Arizona Trip Day #1

And we are off!! Headed for our trip to ... well we really don't have a plan but we do plan to get to Arizona.

Jenna hiding and Nathan eating and listening to his music.

Roads in Utah ... still snowy

Hills/mountains near Zion National Park

A lot of the mountain peaks/hills remind me of Dubois.

You might think I'm crazy but I found this road fascinating ... it's red!

Another cool mountain creation.

We stayed the night in Springdale, Utah just on the border of Zion National Park. It is a beautiful little town. They have a cafe there called Wildcat Willie ... we were almost done with dinner when we realized that it was Willie Coyote and the Road Runner's cafe! It was delicious too!

Jenna and Nate with Willie Coyote and the Road Runner is trying to peak in the picture too!

We've been elfed!!

A Day of Swimming ... and a buck deer!

Well folks, Jenna is now in Jr. High and a swimmer! Just a few photos of the day ...

First race of the day!

Jenna swimming the 200 Free

Jenna swimming the 50 FreeThe relay team. Jenna is the second from the back.Getting ready to go ...

And ... GO!

Posing ...

Cheering teammates on!

And a pretty little buck we saw on the way home. :)

End of the 1st Quarter ...

The end of quarter one ... I can't believe that it's the end of 9 weeks for my 7th grader and my 4th grader! They did so well. We went to both of their parent/teacher conferences. Nathan got 3 A's, 3 B's and 1 C. Jenna got 1 A+, 4 A's, 1 B+ and 1 B (her B was in PE). We spent may be a total of 5 minutes with Nathan's teacher. Which is AWESOME because usually we are there for 15-20 minutes. Jenna's was a little longer because we had to go around to each of her teachers. Her math teacher told me that she was one of the brightest homeschooled kids that he has ever met! What a huge compliment for me! All in all I am so proud of these two. They have worked so hard and now it is paying off for them!

Jenna and I in front of the Tetons

Happy Memorial Day

Every Memorial Day, my mom would go to the cemetery in Thermopolis and spend the morning there setting up flowers on the graves of her loved ones. We would then listen to the ceremony that the VFW would put on and the gun salute with the bone chilling sound of the bugle playing Taps. I miss those times with her ... so here is to all those fallen soldiers that have fought for my freedom (even if they didn't die in battle) and for the ones who are continuing right now. God Bless them all.

*Make sure you go to the bottom of the page and turn off the music player before watching this*

Day 5 Expedition Yellowstone

Looking at geysers.

More geyser gazing.

A log that was thrown into one of the hot pools.

Jenna and Alex

An otter on Yellowstone Lake.

A rock by/on Yellowstone Lake.

Yellowstone Lake thawing out.

Ice formations on Yellowstone Lake

The otter again.

A spider in the hot pools

Alberto on the ride home.

Nesto on the ride home.

Sean on the ride home.

Tetons

Day 4 Expedition Yellowstone

Is she happy or not?

Jenna R., Jenna P, and Reid listening to more instruction.

Another hike to the unknown.

Still hiking.

Another Mountain Sheep.

Dead buffalo.

This is a buffalo that has been attacked by wolves. He has a big gouge under his right leg that has been bleeding and his tail has been chewed off. He was laying in the river bottom and pretty much kicked out of the herd and left here to die.

This is our group. Bottom row: Mrs. Lloyd, Jenna Patrick, Mark McConnell, Nick Krassin, Sean Davis, Ms. Donaho

2nd Row Kamden Sandall, Jenna Redman, Riley Newman, Annika Poitras, Kami Deromedi, ?, Jason Redman.

3rd Row: Mr. Morris, Val Morris, Alex, Reid Leemon, Nesto Lowham, Bradley Malek, Mr. Deromedi.

4th Row: Bob "The Bear Guy" Waits, Zoe Owens, Alyssa Logue, Kobey Simpson, Alberto.

Black bear

Nick and Kobey part of the "Jungle"

Sean dressed as a 4 year old little girl.

Nesto got his hair done and it made his face permanently like this.

Nick and his Extreme Makeover.

Sean and his Extreme Makeover.

The group playing FARKLE!!

Day 3 Expedition Yellowstone

Looking out the Camp Robbers groups door of their cabin.

View out Camp Robbers door.

A formation at Mammoth called "ET".

Almost lunch time!!

Jenna after lunch

Visitors again to our cabins.

Traffic jam Yellowstone style.

Mountain Sheep

At the top of Mammoth.

A new geyser spring that had just formed that week.

Side view of Mammoth

Just another bear.

Some of the kids being goofy on the bus. The one with the glasses found them somewhere on the road.