How did another week pass? What did we even do? I read Happiness by Heather Harpham. The kids watched a lot of YouTube. Ellie listened to another summer reading book while playing lots of Minecraft with Voss. We had Ellie's friend, Harley for two nights then Ellie spent the night with Cora. Ellie had a braces consultation with Vaughan. She'll be getting her braces the day before school starts. Marly toggled between Addy and Sophia's house. Voss had a play date with Luka. Abby played a few holes of golf with Phil and I. We had lots of free slushies at the 7-11. I've been helping my parents with their Wifi. I went with my dad to get a new laptop. I'm still trying to figure out the spider web of their Internet. I'm pretty sure Xfinity is taking advantage of them, but I can't prove it. Stephanie had us over for a delightful afternoon in their gorgeous pool. The kids played in the river. I played a little tennis, not as much as last week. The Bentons had us over for a fun Olympics party for the opening ceremonies. I made jerk chicken and found Red Stripe beer and wore my Jamaican dress. We've been watching gymnastics all weekend. Abby has been practicing. The Weiss' hosted us for a party in the farms. It was nice to catch up with that crew as we hadn't seen them all summer. The COVID numbers going up makes us nervous, especially since Ellie is only half vaccinated and the rest of the kids have nothing. My nephew, Owen currently has COVID. We brought him cookies and Ramen on Friday. The girls served at mass on Sunday. We got to bring up the gifts. We had breakfast at TCC then Phil played tennis. We took the boat out to see the Let's Ride Band with the Tiny Dock Concert series. It was a gorgeous night on the water before the rain came last night. Today we went to Walmart and spent too much money on I don't even know what. I started the first chaotic round of school supply tracking for the school fundraiser. I am ready for book club tonight! I'm going to get strict this week with exercise and screen time for these junkies. Here are our pics from the week.

We had a week of blah. I played tennis almost every day. I went through periods of turning off the WiFi in the house, the kids would scream as if I'm murdering them. I'd turn on a timer (an hour or so) and they would have to find something not on a screen to do. D.E.A.R time, bike rides, fighting outside...all sorts of fun things. Marly spent the night with Sophia and had a play date with Ava Mae. Abby went to the Cutlip's for a play date and had Poppy over. Voss had Luka over. Ellie watched a ton of Vampire Diaries and finished one of her summer reading books. I don't think I'm winning any parenting awards getting them back on track. I went walking with Tracy and Rachael and caught up over coffee. I went back to Orsay for Beth's Birthday dinner, then went back to Tracy's for a girls night with some Moms Next friends. Friday morning Ellie and I went to cheer on Owen in the state swim meet. Then, we all headed for a family beach weekend at Sawgrass. This was Phil's way of wanting to participate in a family weekend. Hey, I'll take it! We spent the afternoon and evening at the Sawgrass beach club; listening to live music out by the ocean watching the sun set. It was awesome! We stayed in the villas at the Marriott out there. We all fell asleep early watching Shark Week and slept great! The next morning we went to Beach diner for breakfast and then to the Cabana Club. The kids loved jumping the waves together. I spent the afternoon in the spa and got a pedicure; heavenly! Phil and the kids played putt putt and went on a bike ride. We went to the Nineteenth at TPC for dinner. It was really nice. Then we watched Minions poolside. Sunday we did a Starbucks breakfast then played more putt putt before heading back to Sawgrass. We met up with the Kuders, Hershorins and VanWie's and drank and ate way too much and stayed too late. Too much fun! This morning I played tennis and then took the girls for their check ups. Both of them have sore arms after boosters and Ellie's first COVD vaccination! Woop! Woop! They are healthy and thriving so we got some free 7-11 slurpies! I finally finished A Prayer for Owen Meaning. It was such a great story. The 3 youngests and I went to the library (that sucker was 3 weeks overdue! I lucked out with the new policy of no late fees!). Voss got a library card. We all stocked up on great reading materials for some summer reading prizes. Check out our pics from the week.

We made our way back to Florida but first stopped for some Voss family time in Mississippi. We took my cousin, Amy's son with us (Colter) and swung by to visit more cousins before leaving Hattiesburg. My cousins work together as CPAs. I brought all the kids to their office for a chaotic hello before heading to Natchez. Uncle Carl and Aunt Glenda took us and Aunt Del out for lunch. It was neat catching up with my dad's siblings. Everyone seems to be doing well. We visited the Natchez Indian museum and then went to my cousin, Van and Jennifer's house. They bred puppies and let us cuddle them and do a Reels dance. Abby said that was the highlight of the whole trip! I finally pulled them away and went by my dad's childhood home then up to Lake St. John. Most of the summers of my childhood, I was able to play with my cousins at the lake. It was neat to take my kids up there to see another generation of cousins play together. It's technically in Ferriday, Louisiana about 30min away from Natchez, Mississippi. We got in just in time for a feeding time swim with my cousins Leigh and Lori and their children. Leigh made us spaghetti. The kids ran around,  I drank some of Aunt Del's amaretto. Lori and I stayed up star gazing and me filling her in on my trip. I had coffee with Aunt Pat each morning on the porch of Del-Sa-No. Lori and her kids left that afternoon. The rest of us stayed, played Cadillac during an afternoon rain storm then back out for another lake swim. So nostalgic for me! Ellie said fun with the cousins at the lake was her favorite part! We packed up and headed out on Thursday morning. I went to McComb to visit Uncle Bill and Aunt Jean. We had fried chicken for lunch then they showed us around the farm and Parker's house. It was a nice visit. UB even stamped our passports! We made it to Dane's in Gulf Breeze for a late dinner. She's doing so well. It was nice to see her progress and get to visit with Michael and Rachel and of course, Jeff. We spent the last night at Papa's condo in Pensacola then spent a rainy Friday on I-10 for the drive home. I don't know if the kids will ever get back in the minivan. They were happy to be home. Phil has been so sweet and happy for us to be home. He picked up Moon River pizza that night. We did a family walk and watched Luca on Disney +. Saturday morning, Phil and I played in the TCC Wimbledon tournament. We actually won the whole thing! Our first match with the Hoffman's was close but we came through 8-6. Then we played Liza and Stephanie and then two older men. It was a fun day of tennis. We sat in the pool for a bit after then headed to O'rSay happy hour with the VanWie's. We ended up at the German speakeasy in Murry Hill. We slept in on Sunday and went to 10:30 mass. We had a nice, relaxing afternoon. I cleaned out the van and did a load of laundry. We're still trying to get back into the swing of things. The kids have been glued to electronics. I'm giving them a few days of R&R and then I need to whip them back into gear. We did a family rosary with early bedtimes last night. This morning Phil went to work. I played a fun match of tennis with ML, Rachael and Kerri then went on a grocery run at the WD. Now, I'm just trying to get the house in order and life back together. What a trip! Click here for the pics of the week.

Last I wrote, I was leaving Rocky Mountain area and headed to Evergreen to visit with my high school friend, Julia. She truly wined and dined us. Her boys were staying with their grandparents and her husband was at a boat show, so she opened her gorgeous mountain home to share with us. She cooked salmon for she and I and we sat out on her balcony overlooking snow capped mountains and caught up. It was truly a break. Julia helped Marly get set up to make waffles before heading off to work. It took forever to get moving but we finally did and went 30min to Idaho Springs to the Indian Hot Springs. It was sorta cheesy, but right up our alley. Ashley met us with her girls. We enjoyed the mineral water, probably disturbed people who were relaxing. We had a picnic lunch and went for another dip before heading out. I drove an hour to Denver and met Kit, an ole TCC pal for an early pizza dinner. She gave me the tip to check out the center of the continental US near Lebanon, Kansas. I drove 6-7 hours and found a cute motel in the town. Ellie and I listened to The Great Alone by Kristin Hanna; such a good story! I got pulled over about 30min from Lebanon. The speed limit went from 65 to 50 to 30 pretty quickly and I missed the 50. Thankfully I got a warning. The next morning was another slow start; we are all over the place with sleep schedules and time zones. We took some pics as the center and ran around a bit. I drove another 7 hours, finishing the book. I stopped for an early dinner in Kansas City, Missouri for some good ole BBQ. I googled and found the perfect place, called A Little BBQ Joint. We got into St. Louis after a long day of driving. I used Expedia to book a motel but there was a snafu and I had to find another one last minute. It left much to be desired; I would have rather slept in the van. We got up and out as quick as I could muster and headed to see the Gateway Arch on the way to Hendersonville, a town outside Nashville, Tennessee. I started Four Winds, another Kristin Hanna novel. This one is much more depressing. We arrived in Hendersonville (another 6-7 hour drive) at the Skwaras. Andrew was one of Phil’s best college friends. They have 3 boys ages 6, 3 and 2. The weather was perfect. We spent most of our time in their gorgeous back yard, visiting with the Skwaras, Andrew’s mom, aunt and uncle. There were fireworks every night. The kids caught fireflies, played Wii and jumped on the trampoline. We swam in Andrew’s mom’s community pool and got Sonic ice cream. Andrew made up an egg race. Jennie came to mass with us and played the guitar for us in a jam session. It was an awesome weekend catching up with old friends and relaxing. The kids got along so well. This morning we got up and again took forever to get moving. I drove 6ish hours to Hattiesburg, Mississippi to visit with my cousin Amy and her husband Robby and youngest, Colter. This is the visiting portion of our trip. I’m looking forward for to lots of cousin time this week. We are so lucky to have all this hospitality!
Click here to see our pics of the week: https://photos.app.goo.gl/169PpZhg8PdFJRKf6

We are still road tripping. We checked out of the covered wagon after one last dip in the pool and visit with the llamas. We headed to Moab to check out Canyonlands National Park first. It was hot and attitudes were ripe. We went to the Island in the Sky section (turns out there are FOUR sections and probably need a week per section because this place is HUGE!) We did a quick Mesa Arch trail with some incredible sights. Then, we got McDonalds and checked into a Super 8 Motel. The kids were in hog heaven with chicken nuggets and a TV. They had a great pool with a hot tub, too! We got up really early on Wednesday and met the Cutlips at Arches to do the Delicate Arch hike. It was about 3 miles and felt great with the overcast morning (we lucked out bc it’s usually super hot). We were able to do so much that morning bc of the weather. We saw the Starlight Arch, climbed into the Double Arches, Window Arches and made it past Balancing Rock. It was awesome! We went back to the motel for R&R (i.e. me in the hot tub with my book; it’s taking me forever to read A Prayer for Owen Meaning.) Next, I drove the hour and a half to the Needles section of Canyonlands to check that part out. We did a Pothole hike and mostly the kids were freaked out about the recent mountain lion sighting. A check engine light showed up on our drive back but after a quick check in to O’Rielly’s the guy confirmed that the minivan is just not used to the terrain out here (no kidding!) Thursday we took our time getting up and out and started the drive north to Colorado. We ended up randomly seeing the Cutlips (after taking Chad to the airport) at the Colorado National Monument. We saw the sign and went to check it out, as did Laurie. We went on a quick hike at the top and saw bighorn sheep on our way out. We caravanned with the Cutlips to the next sight when Laurie called and said she was sick and had to pull over. I offered to take her kids but she just said she’d pull over and sleep it off (she has one of those sprinter vans and Chad built IKEA bunk beds in the back. I was almost in the park when Chad called me from his layover in Dallas and said Laurie was in the ER. Apparently a fireman had driven her van and checked her in! I turned around and drove to the hospital, picked up the Cutlip kids and then drove back to the North Rim of Black Canyon (yes, this canyon also has multiple sides hours apart!) We did one hike near the visitors center. It was gorgeous and the weather was nice and cold. Ellie, Marly, Mason and Ainsley took off running ahead (breaking my #1 rule!) to hide and jump out and scare us. After about 45min I still hadn’t found them. I finally heard the Frozen II theme song being sung from a distance and we went back to find them. I was only planning to do an hour hike and we were there for almost 2 hours. It was dark driving the dirt road out of the park. Then the rain came. I stopped at a gas station and convinced the women to unlock the door to let the kids use the restroom and give us some hot water so I could make soup. Ramen is the perfect camping rainy night dinner! I get the group all settled, bellies warm with soup and then my car won’t start! It was as if the battery was dead. Lucky we are under the cover at the gas station. I start waving down cars for a jump. The 3rd person stopped and a nice guy helped us. Turns out the battery was just disconnected. So strange! Maybe the dirt road bumping? He showed me how to connect it should that happen again. We were well on our way. I didn’t get up to the south rim camp ground until midnight. Talk about Black Canyons as I drove in at night with a gorgeous full moon! The kids were all asleep. Laurie had gotten the first camp site as you drove in. I just reclined my seat and went to sleep. Around 5am, I awake to people shining lights in the van. Chad and Laurie had showed up to the camp! I was shocked! Chad had flown back, Ubered to the hospital, released Laurie and driven up! They took their children back and we all went to sleep. The next morning, we all packed up and they started the drive back to Jax. Laurie is still not feeling well and has an appointment to see her doc. We did a quick hike, stamped passports and became junior rangers at the South Rim and then drove to Mesa Verde. A stop for coffee (on the house from the sweet man at the corner store in Durango!) and then we stopped at the Yucca House National Monument, which was in someone’s yard pretty much and then to Mesa Verde. Attitudes were ripe. Abby sat in the car while we checked out some ruins from 900-1100 AD. Kids were fighting. We checked in early to the campsite. Laurie had gotten a spot in the park. We took showers, did laundry then found the site. We had charcuterie and I had wine then set up the tent. The rain started. Marly, Voss and I slept in the tent. Amazing that we didn’t get wet! I still prefer the van, but I had to try it out. We got up and stopped at Chimney Rock National Monument (another one we just saw on the side of the road). Volunteers were along the trail telling us about the ancestral Pueblans who lived there. It was really neat! I’m glad we stopped! Then we headed to the Great Sand Dunes. It was chilly out there and even rained a bit, but the kids could have spent all day out there! We had dinner in the car (salads, chili and lunchables) and I drove to Colorado Springs. The first camp spot I found turned out to be a state park, not a National Forest. So I fumbled for a bit before finding another spot, which turned out to be a popular Sunday morning trail. We were up and out early. I got things together in a Safeway parking lot; cleaned applesauce out of the carpet, brushed teeth and got a coffee). We went to mass at St. Paul’s. It felt so good to be back in church, as normal. They had a fun picnic after so we stayed for burgers, beer, face painting and picnic games. Next, I drove to Parker to meet up with the Kaspers. Ashley called me and said her MIL invited us all over for dinner so I got to visit with the whole family (minus Julia who I am seeing today). After dinner we went back to Ashley’s. The kids picked right up where they left off (they moved from Jax 3 years ago. Abby and Avery went to preschool together. Annie and Voss ate mulch on the playground together). It was so nice to visit, do laundry and sleep in a cozy bed! On Monday we took our time moving and drove to Rocky Mountain National Park. It was cold and rainy! They had timed entry so we waited at the visitor center for stamps and badges before we went in. We went on a waterfall hike, got Rangers to do a Reels dance with us and saw a rainbow! The rain started coming down so we left, found some hot water and had Ramen for dinner. I found a car camp spot outside the park. It was perfect. We got in early, said the rosary and I think everyone slept well. Now the kids are playing in a stream by the rocks while I write. I was hoping Phil would fly out to meet us, but it doesn’t seem like that is happening. Ellie and I have listened to 3 great books. Two by Michael Connelly, Scarecrow and the Narrows. Probably too inappropriate for her, but still good! We just finished The Vanishing Half by Brook Bennett yesterday. I finally got a Kristen Hanna so ready to start that one now. Okay the kids are all hollaring; they are done playing in the cold water. Time to keep moving!
Click here to see our pics of the week:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/qgBtvPDXcmrnjTZf9

Hey it’s Marly again,  our cabin was ready early. So we checked in and Abby went to bed . We went a d had dinner at the deli. I had pizza and Mac and cheese. And we got Abby some saltine crackers for her to eat. We went to watch the sunset on the Grand Canyon. And we had a great night sleep at the cabin. The next morning we got up and drove to Zion National Park. (This is mom/Lucy taking back over because Marly got bored). Ellie and I started listening to Scarecrow by Michael Connelly. It definitely inappropriate for Ellie, but it may be the best book we’ve listened to thus far on this trip! We got into Zion and it was crowded and hot. After waiting in line to get the Junior Ranger books, I forced them on a quick hike. We rode the tram to the Lower Emerald Pools hike. It was shady and to a neat waterfall, the perfect hike! We stopped by the Zion outfitter store to do laundry and take showers (our first experience in paying for showers; I’m grateful to the guy who gave us an extra token doubling our time). We met the Cutlips at Wandercamp. Laurie snagged a site in the park, which was a lifesaver because we were right there and didn’t have to worry about parking for the tram. We walked to the amphitheater in the campsite for a Junior Ranger program. It was a hot night, but fans in faces and ice in my box wine helped us get to sleep. It took us a while to get going but we walked to the tram, waited for an hour- and then waited for another 45min for Laurie to talk to the tram operations manager about not wearing a mask on the tram- then finally made it to the Narrows to hike. The water was so cold and felt awesome. It also felt good to get out of our sneakers and into water shoes. After about 30min, the Cutlips took Voss and Ainsley back to wait in line for the tram again. I kept going with my older 3 and the Cutlip older two. We didn’t make it quite a mile out, but it was a great hike! It took us a while to get back to camp. The Cutlips took my older two and Mason into town to try to repair a spark plug in their van. I sat back at camp with the younger kids, catching up with my sister on the phone and drinking wine. The next morning, Laurie and I got up early and got in line for the tram. Her husband, Chad graciously stayed back with all the kids. We waited in line for TWO hours and chatted with new friends along the way. We almost got bumped again from the tram but I had Laurie wear Voss’ mask, which still happened to be in my Fanny pack, to get on the tram. We hiked up to Angels Landing, which was the big hike at Zion. We got in line for the tram at 5:50am and didn’t get back to the campsite until noon! It was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done! It felt euphoric to be way up there! There were chains to help us during the steep parts! We made a friend along the way. We talked supplements and nutrition on our descent. It was an amazing morning! Chad and the kids packed up (we had to check out by 11) and we headed to Bryce National park. We stopped at Wendy’s for lunch- Thank you, Aunt Katie for the gift card! It was perfect timing! We swapped kids around for the caravan. Poor Abigail Cutlip started throwing up on the drive. We swapped back and stopped at Cedar Breaks National Monument to regroup, get a Junior Ranger badge and wake up (I was pretty drowsy after the adrenaline of that hike wore off!) I took 
Mason and Ainsley so the Cutlips could care for Abigail. She was not well, I’m pretty sure she caught what Voss and Abby had. We checked into Ruby’s log cabin by Bryce. It was a sweet cabin with a full size bunk bed. I was wiped out but did a quick load of laundry while the kids swam in the pool. We had charcuterie for dinner and I soaked in the hot tub. Laurie came to pick up her other two after checking into a hotel across the street. We slept well in the tiny cabin! The next morning we got up and checked out. I picked up Laurie and her healthy two while Chad stayed back with Abigail. We did the Sunset Point Trail at Bryce. Laurie read online to go the opposite way suggested so that you walk down in the sun and up in the shade. Brilliant! It was fun walking through the hoodoos and windows. Hot and sweaty, we stopped at the Visitors Center to eat lunch, stamp passports and finish Junior Ranger packets. My kids were acting up so we dropped the Cutlips at their hotel for pool time. We went back to Ruby’s and took showers (grateful our code for the bathhouse still worked!) We had a picnic dinner of Ramen, chips & salsa, applesauce, veggies and dip then drove to Capitol Reef. We stopped right outside and car camped in Dixie National Forest. We are getting better at sleeping in the car. It was a good night with that desert chill. Sunday morning we got up and called Phil. I felt like a jerk for taking the kids away from him on Father’s Day. We drove into Capitol Reef and started at the visitors center for stamps and badges. Then we chose the Freemont River trail close to a stream in a shady area. It went through the orchard and then up a canyon with a great view of the Fruita fields. I used ice cream with fresh apple pie (from the orchard) as a hiking incentive with no complaints. It was nice! After, we tried to check in early to the Capitol Reef Resort. Our wagon wasn’t ready but we were able to use the pool and visit the llamas. This place is gorgeous (and uses half of my lodging budget!) We had the rest of our grocery reserves for a picnic lunch by the pool. I enjoyed reading my book while the kids swam in the cold pool and the hot tub. We FaceTimed Phil. I called my dad and in-laws. It was a nice day. We checked into our Contessa wagon, which is every bit as cool as it looks on their website. We even have a key to our own bathroom with a Keurig. We went to the resort restaurant for dinner. It was so nice to eat at an actual restaurant! We all inhaled our dinners! We went back to the pool for night swimming, while I read and drank more box wine. We didn’t quite make it to nighttime. We took showers and headed to bed; the first time we’ve all had our own beds! We’ve been lounging around the resort all day. It’s been so nice to have a down day! I did laundry, went grocery shopping, read and relaxed. We’ve been go, go, go this whole time; this has been the perfect break! We have s’mores to cook over the camp fire for tonight. There are for sure highs and lows on this trip. The kids fight a lot, have bad attitudes, complain and can be super annoying. But I haven’t once doubted that this is exactly what we should be doing this summer. No WiFi, dead phone battery and the middle of nowhere has been so good for all of us. After spending time with my brother, they’ve been asking me stories of my childhood. Lots of fun conversations and time together. Everywhere I turn is somewhere new and different. It would be so amazing to live close to a National Park, where I could explore it bit by bit at my leisure. A glass of wine at sunset would be awesome. For now, I’m settling on this crazy rat race of a summer...it’s pretty awesome, too! 
Click here to see our awesome photos of the week- https://photos.app.goo.gl/qxedGQu6Pn5QTrhC6

Hey it’s Marly again! On Monday morning we drove to New Mexico. My mom let us pick out one thing from the gas station.I got sour gummies. Then she made my sibilings and I run our age around the dumpster.It took all day! But when we got there we finally had enough time to watch the bats 🦇 fly out of their cave There were too many bugs I was never going to live! The hotel we stayed in was nice! It also had a great water park right next to us. The size of the hotel was like my bedroom and the kids bathroom mixed together. In the morning we went to breakfast.At the hotel there was free breakfast. (Mom’s note: I highly recommend the White City Cavern Inn. No frills but super close, walking distance to the entrance of Carlsbad. Staff was so friendly, the pool and splas pad were perfect. They even mailed home the iPad we left in the room!) We woke up that morning and went in the bats cave. And that was our first national park of our trip in Carlsbad Caverns New Mexico. And then we drove to the Guadalupe Mountains 🏔. Then we hiked the mountain. That hike felt like a year just to get to the top. When we got up there Ellie and I dipped our head in the spring. Since it was so hot outside.We hiked down and then finally finished. When we were on the road my mom had no gas left and So then we arrived at a really sketchy gas station. There was not even a little snack bar or something!! There was a woman sitting kinda close to the car. She asked my mom for money! I wanted to get out of there quickly. We stopped at Walmart and got dinner and groceries. For dinner I got a lunchable same with Abby and Voss. And my mom and Ellie got a salad 🥗. I asked my mom if I could get gum for the road trip she said yes! We slept in the car  for the first night and I slept horrible and my family. There were so many trucks going by. Then we got up and went to White Sands National Park 🏞. The sand looked more like snow than sand. It was also cold since we went in the morning. Then we drove to Tucson. That felt like forever. When we got there it was closed and like 102 degrees. We picked up Little Caesars pizza 🍕. My mom signed in to the LaQuinta.My mom looked really tired so the person at the front desk let my mom have an upgrade to an executive suite! This hotel was really nice. Then we got in our bathing suits and went down to the pool. The next morning we went to Saguaro National Park. We did a couple trails then got our badges. We then drove to the Petrified Forest 🌳. But it was closed! We tried so sneak in but that didn’t work. Then we went to a wigwam and had ramen noodles. And watched tv. And did a reels dance so go check that out on my moms Instagram! Then we finally went to the Petrified Forest. And saw all the cool colors in the             
 mountains 🏔. We hiked into the bad lands. Then we drove to Sedona. We went to Red Rock State Park. We saw a bunch of deer 🦌 and many different animals. We got our badges and a cool poster, my siblings and I got each other with it. After we had ice cream 🍦. Then we  slide down the rocks. The name was called Slide Rock State Park. It was fun but the water was freezing 🥶. We powered threw. It’s kinda like a water slide just really cold water. And my mom got scraped by the rocks on her butt. Other than that                  
It’s fun. We stopped at a gas station and brushed our teeth 🦷. Then we slept in the car at Walnut Creek in Flagstaff. Then we went to Sunset Crater Volcano 🌋. Then we went to Wupatki Monument. Those houses have been there since 
the year 1100. Then we drove to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. And stopped for ice cream at a Native American reservation. Then we met Uncle Erik and future Aunt Kelly on a trail. They flew from LA into Phoenix and rented a car. We went for Mexican food for dinner. Then we went to Wander camp for two nights. The beds were really soft and comfortable. That next morning we went on Bright Angles Trail. Kelly, Uncle Erik and I all went down to the water station. That was about 1.5 more miles than the rest of my family. We went on the tram to Hermits Rest. And saw all the cool and pretty views. Right after we got off the tram Voss threw up. 🤮. Poor buddy! 
After another night at Wander camp we did laundry. Abby and I found about 3$ worth of quarters. Under the washing machine. And then we drove to the North end of the Canyon. We walked around and got our pass ports stamped. I like the North end better than the south because I personally think that it has a better view. Last night we slept in the car again. Me and Ellie fought over who gets to sleep  in the passenger seat. Ellie choked me and I almost died. Abby threw up all night and could not go to bed. 🤮🤢🤕. She might have what Voss had now! Abby is not in a great appearance now🙁. Right now we are waiting for our cabin to be done. Abby said she is feeling ok but not the best!🙁🥺 

Well that’s it for this week don’t forget to watch all of our reels we did on my moms Instagram! Have a good rest of your week, Byyyyy from Marly!😌
Click this link to see our photos of the week- https://photos.app.goo.gl/pX9Vr5aGfkBMP9vi9

I have so much to do, but I spent all day reading the book club book, City of Girls on Monday. It wasn't perfect, but it was a great read. I especially loved the dress up part. I was supposed to visit Dane, but Jeff called me on the way there and said she was headed to the hospital to get a look at a blood clot in her leg. So, I walked the river walk and talked to Katie until time for book club. Steve came back from deployment on Tuesday! I'm trying to get the kids rooms moved back in, we just have so much stuff! I got everything moved out of the garage, all the furniture moved in or out. I still have about 8 bags of clothes to go through to see if they are to be kept or tossed (and then figure out where to toss them). This is the part of having 4 kids that isn't mentioned much...all the STUFF that accumulates in our house! Steph hosted a champagne lunch on Tuesday to celebrate the winding down of the school year. That night I went to Tracy's to discuss the Parish Hilton documentary. (I was not impressed). Wednesday we had the furniture guy come back to fix a few drawers that weren't installed right. Then, I beat Julie in tennis (6-3, 6-4!). She wasn't feeling well but I'll take it! I brought Dane and Jeff subs for lunch and had a nice visit. We had an afternoon park date with the Groffs then I raced to JWJ for orientation. I'm taking on a new role of membership for the PTA and started getting members. It was intense! We didn't have an orientation last year for Ellie so I hadn't seen it. I was there until late! I stopped in at Kate's for a MOPS pool party on the way home. It was a long day! Thursday, I went to the thrift store and had a low key day, working in the house. I put together some new stools and did a zoom call for Dynamic Catholic. We were invited to a friend's retirement ceremony from the navy and had such a nice time meeting their friends. Ended up with pep rolls at the pub! Oh dear! Friday I went to adoration with my parents then met the Hicks and Phil for lunch at Trents. Marly had a friend over, Ellie came home with attitude, Abby went over to a friend's house. Voss helped me pass out Marly's ice-cream certificate fundraiser cards. We took Spot to Yappy Hour that night. He didn't last long. We ended up staying for dinner with the VanWie's and Hershorins. Saturday was relaxing. I picked up Ellie from her sleepover and she, Voss and I went to visit Dane and Jeff. We played putt putt in the garden. That afternoon we went to the Freemans for a pool party. We had a good conversation on what Memorial Day means to us. It was neat to hear Carl's stories from Afghanistan. Sunday, Ellie and I lectured. Marly altar served at mass. I gave a pulpit talk for Dynamic Catholic. Fr. Jose blessed our van for our upcoming road trip. I'm getting geared up for our big adventure! We went to my parents for a BBQ lunch and pool party. It was a lazy afternoon with lots of over tired people. That night I went to visit my childhood friend, Kelly who was in town. It was nice to catch up. Today we played tennis this morning with the VanWie's, Hershorins and Shad/Risdon combo. Then we headed up to the pool for the festivities. I made it across the obstacle course on the 2nd try. Great face painting and candy runs. The cousins came for a quick visit, too. What a fun day! Here are the pics from the week.

It was pretty icy around here the first half of the week as I channeled some Elsa and iced out my husband's behavior. We were able to warm things up and it got better as the week progressed. I finally gave Phil details for our summer trip so we are officially a go. It was odd not having activities every day after school...but you know we were able to fill our time just fine. We did a park play date on Tuesday. Both Voss and Abby had a friend join us. The weather is still nice and breezy. We usually can't even be outside this time of year unless you are in a pool...so it's weird to think about a jacket. Our floors were finally done on Wednesday! Woooo whoooo! Done in one day and they look awesome! The maids came and then the furniture was delivered on Saturday so the house is finally coming together. This week I need to put the final touches on moving everyone back in. Then, I can take some after pics. It feels great to be moving in this project after weeks of standstill! I challenged Julie to a singles match and lost (not by much). It felt awesome to play like that! We are doing a rematch next week. I also got to play with Christian, AM and Katie...some group therapy was nice. I was able to visit my cousin, Dane twice this week. It's so wonderful that she is actually here in town...this miracle of a person! On Saturday my sister had the great idea to pick up lunch and have our visit in the garden outside the rehabilitation facility. That was so nice! We had a PTA lunch one afternoon which was nice, I hadn't been to anything like that before. I took over as patrol parent pres and am communicating with that group a bunch. Lots of fingers in lots of places. Ellie had a friend over for the weekend, Harley. She was very sweet. Phil and I went to wine club on Friday night. The Bentons invited us for a boat up concert on Saturday. That night we planned a Ft. George trip for today. It was such a nice day out there. Spot's first time, too. Dinner at TCC after. Lots of sun kissed, tired children tonight! Check out the pics.