Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Chelan, 2013

Our annual July Chelan trip was last week. I say every time how much I love that the girls are creating such special memories at the same place I did. This time was no different, and I guess I just said it again. When we got out of the car at Darnell's, Kaitlyn squealed, sighed, and exclaimed, "I just can't believe we're here." If there was ever a time she was an exact replica of me at that age, that would be it.

We had a great vacation, and our memory tanks are that much more full.

We made a potty stop at the top of Steven's Pass, which turned into a quick, mini adventure:






K has been really into shadow puppets:
 Both girls slept on the floor in their sleeping bags. Austen had a cough before we left, which proved to still be lingering when she was trying to sleep flat on the floor. Fine during the day, hour-long coughing fits at night. Poor thing.


 Fishing competition, 2013. Jeff - 1. Me - 4. Jeff had to buy lunch on the way home (with our joint account -- big stakes here).


 Typical vacation bedtime scene:




We aren't very good at selfies. After several attempts, we went with dorky. This is what selfie defeat looks like:












 Both girls made the swim out to the floating dock this year. They (and Mom and Dad) were very proud and needed documentation. A cute swimsuit pic was going to happen, so again we went with dorky (well, the girls look pretty stinkin' cute with their two thumbs up):






We usually go out to eat a couple of times -- other nights we enjoy the smell of real charcoal on the grill. 

One evening, we went to a winery that does BBQ food. Not my personal first choice for dinner, but the ambiance is good enough to go back. The girls have a blast playing on the hill with the provided hula hoops, and grape orchards aren't an eyesore to look at during dinner. 




 Papa became the official hoop roller for the whole gaggle of kids:



Full House marathon?? Yes, please.


My morning runs on this trip are heaven. I did the ChelanMan 1/2 on our first morning, which actually wasn't heaven (heat and hills), but I do love that view. The last few miles were TOO HOT (no shade for the whole 13.1 miles), but I'll do again next year if it falls on the right weekend. 

The rest of the week, Jeff and I got two runs together - a rarity these days - and I was up at his golf time another couple, which were actually my favorite. Early morning runs racing the sunrise is not only cooler, but I just can't explain the awesomeness of the whole experience. If you share my love for running and have ever gotten your butt outta bed early enough, I'm sure you know.

Peaceful, inspiring, rejuvenating. Ahh....

 Daddy headed out two mornings to golf with friends. A 5:40 a.m. run comes in handy when you are trying to "get up" with your kids, too. I was back before they were awake, giving me time to enjoy coffee, shower, and just generally have some calm before the storm.

We took a walk one morning, which started great:







Till Mama pushed her luck. Sun, heat, and too much mileage made for a whiny, sweaty walk home. We made it, and immediately changed into suits for the day.


 Serious business:

 They made a "sculpture" out of the beach driftwood:


Evening ice cream walk:




 Ponies. Always ponies:


 We met the Meeks at Slidewaters on Wednesday. Too hot, too bright, but the girls had SO much fun. Worth every overspent penny.







Too.many.pictures. More soon!