Is It Naptime Yet

After we left Rawlin in Logan, Utah we started the long drive to Grand Teton National Park near Jackson, Wyoming. We were hoping to get a camp site for that night, but since you can’t make reservations, I was a little concerned that we’d be left sleeping in our car. (I had tried to convince Jon that we should book a hotel, but Jackson, WY is one of the most expensive towns to sleep in.)

It was overcast so I’m not sure when we finally reached Jackson on Sunday, July 10th. We drove past the mountain range and drove for what seemed liked miles and still could not find the turn out to head towards the campground Jon thought we should stay at. We decided to turn back and ask for directions at the Visitors Center, but daylight was fading, and it was getting later. I felt sure that we’d be sleeping in our car that night. We got directions and information that the camps had filled up at 8 pm the previous night. It was just a little after 7 pm, so we were pushing our luck. We got back on the road, and realized we had turned around only a few miles short of our turn off. We reached the ranger station and were given the last spot at Colter Bay Campground, it was a little before 8 pm. We set up camp with mosquitoes swarming. It was not fun, especially for this desert girl. We got things ready and settled down for the night. There were about 10 of us in the tent that night, four Blakes and at least 6 mosquitoes.

The morning was cold, but beautiful. We made pancakes for breakfast, and packed up camp to go exploring. The Colter Bay Visitors center had an interesting exhibit on some Indian artifacts that had been part of a private collection. We also took a hike on the Lakeshore trail around a bay of Jackson Lake. It was beautiful, especially as we hiked near the shore. I loved seeing the lake meet the mountains and forests on the other side, something I’d never seen in person.

After a quick lunch we started our drive towards Yellowstone. We wanted plenty of time to set up and get ready for camp that night.

We stopped for the traditional picture by the national park signs as we left Teton and as we entered Yellowstone. While taking the one at Yellowstone an Oriental couple who was leaving, from taking their own picture in front of the sign, pulled back in and offered to take a family picture so we could have everyone in it.

We had reservations for four nights at Yellowstone, July 11-15th. We were able to get an awesome site within our camp which allowed us some privacy, lots of space to explore and a view of Yellowstone lake. If there was a way to reserve a specific site, I’d stay at Bridge Bay Campground in spot F 266. Many of the sites have no shade and you’re just right next to everyone, but this area had forest, and in our case we had a creek with fallen logs to walk on and places to explore.

We set up camp and enjoyed a meal that night. After eating we cleaned everything and packed all our gear into our car. We made sure to have nothing in our tent that would attract a bear or any sort of wildlife, but especially a bear. So each night we’d get ready for bed and Jon would take our jackets and clothes to the car. Then in the morning he’d bring me my jacket and I’d get the clothes for the girls and I for the day. Fortunately, we never had a bear near our camp, which is exactly how I wanted it.

I think it was a little rainy this night so we went to bed early and prepared for the next day.

Visit Family Vacation 2011 Pictures- Part 2 to see the pictures that go with this post.

To read the long entry that goes along with these pictures visit this post.

You can click on all the pictures to see a larger version.
Many of the beautiful landscapes were just to beautiful to keep at the smaller image size that I usually post.

What we saw at the end of our little hike.
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The girls and I at the end of the hike.
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Our official picture by the sign for Zion National Park.
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Sunset on a mountain of Zion.
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Ice cream is meant to be worn as well as eaten.
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The classic cars at our hotel in Cedar.
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My Great Aunt Margaret’s grave. My mother was named after her, my grandmother’s sister.
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Lilah being silly.
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Apparently she gets it from her mom.
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The girls drawing pictures of Lake Utah, which was right by our hotel in Orem. They were also rolling down this hill a little earlier, don’t let their cute smiles fool you into thinking they’re always this sweet and demur.
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DeEtte’s youngest daughter, Drea. (Pronounced Dray-uh.) There’s just something about messy faces.
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Jonathan, Rawlin, Eden and Lilah.

Our trip began a little late on Friday, July 9th. Jon really wanted to see Zion National Park on our way through Utah, and we did, but with packing so much stuff, for a two week trip that had 6 days of camping within the first 8, it was hard to leave as early as we would have liked.

The day was humid as we got to Springdale, Utah and parked. We rode the city shuttle to Zion and then walked around a bit and finally decided to hike a short archaeological trail that was somewhere by the visitor’s center, we just couldn’t find it till a ranger kindly pointed us in the right direction. We did get a nice tour of the river and camping sites. After the trail we rode the shuttle around the park. It was an easy ride with a couple stops. Mostly we planned what might be fun to do on a longer trip to Zion, somewhere in the future. The girls seemed to enjoy sitting and looking around. It was an easy start to our long trip.

We drove to Cedar City, Utah that night and rested. There was some classic car club staying at our hotel the same night and Eden thought we should add classic cars to our slug bug game. Jon and I are are the only ones who actually “slug” each other, we mostly play for points, that we easily loose track of. Little did we know how many classic cars we would see on the trip.

On Saturday, July 10th, we headed to Monroe, Utah to attend a family reunion for my mother’s family. We got there a little late, and forgot to bring a side dish, but hey we were there. Monroe is where my mother’s parents lived when first married, so we drove around the town with my Uncle Bud as he told us about the different houses. One had been turned into a motel and was up for sale. (The owner had turned it into a bed and breakfast, just without the breakfast and for a lot more than what most would pay to stay in a small town like Monroe.) My cousin Harmony had started to talk with a care taker when she was taking some pictures of it, so we actually went on a tour of the house, which was greatly changed with the hotel renovations. We then visited the cemetery, which had some family buried in it, including the aunt my mother was named after. Eventually we said goodbye to what family was left and headed off into the sunset to Orem Utah, where we would stay that night.

Sunday, July 10th, we left bright and early, though not quite early enough. (I’m seeing a trend here, are you?) We decided to cram in a couple visits on our way to Wyoming, and so we visited Jon’s cousin DeEtte, and her family. They had called while we were out of town for Memorial Day, and Jon really wanted to see them. It was a very short visit, just an hour long, but it was so nice to see her and her family. The last time we saw them, we each had only one little girl. Now we have two and they have four! Sadly we only got a picture of the youngest, and it was because she was so dang cute with Nutella on her face from her delicious crepe.

We left DeEtte to go visit Rawlin and Shauntae in Logan, Utah. Sadly, Shauntae was sick, so we only saw Rawlin, but surprisingly, one of Jon’s cousins was there with his family visiting Rawlin when we showed up. Sean and his wife Shauna with 3 or 4 kids. (I don’t remember how many they have.) They left shortly after we got there and we visited for about an hour more. After our visit we hit the road yet again. This time our destination would be close to Jackson, Wyoming.

It was so exciting to be on the road visiting these new places and seeing our wonderful national parks. Seeing family along the way was just the beginning to our wonderful trip. The visits were far to short, so we discussed ways we might be able to see more of our extended family, since reunions no longer take place for Jonathan’s side of the family.

My heart ached to leave each love one after such a short visit so I hope to see them again soon.

To see the pictures that go with this blog post click on Family Vacation Pictures 2011- Part 1.

15 days, that’s how long our vacation was. The time flew and we did some amazing things, all of which I will blog about later, but I wanted to note 15 things I learned on our vacation to 4 national parks, with a national monument thrown in to mix it up.

1. I do not like “wild caves.” I knew I wouldn’t like squeezing into tight spaces, so I skipped the first one, but going into the dark abyss of the second cave was too much for me. I shed a few tears as I emerged to the surface alone, and my family continued on their journey into the unknown.

2. Wading through a stream in Montana, made from melting snowfall, is seriously cold and pebbles hurt your feet. Trying to make an eight year old go faster while crossing the fast current of a stream that leads to a lake just 20 feet away, makes your feet even colder.

3. Sleeping with the rain fly off so you can see the stars is fun.

4. Mosquitoes love people from the desert and little girl’s heads and faces.

5. Starting a fire is harder than you think.

6. Eight year olds are attracted to mud, or mud is attracted to eight year olds, not sure which.

7. Taking a hike and having it start to rain, then hail, is a great adventure for an eight year old. The girls especially liked getting hot chocolate afterwards.

8. Nearly six year olds love drawing pictures of lakes, and will say, “that’s so beautiful,” about nearly everything they see.

9. Husbands are great for setting up and taking down tents.

10. Eight year olds are great at fetching water.

11. Nearly six year olds are great at helping to rinse dishes.

12. If you give a little girl a camera, there will be at least one self portrait.

13. Oatmeal really is the easiest camping breakfast.

14. Ice cream cones are really expensive at national parks.

15. I am able to camp for 5 nights in a row and take only one shower and survive. It may not be pretty and a hat may be involved for most of the time.

This year Lilah turned eight. I’m still in denial about her being that old, I’m pretty sure she was just a toddler yesterday, but I guess the calendar doesn’t lie.

It was her turn for a low key party or gathering this year. We decided to do some swimming with her friend Britta, have a picnic lunch with some cake, then head home to get ready for the opening night of the play.

Sam’s neighbors are living away from their house, so they asked them if they would watch the pool for them and keep it full and in exchange, they could use it. (They still have a pool person coming by.) They said we could come over and swim, so we did! We also had the picnic lunch in Sam’s backyard. It was a fun a little gathering. Lilah chose bagels with strawberry cream cheese, watermelon, chips and lemonade, since everyone loves lemonade on a hot summer day.

I didn’t get many pictures of us at the pool, or of the day in general, so this is what I have.

A very long Eden on her daddy. (I’m also in denial about her getting so big.)

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Matilda, she was just coming back from stealing more grapes.

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Lilah was there, and she swam with noodles and stayed closed to the edge of the pool. (Sadly our swim teacher was doing lessons while the play was going, so we missed them this year.)

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Britta and Lilah like to stay close to one another.

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Like I said before, they stay close to one another.

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Cake! We sang to Lilah in the play house, because it was too windy in the yard.

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Due to time we came home to open presents.

We also too a quick trip to Pine Valley for Lilah’s birthday. I didn’t take any pictures though. Really, it was the only 24 hours we could get away, and Lilah said she wanted to enjoy the fresh air for her birthday, so we did.

June highlights are a little sparse. We were super busy and I was not able to keep very good notes.

Lilah:

“Where’s that damn c?” Then me having the “it’s not polite to use swear words” talk with you.

Making play cities for Sleepy to crawl around in. Not fun for this mama to see the chaos, but fun for you.

Turning eight! I can’t believe how old you are!

Helping to clean on Father’s Day, because it was the one day we were home. “Maybe we should make it a tradition to clean on Father’s and Mother’s Day every year!”

Playing with my zebra tail every.single.night, even though I told you not to.

Eden:

A little boy from the play befriended you. He always seemed to want to sit by you and I even found you two playing in a little part of the hallway of the theater. You two were suppose to be in the green room.

After you had shots you told me you were able to limp better, since your leg hurt. (You had to limp on and look injured for one scene.) Too cute.

Falling off the 4 foot platform during the last scene of the play with only 2 performances left. You got back up and climbed up the stairs and waited till the scene was over. Everyone was so worried about you, and you were alright, for the most part, but did not like all the attention it got you.

Jon:

Not wanting me to dye my hair since you love my natural hair color. Looking at me skeptically with my dark hair that had a slightly purple hue to it.

Being so patient while I did the play this year, and every year really. So happy your love language is not gifts, since I really dropped the ball this year on Father’s Day.

Bringing us all flowers on closing night, and then taking the girls home for me so I could go enjoy time with the cast after breakdown.

Trying to be so organized with your super busy wife. Hopefully I can get everything done that is necessary.

June 1st, 1991 I was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was a wonderful day, and I’m happy I chose to become a member of the church.

Lilah just turned 8 and the pressure sure is there to have her baptized.

Just for the record Lilah has chosen to wait, and if you’re surprised by this, then obviously you don’t know the situation of what is my life.

Just as I am not pressuring Lilah to be baptized, Jon is not pressuring her to not be baptized. Due to our mutual respect for one another and our desire to have a working marriage, we’re teaching our children and letting them choose for themselves and this includes allowing them to choose to be baptized or choose to not be baptized. This is something I have to accept, just as it is something he has to accept.

I don’t think everyone understands this. Lots of people expected me to have Lilah baptized right on schedule, which surprises me. I suppose I might not always talk about what is my religiously divided home, but hello! I live in a religiously divided marriage! You can’t expect everything to go peachy keen in what is the Mormon pathway of being raised in the Church. I know Heavenly Father knows my situation, and my heart, and thus I’m not just some parent neglecting my spiritual duty by not having my child baptized at 8, which she still is for another 354 days.

This is hard for me, but please understand that I love both my husband and daughter, and want what is best for my family, and right now what is best, is to allow our daughter to choose for herself. Because lets face it, just because someone is baptized at eight, it doesn’t mean they’re going to be members of the Church for life, and just because someone decides to wait, doesn’t mean they will never believe and never become a member.

The play opened last week. It’s been fun and I was a little worried about how we’d pull it together, but it’s been going well. Now I just hope our ticket sales go up, because that’s been the only disappointing part thus far.

The play schedule is a little different this year. We have the theater a week longer than normal, so instead of cramming 9-11 performances in a two week period, we have 14 over three weeks.

While we were at the theater each day last week, having dress rehearsals, then family night and finally opening on Thursday, this week we had three days off.

So we spent Father’s day at the house this year, cleaning and getting it in some sort of order, then Monday the girls and I went up to Pine Valley to spend a mere 24 hours in the fresh, cool air. We came back Tuesday so Jon could see us, and tonight we start performing again, each night and then twice on Saturday. Then next week we’ll perform Tuesday through Friday, and get back to our normally scheduled life, at least for a little while.

I’m so happy to see the light at the end of the tunnel, while I hate that the play season is almost over, and it may be the last one the organization does due to recent rate changes for the theater, I’m happy to be a part of a wonderful production.

Here’s me and the girls in our play attire.

I’m a zebra, in case you didn’t know, and they’re cadets.
www.lvfamilytheater.org

Both:

I was trying to take a nap on the couch and asked you both to stay outside for 10 minutes, since you’d been in and out while I was trying to rest. I lay down, hear the ice cream man, and then hear it stop outside our house. I decided to look out the door, since I wasn’t getting any rest, and you both were waiting patiently, with the ice cream in the basket of the scooter, since it was Daddy’s birthday and you knew you wouldn’t be allowed to eat it that day.( I have to admit, I half expected you two to be eating them and trying to keep it a secret from me, but was happy to see you waiting.) Lilah even told Eden that they had to wait ten minutes before they could go in and put it away.

Eden:
You wore some shorts backwards all day, then put your nightgown on backwards, but you seemed to not know why you kept putting everything on backwards. I asked you to turn it around and you said. “I am not.” so basically you didn’t want to listen to me.

You came over and asked to see my neck, and put a string around it. Then you asked for beads. Then as you sat in the living room stringing the beads you said, “I was just asking to see your neck.” You gave me a pretty necklace for mother’s day.

Swinging with your eyes closed at the park, for like the whole time.

Giving me lots of cards on Mother’s Day. I also loved how you were trying to keep everything secret. “I just want to see how this necklace looks.” “Oh, I wasn’t making you anything.”

Wearing your nightgown fashioned with your new tennis shoes that we bought for hiking.

Every night you and Daddy have a contest about who gets to your bed first. It’s so dang cute to see you and him chase each other down the hall. I like getting to your bed before you too.

As you sat eating your cookie,”But this is no treats week!” Funny you didn’t remember when we were sharing a Frosty the day before.

Making a new sandwich. Bread with butter and then pecans on top. I suppose it’s not a sandwich, but you came up with it, and love it.

You’re a very touchy person. You love to be close and touch people. You’re favorite thing to do is play with my ponytail, even though I tell you no every.single.time.

Offering to tickle my back all day long for my birthday, too bad I wasn’t able to remind you of your promise and we were gone all day.

Cuddling with your Daddy during church in Ely. It felt like you were making up for the 4 hours you had to spend in the backseat not cuddling or touching anyone.

Lilah:

Helping to clean up on Daddy’s birthday. Even after you cleaned up your mess, you asked if there was anything else, so I told you the groceries, and you put those away for me too.

Asking me to help you with the monkey bars at the park, then telling me you were working hard before and getting strong so you could do the monkey bars.

Reading my your “I had to go pee soooo bad” story over the phone. Drinking root beer really makes you have to go pee.

You worked really hard to make Mother’s Day special. Including making me a vase and cutting some of our marigolds to put in it. I’m amazed that you worked on some of your gifts weeks in advance and remembered to give me all of them.

You were taking a little too long to get to bed because you were wrapping a McDonald’s toy for Eden and then later I found you in my room writing “Get Well Soon.” in a card for Eden since she had a fever and wasn’t feeling well. I was going to chastise you, but how could I?

Being sad with Rawlin’s sudden move to Utah.

Trying to teach you that lying is not acceptable and shouldn’t be your first line of defense. “I don’t know,” or “I didn’t do it,” comes out of your mouth way too much. There will always be consequences, but lying just makes it worse. Then, ironically, you found stories about lying and stealing that you had “written” when you were around 5 in a notebook that we had done for a little bit.

Cleaning the house for my birthday. You offered to sneak out in the middle of the night and vacuum, but I just had you do it then.

Making and wrapping me presents for my birthday.

Playing in the snow. “I was having so much fun I didn’t notice how cold my hands and feet were!”

Jon:
Making me breakfast for Mother’s Day and then washing clothes all day long. Then at dinnertime you realized that the dishes would have been a better focus, since you used the last fork to eat your cereal that night.

I was talking about all the books we have, since Rawlin wanted to give you some of his.
Eden, “Yeah, we have like so many books everywhere.”
Jon, “I know, isn’t it great!”

Me: “Honey I think I’m addicted to chapstick.”
Jon: “Think, haven’t we had this conversation like our whole marriage, you are addicted.”

Just this past weekend my brother-in-law Rawlin moved up to Logan, Utah. It was a whirl-wind decision, but one that I think will be for the better. He’ll be in a group home where young, cute, nurses can take care of him, Rawlin and Jon’s description not mine, close to his daughter and only grandchildren, and it now allows my mother-in-law to focus on my father-in-law and her two down syndrome children, who she hasn’t been able to see as regularly due to helping Rawlin.

In a short time his house went up for sale, he had an angioplasty, pack up some of his belongings, but left many behind, and left Las Vegas, which has been his home for much of his life, to live in an assisted living home due to the affect Parkinson’s has had on his health.

Amazingly his realtor is Tim McKenna, whom my sister Carolyn works for. Rawlin’s lawyer works with Tim and recommended him. Rawlin said he recognized Carolyn and her name immediately. She told me she asked Rawlin if he had a brother named Jonathan, because how many Rawlin Blake’s can their be? I was really happy to hear Rawlin had chosen Tim, of course I found it funny that I saw Carolyn the same day as her appointment with Rawlin, but she hadn’t told me, because she wasn’t sure if she was allowed to. Rawlin’s decision to sell the house is sad, he first bought it with his brother Kumen 32 years ago, only to buy it from him later, and has called it home for over 20 years now.

Over Mother’s Day weekend Rawlin was hospitalized for heart problems. The Monday after Mother’s day they cleared his blocked artery and discharged him on Tuesday. Since everything went well his doctor gave him the OK to move, and so the plans continued on his move. Kumen stayed with Rawlin till the Monday after his surgery and I picked Shauntae up at the airport that evening. Packing and organizing ensued once she arrived because before that it was, “Shauntae will take care of it.” The week was full of figuring out what to take and what to leave. I wasn’t there to help much, but I gave my assistance on Thursday and then drove them to the airport on Friday.

Friday was the day Rawlin left. I arrived at noon with a cranky Lilah. I thought she was just tired, but I soon discovered she was running a low fever. She didn’t have much choice to but to take a nap and tag a long for the ride. We got the last of the things loaded into the truck and Rawlin said his goodbyes to his good friend Kristi and his son Glenn. We then headed over to his parents house to drop of the U-haul, to see Dad Blake, and say the final goodbyes to his parents. It could very well be the last time Rawlin and his Dad see one another, due to neither of them being able to travel well.

It was odd driving Rawlin and Shauntae to the airport, but I’m so happy I could give that service. (I’d become the designated airport shuttle service for Shauntae, which I highly enjoyed.) Once we pulled up to the passenger drop-off the airline attendants helped Rawlin into a wheel chair and nearly whisked him off before I could say goodbye. I gave Shauntae a quick hug then found Rawlin for my final hug and goodbye.

Jon drove the U-haul up to Logan on Saturday, visited briefly with his brother and came back Sunday afternoon.

Over the past 7 or so years I’ve watched as Parkinson’s has deteriorated Rawlin’s health. I’ve helped when asked over the years, though it seems like it was never enough. It’s hard having a young family and it seems like there is never enough time. I’ve been over and have seen Rawlin more in the last year and especially the last few months, and I’m sad to see him move. I am happy because I think this means we should, and will hopefully, take more trips to Logan, even if only once a year, so I’ll be able to Shauntae and her family more, though I’ve seen her regularly over the past couple years when she’s come to visit Rawlin.

I hope he’s well cared for and enjoys being the spring chicken at the group home. He’s by far the youngest resident.

Rawlin and the girls
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Mom Blake, Rawlin, and Dad Blake
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Rawlin’s new room. This one is only temporary, it’s for two people, but it’s all they have at the time. Nick, his SIL is trying out the chair that stands you up for you.