Go West, Young Men!
This is the REAL test. The test of traveling in our new minivan--long distance. The test for taking ALL FIVE boys on a big vacation. If we conquer this, I feel much better about our plans to visit Steve's folks in North Dakota later this fall.
Today we are heading west, to the Colorado Rockies. We plan to make the nine-hour trip in one day, and we got an early start to allow for plenty of stops. So far, so good! We were all packed and ready last night. Steve and I had trouble getting to sleep--the adrenaline was really pumping--but still we set a new family record and were on the road by 7 am! The boys are still being friendly to each other, staying busy with movies, books, and McDonald's breakfast biscuits.
The last time we visited Colorado, Sammy was just six months old. The boys had the time of their lives hiking, digging for gems, playing in the mountain streams, feeding chipmunks, and taking in the beauty and grandeur of the Rockies. We have longed to return, but the past several years a long road trip was out of the question because of a tough pregnancy and Zachy's delicate condition. This summer, we waited to make plans until we were certain that Zachary was well enough recovered from his surgery. But we got lucky, and found an available cabin just a few miles south of Rocky Mountain National Park. There are no words to describe our excitement for the week ahead!
Growing up, we camped in the mountains nearly every summer. The fondest memories I have are not of fancy museums, amusement parks, or tropical islands. They are of fresh alpine air, crackling campfires, towering peaks, and placid mountain lakes. And I hope to pass those memories on to our boys... to leisurely enjoy each other's company without regard to schedules, to take an opportunity to appreciate nature's beauty, to climb to the top of the world and look out over "amber waves of grain," to have our last summer blast before school starts up in just two weeks.
Thank you, God, for giving us this opportunity, for healing Zachary and granting us the luxury of a peaceful family vacation.
Today we are heading west, to the Colorado Rockies. We plan to make the nine-hour trip in one day, and we got an early start to allow for plenty of stops. So far, so good! We were all packed and ready last night. Steve and I had trouble getting to sleep--the adrenaline was really pumping--but still we set a new family record and were on the road by 7 am! The boys are still being friendly to each other, staying busy with movies, books, and McDonald's breakfast biscuits.
The last time we visited Colorado, Sammy was just six months old. The boys had the time of their lives hiking, digging for gems, playing in the mountain streams, feeding chipmunks, and taking in the beauty and grandeur of the Rockies. We have longed to return, but the past several years a long road trip was out of the question because of a tough pregnancy and Zachy's delicate condition. This summer, we waited to make plans until we were certain that Zachary was well enough recovered from his surgery. But we got lucky, and found an available cabin just a few miles south of Rocky Mountain National Park. There are no words to describe our excitement for the week ahead!
Growing up, we camped in the mountains nearly every summer. The fondest memories I have are not of fancy museums, amusement parks, or tropical islands. They are of fresh alpine air, crackling campfires, towering peaks, and placid mountain lakes. And I hope to pass those memories on to our boys... to leisurely enjoy each other's company without regard to schedules, to take an opportunity to appreciate nature's beauty, to climb to the top of the world and look out over "amber waves of grain," to have our last summer blast before school starts up in just two weeks.
Thank you, God, for giving us this opportunity, for healing Zachary and granting us the luxury of a peaceful family vacation.
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