Our family reunion/vacation consisted of a lot of driving!
First, we traveled up to Idaho to see my daughter and family.
Then they loaded up in the car with us and we traveled to Oregon to visit my parents.
Then we were off again, this time to California to visit my hubby's mom.
Next, we went back to my parents' house in Oregon for a few days before making the trip back to Idaho.
Then we stayed with my daughter for a few more days.
Alas, it was finally time to say goodbye and head on home to Texas.
So hard to leave.
But we had a wonderful trip!
We were able to see family members we hadn't seen in much too long.
It was nice to renew those relationships.
Okay, get ready, here come the pictures . . . no yawning please . . .
Remember the tree house inspired by a real one in Girl of Mine?
That's where we took our family portrait!
And here I am on the tree house. I had my daughter take this one just so I would have one of me on the tree house. My father's hobby is landscaping and his yard is a virtual paradise.
Me and my grandbabies during one of the many times we had to stop and let them run around!
Eating at a restaurant that overlooked the Columbia Gorge in Oregon. The view was breathtaking!
I love impromptu group photos! They are always the best.
This impromptu pic was taken on the Fourth of July.
It was a magical day.
I'm in the back holding my grandson who wanted to slide and not pose for a pic.
My dad photobombed this pic!
This one is of my sister, me, and my daughter. (and my dad looking like he's about to say, "Here's Johnny!")
My grandsons swimming in the backyard.
I love my dad's hydrangeas in the background. He's created a paradise. I'd like to go there for a writer's retreat. Of course, I'd end up visiting the entire time and never get anything done!
My dad loves to give his great grandsons rides in his tractor. It's fun for us big kids too. (I had to join them on the ride. Someone had to make sure they didn't fall out. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.)
My grandson feeding lorikeets at Turtle Bay in Redding, Calif.
I had two birds perched on my head while taking this photo.
One of my favorite moments!
Stopping for lunch during our travels in the amazingly beautiful Ashland, Oregon.
Me and my Mom and Dad. See the car in the background, waiting?
We were saying our usual ten minute goodbye and my hubby was patiently waiting to get on the road!
I hate goodbyes!
I wish we took pictures of the hello moments instead of the goodbye moments.
Instead I have more goodbye pics . . .
Me and two of my daughters.
Me and my grandson.
Goodbyes are the worst.
But I love this quote . . .
Lastly . . . let's end this on a comical note . . .
This is a pic of me with my mom and two sisters.
It made us laugh so hard we couldn't breathe because it looks like my mom has a really long arm!
Go ahead, laugh. My dad kidnapped my phone and posted it on Facebook, much to my mom's dismay!
Suffice it to say, summer vaycay was a huge success!
Wonderful pictures! You have a beautiful family. What lovely memories you will have from your trip. It is so sad when family members are scattered all over the country and you don't see them as often as you would like. You will just have to plan another trip. lol
ReplyDeleteBy the way I called Amazon yesterday and they fixed the problem I was having.
Thank you, Rita. I hate being so far apart from everyone and I long for us all to live close together. I'm already talking about what we will do next summer! But, I think we need some time until we are ready to embark on another long drive! Good thing we have an entire year.
DeleteI'm so glad the problem with Amazon has been fixed. It's so inconvenient when things don't work the way they are supposed to!
Wow, a whirlwind tour of the west coast. :-) Glad to hear you had so much fun and the pics show it. If your dad has some gardening needs not being met at his house, tell him to drop by the Florida panhandle sometime. I could use some help. LOL Oh, cool pic of your mom's elastic arm.
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
If only I could get my Dad to come here and help me with my yard! When the weather's good, he's outside working in his yard. All the time! He loves it. And I love what he's done. It's so beautiful and it makes me feel happy and calm. It truly is a place that is like a balm to my soul. Not only that, I'm surrounded by family whenever I go there. It just doesn't get better than that!
DeleteThanks for your comment, Sherry!
I love all of these pictures! Your parents have a beautiful yard! Your dad has some skills! Your family is just beautiful! It looks like you had a wonderful trip. I'm glad you are back safe and sound. Hopefully you'll get to see the babies soon!
ReplyDeleteOh, I hope so, Christy! Once a year is just not enough! One of them I get to see more often because he's only five hours away. But for the other two, it's a once a year event, so I have to spend every moment I can with them and soak it all up while I have the chance.
DeleteI feel like I'm dreaming when I'm in my Dad's yard. When they first purchased the property, I went to visit. It was a mess, overgrown with weeds and fallen trees. He's really done a lot of hard work. He's so used to it, he doesn't realize how amazing it is! I love it so much it feels surreal. Thanks for your kind words!
Oh, I love the pictures!! I feel like you are just a friend I've known for awhile that would come over to my house after their vacation and leaf through photos to show me :) I am glad that you had such a great time!! And your poor mama, with that picture!! I hope that her love for your dad is tremendous, lol!!
ReplyDeleteIt took awhile for my mom to calm down over that picture being posted. But she finally conceded that it was pretty funny!
DeleteI love your friendly nature, Natalie. It is conveyed in your comments so effortlessly. It's not always easy to become friends through the written word, but I feel like we have done that! And I enjoy our communication so much!
I appreciate your comment today as well. It's exciting for me to be able to share a glimpse into our summer fun. So glad you enjoyed the pics!
The arm picture is hilarious! I'm smiling because your vacation happened. It still kills me that neither of us thought to take a picture when you stopped to say Hi. We were having too much fun gabbing, I guess (and I ALWAYS forget pictures even for my kids' events. I'm a lame mom that way). Thank you again for stopping. I loved meeting you and Jules and think you two are the most awesome mother daughter team ever. I'm glad you had a fun trip!
ReplyDeleteI loved meeting you too, Charissa! I was sad when it was over. Even my daughter loved our visit and I'm glad she got to share it with us. I planned on taking a pic of us to post here on my blog and I'm still mad that I forgot. It was quite a day. I was thrilled to meet you and we had so many hours ahead of us on the road and I was so excited to see my sister, who I hadn't seen in six years--needless to say, my mind was all over the place. It was too much excitement for one day! But it was wonderful and I regret nothing!
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