a Lucky Girl

Several things learned on our trip, that's right, it was a trip not a vacation.

Driving to Kansas takes way too long and when it is done with kids it is tourcher for both parties. It is also tourcher to ride with Great Grandpa, bless his heart!

It is very handy to pull an RV with a toilet when traveling with Jena. Teri, Granny, Grandpa and Great Grandpa may not admit it but they liked having Jena as an excuse to stop and go potty. While sitting on the highway in Wyoming stuck behind a FedEx truck who was stuck in snow, Grandpa decided to use the facility's in the RV. Then the traffic started to move. So grandpa got a little ride on 'The John'.

Kansas stinks. It is from the Feed Lots where they gather all the cows together to feed and slaughter them. Funny Story - When Bart and Karen first moved to Kansas their son Spencer asked them for a clothes pin to plug his nose because he couldn't stand the smell. Smart Kid!

Apparently Tyson, you know the people who make chicken nuggets and such has a gianormous Beef plant in Garden City, Kansas. It employs 1/3 of the town. I'm suspicious now, I've never seen Tyson beef. So is it really chicken or is it beef?

Kansas is too flat. One must have mountains!

Never, Ever eat at the KFC in Rock Springs, Wyoming. Rock Springs has to be the ugliest place on earth anyway, but the KFC...Trust me, just don't go there.

We got to stop in Denver for 2 days and visit Barry's dad. We went to the Aquarium which was really cool. I'm sure we missed a lot though because we could not stop Ryan from running from one thing to the next. Sara was fascinated with the huge fish and couldn't figure out why she couldn't touch them when they were right in front of her. And wouldn't you know it, my camera batteries died while we where there.

Little Matty is more adorable in real life. 5 weeks old and he kept us all entertained by pooping out of his diaper and all over the floor several times. He was kissed and hugged and squeezed and patted and smacked (Sara) enough that I'm sure he's glad we are gone. We just couldn't get enough of him. We were sad to have to leave and separate the cousins. They had such a great time together and we are sad they don't live closer. There were some tears when we left and we wish we could have stayed longer.

I'm sure Karen is glad to have her house back and I am glad to have my bed back but I just don't like having family so far away. And while I appreciate the use of Allie's bed while I was there, I just have to say...Bart and Karen you are now done with school and have a little money, go buy that girl a decent mattress! :) After several nights on the floor my shoulder now has a pinched nerve and keeps shooting pain and making my hand numb and tingly. I'm really happy about that!

Here are a few pictures but I haven't downloaded them all yet. (Can't find the other camera!)

Denver Aquarium- This was my favorite fish, it's like a cartoon, a scary cartoon. This kind of fish is why I don't like the ocean or lakes or really deep swimming pools!

Grandpa Hansen and Ryan at Coors Field. Rockies vs. Dodgers.
Yeah, Dodgers Won!
It was so cold Barry had to buy Ry a sweatshirt to go under his winter coat.

These two little boys became one with the dirt! They had to strip down just to come in the house. They turned the bath water black and the tub brown. And they had such a great time doing it!
This is Bart & Karen's backyard. It is huge! Almost 3/4 acres. That's a big yard to put in and that is what the boys spent all their time doing. That and filling in the holes that Ryan and Spencer dug in the newly smoothed yard. Also, note what is behind their house. Yup, nothin'! For miles and miles and miles . I do love their little neighborhood though, all the houses where so far apart on huge lots. I guess when you live in Kansas you got nothing but wide open space so you get your own big share.
Again in the garage, too dirty to come in. They are so goofy and Ryan misses him already. All the pictures of the girls are on a different camera so I'll have to post those later. Ryan and Jena miss you Spencer and Allie!
I have never seen Barry so dirty! It was hilarious! The wind was blowing so much that it just caked the men with dirt and it stuck to the sweat. I can't get his clothes clean!
Monday evening we got a phone call from a neighbor telling us to pull our cars into the garage because softball size hail was headed our way. The boys we're really skeptical but started putting things away. We had to drive one car up the street to park it in the neighbors garage and boy are we thankful they let us! I have never seen hail like that. We didn't see softball size but we did see baseball size! It was coming down so fast it would shatter and spread over 10 feet. It was bouncing 4 feet out of the grass when it hit the ground. Sadly we had nowhere to protect the RV trailer and the side of it is covered in dents and the vent cover on top was shattered. We must have been amusing to the neighbors for whom this was a normal occurrence. All 10+ of us stood on the front porch watching in ahh, daring each other to run to the street and back, picking up hail so we could take it into the freezer and taking pictures like the paparazzi.

And can you believe that after 2000+ miles nobody got a ticket! 1 hour from home I did get pulled over. In a construction zone. 79 mph in a 60 mph zone. Nice man let me off with a warning! Bless you Officer Peay in Morgan, you are a saint! (Barry was glad he didn't have to pull out his Sheriff ID badge to get me off, he would have too, that is one expensive ticket!)
That's all for tonight folks. I'll look for the other camera tomorrow.