Vacation Chronicle: Parts 4, 5, & 6

Hey people! I know most of you aren't going to read all of this, but it's a very detailed (well, as detailed as it's going to get!) description of our trips, except for our long stops which weren't documented as indepth (simply because I was too busy to pull out a pad and pencil). This part of our country is so amazing, I hope you guys enjoy hearing about our little excursions.

Today's date: 22 July 2011

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(Vacation Chronicle: Part 4)

Dear Diary,                                12 July 2011

We’re at Devil’s Tower! It is massive. And so ancient looking. Looking at it, it just seems so timeless and unchanging. It was the first national monument. After seeing “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” Jacob and I appreciated it a lot more. If we had had more time we would have gotten closer, maybe even go up it some ways, but we had to make it through Wyoming to Montana that day and had to hurry.

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Bighorn, Wyoming was the prettiest, most picturesque thing I’ve ever seen, even more so than Colorado Springs. We spotted moose, and had the “what is plural for moose” debate. On the way up into the mountains, Jacob was so worried that Daddy was going to run us off the road. Honestly, he can be such a worry wart sometimes – he’s just like Grandma in that even though he makes fun of her cautiosness all the time.

For lunch we ate at a tiny family place called Legends Grill in Daymon or something like that before Big Horn. Our goal was Yellowstone bit it’s been about 4 hours since I thought we were close. Haha, funny. Seriously though, Bighorn mountain range was so incredible we didn’t mind the long drive. We could turn a bend and there would be a magnificent valley and then a couple of moose grazing around the other. Mommy pointed out a few emu as well. We got some great pictures of a couple elk right by the road, not to mention the Shell Creek waterfalls. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any bears. I really wanted to…I told Jacob that there was 1 bear out there for me, somewhere. And I will find it.

It was freeing! At the highest point (about 8168 feet) we were hugging our coats and I pulled on some gloves when we got out. Jacob and I ran out of the car to a patch of snow. The fool was barefoot so in the picture that Mommy took from the passenger window, he was standing on my foot. Climbing (in the car of course) up Bighorn, we were actually in the clouds!! It was so neat! Course, I thing Daddy and I were the ones who enjoyed it most since both Jacob and Mommy were moaning and gripping the seats til their knuckles were white. It was a bit nerve-wracking since the clouds were like very thick fog, but Daddy’s a careful driver and I wasn’t worried.

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Finally in Yellowstone, we are at 8510 feet! There are mountains with melting snowy mountains everywhere, making waterfalls right there beside the road. It was so cool!

(Vacation Chronicle: Part 5)

Dear Diary,                              13 July 2011

We didn’t get to our hotel until 2 AM last night! Yes, we did see Old Faithful, but it was at night by the light of a full moon and if you ask me, we were the faithful ones. After 3 hours driving in Yellowstone Park it didn’t even spray for us. I was so tired I hardly cared At least we got to see it. There were geysers everywhere releasing hot steam that reflected in the moonlight, which looked pretty neat. Mommy kept calling it “geyser juice”.

The road went around this huge lake. Around one turn, suddenly there was this giant animal in the road! At first we thought it was a bear, but it turned out to be a bison. He was just walking along, chilling in the slow lane. It was an unexpected, but awesome, experience. Ever since the “Bison are dangerous” signs back in the Black Hills, Mommy had been wanting to see one. We were all pretty jovial there for a while – a little stray cloud floated above one of the hills. Mommy said, “Look, a little puff of cloud.” From then on we remembered him as “Little POC”…our cloud friend.

Mommy’s pretty tired. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to rest up at the Norcini’s. Idaho is where we’re headed to today. You would not believe the trouble it took to get some postcards here in Montana. It sure is pretty. I would love to see some wild horses.

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Almost to Clinton, Montana, the rain is really pouring down. Mommy is literally on the edge of her seat, eyes glued to the windshield as Daddy navigates through the downpour. It got so bad that we had to pull over for a few minutes. Even now, Daddy can’t see more than 20 meters ahead. He and I are the calm drivers in this group – Jacob and Mommy both are really nervous.

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We’re almost to the Norcini’s now. We just went over Lake Hayden. It was so beautiful!! To my right was the lake, set off in a wave of reddish colors from the sunset. To my left the purple/pink colors of dusk lit up the sky along with a full moon. SO PRETTY I CAN HARDLY STAND IT!!

(Vacation Chronicle: Part 6)

Dear Diary,                                         15 July 2011

I got to drive a 4-wheeler today!! It was so awesome. It was like driving a wave-runner on land, only I was by myself. Heather and Janessa loved riding with me. Once, Heather said, “I love riding this with no grown-ups, no offense, Emily.” She and I get along really well, we’re like buddies. Janessa too, but not as much since she pretty much likes to do her own thing most of the time, even if it doesn’t include me. Liandra is the same way.

I also decided I’m going to take horseback riding lessons again. This decision was prompted by the feeling of the trail ride we took today at Heather and Janessa’s riding stable…and the fact that Dan (Pastor Dan) bought me some real boots. All I did was mention that I didn’t have any and he said “Well, let’s stop by the store and pick you up some, my treat.” I was like gasping, “Uh…you, er, you don’t have to do that.” But he really wanted to and I got excited about it. Now I have a slight saddle sore, but it just felt so good to be riding again – I was itching to lope, however that was not convenient to our riding formation.

After we got home this afternoon, we played outside in the front. Heather and I started out on Scooters by ourselves, then after we had graduated to breaking out the Ripstick, Jacob, Janessa, Liandra, and then the adults trickled on out. Dan and Jacob piled into the truck and went to fill up the ATV gas tank. I actually was able to help Heather out a little on the Ripstick. Every chance I get, I practice on Jana’s. By the end of the day, I wanted my own Ripstick. The two of us had fun, encouraging and laughing at and with one another. J Daddy and Mommy even tried out the Ripstick. They weren’t crazy about it (and Mommy didn’t even do it by herself, Daddy was holding her hands) but at least they did it. Mommy loves the Scooter. She Scootered all over the driveway, avoiding Liandra who would periodically jump in front of people and set down these red cones which meant “Stop!”.  Unfortunately Mommy wasn’t aware of all the Scooter precautions like “don’t get the wheels parallel to the cracks in the concrete”. She did learn them, thought. The hard way. Joleen said she wasn’t sure if she was laughing or crying, but what we were all sure of was that Mommy had just flung onto the ground and was then lying in the fetal position. “I know what I’m doing, I’m OK,” she kept reassuring us. “I just have to do this to keep from getting dizzy.”

It was a fun and full day. Right now I am playing DS with Heather and Janessa and they are beating me badly. I win now and then, but if I get too far ahead they both gang up on me. L Haha, it’s fun though. I’m learning how to play Blackjack and Poker! Hee hee.

Dear Diary,                                                    17 July 2011

These past three days have gone so quickly. We did so much with the Norcinis…Heather and I did Ripstick a lot, and got pretty good. Jana will be so proud of me!! J Daddy actually did it better than Jacob could…he could only go about 8 inches. What he did like, A LOT, was driving the ATV. He got that “I’m-so-proud-of-myself” look on his face. Once, while Heather and I were walking Buddy, he came up beside us and said, “What’s new?” “That proud look on your face,” I told him. He grinned, “That’s not new.” And then he was off.

The girls love to bug Jacob. Of course he loves to do the same to them, so it usually works our alright. There is an occasional argument, but overall they have a working dysfunctional relationship. “Why do people like to mess with me so much?” he often asks us. The three of us always have the same answer. “Because you like messing with everyone else.”

Last night we went to a place like Mountasia, the place I went with Elizabeth Berger for her birthday. It was called Triple Play. Heather was so excited about going there and we all enjoyed it immensely. Mommy and Daddy were later glad that they decided to come along with us. Laser tag was a lot of fun! Although I did lose all my points at one point from getting shot by this turret thing on the ceiling, at least my score was higher than Jacob’s. :P Janessa rode with me on Go Karts. We were second place, only we both concurred that it was strictly because there were two of us rather than one as with Jacob’s place, and because the boys in front of us would not let us pass. I used tickets earned from arcade games to get a few toys for the kids. It’s funny how much I miss those kids, and the Gilmores, too. The little ones drive me crazy sometimes, but I keep seeing things and thinking “Would Gabriel like that?” or “Joy would love that.” As for Jana…well, it’s kind of hard not to get everything I see that she would like, and most things I like she would also appreciate. Not to mention all my other friends, and family members. We often say things like “I wish so and so were here”. After this very successful trip, we’re all getting excited about planning a trip to the east coast next year. J

Vacation Chronicle: Part 3

Dear Diary,                                     11 July 2011

We just stopped off at Aunt Rosie’s house in Denver, Colorado. It was so much fun hanging out with our cousin, Zachary. He wanted for us to come back – or to buy the house for sale next door.

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Sterling, Colorado. A place I hope I never see again.

It’s like Texas in Colorado. For ten minutes, while I had to use the bathroom (and very badly, I might add), we searched for a single descent place to eat. We ended up settling on a Quiznos inside a gas station. There were only two girls running the entire place, probably college students since it was a junior college town (who would have thought from the look of it), so it was another half hour before our four small sandwiches were done. We had lunch at a gas station in the middle of nowhere.

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 The hour and a half tour through Black Hills, South Dakota was very scenic with tall trees peppering the rolling green hills, set off by a background of mountains. It would have been a realizing trip…if not for my mother and Time. My mother because she was worried we wouldn’t make it to Mount Rushmore before dark and Time because it kept going even though we were all practically on the edge of our seats to see the national monument in the daylight. The drive was long and unsure. Every so often, Mommy would glance at Daddy and say, “Are you sure I’m going the right way?” Who could blame her…we drove through two small town (one was rightly named Hot Springs, it was just like Hot Springs, Arkansas) with little indication that we were going the right direction but for the GPS. Up in the Black Hills, we would all wait expectantly around every turn of the curvy, uphill road for the familiar four faces. Time and time again, however, we were disappointed and Daddy had to resort to munching on Chex Mix. Finally, we came to one pull over filled with tourists who were pointing fingers and camera lenses towards one mountain which we couldn’t fully see. Mommy pulled over and looked around. “What are they looking at? Is this it? What should I do?” “I’ll check it out,” said daddy and with an ungraceful departure he did “check it out”. Us three left-behind onlookers anxiously awaited the verdict. When Daddy lifted the camera, we all started murmuring amongst ourselves, debating whether or not this was it and if we should get out. Mommy got out first, took in the surroundings, then jumped back behind the wheel faster than I thought she could move. “It’s just the side of George, dadburnit!” she exclaimed, and when Daddy was in the car, she peeled out.

Finally, around the next bend, was the full, complete Mount Rushmore. It was such a neat experience to finally see it in person. But the escapade did not end there, oh no. Being about 7:45 PM when we parked the van, Mommy desperately arranged us there in the parking lot for a picture below the still very distant mountain. “This is ridiculous, let’s just go closer,” I protested, but Mommy was convinced it would be dead of night by the time we got to the observation deck. So we took pictures there in the parking lot. Of course once at the actual monument where all the other tourists were, we realized that there was still a good hour before actual darkness and before the lighting of the monument. So yes, it was a memorable (and a bit stressful) adventure, but once we got there we were all laughing about it.

The lighting was preceded by a speech outlining the importance of the four presidents and about the making of the statues by Charlie Desmond (after watching LOST so much we thought his name was pretty awesome). Then a 20 minute video gave more information. It was very inspiring, patriotically. I enjoyed it a lot! There were so many people, all different, there, yet we are all Americans. Democrat, Republican, liberal, conservative, and those who have no political preference, it doesn’t matter. We’re all equal in the sight of God.

The weather – I am wearing a jacket and gloves! “Jacob, feel the window!” I told him during the endless Road to Rushmore. He did. “It’s cold! I’m wearing shorts. I’m so tough.”

Vacation Chronicle: Parts 1 & 2

Dear Diary,                       9 July 2011

Vacation Chronicles: Part 1

Well we’ve been on the road approximately 17 minutes and already have returned to the house once, reprimanded my brother, and been to McDonalds. So far it seems a very promising trip.

Our family has proven that plans don’t always work out the way you think…our goal of leaving at 6AM was an hour and 56 minutes ago. But the point is that we made it out of there with no regrets. None, that is, but from my brother, who repeatedly expresses remorse at having to leave his computer behind.

Our first overnight stay will be Oklahoma City. We’re going to meet some family and friends there for dinner tonight. I bet we’ll be totally wiped!

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Unfortunately for me, my history book has followed me on this trip. I’m pretty sick of WWII now. What a terrible time to live in… So far nothing very interesting has happened. Of course it is only 2 hours and 10 minutes since we left. Out my backseat window, I can see green leaves of Texas landscape pass by from over a sea of luggage. You know, I thought it was physically impossible for two objects to occupy the same space at the same time…turns out it is. *~*

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It’s 11:25 AM now and we are driving through Dallas at present. A few minutes ago, I was a bit irritated because Mommy didn’t want to plug my iPod into the stereo. We passed by a massive, strange, twisted arch thing. Mommy started tripping, telling someone to take a picture of it. Jacob just looked out the window and said, “It’s just a thing.” That made me burst out laughing and I forgot I was in a bad mood.

Daddy is addicted to frosted animal crackers. He and Jacob have been fighting over the bag. For a few minutes I fired up my laptop and shot a few zombies in Killing Floor (this new game we all have) before we had to make a stop. I read for awhile, but now I am a bit boredish. I thought we were going to be able to have internet through my mom’s phone, but turns out that was only a limited trial period. L Boo hoo for me; I’ll have to take a break from Team Fortress 2.

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(1:12 PM)

The Shell station we stopped at was in hickville. There was a pickup truck on the other side of the gas pump we were using, In the back was an Australian shepherd mix, panting away while a woman shouted a bunch of kids to get some shoes on as they filed out of the tiny cab. The guy had torn up jeans – and I mean that quite literally, they looked as though something had torn them off below the knees. He and Daddy got to know one another as they pumped gas. I gave Daddy a look and he said, “He’s my buddy.”

Mommy dropped a quarter out in the parking lot and this motorcycle moustache dude snapped it up before I could say anything about it. Is biker accent could have taken me down in itself so I just shoved hands in pockets and shuffled on to the car.

Dear Diary,                   10 July 2011

Vacation Chronicle: Part 2

This morning I was so tired. We’ve been driving since 8 AM…now it is 4:48 PM. Hopefully Colorado Springs is over this next mountain.

The mountains are so beautiful! They’re so resolute and majestic. I want to climb one so bad! We’ll have to take a trip to Colorado sometime for longer than one night. The weather…ph goodness! It’s heavenly!! Not too cold, not too warm. The wind is a bit strong, ut I can deal with that.

For the first 50 some odd miles from New Mexico/Colorado border there were mountains on one side of the freeway and flat plains on the other. New Mexico was very flat and open, but also mountainous with its “glorified hills”, as Jacob called them. Those mountains aren’t as pretty as the rocky, snow-capped ones in Colorado.

During our seemingly everlasting trek through New Mexico and Amarillo, Texas (yes, we spent an hour or two in our home state), we spotted a giant dust devil! It looked like a tornado but it wasn’t as scary. Though Mommy was a little nervous. “Brett! Is it coming over here? What do I do?” Whilst Daddy repeatedly offered his reassurance.

How did we bear the 3 hour-long drive through boring country sides? In a variety of ways. Each of us differently. Mommy had Daddy pop in “The Sound of Music” as she drove, so that was like 16 hours. Daddy put in earplugs and read his “Japanese Candlesticks” book that I still don’t understand why he’s reading. Jacob slept, I guess. He was actually pretty quiet all that time. I worked on World History (I’ve skipped to the Cold War after VJ Day) and on one of my stories.

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We’re not 37 miles from Colorado Springs. It’s so cool seeing the Rockies out my window. Oooo, I want to be on the top where the clouds are all around you. I’ve never touched a cloud. Gabriel would probably say they would taste like cotton candy. J

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed.” –God in Isaiah 54:10

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The time has now gone back an hour…the people in Houston are in the future now.

My word, Colorado Springs is AMAZING!!!!!! We spent over an hour exploring this place called “Garden of the Gods”, which is basically a rock garden, climbing on massive rocks and gazing upon magnificent mountains. It was easily the most amazing and beautiful pace I have ever been to. The city is surrounded by the Rocky Mountains and peppered with these giant red-rock mountains which we saw in the Garden of the Gods. Jacob just couldn’t get over it. He kept saying how awesome and amazing it was. More than once, he made some comment about moving here and “Why do we live in Houston again?”

After we managed to tear ourselves away and stop taking pictures, we found our way to the hotel from which I now write. For supper, we ate at this delicious Greek restaurant right next to our hotel. When we first pulled up, Mommy, Daddy, and I all instantly decided to go there, but Jacob was violently opposed to the idea. Since we were starving and didn’t want to go to some place we had back home (like Texas Roadhouse) Mommy said, “Let’s just go in and check out the menu. We can leave if it doesn’t look good.”

So we walk inside, and instantly are greeted by the guy who may have been the owner. He came up, kissed Mommy, shook Daddy’s hand, kissed me, and shook Jacob’s hand. “Welcome, thank you for coming,” he said. When he had gone and the hostess was finding us a table, Jacob, wide-eyed, looked at Mommy and said, “We can’t leave now.” Turns out, the place was amazing and we all enjoyed it a lot.

Overall, it was pretty much an incredible day. J