Summertime!

Rocky Mountain National Park

  Summer is in full swing over here in Denver! I've thought about sitting down and writing many times, but thinking about sitting down is as far as that thought got. We've been keeping busy with all the usual summer fun , summer reading programs, Vacation Bible School, swimming and of course ear infections. It's been super busy, but I wanted to catch you up on some of our adventures before they stack up anymore than they already have.
     We've had the pleasure of hosting some company in our trailer this summer. It started out with a couple that we met on the road, staying the night with us. It was so fun to catch up. We hadn't seen them since our stay last year in Salt Lake City. Monica and I are cut from the same cloth and found ourselves reading each others minds all weekend. I think finding a friendship like that on the road is pretty rare and I cherish it. Only another linewife can laugh it off when she hears a big boom come from underneath your trailer, which results in her doing dishes in my bathroom the rest of the day. Yes a true friend indeed. Ian did end up fixing the big boom, at least for now. It turned out the grey tank that holds dishwater and such had fallen off the trailer. Oh the joys! Next we were surprised to find out some friends from California were on a road trip and passing through Denver. They stayed for a night and we barbecued and got a chance to catch up and let the kids play. The next day we went to the water park together and had a blast. We've never had much company in our trailer before and it has been so much fun sharing our home with friends. Definitely some classic memories!
      We've hit the water park, Pirates Cove, a few times this summer. It's an extension of the city's Rec Center so it's really affordable and a great way to cool down. Even Waylon charges the water rides.


A California Reindeer, otherwise known as Elk

    Well , if you recall , when we first got to Denver we weren't really excited about our RV park. We were practically neighbors with the freeway so we've been scouting out a new trailer park and taking in the sights as we go. We found ourselves one weekend up in Estes Park. Ian and I had visited Estes  Park in the winter a few years ago when we came out to Colorado to interview for this job. It was fun taking the kids and getting to see it in the Summer. Of course, shortly after we got there we were caught in the rain and took shelter in a Chicago style pizza joint that was really yummy and a great way to wait out the storm. We drove by the Stanley hotel, which was the inspiration for "The Shining." I thought it would be neat to stay the night but my family thought otherwise, so did our pocketbook. It was really pricey , you even had to pay just to park and walk around. So we drove on. Ian pointed out where we saw Elk on our last trip and sure enough there were three Elk there again. We Californians thought they might be reindeer, but we took pictures and later on were informed that they were indeed Elk!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       HAHA! So we drove on and up to Rocky Mountain National Park. We were hoping to see more

wildlife but what we saw were some of the most beautiful sights I've come across this far. There were green meadows and waterfalls. We drove up the mountains and Ian and Houston hiked up past the treeline. Houston found an awesome walking stick and we all walked up to the "alluvial fan." It was such a beautiful day and it was just the break we needed from the bustling city of Denver.

         Houston brought his walking stick home and started sanding it down for two days straight. I looked
over from a conversation with a friend and saw tape on the ground, his stick and Houston in tears. I can only assume he was testing it's strength, whacking it against, who knows what, when it broke. We vowed to find another one which set us on another hiking adventure. This time we went west to Echo Lake Park. It was pretty and the perfect little jaunt for the family trying to get out of the city. We found a walking stick and again got caught in the rain and took shelter in a pizza joint. We went to Beau Joe's which is a must if you have one near you. They are known for their "mile high " pizza which you order by the pound. The crust is a huge braided like bread stick all the way around and of course in Colorado fashion, they leave honey at your table, which is to put on the crust for desert! Can you say CARB HEAVEN !
    At some point, the fourth of July happened. Ian only had that day off, so we decided to stay home. We barbecued which we have done a lot lately. Ian and I have been debating on charcoal vs gas grills . He wanted a charcoal grill , which I thought was way too bulky, for our on-the-go lifestyle and it takes too long to make dinner. He thinks the gas grills are dumb and burn everything. So our first year of travel we had a full size gas grill, Ian thought it was too bulky and we left it in Nevada. Recently, we purchased a very large charcoal grill and although I still don't like throwing dinner on it because it does take way longer, Ian has made some amazing dinners for us on it. He's cooked whole chickens, homemade pizza, ribs, and lamb for home made gyros. We have been eating very well this summer. Which is exactly what we did on our fourth of July. Ian made pork and beef ribs and they were delicious! We saw an amazing firework show in the Park with our friends. Waylon really enjoyed it. He went from one lap to another. I don't think he knew who was who because his eyes were on the sky the whole time. It was really sweet.
      Our latest adventure was with our friend Tarah. We met up with her and her kiddos in Colorado Springs at Focus on the Family's  headquarters. They had really fun things for the kids to do and they were all so happy to see each other. They went down a three story slide and finished the day with ice cream. I'm so grateful that we've met great people on our travels that we get to meet up with again and again. It's not as common as it sounds, I'm very fortunate for these people that understand my world and laugh and cry with me over this life on the road.
     It's been a lot of fun so far but we've had our moments. This week Waylon came down with a really high fever and he's been so fussy. What we thought was an ear infection that we've been treating with an antibiotic, is actually a virus that comes with a cold and a high fever. The boys have been trying to help me keep him comfortable. We've spent the last few days indoors watching movies. The night before last, I had them help me give him a bath while I made dinner. The next day our water was turned off. Just what I need with a sick baby. I forgot to tell you, we were finally able to move within our park farther from the freeway. Unfortunately the water in our new spot hasn't been working properly, so I was expecting it to be turned off and fixed at some point. After three hours and not seeing any workmen,  I went to the office to complain. Then off to Target to get more baby Tylenol. When I came back they told me it was on my side not theres, which sucks because I really wanted a shower, it was already 2 in the afternoon. So, I was determined to fix it. So I'm checking all the nozzles and such , until I realized that we do have water, everywhere but the shower ! Then I realize my helpful boys turned the water saver on the shower head off . NICE! at least I figured it out and got my shower in. So we're off to meet more families this weekend at a get together in Colorado and then off to Grandma's house next week, as summer rolls on. If you stayed with me this long, thank you, I know the update was long. If you read it all, you really must've been wondering what happened to me! I'm still here and we're having fun. Enjoy your summer