Weekend Update

It almost seems like we go somewhere every weekend. Okay, maybe not every weekend but it feels like it. We love road tripin' around but it can get a little crazy when kids are involved. This past weekend, Scott gave a presentation in Jackson Hole to the American Bar Association; so we decided to go with him.

We didn't get in until late Thursday night so we didn't get to see all the beautiful Fall scenery as we drove. Bummer. The night got even better when Ruby suddenly forgot how to go to sleep, or at least that's what it felt like. She screamed and cried for over 30 minutes (that might not seem like a very long time but when you're in a hotel knowing your neighbors are laying wide awake, hating your guts, 30 minutes seems like a VERY long time). We tried everything. Finally, she zonked out on my shoulder and I slowly, oh so slowly, sat down and even slower, laid back on the bed. Phew. She stayed asleep.

So the next morning, Scott went and knocked 'em dead while I got the kiddies ready for the day. Here's my favorite photo (Remember those curvaceous, white buns I was talking about? Here they are in all their glory!):


So after Scott picked us up, we went and toured the cute little town for a couple of hours. I love Jackson. It is such a great little town.

Scott and the kiddies under the "antler arch":



Did you know that all of those antlers come from the National Elk Refuge? No? Well, they do. And if you have a hankering to build an antler arch of your own, you better get on over to Jackson in May when the Boy Scouts auction them off. Like more info? Please, read on:



Me and the kiddies (Check out the ski hill on the far left. I can't wait for the snow!):



Cowboy Carl (I'm actually not sure what this cowpoke's name was but "Cowboy Carl" does have a nice ring to it):


And did you know that Jackson is home to the World's Ugliest Pair of Sandals? Well, it is. Scott found these beauties in a high-end outdoor store. Guess what the price tag was for these hot items? $245! I don't know about you, but I wouldn't pay two dollars and 45 CENTS for those freaks -- I don't care how comfortable they are! Crazy Jackson Yuppies ....


Even though we missed the scenery on the way to Jackson, we got to see some INCREDIBLE fall colors on our way to Idaho Falls. I'm not kidding, every time we drove around a corner, we'd both say, "That is incredible!" This is the best picture we could get because the kids were asleep so we pulled over on the side of the highway, came to a complete stop only for a few seconds so I could snap one off. Oh well, it gives you the idea. I love Fall colors!!

The reason we made a detour to Idaho Falls was for one reason: to break the law, or just merely stretch it a little. A song comes to mind that Scott often sings, "I fought the law and the law won," except I've changed the words to, "I fought the law and I WON!" Here was my problem: I let my driver's license expire the month we moved from Idaho and in order to renew it here, I had to take both the written and driving tests. I also had to present two forms of ID; one being a birth certificate, which I don't have because somehow, it's been lost and a little challenging to replace because I was born in Germany. Anyhoo, I found out how to get a new one but it requires a copy of a VALID driver's license. Hmmm ... I need a driver's license to get a birth certificate and I need a birth certificate to get a driver's license. Interesting problem. So, I side-stepped all the red tape and bureaucracy and went and renewed my license in Idaho Falls. 10 minutes and $25 later, I had a shiny new one. Problem solved. Just don't tell anyone I'm a fugitive on the run, okay? (Especially my parole officer. Wait ... what?)

So for old times' sake, we decided to drive past our old house to see if Henry remembered it. Of course he did. In fact, he said, "My house? Fischer (one of his best friends in IF) come and play with my toys?" I almost cried. I felt so bad for taking him away from his little buddy! Anyway, the house looked good (I'm sure you were all worried):


Then after fighting the law, we headed up to the cabin for a few quiet days with Scott's parents. The fall colors were incredible up there too and we even got to see our first snow storm of the season. If I were a true photographer, I would have been outside snapping away at the huge flakes with the fall colors in the background, but I couldn't because I was cozily huddled in a ball on the couch, making sure the fire didn't go out. I took one for the team there for sure. So even though my picture taking suffered, I had to get Henry in action helping his grandpa. He seriously followed Hal around if he knew there was a project he could help with. It was so cute! Here's Handy Manny helping his grandpa fix a heater: