It's Over, But It Isn't Over

We arrived in Concord at about 11pm Sunday July 7th.  My dogs were so happy to see us, Lizzie did a lot of whining and Diego gave me a full body hug and would not leave my side.  It was especially sweet when the cat came running in, cave us a cursory look, and walked to the food bowl.  Our pets missed us!
The next day all the kids and I cleaned out our clothes and personal items.  It felt good but kind of sad too.  I took Steffi, Coley, and Ryan to Albemarle where they saw Mocha (who also gave an amazing greeting) and reunited with their mom later that day.  I expected to feel relieved when the kids went with their mom.  I was ready to take a big sigh and fully relax.  Instead, I felt very sad.  As hard as parts of the trip were, I think we bonded more than ever.
Now, Artie sits in the driveway and honestly looks a little pathetic.  As if begging for the next big adventure.  Or, maybe it is me that is begging for the next big adventure.  I loved our amazing vacation, and I loved coming home.  But there is so much more to it than that.  I have a whole new education and respect for RV living.  I definitely didn't win any awards for being super mom, but I did keep a clean kitchen, supplied breakfast, lunch, and some dinners (with John's help), kept up with the laundry, and came home happy.  I cannot wait to see what we do next.  Whatever it is, I'll be ready.

Mesa Verde, on the way back from the dwellings.  

Cleveland

We made it to John's sisters house at about midnight on the third. We were greeted by a herd of jumping and yelling cousins that were so excited we had made it. After a couple of celebratory toasts, we all hit the pillows and the clan slept until almost 10. Happy Fourth of July! I've never been more proud or amazed by this wonderful country.

Just for Rylee

My sweet niece Rylee wanted a picture of the RV. (She is four)  So, here it is Rylee girl!  I love you and kiss your mom for me!  XOXO

Here are some pictures of us in the RV.  I hope to take you on a trip one day!

Love, Uncle Dawn

Steffi's Fabulous Blog Post

Well today we are driving to Cleveland from Yellowstone. Yellowstone was really pretty but they had a lot of bugs and that part made me sad. But we saw elk and moose and it was pretty cool. I also became addicted to huckleberries and I got some huckleberry shorts and I am going to wear then forever. I'm kind of sad that our West vacation is over but I'm ready to be in Cleveland to see my lovelies. Tonight we are staying in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and I was very excited because Chelsea Houska from Teen Mom 2 lives there. I asked Dawn if we could meet her and she said no. But oh well. I hope you enjoyed my fabulous blog post because it was my "assignment" for today. Bye guys

Heading to Ohio!

Well we're heading to Ohio today. We're staying half way through South Dakota today and finishing the journey up tomorrow. You get thankful for the little things when you've been on the road for almost 2 weeks :) Here is a picture of me and mom in Durango Colorado. :) 

Yellowstone Falls

Still trying to play catch up~ here is my beautiful daughter, Heather, at Artists Point in Yellowstone. What an amazing place. I was stunned at how volcanic land can be so beautiful. A person needs a week to truly do this park justice.

Yellostone National Park!

We haven't had any phone or internet service for two days. (You can read that as withdrawals) So we toured Grand Tetons Sunday (pics later) and today is Yellowstone. Most majestic scenery ever.  All children are still with us and both adults claim sanity. (Altho doubts about John continue..)   Elevation here is over 8,000 feet so most of us are suffering slightly. As you parents can imagine, the little boys are oblivious.  Xoxo to all.

We Made It!

Grand Tetons. And I can tell you, they are truly Grand.

Dinner at Slickrock Cafe in Moab

Such a fun time in this quaint town. Great service and live music. Fun!

Bryce National Park

We hiked the hoodoos at Bryce Canyon and there are some fabulous pictures - however the pictures take so long to load that I have to be picky.  Before we hiked the canyon, we did some walking around the rim and met a young couple that agreed to take our picture. You can meet the nicest people at National Parks!  ;)
We are off to Arches today so I hope to blog that tomorrow.  Love to everyone!

More Catch Up - Zion

Hiking the narrows in Zion National Park was absolutely amazing.  It is an event that should be on every persons "bucket list".  So far, for me personally, this was the highlight of the trip.  I was impressed with the kids love of this adventure as the water was 58 degrees, and the current was fairly swift.  We had to turn around at some point to get back to the paved walk but the kids really didn't want to.  We hiked about 1 mile in the Virgin River.  Looking at these pictures makes me emotional - so I hope you enjoy the views 1/4 as much as I enjoyed the hike.

Catching Up - Pics to Share

Here are some pics of the Grand Canyon that I didn't get to post earlier.  Service can be very spotty, usually only available at campsites if then.  However, pulling into a campsite means meals to be made, showers to be had, beds to prepare, etc.  We have settled into RV life nicely, although I swear this big rig has grown smaller each day ;).
So here are my catch up pictures.  All the kids are so cute (most of the time).

Leaving Zion and Entering Bryce

Breakfast in Zion

This is just an amazing canyon and a great setting for breakfast today.

Greeting at Zion

We got into Zion National Park and were told due to the size of the RV, we had to get an escort through one of the tunnels.  It was close to closing time so we were encouraged to hurry to the tunnel to get our escort.  As soon as we rounded a corner, our official greeters were there.  Aren't they so cute?

Despite our fascination, we did make the tunnel in time, and saw beautiful sights on the way. I'll show some pictures tomorrow.
All is still going well.  Our campsite near Zion is next to a river and there are lots of people here.  We are excited for our hike tomorrow.

Breakfast with a View!

Breakfast at Grand Canyon Lodge this morning!

Crossing the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon

I dropped off the gang on one side of the bridge so they can take the pedestrian (old bridge) across with the Colorado at least 1000 ft below. I drove Artie, our beloved RV across the new bridge and picked up the crew on the other side.

My Forrest Gump Moment

Stopping to take the obligatory pic in Monument Valley. Dawn reluctantly stood in the middle of the road to capture the Kodak moment...

Four Corners, NM AZ UT CO

On the way to the Grand Canyon, we stopped at Four Corners. We bought "genuine" Navajo goods and then took a short trail to the top of a nearby hill, overlooking the San Juan River. Only the boys made it to the top, though...

Heading to Mesa Verde.

This was Saturday afternoon to visit our first national park. We spent the night in an awesome campground just outside the park...

On Our Way to Durango (and I don't mean the horse)

We pulled out of Tijeras at 8:30 am - after refreshing showers and enjoying the rocky hill scenes.  We are all in high spirits due to only a 5 hour drive and being able to walk off some of our energy.  Just a glimpse of our RV life as we travel.

And one of the great scenery for good measure.

What an amazing time with all of our children.  John and I are loving it.  I think the kids are too.

Intrastate Travel

We started in Arkansas, crossed Oklahoma, the panhandle of Texas (we saw real Texas Longhorns!), and into New Mexico.  We will be staying in Tijeras NM, and going to Durango, Colorado and Mesa Verde National Park tomorrow.  It has been an extremely long day of traveling with very strong cross winds.  The wind likes to blow big square boxes around on the road and that is most definitely us.  We have all loved the scenery changing from mountains to flat plains to sandy desert to rocky desert.  The windmills, long desert trains, and dry river beds have been fascinating as well as the acres and acres of land dedicated to cattle and plant farms.  We are all in good spirits, playing card games, listening to music, watching movies, and eating.  Just a bit of extra knowledge for you - a family of seven can easily spend  $44 at McDonalds.

On the road

Huge wind farm in western oklahoma...

Just for Stan...

Again, Spirits are Good!

Spirits are good...so far!

The Morning in Little Rock

Good Morning! We made to Little Rock last night...it was a bit late. There was some panic when a couple rv parks were full when we called, but we landed here on the banks of the Arkansas River looking in to the city. Don't worry Stan, we don't plan to go see the Clinton Museum...

Got to Nashville!

Made by 3pm... not bad considering the refuel in Knoxville took almost 1hr...

5 more hours to Little Rock to sleep in a Walmart parking lot!!!  See kids, I told you this was going to be fun....

On Our Way Out!

Our plan was to leave at 5am.  John and I woke up about 6, woke the kids about 7, and left about 8am. We are on vacation time so it matters little.  These pictures are before getting in the RV to pull out.  David couldn't bring himself to be with us, he was too upset about leaving our dogs.  He found his balance again after about an hour.

Our Five Fabulous Kids

John and I

Before the trip

These are my first words to share with you our trip west!  We are so excited!
John, Dawn, Heather, Steffi, Coley, Ryan, and David will all be sharing fun and exciting text and pictures.  We can't wait!