Friends in CO and NE

 Our next stop was Colorado. We went to visit friends that Dave first met at Officer Training School in Alabama many years ago. We were also stationed with them in Japan. It was great to see them. Their family is such a treasure. We had a few days of rest…swimming, playgrounds, the library, a Costco visit and the boys even got to mountain bike! 

Slide races 

Annabelle and Jodi 

Dave and Jordan 

Caleb, Justus, and Josh 

Annabelle busy reading 

Mountain biking trails right behind their house 

After CO we had another long day of driving to get to Omaha, NE. We stayed with friends of Dave’s from college. They were in the same campus ministry together. Dave got the opportunity to share communion at the Omaha Church of Christ Sunday morning which was really special for him. It was neat to connect and people that knew him as a young college student. I heard lots of funny stories. 

The Larsen’s beautiful farm at sunset 

Annabelle had a blast playing with Timmerlyn 

Dave sharing communion 

Dave and Chris 

Trevor, Jen, and Dave 

Cuddling with kittens 

Grand Tetons

After we left Helena, we drove back through Wyoming to camp at the Grand Tetons. It was our second boondocking experience. This time we were in Bridger-Teton National Forest. I feel like we were camping in a field of wildflowers. It was beautiful, but the bugs were intense. We started our day at the Jenny Lake visitor center to catch a boat ride across the lake where we hiked to Hidden Falls and up to Inspiration Point. We saw lots of chipmunks, but talked to a few other people who saw a bear at the waterfall. I feel both bummed and glad we missed it. That evening we hung out at our campsite which was really nice to cook, play, and enjoy the campfire. It was a short, but beautiful time in the Tetons. 

View of Jenny Lake 

The Grand Tetons 

Even though we celebrated early, here’s our actual anniversary dinner…white chicken chili at our boondocking site

Annabelle and Liam in fields of huge dandelions 

Hidden Falls 

It was a very rocky climb up to Inspiration Point

We made it! 

On our way back across Jenny Lake on the boat 

Liam got his Jr Range badge for the Tetons! 

Taco Tuesday at the campsite 

Goodnight and goodbye Grand Tetons 

Family Time in Montana

 Our next stop was Helena, MT. Dave’s mom Sara met us there. We stayed with his Aunt Myrna and Uncle Jerry. And we also got to see his Uncle Hank and Aunt Vicky. It was great to spend time with all of them. It was nice to just hang out, relax, and do laundry. Uncle Hank took Dave and the big boys out to fish one morning. They used a technique called trolling, where they left the poles in the water and trailed their line as they slowly went by. They caught nothing at first, but by the end caught several rainbow trout a piece. While the boys were fishing, Uncle Jerry, Aunt Myrna, Sara, Annabelle, Liam, and I went out on their boat to Canyon Ferry Lake. We rode around the lake, and played on the shore for a little bit. The breeze was so nice and it was a beautiful day to be out on the water. When the boys got home Uncle Jerry showed the boys how to gut and clean the fish. The next day, Dave grilled the fish with lemon, butter, dill and garlic for dinner. It was delicious and so satisfying for the boys to eat what they had caught.

 

Canyon Ferry Lake 

Sara, Aunt Myrna, Matty (their dog), and Uncle Jerry 

Fishing with Uncle Hank

Enjoying their beautiful backyard

Aunt Vicky and Dave getting the fish ready to grill 

Dave learning how to debone the fish from Uncle Jerry and Uncle Hank 

Dinner was delicious! 😋 

Aunt Myrna, Uncle Jerry, and Sara offered to watch our kids so Dave and I could go on a date to celebrate our 18th anniversary. It was so kind and we were really grateful. Per their recommendations we had dinner at Wassaweiler which was an old historic home. The food and wine were amazing and we were really grateful for that time!