Welcome to the mayhem

Hope you enjoy your visit!

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Happily Ever After

Kota lighting up firecrackers at Uncle Kory's. Kory hooked Dakota up with a lot of them. He was entertained for hours!
Robin and Toby's garden, 1 of 3, all about the same size. They are layed out so nice. They are works of art on their own. I hope to have one garden this size someday.

Toby built this General Store around a small camper. It is fixed up like an old fashioned store. I'm reminded of the Newell K. Whitney Store when I go in there.
Still giggin' isn't she cute?
Kory's daughter River enjoying the mud puddles before the wedding.
I enjoy taking nature photos, here is an ornamental crab apple tree outside Robin's house.
Kota in his first tux. You know he didn't even need my help getting it on. He's a natural.
Aww, they clean up nice.
Welcome to the family Tricia.
Klay wating on Tricia to come down the aisle.
Talon carring the rings and trying to get away from the flowergirl. Because when your an eight year old boy girls are gross!
The groomsmen
Here she is Klay, she was worth the wait!
Mr. and Mrs. Klayton Crawford, whew all 8 are married!
It's finally over Talon....

Kayla and Autumn in their birthday dresses from Grandma.

We made a mad dash for the border after the wedding. Kota has football practice starting Monday. So we had to leave right after the wedding. We drove 4 1/2 hours to get a jump on the 16+ hour drive.
Weddings bring back such wonderful memories and reflections on my own marriage. It is good to have moments like these to make a person stop and think. I think I have to say that it has been happily ever after in my life. Not in the fairytale sense, but in the realization that building a family is what makes life happy. That started with my young marriage to Kyle. We were such kids then... (18 and 22 years old) Although we felt like adults when this all was happening. We've experienced so much life together, literally growing up together. We've shed tears, worked by the sweat of our brows together, built a home, lost our jobs, gain a new faith, and have been sealed together. What an experience so far. We were just talking about how perfect life was and are we ready for the next trial to work through. It seems like when you realize that your life really is better than what you thought that is when the next trial seems to hit. I suppose that is the flow of life, up hills and downs. It is great to see all eight Crawford kids are married and happy in life. Kota said it felt like we were leaving home tonight. He is going to miss his uncles. I wonder if it would be the same if we lived up there? Would it be the same...our kids were treated like royalty while being up there (the cool older cousins). It seems Kota might be MN bound when he graduates. I suppose that is how it works, they grow up and leave. Hopefully my two will call home to talk to mom as much as Kyle does. I love that about him, that he likes to talk to his mom, that gives me hope for mine in the future.
Well, two weeks of bliss is winding down in a hotel room in Menomee, Wisconsin tonight. 12 hours of driving to be in Ohio tomorrow. We expect to be in around 7-8 pm. Then happy birthday to Kayla.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Land of 10,000 Lakes

Chillaxing at Grandma's.

Kyle says that Minnesota really has about 15,000 lakes. It is amazing to see them around every bend in the area that Kyle's parents are in. We might go out on a pontoon boat tomorrow. The wedding rehearsal is tomorrow night and the wedding on Saturday. The last of Robin and Toby's eight kids will be hitched. It has been pretty busy up here getting the house ready and grounds. I'll have to take pictures of the gardens and general store to post later. It has been very relaxing for us. What a memorable vacation!

They got to play with cousins Autumn, Talon, and Ashley
Kayla is an expert frog gigger. She catches and releases for hours every day.
We spent Wednesday at Whipholt along Leech Lake.


Still reading at the beach, on to a new book though....ahh!


Weightlifting nordic style!
We found alot of snail shells along the beach.


Jumping the waves.

Kyle says there is only a few days a year that the waves come in like this. We got to be there on a fun day.

Kyle with his tent obsession found this new one up here. (Okay, so I showed him.) But I think this will be the next years Scout Master cabin at camp. It doesn't even look like a tent!
We are really being tourist here. We stopped on the side of the road to take a picture of what we thought was an eagles nest. But really it is an osprey's nest.
Kasey and Presley
Kota with his Uncles (Kaleb, Kolyn and Klayton)
Karson has it figured out after Kyle showed him how.
Kyle playing with Karson's new toys.
Karson's birthday party. He just turned two. We don't get to attend many birthday parties in MN.
Karson, Kody and Presley (nieces and nephews)
Robin holding Ellie, Kaleb and Nicole's baby.
Kayla holding one of many family pets at Kaleb and Nicoles house. She wants to be a vet tech one day. I think she will be good at that. She sure loves animals.
The drive to Robin and Toby's house.
The road Kyle grew up on. Oxyoke it is called now, when he grew up it was called HCR (Highway Contract Route).

End of our Michigan Travels, Bummer

Last Thursday, we traveled from Baraga (Bear aga) Michigan to Minnesota. We stopped at Porcupine Mountain State Park. I really enjoyed the beautiful vistas there and know that this will be a frequent stop in the future. It was amazing the peace and solitude of that area. Even though I didn't get to see my moose, I still enjoyed myself greatly. I really felt a reconnect with my family and faith. I hope that it is enough to carry us through another year.


Duluth, Minnestoa
8 hours in the car is the longest we've traveled so far, it wiped out the teens.

Porcupine Mountains (I know my Utah friends will laught, but they still are pretty!)






Awesome view!




Lake of the Clouds, it was so beautiful the pictures just can't do justice to what we saw with our eyes!



My last hope to see a moose, no luck!



We were lone travels on this path. It was eerily pleasant.
Cave enterance where in the fall bats congregate. Kota and Kyle checked it out while, Kayla and I waited for the bats to fly out. No bats!
Gigantic Cinnamon Rolls at Hilltop Restaurant in L'Anse Michigan. These were a highlight of the trip. They only cost $3.49 so we got each of the kids their own and had the rolls the next day for breakfast too! Yummo!



We kayaked at Munising on Lake Superior. I'm sorry that I couldn't take my camera for fear of losing it to water damage, but this was my favorite part of the whole trip!


I thought for sure I'd find one here, but no dice.

Bear and Moose hunting off the beaten path. It was so beautiful.



Lake Superior at Grand Maris, Michigan.




The trail up to the Grand Sable Sand dunes. It was so steep. Kyle helped me up thankfully. I could have managed, but he made it go faster. :)