Yellowstone, A Homecoming and High School Graduation

 The funnest and most memorable family vacation we have had thus far in our little family's existence was this weekend. Thursday afternoon we headed north. Talk about a beautiful drive! Spring has sprung and everything is green and in full bloom. We stopped in Idaho Falls to play along the falls. I was a bit grossed out by all the geese and their droppings, but the kids and Neil had fun.

We used some of the Marriot rewards points Neil has been building up through work travel and stayed the night at a hotel in Rexburg, Idaho that was built right in the middle of a corn (or maybe potato?) field. The kids and Neil had a fun time swimming while Kathryn and I experienced Toyota's Roadside Assistance program. I locked the keys in the trunk of the van! Thankfully, a serviceman came to our hotel, and the keys were back in my hand within two-hours from the incident.

First thing Friday morning, we entered the West gate of Yellowstone park. We saw hot pools, mud geysers and LOTS of bison. We drove around the park just stopping whenever we saw several cars pulled off the side of the road to see what they were looking at.

We met the cutest little family at the Old Faithful Inn for lunch where we ate Chili con Carne... Carne de Bison, that is...

I checked out a children's picture book about Charles Moran and how Yellowstone park became America's first National Forest, due mostly to his paintings. It was fun for us to read about all the things he painted and then see them for ourselves.The kids' favorite part was watching Old Faithful explode into the sky. They re-enacted it for us several times during our trip!

My favorite site was the Tower Waterfalls where the Yellowstone River falls thousands of feet down a "canyon as tall as a mountain." Driving along through the park was so breath-taking. The pines are so thick you can't see through them.  Neil's favorite part was probably seeing all the wildlife. We saw tons of bison, several elk, deer, and a grizzly bear from afar. We all decided we want to return again when we have more than a day so we can go hiking and see more animals, geysers, and water falls.







We made our way to Dayton on Saturday and stopped to watch hangliders at Sand Turn. It's a traditional event for them on Memorial weekend. What a crazy, thrilling hobby that must be!

On Sunday we had two main events. First, we listened to Kaleb report to the Ranchester Branch about his mission. Another highlight of the weekend was witnessing my youngest cousin graduate from High School. My Aunt and Uncle hosted a little party at their house before the program. It was fun to see lots of my old teachers there. I was reminded of all the things they taught me and how I have become the person I am today due in part to each of their influences. It takes a village to raise a child, and the tiny village I was raised in holds such a special place in my heart.