Road Trip '09

The length of this post is symbolic of the long hours we spent in the car.... both are suprisingly not too painful:)

1st leg- Houston to Idaho Falls (that's right we left at 3pm sunday & arrived at 4pm Mon)

Where we got to see this adorable guy...and ben and erin. Loved the hot fudge sundays, the Yo Gabba gabba party and the fact that ty and olivia had a little slumber party:)

2nd stop- IF to Seattle It was so great to finally get to hug (very gently) my dad. He freaked me out quite a bit with how many things he was doing and esp. when he tried to lift the kids. For a trip that was intended to just take it easy and help out we ended up having a really fun time. We all went to see Ice Age (3-D), played pickle-ball while my dad played with the kids, got obsessed with Wii, had a fabulous 4th of July complete with a hike to Snow Lake with my uncle and the community fireworks at night(kolby actually was brave this year...as long as papa was covering his ears).

3rd stop- Seattle to Beaverton, OR

Here we got to see where my dad mostly lives his life. Nike is one of his customers so he travels to their headquarters in OR mon-thurs and spends the weekends in Seattle with my mom. We had a blast in the hotel suite, on an afternoon excursion to Canon beach, and Daniel was druling on the Nike campus.

4th stop- OR to Brigham City, Utah for one glorious hour where we ate a burger and fries with my BFF Lindsey!

5th stop- UT to Preston, Idaho

Here we got to visit Daniel's sister Jeannine and fam. Too bad my niece took most of the pics and I am lame and only got these two. Daniel and I went to Jeannine's yoga class in the morning, got hooked on Wii Fit (let's just say i rock...i love beating daniel!), went swimming in the hot springs, drove out to their property to have yummy foil dinners and smores!

6th Stop- Strawberry, Arizona where we stayed with my grandparents. Olivia fell in love with their dog "Goldie", daniel and I fell in love with the awesome hike my grandpa took us on (my grandparents volunteer there as tour guides), and well my grandma just kinda fell. She torn her knee actually so she was in severe pain the whole time but being the trooper that she is she sucked it up and even danced a little with the kids. I'm so glad we got to visit them!!!!

Last stop- Safford, Arizona

Where we got to visit Daniel's sis Jen and her family. The kiddos had a blast playing on the tramp, pool, roasting marshmallows, watching Cars on a blow-up screen outdoors, and Olivia loved playing princess with her cousins. The coolest part of the visit was the amazing hike in New Mexico. The water was freezing and I gotta say i loved my crocs! The kids were amazing little hikers!

Miracles

My dad was sent home today after his second surgery. He had a few feet removed from his intestines. The Dr. said the large mass they found was 99% likely to be cancerous. After the lab tests, the Dr. "almost disappointed", told my parents it was not cancerous. They say they just can't explain it. . . But after traveling across the country and stopping by at family and friends' homes where prayers and fasting were offered, of course my family can explain it...it's a miracle! No chemo! No looking back. Thanks to everyone for your faith and support. Thanks to those sweet old ladies in my grandparent's small branch who put my dad's name on the prayer roll, thanks to my aunt in Germany for fasting each weekend, thanks to my in-laws, and neighbors and ward, thanks to my hubby for dropping everything to help with no complaints or martyrdom attitude. Mostly we thank thee Heavenly Father for giving us strength and comfort, love and hope. In a sometimes cruel and harsh world out there it is nice to be reminded that God is mindful of all His children, He hears our prayers. We just need the faith to wait for His answers.

Dear Hubby....

happy 6th anniversary!

thanks for teaching me how to love and to serve.

and for not getting too annoyed right now bc I'm on the computer and you're loading the kids up in the car.

Sorry this year was super super low key. I love you all the more for it!!!

thanks for putting my family first!

love ya!

-sabs

How do you drive 35 hrs in two days with 2 toddlers?

Good thing we had two dvd players. Who ever invented them....Thank you! We owe you big! And a little update.... my dad is healing like a champ. I came expecting him to be lying in bed on pain meds but being my dad of course he couldn't hold still that long and enjoys freaking my mom out by trying to do more than he really should. The kids are loving it here! and I can't help but sigh and be grateful that they can create more and more memories with my dad for years and years to come!

Mama Mia

The Saturday before we left for Seattle I got together with these lovely ladies and headed out to Austin to see...

Mama Mia

(for those without x-ray vision to read the sign behind us) We may have gotten a wee carried away with the boas. I can't help it i love cheesiness. Oh ya and we were mildly scolded for taken photos in the theatre, eventhough we were vain enough to only photograph ourselves and not the actors. We were scared as you can see.

After the show Holly's friend helped us find this little gem. It's Sandra Bullock's bistro, Bess. We enjoyed a private booth and delicious fried green tomatoes. What more could you ask for right?

I'm so grateful for my Texas in-laws . Seriously this outing was to celebrate Rosie and Ale's birthdays but I think a silly girls outing was just what I needed after last week's stress. I love these ladies and can't help getting teary-eyed knowing that they'd do anything for me. Can't wait for next year!