Finally, I'm making time to do this post. Although I'm sure by the time I post it I will have stopped, saved and started it again 10 times.
I need to get the trip details down though before I forget it all!!
Ok, last week we flew to JH, WY and met Brett's Aunt Judy, Uncle Rich and their three kids (Brian, Trev and Ash) there. They came ALL the way from Boston! The flights (2) there were actually not bad with Orien. We bumped ourselves up to first class for the 2+ hour flight, which helped a LOT. Mommy of course had a secret stash of new (cheap) toys and new (sugary) treats. They kept O entertained quite a bit. His favorite part about first class though was having his very own TV that streamed SpongeBob. Bingo!
Our first day there (just us three), we cruised around Teton Village and let Orien get out his energy. Teton Village is where our house is and they have REALLY made it nice since my last visit. They groomed it a bit more, added a large, log playset, put in a splash area, added seating, music and more! It was nice to stroll around the Village daily and enjoy the cool breeze and warm sun. Since it's an outdoorsy town, there were big dogs everywhere. Orien and I enjoyed that the most :) Every time he would see a dog he would say "uh uh uh" ... every time I would see a dog I would say "eeeeee". We love dogs.
The first day we were all together (Sunday), we headed into the Village and the town of Jackson (10 min away) to show them around. We all did a bit of shopping and then made an ice cream stop. We got some GREAT photos while eating ice cream.
Monday was probably everyone's favorite day - at least it was mine! We rode the Tram up to the highest point at the ski resort. The views were stunning!!!! Check out the photos we got. It was a bit cooler up there than I thought, but Orien didn't seem to mind. He was strapped on my back, all warm and cozy :) We then ate some mouth-watering, dripping-with-melted-butter-and-brown-sugar waffles. YUMMMMMM. We were all in heaven. That afternoon we headed north into Grand Teton Nat'l Park to Jenny Lake. This lake is one of my favorite spots of the area. It's a crystal clear lake tucked just under the highest peaks of the Teton Range. It's gorgeous! Again, we got some awesome photos. After hopping a boat across the lake, we hiked several miles to Hidden Falls and (almost to) Inspiration Point. This day was awesome. The weather was nice and cool too. Orien loved the back pack carrier so much he fell asleep in it!
Tuesday, my boys and I rode bikes. Orien hung out in his bike seat and didn't make a peep! It didn't last for long because the cold air was hurting my inner ear...not sure why? I can't remember now what we did the rest of the day...
Wednesday the Schonewald's went to Yellowstone, while we headed north again in the the Nat'l Park. Since Orien passed out in the car, we took a detour up Signal Mountain. It was an excellent wildlife viewing area. We saw a moose and several mule deer. I couldn't believe how close the deer let Brett get with the camera. Then we stopped for lunch at Jackson Lake Lodge and WOW was it gorgeous. The lodge was beautiful. It's difficult to describe its beauty through words, but it was like a over-sized log cabin with breath-taking views of the Tetons. Orien LOVED it because there were stuffed Grizzlies, wild cats and big birds throughout the lodge. We ate and played on the lodge's back patio area, all while taking in the pictueresque views! This was on of my favorite spots we visited. Finally, we drove a few more miles north to Colter Bay. The bay is also on Jackson Lake and has a marina. The marina didn't have much we could do with Orien, but we really enjoyed hanging out on its coast throwing rocks in the water. Again, the water was gorgeous and extremely clear. We met a nice family with two dogs (bonus!) that were fetching sticks in the water. It was a FULL, fun day.
Thursday and Friday we hung out with the Schonewald's again and spent a lot of time in the Village and even explored a local park in Jackson. We got some awesome pictures from that park visit. They had to head out Friday at lunchtime to make the long drive to Denver, CO.
Friday night us three tried out a BBQ place down the street and found ourselves drooling over the food. It. Was. Amazing. A perfect way to wrap up the trip.
Overall, this trip is definitely one for the books. We hiked. We ate. We lounged. We played hard. We laughed. We talked. We stayed up late. We (tried to) sleep in. We biked. We splashed. We ate some more. And we VERY much enjoyed our family's company. It was a rare opportunity we had to take a week-long vacation with Brett's family and it was a BIG success. We are so glad the Schonewald's could join us and experience the beauty of Wyoming. It is a truly unique place.
Now we're all home and getting into the grooove of school and fall. I was ready to be home after 8 days away. Vacations are wonderful, but nothing beats home.
