Like always, after renting our house, we were exceptionally grateful to be back in our own home. But dude, the workload upon returning is real. So. Much. Laundry. And more besides that like just vacuuming and bathrooms again, making sure there's nothing foreign in the house.
Also, our gardens needed some attention. My sister told me that I needed to dead-head my dahlias to encourage them to grown more blooms instead of more seeds. They were so pretty even when their petals were falling out and they were all dry that I felt bad just tossing them so I put them in some water and let them float.
Cute teeny ones.
These were the first to bloom and have been so faithful all summer long. The boys also wanted some floating flowers for their rooms. They were pretty for a day or so and then they got kind of slimy.
Later that night the cat cracked us up during dinner because apparently it was too hard for him to stand while eating. Ha! Side note: We only let him eat up there so the dog doesn't steal his food.
As soon as we got home Evie went to work trying to convince me to take her on a mommy daughter date. I had been too busy before the rally cleaning our house, etc., but now we had time. Her favorite thing is Culvers cheese curds so that's what she got. We ran several other errands. It wasn't very fun, the poor girl.
When we put the boys to bed that evening, Samuel somehow head-butted me and actually broke the skin on my lip against my tooth. I had a gross looking wet, yellow scab for the next several days. Thanks buddy.
The kids complained and complained once we got home that the dog and cat smelled bad and begged us to bathe them. We obliged the following day.
Angry kitty perched on daddy's warm lap.
The following Saturday, August 11th, Terry and I slipped away for a date. It had been almost two busy months since we'd last had one for our anniversary and it was beyond time. Terry was still recovering from Utah...and I so was I! We ate at Que Pasa and then walked over to The Elks, bumping into Paul, Jana, and Jack along the way. We finally saw Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. We had been steadily working our way through the original Jurassic Park movies with the kids so I was really looking forward to continuing the saga. It was good, maybe better than the first one, but very different. The suspense was better is what I'm trying to say. I thought the first one lacked the edge of your seat suspense that makes those movies good.
Two nights later, Sunday, August 12th, only one week after their return, we had a Utah Reunion Barbecue! A couple moms and I discussed the idea after the team had left the church. We got the idea from when Jana hosted the Mexico Reunion Feista in 2015, though of course my bbq was nowhere as cool and cute, or as large, as hers. But we had a very good time. I had never had so many people in my house before!!!
There were only seven students who went but when we added in everyone's family members we had about 45 people there!
We all squished downstairs in front of the TV to watch all of Terry's video footage and hear everyone's stories.
Here is the video Terry made from his footage.
I worked the following Thursday and for some reason, Ezra was a little cuddly that evening. Dude, I'll take what I can get these days!
Claws on Friday August 17th.
He's politely uninterested in me right here...like usual.
The following morning, Saturday August 18, we had our second youth leader prayer and planning meeting. Afterward the kids jumped at the opportunity...er, or sat down...to color on Prae's notebook.
I just thought it was super adorable.
That evening Terry's high school best friend Joel and his wife Julie along with their four children, came to visit! It had been since 2007 that we'd seen them, not long after when we had just moved to Gburg! September 13, 2017 to be precise. I knew I had a picture from that visit.
We had a fantastic time catching up and laughing over dinner.
Our kids have never met another family with children they don't like and we hardly saw them, they played so well together. Such fun. I really hope it's not another 11 years before we see each other again.
Here is an outtake from one of the photos as we were gathering the kids for the picture. Evie cracks me up! I think she is making that face because Noah was touching her, forgoodnesssakes child.
Back to Joel and Julie. Joel is the amazing runner Terry often talks about in his youth group lessons, the one who was the leader of the Two Mile Relay that they won for State Track in 1996. I had heard a lot about Joel when we first started dating in August of 2002 but never met him until the night we made Creature Cake, a very silly video starring the four of us plus our friend Adam who was living at the ranch at the time. I realized I had never uploaded this video to YouTube or even mentioned it, so clearly it has to be immortalized in the blog. I give you Creature Cake.
Terry was finally back from a week in Utah with his seven students and we were glad. It was so good to have him back. I love my husband and really hate it when he's gone. It's hard but his homecoming always makes for a sweet reunion. It usually takes him about a week or more to recover from trips so the grumpies are real. He did pretty well after this trip though despite being exhausted. It's also hard to go from going nonstop to dropping everything. He likes to be busy. It's good he married me because I don't like to be busy.
So anyway, as a quick recap, we were staying with Terry's parents at their ranch because we rented our house during the rally. This was the fourth time we've done so (2015, 2016, 2017 - I can't believe how fast time goes) and it wasn't ideal for Terry to have a trip during that time, but we made it work. Jerry and Alice took such good care of us.
The following morning after his return, Sunday August 5, we slept in just a little and then got ready for church. Initially we thought he'd get in so late that we'd skip it but they got in earlier, plus most of his students would be there and he wanted to see them. Mission trips tend to bond people and with only seven students, they really grew to love each other.
After church we went to our house to make sure it was still standing and see how the garden was doing. I discovered a new dahlia bloom, Mystique.
And one more called Critchon Honey.
We had a little drama afterwards with the renters and I'll just leave it at that. It ended up working out I think. From there we went back to the ranch and visited the chickens.
Noah and 17 year old Girlie. I think she liked all of the company with her outside since it's usually very quiet out there.
Alice would pour out some grain on the ground to try to draw the chickens over and Samuel helped this time.
It worked. Those fluffy butts crack me up.
Alice ended up with one rooster, something she did not want. They were going to have a friend butcher it but found another friend who actually wanted a rooster. He will live!
Terry the boys wandering around.
Explaining how the rake (?) works.
My favorite tree.
Evie and a giant wheel.
Look at those arms!
I like this old piece of equipment.
The rest of that day was spent just chillin around the house. The following morning, Monday August 6, Terry and Jerry drove into town right away to get our van figured out (it had kept dying the previous week so I wasn't driving it). They took it back to Batteries and Bulbs and this time the battery tested bad so they bought a new one. Meanwhile me and the boys were snuggling and watching the Price Is Right or playing handheld Connect Four.
Once the guys got back they started cleaning out the garage where the chickens like to peck around. Somehow all the motorcycles had fallen over so they pulled them out and got them started just to keep the engines fresh. Terry took the littles for rides up and down the driveway.
First up was Samuel.
I opened the back of the Envoy for us to sit and watch the fun.
Next Ezra went with daddy.
Ezra's video.
Grampa got the littlest bike out and go it going.
Then he took it for a ride. Ha! He looks so big on it, like a Shriner in a parade on one of their mini bikes.
Now that everything was working again, it was time for Noah to try his hand at riding again. I thought he'd only done it once before but I have two posts from 2014 and one from 2016 that show otherwise.
Just a quick review...
...and he was off. He is 13 now so he can definitely handle going ten or fifteen mph down the driveway.
He still doesn't like trying to shift so he just stays in first gear.
Evie is ten and wanted to learn so why not?!
Terry ran with her when she first started but there was no problem for her.
Look at that confident smile.
Even a quick thumbs up!
Evie's video. I knew all the kids would want to see themselves on the bikes so...
Evie really liked it and went up and down the drive many times. Terry had time to take Ezra and Samuel along side her.
In the grass after turning around.
I guess he was a little behind or in front of her to give her plenty of room.
Yay, Noah went again!
Shari and her girls had arrived for lunch so Evie went over to tell Grace how much fun she'd had on the bike.
I got to thinking, if Evie could do it, I could definitely do it.
I had never actually ridden a motorcycle before so I had Terry give me quick explanation and I was off. Super easy.
Now that Shari was there we went inside for lunch. Afterward we visited the chickens again and brought them leftovers.
Terry and Jerry had puttering to do in the garage and I didn't want to leave my husband who I had just got back, so instead of going back inside with the girls, I wandered around taking pictures of the incoming storm.
Black cows in the distance.
In love with that tree.
I like when it rains during rally. It makes me smile to think of all those bikers getting rained on. Ha!
Here it comes!
I made the kids stay outside with me in the garage during the rain because they had been too rambunctious in the house and were driving us all insane. They needed some outside time. Once it stopped raining they played in that big puddle, making a stew.
This is the garage we were in and circled are the swallows that would swoop in and out.
The guys were working on Terry's 1969 Triumph Spitfire Mark III. It'd been many years since they'd started it up and it needed a little TLC. The story with the car is that it originally belonged to Terry's grandpa down the road. Then it made it's way through several of his kids, Terry's aunts and uncles. David finally crashed it and there it sat in Elmer's garage until Terry and Jerry took it up as a project. I think Jerry and Dallas rebuilt the engine and then Jerry got it repainted. Terry said he actually drove it quite a bit in high school but after that it sat. He wanted to drive it from our wedding but I didn't want to smell like gas. We stuck with the trusty Malibu but I think he's still a little sad we didn't drive the Triumph.
First it needed some new gas but it probably would've been wiser to drain the old stuff first...
We were chillin with the chickens when I noticed Evie and Grace's hair standing on end! It started raining again not long after.
Girlie was afraid during the second storm and kept nosing around the four wheeler where I was sitting. I couldn't figure out what she was doing until she actually jumped up there with me and tried to sit on my lap. I had to push her to the back, but she insisted on touching me, and sat there shivering until the the storm passed. It was weird because it wasn't even thundering and lightening very much. So cute though.
The Triumph did not want to start.
How cool is it though?
Triumph
Spitfire.
Trying that ignition yet again while Jerry pumped fuel into the engine.
Jerry with this little bottle of fuel.
I was laying back on the four wheeler and spotted this little baby swallow nest!
Look at them! They sure kept me entertained while the guys were busy. The kids had gone inside to watch a movie.
I love babies!
They were almost ready to give up when it finally started working.
Terry was actually able to drive it out of the garage.
Bam! But look how huge he looks next to that teeny car, lol.
It was high time the old girl had a nice wash.
Nicey nice.
The tags were from 2004!!! Yep, the was the year we got married. Oh poor Terry. I'm so sorry. Kind of sorry not sorry though.
Pretty girl.
Backing her up.
Filling her up with fuel.
Airing up the tires.
Then she was ready and I got to have the first ride with Muh Hunny. We just drove down to gramma's place and back. It sure would be fun to go for a drive more often. Too bad we don't have more room at our house or we'd park it there. We need our own ranch!
The littles went next.
So cool.
It's SO COOL!
Evie's turn.
I recorded them coming back.
Noah's turn.
The littles waving as they came back.
A frightened barn kitten.
The guys parked the Triumph, put a new car cover over it, and we went inside to rest. Samuel demanded Terry take his picture with his log cabin. The littles fought incessantly over those Lincoln Logs.
After dinner, just as Ninja Warrior was starting (something we all love), we finally went out for a four wheeler ride. The boys had been begging to go on a longer ride and it didn't seem right to visit the ranch during the rally and not go.
Love that sign behind them.
I was hoping to remake the amazingly beautiful photo we had taken in 2015 when this stock pond was crazy full, but the sun was too high. Also the pond wasn't as full as I hoped it'd be after all our rain. Even though we've had a ton, it must not be as much as three years ago or we were so dry that a lot of just soaked up.
Terry, Samuel, and Evie.
Noah, me, and Ezra.
The same pond but from further off with Terry driving away. Love it.
About halfway back Terry waited for us so I wouldn't drive off this rock step.
I always take this shot because it's my favorite view at the ranch. Also, I like to try to remake the photo from 2014 that is the header of this blog.
A little to the right of the above shot.
I always take this shot too, because it's another favorite and the perfect place to build a house.
I loved this lone wild sunflower tucked back there.
Evie found a shed somewhere around The Rock.
Another mostly full stock pond.
Terry taking our picture.
Heading back. Totally beautiful.
Check this out!!
Terry climbed up this compost poop pile and then had to back down.
She gets her crazy eyes from her dad. 😂
Terry took our picture before we headed back to the house, Ninja Warrior, and bed.
Pretty sky at the ranch.
Once the show was over we had to put the chickens to bed one last time.
Goodnight chickens!
Thought this bailer with the pink clouds and pretty sky was cool.
Even Jerry's pile of antlers looked pretty in that light. 😜 And that is the end of our ranch hotel 2018 saga. It was a good week, especially after Terry got home, and we were grateful for how Jerry and Alice took care of us, but we were ready to be home the following morning!
After moving away from home in 2007, I became weary of emailing recent photos of our kids to the grandparents. So I started a blog. And even though we moved back home in 2012, I still really enjoy keeping track of our lives!
