May Birthday Extravaganza

I didn't get this posted in May like I should've but I was just too busy, but we had so much fun in May with Jana's visit with the girls and then a trip to Southern California for Zach's and Elie's birthdays. Just love time with them. You can see the pictures on 2010-05-31 cuz we all know Every Picture Tells a Story Don't It...so need I say more?

Picasa Web Albums - Joann: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

From Sea to Shining Sea

Last month we took the road trip we call the America the Beautiful Tour with Thelma and Louise...aka Elie and Ava (with Ava's middle name Louise, that seems most appropriate). It was a great trip moving Jana and Ben from Seattle to Columbia, (actually Irmo) South Carolina, so literally from sea to shining sea.....or about an hour short of that actually. And we were able to see the land where the buffalo roam and the deer and the antelope actually play. It was absolutely beautiful. I kept waiting for a boring part that I could nap through or read a good book, but it never did get boring. It seemed we never had enough time to explore any spot we stopped at so we decided we'd have to return each summer to explore one of these areas we loved. Glacier Park is a definite must return to see and I wouldn't mind another trip through Montana and South Dakota. I really liked the stop at Custer's Last Stand and really got the feel of the battle on those rolling hills. It made me so glad we were there the day we were and not the 134 years earlier on the day that the battle happened. The weather was beautiful until we hit Iowa I think it was where all the sudden we pull in to stop one night after being in the nice air conditioned car all day and see the outside temperature on the car says 100 degrees and we figured it had to be broken, but as we stepped outside we about died. So hot and so humid. From then on, it was hot humid weather, crazy rain storms and thunder and lightening and even tornado watches in Illinois. One night we pulled into our hotel after the most drenching rain storm I've ever been in...in fact I don't know how Dave and Ben made it through it cuz you couldn't even see the road. And the next day when we were in Nauvoo, we cut our visit a little short cuz there was thunder and lightning going on just overhead...in fact there was this one huge clap of thunder that made me make a grab for Ava and Dave said he saw it strike on the ground just over the river and he could see all the colors in the bolt. We went on to Carthage to go to Carthage Jail and that was a real special visit as well. The storm was going on as the Sister Missionary gave us the tour so it really added to the experience of the jail and the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum. I really appreciated that stop as well. Ava was so sweet. The Sister Missionary was explaining how special it was for her to be there to give the tours and express her testimony every day in the room where the Prophet was martyred and she asked Ava if she had a testimony and Ava said, "No I don't have a testimony...(and then pause and then she said)......but I know my Mommy does". She got to stand next to the Sister in the room as well and she asked very good questions afterwards. We also made our way through Tennessee on the way and went through the Smokey Mountains. They were really nice but you had to go through this hokey section that should've taken only a half hour to drive through but cuz of all of the red stop lights at every intersection, it took 1 1/2 hours. But we did get to the Smokey Mountains eventually which were a lot like the drive between Willits and Fort Bragg but just with more rain and fog...and at the end of this was the great adventure of Maggie Valley and everything in the town was called Maggie something...Maggie Cafe, Maggie Crafts., etc. Then we pushed as hard as we could to make up for lost time and get into Irmo cuz we were SOOOO tired of driving. Thanks you Jana and Ben for being patient with me on that last bit so I could say I saw the Smokey Mountains and Maggie Valley. By the way, in defense of this detour, when I asked Ava what her favorite part of the whole trip was, it was this section she mentioned with the upside down hotel and the dragon coming out of the castle....so there you are.

Jana and Ben are in a beautiful place and I think they'll really like it once they're all settled in. It seems like they're already making good friends...one of whom even took Jana to Twilight opening day so how cool is that. They live in a beautiful house that is only lacking a white picket fence, that is in a beautiful neighborhood that has a great running loop in it, and there is any and every store close by to make life comfortable...well the Costco is supposed to be coming soon. I'll be anxious for our next visit there where we can just go and enjoy it all and not have to unpack boxes and switch lights and mow lawns...not that there was anything wrong with that. Any time we're with our kids and grandkids is a great time for us. Here are some pictures from our great adventure....don't feel you have to go through them all but enjoy what you do look at. The album is South Carolina or Bust

Picasa Web Albums - Joann: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"