Chapter Two: Reunion in Idaho

As we set out from Fort Stockton, we were unsure of how long our day would actually be, having never made the drive to Utah from Texas. What we did know is that it would be long. Our only relief was not having the boys with us, so we could road trip like we did when we were young. We covered a lot of ground that day. As we crossed into Utah, we realized it would not be terribly late when we got to Pleasant Grove, where Brandon's brother and his family live. So we called them up and asked if we could crash at their house for the night. We were all headed off to the same place in the morning anyway. We finally arrived at their place around 1:30 in the morning. Thank goodness they are night owls. After a short sleep, we woke to face yet another day of driving. But first we got to meet our adorable niece Kate for the first time. We moved out of California only a few months before she was born and I felt so cheated out of getting to see her as a baby.
So, more driving. Five hours later we arrived in Island Park, Idaho. The boys had already arrived with Brandon's parents. I was so glad to be with them again. Family reunion T-shirts were promptly dispensed and donned. It was so nice to be with family in such a lovely setting. We had a big week planned. On Monday, June 30th, we drove to Jackson, Wyoming to do a little shopping and sightseeing, mostly sightseeing. I think Jackson may be one of the most expensive places in the US. But we still enjoyed it. We took a stagecoach ride and found some great T-shirts for the boys. We spent the whole day there and left just as it was beginning to rain.
Each night, one family was in charge of preparing dinner, and another for planning some sort of activity. It works out pretty well for a week in a family with seven kids.
Our next day outing was to Yellowstone National Park. I had been there as a kid, but, as we know, that was a long long time ago. I have clearly grown up since then because, instead of being completely bored with the scenery, I enjoyed it immensely. There are so many amazing creations to see in this world. We saw the geysers, the mountains, the wild life. I could have slapped this buffalo on the behind it was so close to our car. And the boys, better children than I guess I ever was, seemed to truly be fascinated by what they were seeing. Kyle was especially keen on checking off wildlife from his junior ranger checklist. Below are a few more pictures from our outing.

We waited around to see Old Faithful go off a couple times.

Jake was pretty curious about the Dragon's Mouth. This was after we dragged him kicking and screaming from the car because he didn't want to get out because geysers are "stupid." It was getting pretty cool at this point. And despite their early interest, it was definitely waning.

And talk about random, there we are waiting for Old Faithful to erupt and I hear an unmistakable voice saying "Brandon and Melissa Williams!?" I turned to see our friends from dental school, Romney and Ali Black. It was such a strange coincidence, but a good one. We had not seen them in six years. Pretty amazing. Of all the national parks and all the different places to stop in Yellowstone, we end up there at the same time.

Okay, wow, this is getting long. I better sum up the rest. On day three, some of our group went white water rafting while the rest of us went to the bear and wolf sanctuary in West Yellowstone, Montana. I was among the bears with the boys while Brandon took a trip down river. Just a note for all you osophiles out there, bears do not hibernate. We have been lied to for years. Unfortunately that is the only part of the tidbit I can remember. The name of what they actually do escapes me.
The week concluded with another trip into Yellowstone,

with a snow ball fight on July fourth, as well as another shopping/sightseeing trip in West Yellowstone. We really had a wonderful time being with family. The boys especially loved being with all their adorable cousins.
We knew it would be a long time before we saw everyone again. Of course that's not to say that anyone who would like to visit isn't welcome. We just might not have much room.

The house hunt resumes today. I just keep thinking of how glad I am that I was on the winning side of the revolutionary war. I'm not saying it's so awful here. It's just really hard to adjust. It's no wonder when the colonists realized they had options, they revolted. Everyday tasks require my full brain power because they are so different right now. I'll adjust in a while, but for now, argh! And anyone who's spent time with my boys in a small space for very much time know that that can limit brain power. Anyway, hope this didn't bore you all to tears. Next time, Chapter Three: My Son the Internet Star.