July is my favorite month. The peaches are in season. We celebrate my favorite holiday, the 4th of July. The pools are open. The kids are out of school. We go on our big family vacation for Steve's birthday. We celebrate Steve's birthday. It is full of the funnest activities of the year for me. So, that said, get comfortable before you start reading because this is my longest blog month of the year. Enjoy!
The 4th of July with our friends, the Tufts.
I love the hot day juxtaposed against the coolness of the pool. I love spending time with good friends and celebrating the greatest nation on Earth. I love the child-like excitement and anticipation that come with watching fireworks. I love my crazy neighbors who also REALLY love the 4th of July and put on an excellent show. It is just a great day to remember all the awesome things that make our nation so special and unique. Happy Birthday USA!!!
After attending two long weekend camps and working on his project for a year, Steve was finally awared his Woodbadge rank on July 10th. Only a small percentage of Boy Scout leaders actually earn the highest level of training. We are so proud of him.
July 13th we took the cubs on a fieldtrip to the Bank of America trading floor. It was a really cool experience to get to see where all the action happens. One of our den leaders used to work the floor and told us all about how everything worked. The boys loved it - especially getting to take the super fast elevators up to one of the top floors of one of the tallest buildings in Charlotte.
While Nick and I were with the cub pack and Steve and Jeremy were camping with the scout troop, Naomi spent some time with our friends, the Tufts. They had a great time together at the Chick-fil-A cow appreciation day.
Jeremy came up with a new Cannonism - HUMBILITY - being humble with humility.
July 18th was the funnest play day ever. Jeremy, Zach, Nicholas, Drew and Grover played all day long and completely exhausted themselves. They played hard. Toward the end of the day they were all racing down the stairs and jumping the last few to save time so they could get to their next outdoor adventure sooner. Nicholas was the last one down and when he jumped he didn't land straight. I heard his ankle pop and he screamed. I got him to the couch and saw that the swelling was already starting. We propped it, iced it and medicated it and after about a half an hour he felt a little better. He still couldn't walk on it though. Normally this would just be a bummer, but the fact that we were leaving on our big roadtrip the next day made it a BUMMER!!! I still had my crutches and several wraps from when I had knee surgery and we got him all bandaged up so he could continue, much more slowly, to tag along with the group for the remainder of the play day. By the end of the day, and after icing it several more times, Steve and I decided that it was not broken, but he would have to be careful until it healed a little more.
July 19th, we all woke up early and headed out on our road trip to Minneapolis so Steve could conduct a culinary clinic there and we could visit family along the way. The kids were especially excited that we would be driving through so many states and seeing so many historical sites. Jeremy was working on his Citizenship in the Nation merit badge and had to visit a site that was on the National Historical Registry. We had a list and were ready to go.
Our first stop was Nashville, TN. We got to see the Grand Ole Opry and the Opryland Hotel. Both were a huge hit. They decided that our next trip will have to be to Nashville so they can explore a little bit more. We spent the night in Paducah, KY. Three states in one day. We were exhausted.
July 20th we started out bright and early so we could catch some new and exciting sites. Our first stop was the St. Louis Arch. Nicholas was especially excited about getting close enough to touch it. I was surprised by how big it is. I have only ever seen it from the freeway and wasnt' prepared for actual, up close size. We spent several hours exploring the museum and walking around outside. By this point Nicholas had decided that the crutches were more of a hinderance and just hobbled along, but his ankle was feeling much better, thank goodness. We didn't have time to take the tour that day so the kids decided that another family vacation would have to include more time to explore the St. Louis Arch.
Hannibal, MO, the birth place of Mark Twain, was right on our way to Nauvoo. We got out and walked around for a bit. I have always loved the way Mark Twain writes and found myself experiencing deja vu as we walked around and saw the places he described in his books. The kids got to paint Tom Sawyer's fence and we timed our visit just right to witness the arrival of a paddle boat. It was great!! We arrived late enough in the day that we only had 45 minutes to see anything before the town shut down for the night. Once again, another family trip to spend more time exploring. We made it to Keokuk, IA, for the night. The kids saw Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Iowa in one day. We all slept well.
July 21st we woke up with a very sick Nicholas. He had spent the early morning hours in the bathroom throwing up. He was really upset because today was the day we were going to explore Nauvoo. I love his determined nature. He wanted to say a family prayer because he knew that would make him feel better. The faith of a child is an amazing thing. Within an hour he was feeling much better and we were on our way to Nauvoo. This was a truly amazing way to start such an incredible day. We got to Nauvoo and went to the visitors center to find out about the horse carriage tours as we had heard this was the best way to see Nauvoo for the first time. While we were waiting for the next tour we got talking to some sister missionaries. One of them was from Riverton, UT, and was actually in Rick and EllaRene's ward. We talked until it was time to leave on our tour. The kids all pointed out what they wanted to visit when the tour was through. I loved riding down Parley Street and imagining it lined with wagons waiting to leave Nauvoo for the West. I tried to imagine the excitement and the sadness the Saints must have been feeling at the time. It was a somber feeling.
After the carriage tour the kids wanted to see the Nauvoo Temple up close so we drove up to the temple site and let them look around for a bit. My kids constantly amaze me. When they saw the bronze statues of Joseph and Hyrum depicting their departure for Carthage they became very quiet, almost reverent, as if they were absorbing the impact of that moment as the prophet and his brother might have done at the time. I think it really hit them, especially Nicholas, that they were related to these great men. Hyrum is their great, great, great, great grandfather and Joseph is their great, great, great, great uncle. They definitely have a new appreciation for church history.
We got back in the truck and drove back down to the town of Nauvoo. I didn't realize how spread out it would be. The kids got to visit the home of Lucy Mack Smith, their 5-great grandmother.
At the blacksmith shop, Naomi was chosen to demonstrate how a young child would be given the job of rotating the wheel for several hours while the hot grease was settling into the axle for a smooth ride.
Everyone got in on the action at the Family Center. The kids especially liked learning how to make rope.
Visiting the graves of Joseph Smith, Emma Smith and Hyrum Smith. There was a quiet and peaceful feeling at the gravesite.
Here we are in the holding cell where they kept Joseph, Hyrum and their supporters stayed to keep them safe from the mob.
July 22nd we headed out for Minneapolis. We had to stop at the World's Largest Frying Pan in Brandon, Iowa. The trip wouldn't have been complete without it. We made it to Minneapolis in the late afternoon. We went straight to Ginger's house to see her new place and let her be our tour guide for the night. She took us to Minnihaha Park. The kids got to see the largest waterfall on the Mississippi and explore a swimming area Ginger designed and helped create. She took us to see the Stone Arch Bridge and explained the history of the first bridge built to span the Mississippi. We then went back to her house to chill. The kids loved playing with Gertie.
July 23rd, since no road trip would be complete without a little bit of car trouble, we took the truck into the local Nissan dealer to find out why the carpet on the front passenger side of the truck was getting so wet. They found that the hose from the air conditioner to drain outlet was too short and so all the condensation was leaking onto the floor. After a few more calls to our mechanic in Charlotte we decided to wait until we arrived back home to get it fixed. After that adventure we headed out to the Mall of America to explore. We didn't get very far once the kids saw Nickelodeon Universe. I didn't take long to decide to buy all-day passes and spend the day alternating between riding the rides and exploring the mall. It was a great day. The kids got to ride on a roller coaster for the first time. We have never taken them to an amusement park like this before. It was a hit. I also discovered that Steve doesn't like wild rides. This would probably explain why we have never been to an amusement park together before. Steve rode the more mild rides with the kids and I went on the wild ones. We work very well as a team.
After the amusement park we went back to Ginger's house to pack up and get ready to check into the hotel. Ginger kept the kids with her so they could let out some more energy on a walk with Gertie while Steve and I got us settled at the hotel for the night. We met them at Lake Harriet. Minneapolis is a beautiful city with so many beautiful parks!! Everyone was hungry at this point. Serendipity is a fun thing. Because there were no McDonalds or Burger Kings in the area we had to look around a bit and check things out. We found a restaurant at which Jeremy could eat that everyone really liked. Chipotle is a new favorite and Jeremy was thrilled to find out they are building one in Charlotte right around the corner from our house.
July 24th we chilled at the hotel all day, doing laundry and playing in the pool while Steve prepped the site for the clinic and went grocery shopping with the chefs. That night we went out to dinner again. Jeremy found a Chipotle and Nicholas found a Five Guys right around the corner from each other. Everyone was happy. Afterwards, we met Ginger at the movie theater to see Ice Age 4. It was a great night.
The next day I dropped Steve off at the clinic site so the kids and I could have the truck for the day. After breakfast we headed out for the children's museum in St. Paul. We spent the whole day there. The kids loved all the hands-on exhibits.
The boys loved the physics area where they could experiment with several different air exhibits.
Naomi gravitated towards the biology section where she spent significant time examining samples of water taken from the Mississippi. After a full day of exploration we headed back to Minneapolis to pick Steve up from the "office" so he could change for dinner that night. At every culinary clinic they like to take the students to a local restaurant so they can see first-hand what makes a great restaurant, or in this case, a terrible restaurant. Either way, it is always a great learning experience. The kids and I chilled at the hotel for the night. I was surprised that the kids still had energy for the pool, but they did.
July 26th, Steve's birthday, he had to work the final day of the clinic. The kids and I packed up the truck and spent some time at Lake Harriet so they could show me the giant spider web in the kids playground. I had not gotten to see it before since everyone was so hungry by the time Steve and I got back from the hotel. They were especially excited to show me since THEIR Aunt Ginger had designed it. It was WAAAAAY cool.
Feeding ducks is always a favorite past time for us. The kids relaxed by Lake Harriet until Steve called and said he was done and ready for us to pick him up. We said goodbye to Minneapolis and headed out for Mason City to visit Bradden, Sunny and clan.
Sunny and Bradden had a birthday party all ready for Steve when we arrived. He was so excited to get to eat Papa Murphy's Chicken and Garlic Pizza. We also had an ice cream cake. Olivia and Hyrum are so cute and the cousins had a great time playing. Bradden and Steve went to the see the new Batman movie that night. Sunny and I stayed with the kids and let them play until they dropped from exhaustion. Steve said it was the perfect birthday.
July 27th, we headed to Crystal Lake and the kids played on the beach and in the water.
What is it about kids and holes???!!!??? Are they secretly planning on burying all the adults and taking over the world? Whatever the reason, the cousins had a riot playing together in the sand.
Steve and Olivia chilling on the couch. They really hit if off well. Later that afternoon we went to a local park Sunny chose for the location of our family picture shoot. I have never had that much fun during a photo session before. If anyone needs a great photographer, call Sunny! Afterwards we let the kids play around at the river for awhile.
After diner that night (a very yummy barbeque complete with Iowa corn on the cob), Hyrum took us to the snow cone shack across the street from his house. The kids all got snow cones to enjoy for dessert.
July 28th we packed up early and headed out on our way home. It was going to be a race to get home in two days, but we were up to the challenge. We stopped in LeClaire, Iowa, to check out the Buffalo Bill Museum. It was realy cool and the kids got to see one of the oldest paddle boats.
We also stopped in Peoria, IL, at the Dan Fogelburg Memorial. Dan Fogelburg is one of Steve's all-time favorite singers. Our trip would not have been complete withouth stopping here.
We made it to Indianapolis that night and crashed after spending a little time in the pool to get rid of some excess energy after sitting the truck all day. July 29th we left early in the morning and continued our trek towards home.
Due to road construction we got pushed off the freeway into a tiny little town in Ohio and found this wonderful sign on someone's lawn. We took the warning seriously but got a good chuckle none the less.
Once again, we had to take a detour to get around some major road construction and ended up in Corbin, KY, the home of Colonel Sanders. This is the birth place of Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Hanging with the Colonel.
We came through the Cumberland Gap into Virginia and got to go through a really long tunnel which the kids though was the "ultimate cool".
We stopped on the top of Powel Mountain (2,319 feet) and enjoyed the view. The valley reminded both Steve and me of the Heber/Park City area. It was stunning beautiful.
That night we slept in our beds again!! We truly live in a beautiful country with so much to see. We traveled 4,400 miles through ten states in ten days. It was a great experience. It only took us two days to travel half of that distance (2,200 miles). What took us two days took the pioneers months to accomplish and they didn't have air conditioning, motels and fast food restaurants. I have a new appreciation for the amazing courage, faith and determination it would have taken to follow the prophet to each new destination and have to start rebuilding all over again. I am also grateful that I get to road trip in the 21st century!! We will definitely have to plan another road trip again in the near future.
JULY IS AWESOME!!!!
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