Mommy's MIlestone

Today I sent not one, but BOTH of my children to camp.  Can I just say that I missed them as soon as they pulled out of the parking lot??

All of those little kids waving bye to their Mom's and Dad's....just sad.  Now of course I have enjoyed the quite time with no one yelling that he is touching me or she is sticking her tongue out. 

I have already proclaimed that I will be a basket case when they actually grow up and are gone.  Dont get me wrong, I do want them to leave one day....I do not want my kids to be 30 and still living with me. 
Jay and I have big plans for when they are gone....just kidding.....well maybe not :)

But as a mom it is so hard to start letting go.


You can see by the pictures sent to me by another parent who is chaperoning that they obviously miss me too :)

I guess I am hoping today that I am training them up in the way they should go......because pretty soon they will be gone. :(

Day 9 & 10....Idaho, Utah

We left yesterday and drove from Wyoming to Utah.    We were in the middle of nowhere and stopped at a convenience store only to find out that we were in the hometown of Rulon Gardner.  For those that have no idea who he is...he was the Olympic champion in wrestling in 2000.  Just so happens he owns the convenience store that we were at.  They had posters and articles all over the walls so you could read about him.


We went through the border area of Idaho so I was able to take some pictures of that area as well.  We did not see a lot...just scenery for the most part.  We did run across a museum dedicated to the Oregon Trail so we went inside to learn some things.

We drove into Salt Lake City and visited the Mormon Tabernacle.  NO, I am not becoming Mormon...but wanted to see what it looked like.  I took some pictures of the area.  The round dome building and the stage area is where the Mormon Tabernacle performs.  The tall building is the temple.   You are not allowed to enter unless you are a member.



 















We tried to go into the Salt Lake but no such luck....there are some pictures of it in the back ground.

We drove onto Moab, Utah and spent the night.  We got up this morning (late) and then went out to Canyonlands and Arches National Park.  It was so HOT here today....what a difference a few days make.  We went from 30 degrees back up to 90's.  Below are some pictures of the parks. Caleb and Haley both decided to participate in the Canyonlands Junior Ranger Program.  So they each received a badge for that.

 It was so hot, and I am so tired!!  Today was my birthday and so many of you have sent birthday messages that it has made the day great along with the beautiful scenery.  We did get a laugh today.... about a mile from the entrance to the Canyonlands is the following sign.  Our address is Willow Spring, so this made us chuckle!

We go to Denver, Colorado tomorrow....we are starting to make the trek back to NC.  I am looking forward to being home, that is for certain!!!!!

Day 8....More Yellowstone and The Grand Tetons

Today we were up early and got off to a good start.  We started our day at the Junior Ranger Station in Yellowstone.  Haley had picked up the booklet and completed her project with the exception of attending a demonstration.  After sitting through that, she was awarded her Yellowstone Junior Ranger patch.....Caleb decided not to participate. :(  Below are pictures of her getting her badge.















We then went into Yellowstone and began our trek out of the park.  There were a few things that we had not seen so it was nice to get a few things in.  I am attaching pictures of those, no use explaining when you can enjoy yourself!  It was so COLD and you can see all of the snow on the ground.






























We then started out of the park and went into The Grand Tetons.  It was actually warmer once we made our way into that park.  The mountains were stunning since they were white and the ground was green.

There is not nearly as much to do in The Grand Tetons but it was fun nonetheless.  We then made our way to Jackson, Wyoming for the night.  We went to dinner where I had the best meal I have had so far on vacation, and that meant a lot!!!

After eating we did a little shopping and I snapped this picture of the kids.  We call them "Bill and Billena."  Sorry, the computer keeps flipping the pic the wrong way!!!

We head out to Utah tomorrow.  We are seeing Salt Lake City and going down to Moab.

Day 7...More Yellowstone

We spent today exploring Yellowstone a little more.  We got off to a late start due to some unexpected issues through the night.  About 1:00am Haley woke up with a nasty bug and was vomiting.  I will not say how bad it was, just that she had to have a shower after all was said and done!  We therefore slept in until 10 this morning.


When we got up it was snowing outside...now we were not supposed to have snow so that was a BIG surprise.  It did not last too long so no issues with our plans for the day, but it was enjoyable to see and the kids really got a kick out of it!

We started into the park and about 5 miles into the park we came upon a huge traffic jam so here is my question...Why did the Bison cross the road???  Of course to cause a huge delay for all of the tourists!!! :)  The pictures below were the traffic in front of and behind us in the park.

 After taking an hour and a half to go 14 miles (that is no exaggeration) we finally made it to our destination.  We were able to see a new area that we had not seen before including Old Faithful.  It was beautiful and thanks to my friend Amanda Gurkin (love you!!)...we were able to get some great shots (with her camera) of the geyser.   I could not load the pics of when it was the tallest....Hope you enjoy!!








We then ate at the Old Faithful Inn, which is the historic hotel in the park.  It was more about the scenery than the food but nevertheless it was a great experience.  We went up stairs to take pictures and had the opportunity to talk with a college student from Massachusetts who is here for the summer with Campus Crusade for Christ.  We had a wonderful talk with her about there mission....they are here to work and minister to those that work here in the park.  It was a blessing to see someone so on fire for God so we really enjoyed chatting with her.

After we left the restaurant Jay went around to the front of the building so that I could snap some pics of the hotel.  When we rounded the corner we saw bison walking down the road.  The kids had a big laugh about "The Bison checking into the room at the Old Faithful Inn!"  We had a lot of laughs today with all of the bison roaming around on the road.  After a while you kind of get that "really, another bison???" feeling. 















Still another wonderful day here in Gods Country....we are off to the Grand Tetons tomorrow and looking forward to seeing that area.  It is supposed to be the coldest day tomorrow with a lot more snow.




Thanks so much to everyone for the encouraging messages and comments....I really hope you are enjoying our adventures!!!