Sonoma Summer

The last few days in Sonoma were a whirlwind of trips to San Franciso and the outlets in Petaluma, bocce ball, dinners, hikes, and hanging out by the pool at Grammy and Pappy's house. We are so lucky to have such wonderful family that lives in such a geographically desirable area - and thank goodness I don't have to pay to live there. It is always a healthy dose of reality when we visit as to how much it costs to try to live there. Shout out to my incredible brother and sister inlaw's who are making it work.

On Sunday during our last week Jim and Rosemary took us to San Francisco for a matinee of Beach Blanket Babylon. I had never been, but had heard about it for years. To make things better, one of the major performers lives in Sonoma. Rosemary taught him in grade school and Jim coached him in JV football. He still goes to their gym and Jim sees him from time to time. Jim called him and he arranged for tickets for us in the VIP section. Before the show, we went to Capp's Corner for lunch - the most inexpensive and delicious meal I have had in California. It was an amazing show. I included a link for the curious: http://www.beachblanketbabylon.com/
It is a musical comedy, performed live, and "zany" is the best adjective I can use to describe it. It also is updated constantly and includes lost of parodies and commentary on current news events. It is the funniest Palin/Clinton impersonations I have ever seen and the Barbara Striesand may me want to wet my pants I was laughing so hard. After the show, some of the cast came to meet us at the front door. It was really special and exciting.

The next day, Grammy and Pappy took the kids to the park to play bocce ball and I went for a run through Sonoma. The kids loved the game and were able to pick it up easily and played very well. That night we went to Franceine and Bill's for dinner. What a gorgeous setting. They live near Glen Ellen and Jack London Park up on a hill. They have beautiful decks where we hung out and ate barbecued salmon. The girls loved playing with their dog and on the hammocks. Madeline only fell out twice.

The next day we headed out to Vallejo for the Six Flags/Marine World Adventure. Stephannie met us there. We had a great time riding the rides and the elephant and seeing the dolphin and killer whale show. Now, for those of you who have been to Sea World in San Antonio, this is NO SHAMU SHOW. This guy's name is Sukah (pronounced sue-kah, not suck-a). He jumps around a little bit and poses some, and gets people wet with his tail. Madeline kept asking where the girls were that were going to dive off of his back (like in San Antonio). She was very disappointed. This show was not as Disney-fied as San Antonio, but was a B- none the less.

The girls and I headed straight to Napa to visit Tony, Caroline and the kids. They just bought a beautiful new house and we were so excited to see it (and them). We headed out to Taylor's Refresher for dinner. The setting was beautiful and the burgers/salads were Delicious. We walked over to Oxbow for ice cream after dinner and hung out for a few minutes before heading back to Sonoma. As we were driving back to Sonoma at dusk, we came up over the head of the valley. The clouds were beginning to spill over the ridge that separates Sonoma from the coast. The clouds were pink in the sunset and it was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. To quote Domini, it was like driving into a painting. I was going about 60 and there was no shoulder, so of course I thought the logical thing to do was stick my iPhone out of the window and try to take a picture while driving. Lets just say it was not one my most brilliant ideas. It is a miracle my phone, my car and my children made it. I did not know why I did not think 60 mph winds would not try to whip the phone right out of my hand, and that I would swerve in my efforts to hold on to the phone, and my kids would scream their heads off when the car almost jerked off the road. So much for my beautiful, serene moment.

The next day we met Julia, Domini, and Stephannie for some shopping in the outlets in Petaluma and had a wonderful time. That night we headed to Marin for a final farewell dinner with the Haver clan.

Yesterday, Jim and Rosemary drove us to Sacramento to the airport and I managed to get my kids and 250 pounds of luggage to Houston. We had five huge bags, each weighing 50 pounds each. The kids were excellent. We got off the plane and headed to the luggage carousel. We rented 2 luggage carts, each manned by my 8 and 5 year old kids and I hauled each bag off of the rounder and onto a cart. When I got them all on, I pushed a cart, and Katherine pushed another. Shout out to all of the sweet and kind men who helped the damsel's in distress yesterday! And thank goodness I am halfway cute and my kids are gorgeous and we looked so pitiful. You see, I had to rent a car to get home and we had to ride a bus from the airport to the car rental place. I had to get my kids, myself, and all of that luggage onto the bus, off the bus, and into a rental car - hence, accepting the kindness of strangers. But we did it! We got home last night!!!

We leave for Caracas in 6 days. Gulp. It is really happening.

Park City to Sonoma

We left for Tahoe early in the morning. I got the kids up at 0600. They were cranky and not happy about being up so early, but I prefer making long drives early in the day so I did not give them a choice. We were on the road by 0630 and watching beautiful Park City slowly disappear out of our back window. Getting to Tahoe is pretty much a strait shot across the Nevada desert toward Reno. The drive is about 550 miles and is pretty remote. Once we left the outskirts of Salt Lake City, the highway had us skirt along Great Salt Lake for several miles. The lake is as smooth as glass and surrounded by mountains on all sides - of course there is not a boat, or house, or any sign of life. It was pretty, but you knew that there was something very very wrong at the same time. After we got past the lake we went through about a hundred miles of desert. This desert was different than any I had ever seen. There were evaporation ponds everywhere lining both sides of the highway. White deposits a few inches thick were being mined for who knows what minerals. There were no trees, grass, or ANYTHING green. Kind of spooky weird. After we got through that, we headed into prettier areas with more hills and mountains and the occasional stream which had obligatory greenery lining it. The area got progressively prettier and more moutainy and suddenly we were nearing Reno. Getting to Reno took about 7.5 hours - and it was still only about 1:30 in the afternoon. I LOVE leaving early. My other trick is, pack up the kids lunches and drinks in the car and only stop for gas/pee (and those are the same stops). We only had to stop twice on the way and with the 75 mph speed limit in Nevada, we made excellent time.

We pulled into Truckee around 3:00 that afternoon. We were staying a couple of days with the Turner family - some of our new Chevron Venezuela acquaintances. Tara Turner, wife of Chris Turner and mother of 4 kids ranging from 13 to 4 was our mentor in Carcas when we went for our 'check it out' visit. She had invited us to visit her and her kids when we were in the area so our kids could meet and get acquainted. Luckily for Katherine, her only daughter Kyra is 8 and going into 3rd grade at their school. Katherine and Kyra got along famously and it was as if they had known each other all of their lives. Her two little boys are 4 and 6 and Madeline is smack dab in the middle of them. She seemed to get along with Ryder (the little one) pretty well - but only when she was not trying to hang out with the 'big girls'. Logan the 6 year old, and Hayden the 13 year old boys completed the family.

Tara really outdid herself showing us around. We went to Donner Lake with her kayak and Katherine and Kyra took off in it and crossed the (small) lake. They had a ball. Madeline played in the sand with Ryder, and Logan hung out with Hayden. They all had a fabulous time. We headed home at sunset, bathed the kids, and settled them down with a movie. Tara and I grabbed glasses of wine and went out on her amazing deck to watch the rest of the sunset. The next day we loaded up the kids and drove down to Squaw Valley. There is an awesome hike along a stream that is pretty steep, but allows the kids to climb the boulders and swim in the pools that are formed below the waterfalls. We hiked up about a mile, changed the kids into swimsuits and let them climb and swim. My kids had never done anything remotely close to this so they were in awe. The water was colder than they were used to (being snow-melt and all), but they plunged in and made the best of it. Later that day we headed out to Donner State Park to meet the Mazur family. They are another Chevron Venezuela family who are summering in Tahoe (they have a place at NorthStar). Karen and her husband have adopted three beautiful girls from Ethiopia. One is 19 and at San Diego State, one is going into her Sr. Year at ECA (Saria) and Hannah is 6 and going into first grade at ECA. Hannah had a friend with her so all of her attention was not focused on Madeline, but I think they will get along pretty well. Here is a picture of Hannah, Madeline, and Ryder (the "babies") floating around in a dinghy at the State Park. Tara picked up Pizza for the kids and we headed home with happy, exhausted kids. The next day we headed out for a morning on Lake Tahoe before meeting Grammy, Auntie Erin, Tristan, and Auntie Stephannie at the Resort at Squaw Creek. Lake Tahoe was amazing. The kids were able to wade out hundreds of feet before the water got to their waste. I tried to capture it with this picture, but fear I did not do it justice. After Lake Tahoe, we headed up to Squaw Creek and met our Haver Family Girls for a GNO (plus Tristan). The Turners joined us for lunch there and then headed back to Truckee. We swam all day with the kids and they had a wonderful time with their cousin Tristan. We all met up for dinner at the Hotel and were able to sit outside and let the kids play. Here are pictures of the kids with Grammy and Auntie Stephannie hanging out at the resort. Auntie Stephannie is expecting our new niece/cousin in October and we are super excited!

Caves, Hikes, and Robert Redford

The rest of our Park City Adventure passed in a blur of activity. Hiking continued to be the order of the day, so Heidi came over with the kids while Darren worked and we took them out on Lost Prospector Trail, but this time, we headed toward Park City. Quincy and Zane took the mountain bikes and Heidi and I hiked with the girls. Here is a picture of us on the trail with the slopes of Park City in the background.









Thanks to Quincy, the adults managed to sneak away one more time and went to see Bruno. I laughed through some of it, but was intensely uncomfortable through most of it. It was definitely thought provoking and led to lots of conversation afterward. We grabbed a glass of wine before the movie and this is a car we saw in the parking lot. Only in Utah? Or South Louisiana. Who am I kidding. This could have been my parents car in the 80's.

The last day of our trip we headed up to American Fork Canyon to hit the Timpanogas Cave National Monument. www.nps.gov/tica/

It was actually discovered by Milton Hansen in the 1800's who happens to be an ancestor of Heidi's! It was a gorgeous day. When we got to the park, we checked in and started our climb to the cave. It is a 1.5 mile hike up to the caves and is 1,100 feet up from where we started. It is a great climb with spectacular views. My kids scooted up the hike like billy goats. I also did very well from a cardiovascular standpoint. However, my acrophobia was a bit of a hindrance. I am terrified of cliffs. When I see my children go near a cliff I am nearly incapacitated. God bless Darren and Heidi for putting up with me and making sure the girls got up and down because it was all I could do to get myself up and down. If any of my siblings are reading this, I only have about 25% of Mom's condition and these cliffs were REALLY steep. Here are a few pictures of us in the caves and on the hike.




After Timpanogas, we headed to Sundance for lunch. Sundance is tiny and gorgeous. There is one lift and a small lodge and store. We had fed the kids at the caves so we could enjoy an adult lunch and let the kids run around. We ordered great sandwiches and ate outside while the kids ran around. Here is a picture of Katherine by the stream there. Heidi and Quincy went shopping at the Sundance Store and Darren and I were hanging out with the kids. I decided to go back to the Deli for coffee. While I was waiting for my order, I looked up and ROBERT REDFORD was standing there. In sunglasses, shorter than I thought, but definitely him. I dropped my purse, money, ID, and coffee on the counter and as casually as I could muster, ran outside to get witnesses. I saw Darren and told him in no uncertain terms that he HAD to come inside and help me with the coffee. RR was right over my shoulder at this time and I did not want to appear like a stalker. Confused, Darren followed me inside and then I pointed out RR. No camera! We went outside and bumped into Heidi and Quincy who were looking for us because they had already seen him while walking around the resort. By that time RR was having lunch on the patio and Heidi and I were trying to get pictures with him in the background. Even without the celebrity siting, Sundance is gorgeous and worth the trip to have lunch and check it out. For what it is worth, here is my picture with RR. He is in the crack.

We went home after that to wash, pack and get ready for our drive to Lake Tahoe.

Not To Be Outdone.....Daddy's Big Adventure

Daddy flew all night Wednesday, July 1 to come to Caracas. I checked into the hotel, took a shower and headed to the office. Tired! Saturday, July 4 – Independence Day, I worked in the office getting ready for a big trip around South America. Saturday night I moved into our apartment – one rented bed, a rented dining room table, lots of dust and dead bugs and no water. We have water rationing and it is only on a few times a day. So much for washing the rented bed linens before sleeping on them! Once I finally found the linens, I realized they were new, so no big deal. Sunday I worked getting ready for dinner at my bosses house Sunday night and his review of the preliminary 2010 Latin America strategic plan.

Day 1: July 6

Monday morning the driver picked me up at 5:30 AM and we drove to the airport. My boss, 3 coworkers and myself boarded a huge private jet – they called it a Challenger. Two pilots greeted us with coffee and breakfast. I could not believe the acceleration when we took off. We headed to the burgeoning metropolis of Riohacha Colombia, a town in Northeastern Colombia. When we landed I realized I was essentially in a desert. Cactus and sand everywhere. We were picked up by armored Toyota Land Cruisers and taken to Chevron’s Offices/Camp. Chevron has two natural gas platforms nearby and an onshore facility in Colombia. We had a meeting in the morning, had lunch and then went to our rooms (like dorm rooms) to change into overalls. The walk from the meeting room was interrupted several times by beautiful birds and iguanas in my path. Very hot there. We then got back in the land cruisers – 4 of them – and caravanned 90 minutes through moonscape to Chevron’s plant where gas is processed. Along the way, Chevron’s Colombia Country manager, Dave Bantz, told me all about the native people of the area. They live in little communities all over the desert. I did not see anyone, but saw lots of goats and little burros and fences made out of cactus – I hope the natives had good gloves. Along the way we saw one building, a huge school Chevron had build for the native children. As I never saw anyone or any other indication of human life, I had to trust them on the school story. The road ended and we four wheeled it through mud for another few miles until we got to a checkpoint manned by some serious Colombian army hombres with lots of automatic firepower. Again, in the middle of nowhere! A bit further we got to Chevron’s gas processing facility. We were given a tour by some very nice folks, sweated a bit in our hardhats and overalls and climbed back into our armored cars for the trip back. Got back to the camp, took a shower and went into the town of Riohacha for the inauguration of some church lights Chevron had paid for. Huge event. I met the town mayor, the governor of the local state (Gueria) and the local bishop. The lights were turned on, the speeches recited and a band played. Night over, not hardly. Drove back to camp in our armored caravan to find the local employees waiting for us with their families and a huge feast under the palm trees outside. Not one bug. Received local gifts including Colombian Coffee – if only I had a grinder…… The local band, the Chevron Brass, then played for 3 hours over dinner and some local girls were hired to give Colombian Dance demonstrations. Miss Gueria (I’m not kidding here) even came to dance with my boss. Mary Claire would have loved it as the band was good and fun to dance to. Asleep at midnight. Day one over.

Day 2: July 7

Met with Colombia team from 7 AM until 9AM. Rushed to airport. Board plane – no lines, parking issues or security – I want a plane! Spent next 9 hours flying over remote Venezuela rainforest and Brazilian rainforest. Did not see many roads. Unbelievable resources and land South America has to offer. Drank some unbelievable Napa wine on the plane, worked, talked, slept. Pretty comfortable seats. Got to sit in pilots seat for awhile and pretended to be Kevin Dogget. Got to Rio around 7 PM. Armored van ride for 60 minutes to hotel on legendary Ipanema beach. Guys playing volleyball all night with their feet. A really beautiful town. Went to sleep.

Day 3: July 8

My grandmother’s birthday. Happy birthday gram! In office by 7:30. Meetings all day with all kinds of people. Some familiar faces, but many new ones. Busy. Left office at 6 PM to take tram up SugarLoaf Mountain for a Chevron celebration of our first offshore project in Brazil. Brazilian Mojitos, sushi, beer, speeches and a band. Really fun and on top of a mountain overlooking the city. Why did I not bring my camera? Bed at midnight.

Day 4: July 9

Meetings at 7 AM. All day. Back to SugarLoaf Mountain for another party. This one more formal with Brazilian oil company Petrobras and Japanese companies as well as many others. Same drinks, different hors-derves – where is the sushi? Speeches inside – I get to sit down with leadership team on arena floor with some Petrobras and Japanese businessmen. Speeches too long. Brazilian pop singer Maria Rita sings for 2 hours. Japanese guys at my table fall asleep, I wanted to. No one dances. In bed by 11Am.

Day 5: July 10

Leave hotel at 5 AM. Plane takes us to Buenos Aires. In Chevron’s downtown office by 9 AM. Meetings all day. Done at 4. Got to hotel and a few minutes to explore city before group dinner. Bought a case of Argentinean wine and some stuff for girls. Unbelievable city. Absolutely cannot wait to go back. Really good dinner with 20 new Chevron colleagues.

Day 6: July 11

Meeting in hotel, back on plane to Caracas. Really nice nap. Home to apartment with no water again at 9 PM. Sleep……

More to come. Tired now.

Park City Players

Where do I begin? Heidi and I arrived on Tuesday with the girls and settled into the condo. We took them out for Sushi/Hibachi after a long swim. On Wednesday we went to the Farmer's Market where we bought fresh cherries, home-grown tomatoes, hummus and some kind of raw pita chips. It was all delicious. We took the kids up the gondola at The Canyons and they were in heaven. We walked around up top and explored some of the little shops.

That evening, the rest of the Seigels and the Vasuts were arriving so Heidi went to the airport to pick them up. I stayed back at the condo and cooked chicken spaghetti for everyone. When Heidi got back, she had 5 new people with her. That brought our numbers up to 10 in that condo. Sleeping arrangements took some creative thinking. Steph and Alex slept in one room, and me, Madeline, and Heidi in another. Darren got to share his bed with Noa, Zane and Quincy. We all had a GREAT night's sleep. We woke up early and took the kids on a hike near the condo. It was probably 4 miles and the kids were champs.

After that, SeigelTours really kicked into high gear. What did we NOT do? Hiking, biking, exploring, wining, dining, and even got to see Bruno (sans kids). It is so nice to visit a place with someone who has the inside scoop on what to do there. The night after the first hike we went to this great Schezuwan restaurant - kids at one table, adults at the other. The kids ordered the Po-po platter and all shared it. It came with a flame at the top and everything and they were not disappointed.

After dinner, we headed to the yogurt shop next door- it was called "World Yogurt" but used to be called "Pinkberry". OH MY GOSH. I had never had Korean Yogurt before and holy cow it was the best stuff in the world. The secret is to get the tart yogurt and then add toppings to it. I swear you wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it, it was that different and good. After that we headed to Redstone for a Reggae concert. The kids loved it. They just ran around and danced and we hung out.

The next day we got up early and headed out to Park City to hit the slopes for all of the summer activities they had there. We bought all day passes and certainly got our monies worth. We did the Alpine slide several times, rode the gondola countless times and everyone over 9 did the Zip Line. The kids did put-put, rode the kiddie rides, and finished the maze. Almost all of us made it to the top in the rock climbing wall. The most amazing thing, though, was the alpine coaster. You got in line at the bottom of the slope and every adult had a kid with them. You were towed to the top of the hill on your coaster and then dumped off of the tow line to let gravity get you to the bottom. All you had was a brake to control your speed. It was incredible. There were twists and turns and we were going so fast. It was one of those rides where you start thinking, "Hmmm, certainly this CANT be that safe, I wonder who regulates these things?" The woman who 'briefed' us before we took off reassured us before we left that the cars were attached to the track, so I just kept repeating that to myself over and over again. Quincy babysat that night and me Heidi, Darren, and Stephanie all went out for an adult dinner in Park City. We got a LOT of stares. I guess one man going out with three women in Utah has certain connotations?

River rafting was the theme of the next day. We got up super early and headed out to Taggert to the Park City Rafting office. We took two boats and it was guided. The water was pretty tame and we had fun. It was pretty overcast and my kids were a little cold, but had fun. After rafting, we went to the only restaurant in Taggert and it was fabulous. I think I had the best waitress I had ever had in my life. She kept the kids entertained and could not do enough for us. The grounds of the restaurant were gorgeous and had PEACOCKS just wandering around. The owner of the place gave the kids peacock feathers that the birds had dropped recently and they were in heaven (picture).

When the Blackwell's house was ready, the Haver's and Vasuts got to move over. I am sure everyone breathed a sigh of relief and certainly had a lot more room - although I survived 5 weeks in a 3 bedroom apartment with 7 other people after the hurricane (love to the Gaido's (holla...)). The next day was Stephanie's last so we went over Guardsman's Pass to meet Heidi's aunt/uncle and cousins in the next canyon. We met them for breakfast outside of Solitude adn got to eat on the lawn which was fabulous. The we went hiking at a lake near there and the big kids got to climb up the mountains. We went back to Heidi's families cabin and hung out for a while, then we had to take Steph and Alex back to the airport in Salt Lake City. Heidi and I brought them and then stopped at Nordstrom's Rack for a little shopping on the way home.

The rest of the week we slowed down the pace a little. The girls and I got haircuts and hung out together. The Blackwell's house has trailheads in the neighborhood so we took great advantage of those. What troopers they were! Those girls hiked at least 10 miles in two days over pretty rough terrain. Madeline fell a couple of times and banged up her knees pretty bad but kept going.

More to follow.

The Road

The girls and I continued our Journey through New Mexico. After leaving Santa Rosa, we stopped in Santa Fe and had a tour of the square and the old city. It was beautiful and the kids were fascinated by the Adobe and other architecture. We had breakfast on the square at a local cafe and the kids loved it. Here is a picture of them on the square at the Cathedral in Santa Fe.





After leaving Santa Fe, we headed out toward Shiprock, New Mexico. My geology roots demanded that we see that formation. You can see it from at least 30 miles away on the highway. It is an old volcanic neck and just sticks up out of the desert. I was getting very excited as we got closer and closer. However, my GPS took me to the TOWN of Shiprock, and allowed us a view of it about 6 miles away. It seems my Garmin could not locate the monument and there were no signs or any indication of how exactly to reach the monument for a closer look. The picture I have I downloaded off of the Internet. We did get a very nice view from that far way. Sadly, it seems my kids are not budding geoscientists, so they were not interested in tracking it down and wanted to leave the area.



We left NW New Mexico and headed N to Colorado. It seemed like Cortez, Colorado would be decent sized town and a nice place to stop. When we reached Colorado we stopped for a picture. Katherine kept commenting about how she could see rocks out of both sides of the car for the entire trip. We got to Cortez around three pm and started searching for a decent place to stay. My Garmin told me there was a Holiday Inn Express so we gave it a shot. It seemed to be the only place in town with interior rooms so we went for it. We were met by the owner at the front desk and he suggested considering a "Fort Experience" and asked if we would like to see a room? "Of Course!" , said my children. He marched us up to a suite on the third floor where half of the room had been turned into a literal fort with wooden walls made from stakes. Inside of the fort were two bunk beds and a TV for the kids. The best part of the room was a GIANT King Sized bed for me. I honestly could not remember the last time I had slept without a child in my bed in a bed large enough for me to sleep side-ways if I wanted. It cost me more than they Hyatt Hill Country, but it was worth every penny. The kids LOVED it. There was also a great restaurant next to the hotel and after dinner we went to bed. As soon as Katherine was asleep, Madeline snuck out of the Fort and into my bed and snuck back in the Fort at first light so her sister would never know that she was too scared to sleep without me. Her secret still is safe with me.

Bright and early we pulled out of Cortez and headed to Utah. We decided to give Arches National Park a try. We got there at around 10:30. It was a crystal clear and beautiful day. I forgot it was the desert and the temperatures quickly reached 100 degrees F. We hiked up to the double arches and the kids loved it. After two hours of hiking in that heat, we decided to forgo our idea of a picnic in the park and just eat in the car on the road. It was stunningly beautiful and the kids had a great time. We headed for Park City. Heidi called me when we happened to reach Provo. She had been driving in from Las Vegas and we were about three blocks from each other. We met up and headed into Park City together. She had Noa and I had my tow kids and we stayed at her parents condo in Kimball Junction for the first three days of our Park City adventure.

More Park City action to follow.

Reunion!

We got our little girl back!!!!

The trip started out earlier than intended. This lush, stay-at-home Mom life has caused me to completely forget what day it was. I mean I had the LETTER day right, but the NUMBER day was one off. So Wednesday morning Madeline and I kissed Daddy good-bye and good luck in Venezuela and took off for Central Texas.

About 45 minutes outside of San Antonio, my phone rang and it was my Mom. She had received a copy of my itinerary and wanted to know why I had left a day early. Perplexed, I asked her why she thought that. She said my itinerary had me leaving on the 2nd of July. I told her that was correct and it WAS the second of July. "No - today is the first," she insisted. Exasperated with her I pulled out my calender and started laughing. It WAS the 1st and I had left a day early and had already traveled 4 hours. I called Chris and informed him of my folly - he asked if I was going to turn around and go home? Heck no! Get me a room at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort. Why ruin the last night of Madeline's Only Child Fantasy Life? She and I rolled into the HHC and hit the lazy river. She loved it!!!! The next morning we took off for Kerville.

We were allowed to see the girls at 3 pm. My good friend Kris told me to park close to her cabin so she could run out to us. On the drive out there I saw big suburbans decorated with "WE MISSED YOU (name)" - and I started tearing up. I parked about 100 feet from her cabin and started walking to find her. About 50 feet from the cabin I saw the girls run out of the cabin and head for the waterfront (where I was SUPPOSED to be already), I started screaming for her and she stopped and looked embarrassed. I ran toward her, arms spread, tears streaming (just as I had in my fantasies of seeing her again). Unfortunately, she just stood there, hands on hips, looking embarrassed. Her friends had stopped and were staring at us and I suddenly realized I must be acting very uncool. Imagine. I tried to pull it together and slowed down to a trot and stopped screaming. I still threw my arms around her and gave her a thousand kisses. She tolerated my affections but kept complaining the whole time. It seems she was saving it all up for Madeline. She dropped me like a hot potato and ran up to her sister and gave her BEAR HUGS and kisses.

I realized I had lost a piece of her forever. She had grown up so much over the past four weeks and had developed quite a bit of Independence. I was sad and proud at the same time. She brought us around the camp, showing us her activities and introducing us to her cabin mates, table mates, and other friends. That evening she performed in the "Chorus and Dance" show and did a great job. We were not able to take her home until the next day after a very hot and long award ceremony.

We pulled out at noon and headed for Frisco, north of Dallas to visit my cousins for 4th of July. We got to hang out with my awesome cousin Lizette and her husband Bobby, and kids Landry and Bryce. We also got to hang out with Deauxvic, Chantel and Judy. Katherine and Madeline are about the same ages as Lizette's kids and they had a wonderful time.

This morning we pulled out from Frisco at 8 am. The kids were AWESOME and tolerated the drive well. We were able to go about 500 miles before they gave up. We landed in Santa Rosa, New Mexico and are here at the Hampton Inn. It is so beautiful here. I have always loved the Basin and Range and had a great job pointing out the different geologic features to the kids. Tomorrow we are going to head Northwest and hopefully will make it to Shiprock to show the kids and points beyond.

Good Night from The Girls!!!

WE LOVE YOU DADDY (and have a safe trip to Columbia tomorrow!!)