I'm BACK!!

So, it's been a LONG time..I apologize! But really, not sure who's reading this, if anyone. It's been an incredibly busy 8 months!!

We packed our house and moved at the end of March. Another move...you would think we would be used to this by now, but it's never easy. So much to do. I neglected my blog because something had to give. :) We got the move taken care of with no major issues, thankfully! It was hard on us as a family tho. My husband works an average of 55-60 hours per week and in the times he was home we had to be working on the packing. Thankfully we had ample time so it wasn't overly stressful. We have, in turn, realized that my husband does actually stress a little over moving. But rather than outwardly stressing, he keeps it internal and he ends up with gout attacks. So painful and it's so hard to see him in so much pain! He did eventually get over the attack after we got moved and mostly settled....thankfully! The kids have all LOVED being in the house. More space, larger bedrooms and it's just a good place to be. We are very fortunate to have my parents living on the property for a while...can I just tell you what a blessing that has been? I have seen them getting to know our kids more and more and our kids have loved having them around. Yes, it's been helpful, but the relationship building is what I'm loving most! What a blessing for myself and our family! Such precious time!

So, you may be wondering what has changed that has allowed me time to FINALLY write another post? Well, truth is, we are on vacation. Finally taking a break from the norm and doing something totally different. We are currently in Salt Lake City (for the night) and headed further south through Utah tomorrow. Final destination....the Grand Canyon! So much fun! We rented an RV and have been driving like crazy, but trying to see some sights along the way. I kind of think of this as a "once in a lifetime" kind of trip. We are missing having my stepson with us, but we will pick him up along the way back home.

So, so far, we have been in Twin Falls, ID. Just outside the town there, there is a beautiful canyon that the snake river has created over time. A miniature version of the Grand Canyon, per say. Super fun and neat to see. I will post pics later this week. We also visited Shoshone Falls. Also outside Twin Falls. This has been dubbed the Niagara Falls of the West. SO pretty!!! Thankfully it was such a nice day we got some great pictures. There was even a rainbow in the mist at the bottom of the falls. Well worth the visit.

Today as we got into Salt Lake City, we visited a little area called Ensign Peak. This peak is at the North end of SLC and you can literally see the entire city & beyond. It was beautiful. The husband and kids hiked to the top...I haven't been feeling too good today so I chose a lower vantage point, but still saw the view.

I'll confess something though. It's not all been perfect! Who's vacation is??? We rented an RV...it's been well used and abused. We blow fuses constantly, it rattles so much you'd swear parts are falling off as you're cruising (at 60!!) down the highway. We had no lights in the back bedroom until tonight when we had time to figure it out. The AC has had it's own learning curve. There is so much broken in this RV it is comical. The rental company actually calls this one the "Pinata"....go figure! We are just praying it gets us through this trip and back home! We left a bunch of our food at home, Chick-Fil-A was closed today (Sunday, duh!) and we were excited to eat there. And, last but not least....I'm not the greatest co-pilot! Yep, we drove an extra 30 minutes today in the wrong direction....oops! Thankfully my husband is so gracious!!!

All in all...this has been a fun vacation so far! We are looking forward to more fun and adventures! I will try to update every day or so. Not sure how often I'll have wifi though! Please pray for our safety, our Pinata to get us home and for us all to stay healthy and have a great time!

Thank you!