It has been a while since our last post, butI have good excuses! Rusty, Ellie, and I spent 8 nights in Wyoming with Lollie, Poppy, Uncle Thomas, Aunt She She, and Uncle Josh!! We had a wonderful trip and made lots of memories. This post is going to be long so I may lose you with all of the details, but I'd like to do this recap for myself to use as a journal from our trip. Read along if you feel up to it or just scan our fun pictures!!
We flew out of Birmingham on Sat, June 20th. Our plane was due to land in Jackson Hole around 1:30 in the afternoon, but we ended up not making it until around 8:30 that night. It was probably the longest day of our lives, but luckily Ellie did GREAT and was an absolute angel the entire day. I was SO worried about her flying, but she did great thank goodness! After we landed in Jackson Hole, we hopped in our rental cars and drove about an hour-and-a-half to Brooks Lake Lodge which is just outside of Dubois, Wy. The lodge accomodates up to 40 people so it is very small and intimate, and all of the guests really get to know one another which is really neat. It is all-inclusive and includes 3 meals a day plus free childcare!
Brooks Lake Lodge:
View from the lodge:
We arrived at the lodge around 10:45 pm Sat night, had a fabulous meal, and all went straight to bed! We woke up Sunday morning to another wonderful meal and just relaxed around the lodge in the morning. After lunch we all headed out for a horseback ride (everyone but Ellie). Ellie stayed back at the lodge with the her babysitter, Janessa. The horseback ride was great until the dark clouds appeared and hail started pelting down on us!! It was also pretty chilly the first day with highs only in the lower 50's.
We arrived at the lodge around 10:45 pm Sat night, had a fabulous meal, and all went straight to bed! We woke up Sunday morning to another wonderful meal and just relaxed around the lodge in the morning. After lunch we all headed out for a horseback ride (everyone but Ellie). Ellie stayed back at the lodge with the her babysitter, Janessa. The horseback ride was great until the dark clouds appeared and hail started pelting down on us!! It was also pretty chilly the first day with highs only in the lower 50's.
The girls having warm cookies and tea after our cold horseback ride!
We woke up Monday to a beautiful, sunny day. It was still in the 50's this day, but the sun helped to warm us up. Everyone headed out for a morning hike, and then we dropped the guys off along the way to do some fly fishing.Stopping along the way on our hike:
One of the views along our hike:
The guys caught the first 3 trout of the season! Dad & Thomas with their fish:
Monday afternoon, Mom and I headed to the spa for some pampering! Then we were off to the hot tub!
After all of that we had even more excitement. Aunt She She and Josh got ENGAGED!!!!! He took her out on a canoe on Brooks Lake and proposed! She She said YES, and they are getting married May 15, 2010! We are SO thrilled for them and are glad we got to share in the excitement of the engagement!!!The newly engaged couple:
On Tuesday, Lollie, Shelby, Josh, Thomas, and I went on an all-day horseback ride while Poppy and Rusty went fly fishing. Tuesday was a beautiful day with highs in the upper 60's. We had an awesome day!
Wednesday right before we left Brooks Lake Lodge:
We left the lodge around 11 am Wednesday morning and headed over to Jackson Hole. My parents good friends own a condo in Jackson Hole in Teton Village. On our way to the condo we drove on Moose Wilson Road and saw lots of wildlife along the way!Little Baby Moose:
Beautiful muledeer...look at those antlers!
Part of me really wanted to see a grizzly/black bear and part of me really didn't want to see one! My parents have been out to Wyoming several times and have had bear sightings, but I have never seen one. Josh and Shelby actually saw a mama and baby bear when they were up in the gondola, but that's the only bear sighting we had on the trip!While in Jackson Hole, little Ellie started feeling a bit warm, and I was afraid she was getting sick. The child has only had a fever one time in all of her 14 months on this earth, and of course she came down with something on our week-long vacation! She ended up having a fairly high fever for several days. So many days that Mom and I decided it was best to take her to the local pediatrician in Jackson Hole to find out a stomach virus w/ a high fever was going around.
Pitiful, sick baby:
We did make it into Jackson and walked around a little the day we took Ellie to the dr. The guys in the town square:
We laid low for a couple of days since Ellie felt so crummy, and I actually had a pretty bad cold myself. We were able to get some good hot tub time in though (we are on the balcony at the condo and notice the gondola in the background...very convenient)...
We laid low for a couple of days since Ellie felt so crummy, and I actually had a pretty bad cold myself. We were able to get some good hot tub time in though (we are on the balcony at the condo and notice the gondola in the background...very convenient)...
Ellie bounced back by Friday so we were able to get some shopping in as well as an afternoon hike and delicious Italian dinner in Teton Village!! On Saturday we got the bright idea to rent bikes at a place called Dornan's and ride 9 miles to Jenny Lake. The ride was tough but totally worth it since the weather and scenery was GORGEOUS!! Poppy got the bright idea to keep going a little further past the lake which made our overall trip about 24 miles total!
Ellie loved her little buggy behind Daddy's bike! I can't say Daddy loved it so much after 24 miles though!
The group taking a break along the way...
The gorgeous Tetons along the bike trail...
We made it to Jenny Lake for a picnic lunch!
Feeling MUCH better and back to herself!!
Poppy made us make the extra trip on the bikes (an additional 6 miles) over to Jenny Lake Lodge and assured us the scenery would be worth it. I guess he was right!
Poppy showing Ellie how to blow the dandelions...
And this is how we all felt at the end of the 24-mile ride!!!!
Overall we had an incredible trip!! I think Ellie is glad to be back at home, in her own bed, on her normal schedule though. She has definitely been catching up on her sleep, taking 5 hours worth of naps every day since she's been home!!
