Update

Wow! It is hard to believe that summer is almost over and the kids are already in their third week of school. It is about time I take a few minutes to update the blog with what has been going on in our world. The summer began for us with a camping trip to Payson over the Memorial Day weekend. What a great start it was. There we're a few challenges with our trailer, now 7 years old and in need of some attention. Nothing we could'nt handle. We (O.K., Rick) had to take the slide-out apart and syphon the pump to get it working and we found a leak in the faucet which was easier to replace then repair. But problems were minor and we still managed to relax, stay cool, and play with the kids. Ricky, Kerri and Matthew built a fort out of pine needles (photo's below). It was awesome! Unfortunately the park ranger made them tear it down before we left.

Two weeks later we took a trip to Colorado to meet up with our old neighbors, camp, play and explore. We took our time traveling to Colorado spending the first few nights in the White Mountains. We camped near the little town of Greer. We had great weather and got to explore the area. We met up with our friends outside of Cortez and took a day trip to Telluride. Rick and Ricky got to mountain bike down the mountain while the rest of us rode the gondola into town. We then headed east and stayed just outside of Pagosa Springs. The camping was amazing, the views were breathtaking, and the hot springs were fabulous! It was great to see our good friends and their kids. We wish we lived closer but it just gives us another excuse to meet up with them again next year. One of the neatest things about this trip was all the wildlife we saw. It began with the 100's of deer and elk we passed on the way through the White Mountains. There were so many we found ourselves driving 20 mph on a 65mph highway. At one point we had to stop and let a momma and her babies cross the road. After the deer and elk we saw snakes, jack rabbits, frogs, lots of lizards, coyotes, squirrels, horses, cows, llamas, sheep, ostrich, a ton of birds and my favorite of all a big brown bear. Below are a few photos taken on our vacations.
Breathtaking views in Colorado!
The kids made boats and put them in the water. They watched them pass through a tunnel which went under the road. Here Matt, Jason, Lance and I are waiting for them to emerge from the tunnel.
We found a little creek surrounded by sand where the kids could make dams, get wet, and wear off some energy. They had a ball. Even the big kids had fun!

This not-so-little guy was a guest at our trailers every morning around 7 am. He wondered around the campground like he was just another camper. He knocked over our neighbors cooler the first morning and ours the next looking for food. All he managed to rustle was a few empty water bottles. He certainly was not shy, nor was he easily scared. Rick made noise with pots and pans trying to scare him off but he just but he just looked at us like we were crazy and slowly walked away.

Here is a photo of Ricky next to the kids pine needle fort.
Here Ricky is inside the fort. Pretty cool huh?

After Payson, the White Mountains, and Colorado we took a trip to San Diego and went camping at Lake Jennings. We got to see Mike and Matt and then we spent the rest of the time relaxing and playing at the beach. Ricky finally got to go skim boarding while Rick, Kerri and Matt rode the waves on their boogie boards. Jason and I built sand castles and relaxed.

After all the camping I took Rick and the kids up to Flagstaff for my 20 year high school reunion. It was a blast. I got to see a lot of familiar faces and even got to tour my old school. Definitely brought back a few memories! The best part was hooking up with my best friend back in the day. She hasn't changed with the exception of having a husband and two kids. I hope to see her more often now that we have reconnected.
A week after my reunion Rick got to go to his reunion. Unfortunately the kids and I could not go to his. He had a wonderful time and got to spend time with his folks and his friends while he was there. He did have to work a few days but I am sure he'd agree it was worth every minute!

Now that the kids are back in school I hope to spend more time online updating the blog and keeping in touch with everyone.