Highlight of our Summer!

This Is The Place Heritage Park, Salt Lake City

I'm surrounded by a messy home. We literally JUST returned from our 4,568 mile roadtrip from Texas. We haven't fully unpacked, mostly because our boys fell victim to a cruel bug once we arrived home. I gave up trying to organize and put our lives back together after I got barfed on. Happily, however, we are recovering and slowly piecing our house back together and getting everybody back into a routine.

Barfed on!

To summarize our roadtrip, it was a blast! To be honest, I had low expectations and expected the absolute worst. I mean, our boys are YOUNG, Liam is still breastfeeding (a lot) and we drove thousands of miles. Much to my surprise, however, it was mostly pleasant. The key to roadtrip success, in my opinion, is owning a TRAVEL TRAILER, stopping frequently to let the kids play, and preparation. Seriously, I love our trailer. I loved it before when we used it exclusively for camping, but I love it even more for roadtrips.

Imagine our great surprise while driving through the Colorado mountains in San Isabel National Forest to discover Bishop's Castle. Literally, a CASTLE! What started as a small family cabin built by Jim Bishop in 1969 has evolved into this eclectic, man-made masterpiece. This castle comes with a moat and drawbridge, spiral staircases, stained glass windows and a dragon's head greeting visitors. The large tower stands at over 64 feet, which is remarkable considering it was built solely by Jim Bishop. While very fascinating and beautiful, the castle construction is ongoing (UNSAFE!) and the deisgn is a bit dysfunctional. The boys and I were too afraid to climb the rickety steps to the top of the tower, but Rod enjoyed the views, and thankfully didn't die! 

 After visiting several museums and other iconic monuments along the way, we arrived in Texas, where Pax insisted he "wasn't meant for the weather". I love Texas, but even I admit the weather isn't my favorite.

 

Mack is HOME... at 11:00pm

The highlight of the trip, hands down, was welcoming home my younger brother Mack from his two year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served the people in and around Hermosillo, Mexico and he loved it. 

He lost 30 pounds because of the grueling nature of his mission. Through his weekly emails, however, he never complained or mentioned the incredibly humble circumstances in which he was living. The poor kid didn't have a warm shower for 2 years, nor did he have access to washer and dryer, which meant he washed everything by hand! We are so happy he's home!