Whitney and I left last Monday (Randy had to work and Landon had EFY all week) to join Lori, Robyn & her kids, my mom, and Adam & Amy and their kids at Amy's aunt's cabin in Star Valley, Wyoming (about 50 minutes from Jackson Hole).
I started the morning a bit irritated because I had to get up at 5:00am and because I was bugged at the amount of stuff we had to bring. It's stupid that I give in to the irritation, it must be a warped defense mechanism or something, but I was really frustrated about the whole thing and practically talked myself out of it.
Fortunately Lori was in great form and had me laughing before we even hit the highway. We had some good tunes playing, snacks and beverages and she read Trivial Pursuit questions...I actually managed to drive the entire way there without getting sleepy!
Leading up to the trip Amy kept saying, "it's very cabiny", so we had some really low expectations, but ended up being very pleased with our housing.
I got to have this bedroom all to myself! I have found over the years that being able to retreat to "the cozy" by myself makes a great difference in my well-being. Apparently I need the escape and time to regroup.
I brought a rather ambitious amount of reading materials, but I like to keep my options open. I ended up reading
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle all week and barely finished it the last night there (4.5 stars).
Adam got some lounging/reading in.
The kids had a room in the basement all to themselves (woohoo!) and had a great time together.
Lori brought a couple puzzles. I decided I like the idea of puzzles more than I actually like working on them, especially if there's a good book I can be reading instead.
I did most of my reading on the deck (except for when it was too hot during the day) and enjoyed great views and could see the kids running around.
This is the back side of the cabin as seen from the street.
Ashley and I walked down to the pond and she posed every time she picked a flower.
Beautiful.
We took turns making dinner each night, which worked out beautifully (especially when it wasn't my turn!).
Lori and Amy.
One day was really overcast and not terribly hot so I was able to sit outside for a long time.
Coloring.
The hummingbirds were plentiful in the area and loved to frequent this feeder which was positioned near my reading spot. I was dive-bombed several times. It was so cool to be so close to them and listen to their wings...they sound just like The Jetson's space ships.
On Wednesday afternoon Robyn took the kids to the pool and everyone else was tired from horse-back riding that morning (I didn't go) so I went for a drive. I stopped at a "dessert bar" that boasted 4 flavors of ice cream! This was my $3 strawberry cone after about 2 licks...it was tiny!
I drove out in the country for a long time and stopped to take pictures here and there. I really love the country!
Wild flowers near the pond.
We played games every night and were really happy with a new game we learned this trip called Wizard (which I think Jenn gave me a long time ago).
The kids played a lot of Uno.
Adam made a big breakfast on the 18th of summer for Megan's 9th birthday and apparently I slept through it! I surfaced at 8:30 and everything was cleaned up already, so I ate by myself.
On Thursday we went to Jackson Hole for the day, which was a little challenging with 13 people. I am not a fan of Group Think and always feel flummoxed when trying to keep track of everyone and deal with the various demands of so many personalities. Aargh!
Whitney tortured me that day with her moodiness! She was fun one minute and then difficult the next.
She tried to convince me to buy her this hat. What the?!
Then she wanted this lion puppet!
I like this shot of Bella showing Amy a picture of something on her phone. Technology.
Goodness, we were starving by the time we finally got seated at the restaurant for lunch. Whitney tried to kill me again by deciding she didn't like anything on the menu and wasn't going to eat!! It was only after seeing what all the kids got and tasting their Mac-n-Cheese (which was heavenly) that she agreed to order it. Apparently she feared the food would be weird, but honestly they had a kid menu that would have worked, there's just no rhyme or reason to her these days.
Adam and I after lunch.
After splitting up to shop for awhile we all met back up at the park in the center of town. Amy and the girls took some self-portraits.
Back at the cabin, Adam had to do some work.
On our last morning, Lori, Ashley and I cracked ourselves up with Mad Libs.
Somehow my car was more full on the trip home...what in the world?!
Best cousins in their new duds.
We were caravaning on the way home when Adam flipped a u-turn unexpectedly on the freeway. It turns out Amy told him to pull over so we could take pictures at the scenic look out. We took a group photo on Amy's camera but I don't have it yet.
Overall it was a great trip with equal parts relaxation, reading, game playing, eating, and site seeing. There are always moment of too much "FAMILY!" but mostly it's all good.
