Memorial Weekend Campout

Rich treated us to a weekend camping in West Yellowstone in the pop top.

We love s'mores--even in the freezing rain!

We just move the party inside!


Saturday morning it was still cold and rainy as we headed out to drive thru Yellowstone and Gran Teton to Jackson Hole for the day.

Cheerful little travellers!

We crossed the divide six times on Saturday! This is about 11am in Yellowstone.

The road at the top

Jackson Lake--we stopped here cuz Heidi was havign a meltdown

See?

Couldn't quite see th top of the Tetons

James on a statue in Jackson Town Square

Addie eating lunch at Back Country Provisions

James at lunch

After lunch, we went to see Shrek 3 in D at the theatre in Jackson

Glasses on, ready for 3D!

Mommy loves retro cowgirls!

Me and the kids outside the theatre

Elk Horn arches in Jackson Town Square

Daddy and the kids pretending to be Elk

My cousin Dasha is working in Jackson over the summer--it's a big change from Thatcher, AZ! It was so great to see her!

Wild kids with wildlife

We parked by this sign and I thot it waas funny (4U, Gram!)

We went home the west way, through Idaho's Teton Valley, and you know what they are famous for...

We cannot recommend this place highly enough--it was FANTASTIC! If you find yourself driving thru the valley and you're hungry for some tasty, authentic (served by another family from Jalisco), totally inexpensive Mexican food, stop at this place in Driggs!

THANK YOU for the wonderful meal, Guadalajara!

A Sunday Walk

After church, lunch, and a nap during a hail storm, we decided to take a family walk around West Yellowstone.Heidi, James, Addie and Rich with a Grizzly...
Same gang and me.

[there are several pix that belong here, but our sucky campground internet is not uploading them, so I'll post them later]

Addie, James, and Heidi with a big trout in West Yellowstone
A cool train at Bullwinkle's in West Yellowstone
Train Fans!

Fun Sign in W.Y.

Rich & James at our campsite Sunday evening

First camping trip with the cruiser

Our campsite is right by the playground

(I think thes kind of tire swings are the coolest thing ever--

I totally want one at the ranch!)
Cutie Heidi is lovin' the playground- she's a new-friend magnet!

Addie is a swingin' fool!

***

Just now--after roasting brats for dinner--Rich rented a DVD from the corner market and made the kids some jiffy pop on the campstove. I think I might like camping in the rain better than regular camping. Movies, books, board games--camping for nerds! I could like this.

Freaky Friday

What a week! Another great Glee episode, a lame Idol finale (but I really like Lee Dewyze), a weak family night (daddy at a meeting), head and back aches and allergies, track meet, rain, a chat with "big Heidi", mama feeling a little better, gramp having his third(!!!) chemo, retirement dinner party for 2 teachers at the kids' school, Matt's 29th birthday, last day of preschool, a very clean family room (reorganized!), big summer plans, gearing up for cousins to visit all during June, endless laundry and dishes, and now gardening...

BUT--we are taking a break (even though it's going to be rainy and 40 degrees for the next 4 days) and heading to camp in West Yellowstone for 3 nights and spend Saturday in Jackson, Wyoming. We are heading out in an hour or two. I will post pictures from our campground's wifi when I get a chance. Wish you were here ! ;)

Happy Memorial Day, everyone. I've been so emotional lately, I almost cried when the sweet man from the VFW handed me a crepe paper poppy today at the grocery store. God bless our military men, past and present. And an extra measure of gratitude for my ancestors this weekend--I am the culmination of a lot of great teachings, sacrifices, genes, etc...I hope I can live up to it all!

All God's Children Need Travellin' Shoes

Sorry I haven't made a "real post" for a while, but no news is good news, be assured. Over the holidays I went looking for an old musical idol online and I found her in a big way. Tanita Tikaram was the soundtrack for much of my 1990-91. She now has a great blog, podcast, archives, etc. so I am glad she is back in my life in a way. Here are two of her songs from back in the day. The first one is probably her biggest "hit"--the first thing I heard from her on "120 Minutes" back in high school. Watching the video now makes me kind of nostalgic and homesick--I can almost feel the dry heat of that place (the Atacama?), it reminds me of the Navajo Res in NoAZ. The second is hands-down the Kevinest song of all the Kevin songs. Us to a tee. Enjoy--her voice is like buttah!






Johnny was a peculiar guy
Brought up on love and the reasons why
but the reasons why ought not to be said
and so I'm left hands held to my head saying
I love you
It's a beautiful,beautiful, beautiful thing
It's a beautiful, beautiful thing

Chances, changes are all that you have
As you take the hard stuff lie on your back
The smoothness, strangeness fits like a glove
But the comfort of tease still rises above saying
I love you.
But is it possible, possible, possible babe?
Is it possible for me and you?

Gold and waves and Betty Blue are the images that lead
to the clues of why
I can't love you
It isn't possible, possible, possible, babe,
It isn't possible for me and you.

If they don't dance then they're no friends of mine

I've had a pretty busy week and a back ache that makes sitting unbearable (standing and even kneeeling, digging in the garden don't bug, but sitting does--weird) so I haven't been at the computer much since Monday. I had an awesome root canal on Tuesday and put in a rockin' garden on Wednesday, and I'll post pix soon, but for today, let this beautiful bit of "GLEE" brighten up your TGIF. Go ahead--we can dance if we want to (and we totally did, btw--my kids and I have watched this about 20 times and we dance to it like crazy--so should you, even in your cubicle!)

By the By...

Stumbling upon THIS FABULOUS WEBSITE reminded me that... ...(A) I COLLECT POSTCARDS (hint, hint)

(B) I really love being a Latter-Day Saint. LOVE IT.

Recent Photos

Today we enjoyed a lovely Sabbath at church, a nice nap, and a fun birthday barbecue at the ranch with Uncle Mike for Christina's (his gf) birthday. Our Gray cousins came, too, but not Grandpa and Grandma because they were doing their high council duties in Big Timber today. We missed them, but it was a delicious day to be outside, worshipping thru our senses! In this photo, Mike and Angie are getting ready to serve cake & ice cream to the cousins, but it looks like Danny is holding them up like some gangster.

Tell me these mountains DON'T make you want to sing, "How Great Thou Art"--

I'll never get over this view.
A view of the festivities from the river
(you can see the pirate ship tree house we built last year there on the left, and the covered foundation where my inlaws will rebuild a house there center-right).


The kids can't wait to dig into Christina's birthday cake.

Make a wish, Christina!

Remember the root cellar we cleaned out last summer? Well, it now has power and this beautiful reinforcing stone wall (since the hill is eroding).

A view of the festivities from the foundation

Hannah's back, Heidi, and James eating hot dogs and lovin' ranch life

(We can't wait for the Florida and Texas Melins to join us in July!)
***

Last Tuesday I made the kids Serendipity Frozen Hot Chocolate for after school snack. They insist it be served in a fancy glass with a spoon AND a straw, so this is what they look like eating it.

"CHEERS!"

(notice the cute potted flowers I got for Mothers Day from Addie and Heidi, and tulips from my MIL--she grew them!)

Here's Addie on the front porch (sitting on last year's Mothers Day gifts, coincidentally), sipping her treat, looking for all the world like a middle-aged woman on a cruise...

what's even funnier...

...is that everyday now she gets out a goblet and makes herself a drink (usually crystal light or lemonade on the rocks). She saved that umbrella off some cupcakes a classmate brought to class and she uses it everyday. This makes me laugh, everyday (in my head, I ask her, "Tough day at the office?").
***

Last Saturday, we got to babysit Lydia and Suzy all day long and it was super fun. The kids took these pictures when they were swinging Suzy.

Silly Sooz & Silly Heidi
***

This next section is a photo essay called

"AROUND THE HOUSE on May 4th"

First of all, this is a great shot of my newest rug and my grubby son.

And also all the crap under my couch downstairs.

Next is a series of pictures of my kitchen. On this particular day, the kitchen was making me kind of crazy because everything was so cluttery. But then I thought I would take pix to show myself that THIS IS LIVING--we are LIVING in our house, and the mess is good.

I hate having a bunch of stuff on the window sill, but this is such a great place to start plants when it's still freezing at night. So there is an egg crate on the left sprouting cantaloupe and yellow squash, with a jade plant on top of it, and quinoa sprouting in a yogurt cup. There is another jade start in a tiny vase, and pots sprouting sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos, hollyhocks, and basil. So the mess if for a good cause.

This is my Mexican Pig. I love him. I bought him at a Mexican warehouse-type store in Tucson with my Grampy. To the left of Mr. Pig is the courting candle my inlaws brought back from Amish country and a jar of sand and stones from the beach at Lowestoft, England.

This is the little craft corner left over from putting together daily treats for teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week. There are also planners and calendars and reading schedules and homework all piled up there in a crazy-making mess.

The big picture.

My chaotic fridge doors.

My medicine cupboard, of which a nephew once said, "Holy crap, this looks like some hippy cupboard...just tell me where the frickin' advil is!"

And lastly, breakfast. Also known as "the ingredients for the most delicious yogurt you've ever tasted." The oranges stuff is a blend of mashed yams and mashed butternut squash, mixed with butter and honey and a dash of nutmeg and pecans and coconut, then briefly broiled (to reheat and toast the coconut of course). A few days after I served this for dinner, I figured we'd better finish it off, so I mixed the yam-squash into vanilla yogurt with some granola on top and James and I both thought it was FABULOUS-- Try it!