried more. Right there in the driveway, Bryce and my dad started going to work on the rzr.

Monday:
Monday we decided that we did not want to take the chance of running on two studs. Our rim was pretty messed up and the two studs really didn't stay into place well. Bryce also wanted to go do some more shopping at the army surplus store in Idaho Falls. so we make the hour and half trip (on way) back to IF to get the parts, eat lunch and go to the army surplus store. While we were gone, the rest of my family (except my dad and SIL and baby S) decided that they wanted to go to bear world. I must admit that I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't go with them. We made it back mid afternoon and finished replacing the studs. All in good timing of the daily occurrence of early evening rain.

Tuesday:
We started off by teaching T how to work a 4 wheeler. I think he was super excited, in his teenager - I'm too cool way (ok, he really doesn't have that attitude. He probably jumped through the roof 20 times). We agreed that he was the only 'kid' to be able to drive the 4 wheeler since he was over the restrictive age of 16. After riding around for 30 minutes with him on the 4 wheeler we let him go on his own - with us in the lead on the rzr. I was really surprised that he kept up with us. His eyes lit up every time we told my parents we 'were going riding'.

Wednesday:
We took a break from the toys and headed down to the river. A few hours in the not so warm water did us good. We of course had to get out a little early due to the early evening lightening storms (did I mention that they were lightening storms. Seriously - they were killer storms and amazing to watch from the huge deck and the all windowed wall) At the end of tubing my dad took all of us in the the country store for ice cream. Even baby S - who was really not ready to try it - got ice cream. Everyone had finished eating ice cream and was piling into the car but B. She mustve been having way to much fun playing so her mom and I stayed back and extra few minutes to help her eat it. I wish I would have got it on video but didn't - she experienced brain freeze for the first time and it was hilarious!

Thursday: More riding and more tubing. There is never too much riding or tubing

Friday:
Friday was the day all of us split up. My brother and his family took a time out to spend time together - just them without the distraction of the rest of us. Part of my family went to Yellowstone. Some stayed behind for some piece and quiet. Bryce and I headed out to st Anthony's sand dunes. I don't think he could have enough time there.

Saturday:
Our week was coming to an end. Today was the day that we planned this whole trip around. We spent the morning cleaning up and getting ready for my dads family to come up for a day reunion. We had a bbq, candy launch, and auction. This one was one of the biggest ones we have had in a while. It was good to see all of our relatives and to catch up. Since it was cool up there (a cool 75 degrees the entire time we were there... jealous???) most took off by 3 PM. Tonight was our last chance to do a few more runs on the river and hope that the nightly storms doesn't hit. (it didn't!)

Sunday:
There was just enough time to eat breakfast and pack up and leave. It makes me sad to leave this place. My heart truly belongs there. This is a place that I will spend the rest of my life longing for. I don't think I could ever have enough time up there. This year we created a ton of lasting memories that I will never forget.

Tubing down the river with my SIL talking about random things and making the kids pull us to the side of the river so we didn't have to get up.

Outlasting the kids on the river. Both of us saying 'take us up again!' even when all the kids were done.

Puzzles!

Games!! Pirate bluff was a hit!

Sitting on the deck with the nightly storms

Cousin late night while all the adults (except Bryce, Ruth and I) went to the playhouse to see my grandma's favorite musical - fidler on the roof

Teaching the kids a lesson that when they don't behave, the fairies get scared away... yep they didn't come one day!

Smore's!

rzr riding (even my dad went out)

forest fairies

Getting along with my oldest sister. That has ever happened.

Sweet baby S. I cannot have enough of that girl. It was just great to have my brothers family there.

Teaching T how to drive a 4 wheeler.

Seeing my grandpa's cabin again

Almost rolling the rzr... seriously, I almost killed Bryce. it was very scary when he drove off a 6 foot cliff

Breakfast in the trees for the kids and omelets for the adults

Pinata

Home made water guns

and the best thing ever invented: the ice maker. I love that place just for that!

Stay tuned for bloopers!!!!

Ice cream at the parlor

Breakfast in the trees

Puzzles

water gun war

Hitching a ride to the tube drop off (no one was harmed in the making)

Crowded Armada

Yep, no kids with seat belts. There was only 15 of us crammed in there

my favorite pics - "Hey, I got your shoe!!!!'

Fairy bags

Breakfast in the trees

One of the things the forest fairies left the kids was an egg carton treasure hunt. The insides were painted different colors and they had to find ribbon hidden all around the neighborhood to find the treasures. There was a big treasure at the end fills with games and family fun.