Family Vacation 2011

Every year our family takes a week long trip out west to visit our family and friends. We usually go to a family reunion or two and have a great time. This year we decided to do things a little differently. Jeff took off two weeks and we hit the road! We had a week to spend just with our immediate family. And boy did we have a great adventure! By the end of our trip we had logged 5,000 miles on our beast van, driven through 8 states and two provinces in Canada. Besides 1 night in a 2- bed hotel, and 2 nights at a friends home, we spent the rest TENT CAMPING! With 7 kids! Yes, I am a saint! And we all survived. And we have some amazing memories to share!

FIRST STOP: GLACIER NATIONAL PARK


For some reason I did not get a very good photo of the mountains in Glacier. But the mountain peaks there are so amazing! I went on a few morning runs and felt as though I was running through paradise! It was fun to see people sitting peacefully by the lake with their canvas and paintbrushes or sketchbooks and charcoals, trying to capture the beauty of this piece of heaven on earth.


We built a lot of fires............I always seem to forget what a bunch of PYROMANIACS I have in my family! Look at all those hands stirring the fire!

We skipped a lot of rocks.....................



Collected a lot of rocks...........

Climbed trees..............(Mariah my monkey)


Saw some amazing trees.......

And hiked to the top of the world!

Hiking with 7 kids is always an adventure and this hike was quite remarkable. We did not quite reach the top because we ran out of drinking water, but most everybody had a great attitude and were bound and determined to find snow. We saw it --but never got high enough to touch it. Maybe next year!

A few years ago I visited Glacier and counted it as the most beautiful place I had ever been. Well, now it is my second-most-beautiful-place! Because now I have been to Canada!

To be continued........

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