Boyers Head West

  Tuesday July 5 We left TX this morning for our 11 hour trip home. As it goes, we didn’t leave as early as we hoped. As Dave was loading the bikes he discovered a flat tire on Josh’s bike, so he had to change the tire so it would lock properly in the new rack we’d purchased. Once we got everything packed and loaded we said “see ya later” to Josh, Bri, Faith, Abel, and Mercy. I had to have one last Emily’s Coffee Shop stop before we left. That place holds so many memories and such a special place in my heart. The kids did great in the car and Dave and I got some good time to talk. We stopped at Steamboat Bills in Lake Charles Louisiana for po boys and gumbo to go and arrived home a little before 11pm. It feels good and a little weird to be home. What an amazing adventure! Thanks for reading and going on this journey with us.  The End  One last Emily’s trip  Our old town of Cibolo  Delicious lunch from Steamboat Bills Found a small dog park at a gas station for C...

  July 4, 2022 Discoveries this trip: POG (passion orange guava) juice that we tried in Hawaii  Mini tacos from Jack in the Box (CA) Huckleberry dark chocolate and licorice (MT) Lychee Hawaiian shaved ice (HI) Hula pie (HI) Liam’s growth this trip. He’s been making more sounds…approximations for all done and yogurt, I wanna go there, and the p sound. He’s also gotten more comfortable being around new people and transitioning easier to new environments and activities.  A kid’s meal is not enough food for Caleb. My almost 13 year old is eating off the adult menu!  Dave’s new favorite show is Yellowstone and he now dreams of owning a ranch in Montana.  Our kids are troopers when it comes to hiking, trying new foods, and road tripping  Nebraska fans are everywhere (found 5+ in Hawaii, one in Arches NP, one at Bigz Burgers in TX) and they all want to chat about NE…football, who they know, places they’ve been and things they’ve done. NE fans are chatty. ...

  Sunday & Monday July 3 & 4 Our adventure is coming to a close. We’re enjoying our last two days in TX resting and hanging out with friends. Sunday night Dave and I took the three big kids to the local drive in movie theater Stars and Stripes. We saw a double feature Lightyear and Top Gun: Maverick. They were both good movies, but we especially loved Top Gun. The boys were so proud that they stayed awake the whole time.  For the 4th of July we’re treasuring our last day with friends…grilling, playing outside and of course packing and getting ready for the trip home. We had several mini adventures at home today. Liam found a grease can attached to the grill and dumped it on the kitchen floor and himself. My son Josh (9) and Abel (2) literally banged heads and Abel has a big bump and bruise over his eyebrow. Oh the joys of boys.  My friend Amber is 21 weeks pregnant with her first(s). She is having triplets! And today I got to feel her son move. It was such a speci...

 Friday July 1 & Saturday July 2  We are back in TX! This was the first stop on our trip and it will be our last before we head home to FL. When we left Albuquerque yesterday I told the kids “Baby Mercy or Bust.” My dear friend Bri who was pregnant when we left, gave birth to her third child, Mercy Joy. She is a week old today and beyond precious. She cries the tiny baby cries and Annabelle stands in front of her singing “don’t cry, it will be all fine.” I love Annabelle’s made up songs and the way she tries to make people feel better. This morning we watched Bri and Josh’s two older ones so they could take Mercy to her one week checkup. This afternoon we hung out with Amber and Esteban and floated down the Comal River. It was so hot, the river felt nice and cool. It took a little bit to get everyone settled and we think a tube might have had a hole because it deflated quickly, but it was still a beautiful, enjoyable time with friends. Caleb and Josh were just chilling in ...

 Wednesday June 29 Today we had a 6 hour drive from Moab, UT to Albuquerque, NM and made it in time for dinner. We have friends from our time in TX that are now stationed there. We met them at the Sawmill Market for dinner. The Georges are a wonderful family that we treasure so much. We had a great time talking and catching up. The kids played together in the dirt. It was really such a joy to be together again.  Melissa, me, and part of Liam  Mark and Dave Yummy dessert…the pastry was stuffed with Nutella!  Kids creating in the dirt…I felt like they were creating a zen garden  Sawmill Market  Austin, Caleb, and Josh  Annabelle, Austin, and Emery  Annabelle and Emery pretty in pink  The Georges and the Boyers 

Tuesday June 28  I didn’t know much about Arches National Park. I had just heard from other people how much they enjoyed it. It was unlike any other park we’ve seen this trip. I’m all out of adjectives for truly amazing place. Suprisingly, there is only one entrance in and out of the park. Thankfully we had early reservations, but we obviously weren’t the only ones. It was a long wait to even get in to the park. A park ranger at the visitor center gave us suggestions of what arches to see and what hikes would be good with the kids. I really appreciate their knowledge and expertise. Our first stop was the Balanced Rock. It is a 3500 pound boulder on top of a thin hill, that is eroding more quickly than the top. It is stunning and a little scary walking around it. Thankfully it was a quick walk that Liam could handle too.  The long line into the park  The Three Gossips  Balanced Rock Our next stop was the Windows and the Turret Arch. We stayed here the longest. We hike...