August 24-30, 2026
Katie loved singing and listening to Paul Simon's song, Slip Sliding Away on our road trip. She would also sing "Old McDonald had a ... poop!" she is such a tease. She also called the bubble gun we got from Grandma Wendy a "bubba shoota" mimicking Bingo's Australian accent.
Mary has discovered a fascination with the indents in our skin from our clothes, accessories, or something we've been sitting on. I've had to tell her not to look at her "lines" from her underwear waistband when we're in public. She also likes sock "lines". She made me smile on Sunday when she was jumping on the trampoline and sang Follow the Prophet.
Mom: I started my sale with color analysis. Even though I feel like I've had a lot of people tell me they are interested in booking and the sale seems pretty generous, there haven't been any bookings this week. I've posted on Instagram 6 of the 7 days this week, only missing the Disney day.
Dad kept saying how good it felt to not be working for the first time in 4 years. He loved Disneyland and Idaho. He said he felt refueled and ready to go back to work on Monday after a much needed break. It was so much fun to have him more present and relaxed. We all missed him so much the two weeks we were apart.
Monday we drove out of Rock Springs and went to Jackson Hole. We got lunch at Liberty Burger, which is a spot we liked going to when we lived in Dallas. We walked around a bit then took the girls to the park before we drove up to Teton National Park and hiked around there for the day. We drove to Idaho Falls and walked along the river. Tuesday we went to Craters of the Moon. It was so much fun to climb on the rocks and explore. There are some deep pits, tunnels, and caves, and the whole area looks like volcanic rock. The rocks are soft and have lots of holes in them. There was a tall hill that we stopped by and I sprinted up it. It was fine in the moment but my left calf was tight the rest of the week. I have to remember I'm not a teenager anymore. We drove to Twin Falls to see Shoshone falls. It was spectacular but there is a drought so the water was only really flowing from the main waterfall, not all along the cliff. We got pizza for lunch and it was very good, it was from Pizzeria Antico. We were planning on staying the night in Twin Falls and driving home the next day but Dad didn't have to go back to work until Monday so we still had four more days with no plans so we made the spontaneous decision to go to Disneyland. I texted Barbara Cook to see if we could stay at her house and she said yes! She said they are going to Ben and Kylee's reception in Utah that weekend so we would only see them for one of the days but we could stay there without them. That was so thoughtful and generous of her. This was better than our other spontaneous trips to Southern California because we were already on a trip and had pretty much everything we would need and wouldn't need to stop at Walmart for toiletries and additional clothing. We didn't want to rush Twin Falls though so we took the girls to the park next to the lake that is above the falls and stayed until it started raining. We left just before 3 pm PST and drove to Vegas that night, nearly all the way through Nevada. We got there at 11 pm. Dad drove nearly the whole way but we switched drivers with 2 hours to spare. He fell asleep immediately in the passenger's seat. Mary fell asleep around 7 pm and slept until we got to Vegas. Katie probably fell asleep around 9 or 10 and both girls slept well once we were in the hotel. We booked in a huge hotel, the Strat, which I totally regret and will not be doing again. It was too big and difficult to bring our bags up. Dad just brought our bathroom stuff up and we did our best with that.
Wednesday we drove to LA. We made a few stops to see an Alien spot and a huge candy store on the way. We tried to go to Laguna Beach but there was nowhere to park. We got to Bruce and Barbara's house at 5 pm. We talked to them for about an hour and a half before they said goodbye to their granddaughter, Lizzy, before she goes on her mission. We got ourselves situated while they were gone and got the girls bathed and in bed. When they got home I talked to Barbara some more then Bruce was showing me how to use the TV and we ended up watching an episode of a murder mystery show they like, Return to Paradise. Barbara did her leg compressions and Mary joined us for the second half of the episode. She doesn't like to sleep if she feels like there is a party going on. She likes to be part of the fun.
Thursday morning we said goodbye to Bruce and Barb and took the girls to Long Beach. It was closer than Santa Monica but it was pretty dirty and gross. There were a lot of homeless people. We still stayed for almost two hours then drove around little Italy before coming back to the house. We got some lunch then spent the afternoon in the pool. Dad was surprised by how much I liked swimming and jumping, and "flipping" into the pool. It was fun to swim with the girls. Mary tried to swim on her own without her floatie but couldn't quite do it, that scared her. Luckily there is a ledge that goes down the length of the pool that she could stand on and feel safe. Katie also had some moments in the water where she got scared but it didn't outweigh her desire to keep playing. After that we all bathed and had a family movie night. We were going to watch the new Avatar movie on Paramount+ but Bruce's subscription had lapsed, so we watched Zodiac and just skipped the really scary parts.
Friday we went to Disneyland. Dad and I got up at 5:30 am and got the girls up at 6:30. We left at 7, got parked at 7:30, and were in the park at 8 am! We started with Haunted Mansion. Katie did not like it, she was kind of shell shocked. Mary reacted the same on most rides - it was scary in the moment but she said it was fun after she was off of it. We did Pirates of the Caribbean next, then Jungle Cruise. I did Splash Mountain while Dad took the girls on Winnie the Pooh. We went over to Fantasyland and did the Carousel. We did Snow White, Peter Pan, Mr. Toad, Teacups and Buzz Lightyear. Dad went on Indiana Jones and I took the girls to Pixie Hollow to have a meet and greet with Tinkerbell. Mary said immediately after, "Did you know she was a grown up?" She said the same thing to Dad when she told him about it. I tried to have the girls meet Minnie Mouse too but I got the times wrong. We met up with Dad and got some lunch when Katie fell asleep. He stayed with her while I took Mary on the spaceship ride in front of Tomorrowland. Dad took Mary on Star Tours. I took Katie to the gift shop and that's when she woke up. Dad took Mary on Autopia and It's a Small World and I took Katie on the Nemo submarine ride. We met up in Toon Town where the girls played in the water and cooled down. Then I took Mary on the Chip and Dale roller coaster. We went back to Frontierland where Dad took Katie on Pirates again and I took Mary on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The Pirates ride broke down while Dad and Katie were on it so they were stuck for about a half hour/45 minutes. While we waited for them we filled up the water bottles and got a little treat at the Mary Poppins Cafe. One of the workers came up to us and started talking to us about Dolly Parton. Once we got away from that conversation we met up with Dad and Katie. The line for Indiana Jones was really short so I went on that and Dad took the girls to the Tiki Room. I got done first and got some dole whip for us after their show was over. The girls loved it and danced and clapped during the show. We went up to Star Wars and Dad took Mary on the Smuggler's run ride. We got some dinner in Frontierland then did the Pooh Bear ride again. We tried to do Pirates and Jungle Cruise again but the lines were too long. We did Tiki Room again then did the teacup ride again with the lanterns on. We got redirected back to Mark Twain's boat where there was an awesome light show and performance by the cast members then went to the castle for the fireworks. Katie fell asleep after the light show, so Dad took her back to the car. Mary and I got toys for her and Katie then took the bus shuttle back to the car, but not before walking the wrong way and getting lost in the Disney mall. We got back to Bruce and Barbs, the girls fell asleep in the car, and we all fell asleep immediately once we got in our beds. I took 26k steps.
Saturday we slept in, had breakfast, cleaned up then headed out. We just stopped for lunch at Carl's junior and for gas and bathroom breaks. We got home at 7pm. Dad forgot to take the trash out before he left so our house smelled like something rotten and there were at least 50 flies buzzing around. We opened all the doors and windows, turned on the fans, threw out the rotten garbage, and tried to kill as many flies as we could. I watered the very thirsty plants. The grass got really yellow but the plants on the hill didn't look too bad. The leaves were maybe a little yellow but the flower bush and the other two small bushes looked really green, which surprised me. We got the girls to bed then I finished watering and brought everything in from the car.
Sunday Dad went to the grocery store and I mowed the lawn, watered it again, and weeded. I cleaned the house and unpacked, took out the garbage, did the laundry, and the dishes. Dad cooked and played with the girls. We took turns taking naps, and I worked on my paragraphs. We ended the day with watering again, the girls played outside, and I finally bathed them then we put them to bed. It has been a very full week with our nuclear family, and a full month for me and the girls.
Mary has discovered a fascination with the indents in our skin from our clothes, accessories, or something we've been sitting on. I've had to tell her not to look at her "lines" from her underwear waistband when we're in public. She also likes sock "lines". She made me smile on Sunday when she was jumping on the trampoline and sang Follow the Prophet.
Mom: I started my sale with color analysis. Even though I feel like I've had a lot of people tell me they are interested in booking and the sale seems pretty generous, there haven't been any bookings this week. I've posted on Instagram 6 of the 7 days this week, only missing the Disney day.
Dad kept saying how good it felt to not be working for the first time in 4 years. He loved Disneyland and Idaho. He said he felt refueled and ready to go back to work on Monday after a much needed break. It was so much fun to have him more present and relaxed. We all missed him so much the two weeks we were apart.
Monday we drove out of Rock Springs and went to Jackson Hole. We got lunch at Liberty Burger, which is a spot we liked going to when we lived in Dallas. We walked around a bit then took the girls to the park before we drove up to Teton National Park and hiked around there for the day. We drove to Idaho Falls and walked along the river. Tuesday we went to Craters of the Moon. It was so much fun to climb on the rocks and explore. There are some deep pits, tunnels, and caves, and the whole area looks like volcanic rock. The rocks are soft and have lots of holes in them. There was a tall hill that we stopped by and I sprinted up it. It was fine in the moment but my left calf was tight the rest of the week. I have to remember I'm not a teenager anymore. We drove to Twin Falls to see Shoshone falls. It was spectacular but there is a drought so the water was only really flowing from the main waterfall, not all along the cliff. We got pizza for lunch and it was very good, it was from Pizzeria Antico. We were planning on staying the night in Twin Falls and driving home the next day but Dad didn't have to go back to work until Monday so we still had four more days with no plans so we made the spontaneous decision to go to Disneyland. I texted Barbara Cook to see if we could stay at her house and she said yes! She said they are going to Ben and Kylee's reception in Utah that weekend so we would only see them for one of the days but we could stay there without them. That was so thoughtful and generous of her. This was better than our other spontaneous trips to Southern California because we were already on a trip and had pretty much everything we would need and wouldn't need to stop at Walmart for toiletries and additional clothing. We didn't want to rush Twin Falls though so we took the girls to the park next to the lake that is above the falls and stayed until it started raining. We left just before 3 pm PST and drove to Vegas that night, nearly all the way through Nevada. We got there at 11 pm. Dad drove nearly the whole way but we switched drivers with 2 hours to spare. He fell asleep immediately in the passenger's seat. Mary fell asleep around 7 pm and slept until we got to Vegas. Katie probably fell asleep around 9 or 10 and both girls slept well once we were in the hotel. We booked in a huge hotel, the Strat, which I totally regret and will not be doing again. It was too big and difficult to bring our bags up. Dad just brought our bathroom stuff up and we did our best with that.
Wednesday we drove to LA. We made a few stops to see an Alien spot and a huge candy store on the way. We tried to go to Laguna Beach but there was nowhere to park. We got to Bruce and Barbara's house at 5 pm. We talked to them for about an hour and a half before they said goodbye to their granddaughter, Lizzy, before she goes on her mission. We got ourselves situated while they were gone and got the girls bathed and in bed. When they got home I talked to Barbara some more then Bruce was showing me how to use the TV and we ended up watching an episode of a murder mystery show they like, Return to Paradise. Barbara did her leg compressions and Mary joined us for the second half of the episode. She doesn't like to sleep if she feels like there is a party going on. She likes to be part of the fun.
Thursday morning we said goodbye to Bruce and Barb and took the girls to Long Beach. It was closer than Santa Monica but it was pretty dirty and gross. There were a lot of homeless people. We still stayed for almost two hours then drove around little Italy before coming back to the house. We got some lunch then spent the afternoon in the pool. Dad was surprised by how much I liked swimming and jumping, and "flipping" into the pool. It was fun to swim with the girls. Mary tried to swim on her own without her floatie but couldn't quite do it, that scared her. Luckily there is a ledge that goes down the length of the pool that she could stand on and feel safe. Katie also had some moments in the water where she got scared but it didn't outweigh her desire to keep playing. After that we all bathed and had a family movie night. We were going to watch the new Avatar movie on Paramount+ but Bruce's subscription had lapsed, so we watched Zodiac and just skipped the really scary parts.
Friday we went to Disneyland. Dad and I got up at 5:30 am and got the girls up at 6:30. We left at 7, got parked at 7:30, and were in the park at 8 am! We started with Haunted Mansion. Katie did not like it, she was kind of shell shocked. Mary reacted the same on most rides - it was scary in the moment but she said it was fun after she was off of it. We did Pirates of the Caribbean next, then Jungle Cruise. I did Splash Mountain while Dad took the girls on Winnie the Pooh. We went over to Fantasyland and did the Carousel. We did Snow White, Peter Pan, Mr. Toad, Teacups and Buzz Lightyear. Dad went on Indiana Jones and I took the girls to Pixie Hollow to have a meet and greet with Tinkerbell. Mary said immediately after, "Did you know she was a grown up?" She said the same thing to Dad when she told him about it. I tried to have the girls meet Minnie Mouse too but I got the times wrong. We met up with Dad and got some lunch when Katie fell asleep. He stayed with her while I took Mary on the spaceship ride in front of Tomorrowland. Dad took Mary on Star Tours. I took Katie to the gift shop and that's when she woke up. Dad took Mary on Autopia and It's a Small World and I took Katie on the Nemo submarine ride. We met up in Toon Town where the girls played in the water and cooled down. Then I took Mary on the Chip and Dale roller coaster. We went back to Frontierland where Dad took Katie on Pirates again and I took Mary on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The Pirates ride broke down while Dad and Katie were on it so they were stuck for about a half hour/45 minutes. While we waited for them we filled up the water bottles and got a little treat at the Mary Poppins Cafe. One of the workers came up to us and started talking to us about Dolly Parton. Once we got away from that conversation we met up with Dad and Katie. The line for Indiana Jones was really short so I went on that and Dad took the girls to the Tiki Room. I got done first and got some dole whip for us after their show was over. The girls loved it and danced and clapped during the show. We went up to Star Wars and Dad took Mary on the Smuggler's run ride. We got some dinner in Frontierland then did the Pooh Bear ride again. We tried to do Pirates and Jungle Cruise again but the lines were too long. We did Tiki Room again then did the teacup ride again with the lanterns on. We got redirected back to Mark Twain's boat where there was an awesome light show and performance by the cast members then went to the castle for the fireworks. Katie fell asleep after the light show, so Dad took her back to the car. Mary and I got toys for her and Katie then took the bus shuttle back to the car, but not before walking the wrong way and getting lost in the Disney mall. We got back to Bruce and Barbs, the girls fell asleep in the car, and we all fell asleep immediately once we got in our beds. I took 26k steps.
Saturday we slept in, had breakfast, cleaned up then headed out. We just stopped for lunch at Carl's junior and for gas and bathroom breaks. We got home at 7pm. Dad forgot to take the trash out before he left so our house smelled like something rotten and there were at least 50 flies buzzing around. We opened all the doors and windows, turned on the fans, threw out the rotten garbage, and tried to kill as many flies as we could. I watered the very thirsty plants. The grass got really yellow but the plants on the hill didn't look too bad. The leaves were maybe a little yellow but the flower bush and the other two small bushes looked really green, which surprised me. We got the girls to bed then I finished watering and brought everything in from the car.
Sunday Dad went to the grocery store and I mowed the lawn, watered it again, and weeded. I cleaned the house and unpacked, took out the garbage, did the laundry, and the dishes. Dad cooked and played with the girls. We took turns taking naps, and I worked on my paragraphs. We ended the day with watering again, the girls played outside, and I finally bathed them then we put them to bed. It has been a very full week with our nuclear family, and a full month for me and the girls.
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