What would I do without a cell phone? I’m sure I would find some way to manage, but I certainly wouldn’t have any proof that we did anything fun this summer since every time we went somewhere I left my camera home. And since I’m way behind on updating my blog, here is my entire summer, as told by my 2 megapixel cell phone camera (unedited and untouched; I figured if I spent a bunch of time editing photos, I’d never actually get around to posting them on the blog).

We've been going to the high school track quite a bit. David can run as fast as he wants, I can run slow (or walk, which has been my preference), and the kids can do whatever. And we still feel like we're doing something together. I love this pic because Samantha looks like a real runner, and not just a two year old (which also makes me kinda sad). She was trying to keep up with David, even though he was on Lap 3 and she was just finishing Lap 1. But she ran the entire lap by herself.

We've spent lots of time at the park, though less time at local parks since we've also been travelling a lot. Climbing this rock was lots of fun for the kids until one of them slipped on the way down and landed in some mud at the bottom. Then we had to tell them no more climbing.

David and I went to Vegas for our anniversary (we had gone there on our honeymoon and wanted to go back to see what was new). My brother and his wife came with us, which ended up being so much fun, because I got to know my sister in law a little better, and she is one cool lady.

This is the crappiest picture ever, but that right there, ladies and gentlemen, is the one--the only--Brian Regan! David and I went to see him live, and it was so great! I actually love his older material more than his new, but I was still laughing my abs off. For real. They hurt like crazy after the show.

I should probably turn the following into an entire other post, but I've already uploaded the picture to this post, and don't want to do it again. So here goes:

(This sounds alarming, but it isn't because the Railroad is a crazy place to work:) David was fired at the beginning of June which, long story short, means he has two months of paid time off. At the Railroad, fired means suspended, and terminated means fired. So he was just basically suspended. And he gets paid from the Union, since he has been paying for job insurance since he got hired five years ago.

I think I just made a short story long. Anyway. We decided to take advantage of the time off and hit the road, going to see various friends and relatives that we don't see in person nearly often enough.

So we headed North; first to Coeur d'Alene, then to Moscow (where U of I is), then to Cheney, WA, then back up to Sandpoint, ID. It was a long, fun week.  

Around the city center in Coeur d'Alene are four moose statues, each representing a different part of this moose's story. Here, for example, he's resting at the park. I don't think he gets much rest, because kids are always climbing on him.

Next stop on our tour was to visit David's sister. We had a blast hanging out with her and her husband and their cute little girl. We walked around downtown, where all the local, non-Walmart shops are. There is an amazing toy store there, that the kids loved. I loved it too, honestly. I could have happily spent all day and a lot of money there.

There is also an arboretum run by the University. It was a hot, hot day, and the path through the arboretum got pretty hilly in some spots, but it was definitely worth it. So gorgeous!

 

 

The kids were so excited to see a "lake!" Really it was a small pond, but they didn't care. And there were goose droppings everywhere, but that didn't bother them either. In fact, Drew picked one up and threw it in the water. And a fish ate it! We were thoroughly grossed out, but Drew and Owen thought it was hilarious once we told them what it actually was.

I was smitten with the Arboretum from the entry to the exit. Definitely a fun way to spend an hour or two, and if it hadn't been so hot, I could have easily spent an entire afternoon there.

From David's sister's place we headed to his aunt and uncles. They live on a lake near Cheney, WA.

     

 I loved waking up to the sun sparkling on the water. It was so beautiful. The kids had a blast "fishing"--basically they were just holding the pole.

     

David and I took the kids out on the paddle boat, which they loved, once Owen and Samantha got over their initial nervousness (or, in Owen's case, terror). David tried his hand at fishing too, but even though we saw fish jumping everywhere, none of them wanted what we had to offer. We did get to see an osprey catch a fish--they don't offer bait; they just dive down and snatch. We took note of where it landed, so we could get out the telescope and watch it eat the fish. Drew was fascinated by that. So was I, truth be told.

                

I also loved how still the water got in the evenings. The sun reflecting off the water was gorgeous, but in a totally different way than it was in the morning. It felt more peaceful, less cheery, completely, calmly happy...

Following our stay at one lake, we headed North again to visit friends in Sandpoint. They live quite close to beautiful Lake Pend Oreille, so we got to spend an afternoon there, playing in the water and taking a lake cruise on a little boat. We always have such a fun time with these friends, and I left wishing we'd had more time there. I also left a bag of dirty laundry. Sorry, Abs!

 

 

They were selling these cute little pirate hat and eye patch sets on the boat for a dollar! Can't beat that.

 

This was taken on our way home, at one of the scenic view pullouts. There were several different openings in the trees where the view of the lake was spectacular. I had been trying to rest, but David kept saying, "Grab the camera!" every two minutes, so I didn't get much sleep until we got to Montana. Then we hit a Canadian goose, and I couldn't sleep after that. Sadly, the goose had no chance of survival, but at least it provided food for a coyote or something. And luckily it didn't damage our car at all.

Such a fun week it was. Still I was glad to be home, to get back into the routine of things, if only for a day--we went to Lagoon the following Monday. I actually remembered my camera for that trip, so as soon as I get pictures uploaded I'll post them. I promise to do it soon, at least before we head to Colorado again to visit my brother's family. After our time in Colorado, David's suspension will be over and life will resume as normal. I'm almost looking forward to it. But not as much as I'm looking forward to seeing my bro and his family--and my new niece!