When we left on our Mountain West trip, we had a couple of main objectives in mind, but that didn't stop us from packing in as much as we could.  We arrived in St. Louis just in time to see part of the July 4th celebration over the Gateway Arch.  Airplanes were drawing smoke arches in the air and the area around the arch was packed with people.  We drove on past though and settled in our motel knowing that we would spent time there the next day.  Little did we know that half a million people attend the July 4th celebration at the arch and our plans would be somewhat hindered by the aftermath of the celebration.

We still managed to get on the first tram ride to the top the next morning.  We crammed ourselves into what seems a awful lot like a dryer with five seats inside.  Not everyone was comfortable with the ride, but the boys all managed to pull out a smile once they had peeked out the windows.  

We wandered through the museum and watched a movie about Lewis and Clark before we left the area.  We had hoped to take a paddleboat ride, but there were barriers up all around the arch and we just scrapped the idea and went to plan B for the rest of the day.

Out next stop was north of Denver where we spent a day driving through Rocky Mountain National Park.  I've been in the Rockies before, but I had forgotten how spectacular they are.  I had also forgotten how easy it is for me to get carsick on those roads.

When JJ saw the snow, he was determined that he was going to throw some snowballs, but as soon as he stepped onto the snowbank, he sank in up to his knees and forgot all about throwing snow in July.  Even though it was summertime, the snow was still as cold and he hightailed it back to the van.

We stopped at an lookout that was near 12,000 feet in elevation and the boys were struck by how cold the air was.  They were also impressed by how puffy their bag of chips got as we drove higher and higher.  As soon as the boys left this bench, it was claimed by an older woman who was walking with a cane.  She looked at me and said, "I should have brought my oxygen tank."  The air's pretty thin that high up.

The next day we discovered the Leanin' Tree Museum and Sculpture Garden in Boulder.  Jeremy came face to face with a mountain lion,

Justin rode an invisible horse,

and JJ trotted off on a bronze donkey.  These were the only sculptures that were touchable.

We loved all the artwork and I saw several paintings which reminded me of my childhood.  None of us could decide which picture of sculpture we like the best and all three boys took dozen of pictures of their favorites.  After having a perfectly enjoyable time drinking in the art, we headed to the Dushanbe Tea House where we all tried a different kind of tea along with a light lunch.

We had already had a great time and we hadn't arrived at our main objective yet.  More on that later.

Summer's almost gone and I'm just now getting to my blog.  I feel like I've been racing from one activity to another and haven't taken the time to catch up.  Just when I was ready to start my summer projects, I found myself visiting a surgeon and preparing to part with my gall bladder.  Of course there were restrictions to follow which meant that I couldn't start most of what I had planned.  And then there was VBS while I was still recovering, but I made it through and the children had a great time.  On the heels a VBS came the annual Shaffer Cousins' Birthday celebration.  Less than a week after celebrating cousins, we left for our vacation in the mountain west.  At the end of our vacation we spent two days in New Mexico where we hatched another plan.  Puff, puff, pant, pant, whew.

The new plan involved getting mom and her sister and all their daughters together for a weekend in Indiana.  Since my aunt and her daughters all live in Indiana it meant that mom, my sister and I were the ones who had to make travel plans even though all of us changed our schedules for the weekend.  I decided to drive after a dear friend agreed to watch the boys for a day.  I left early on Saturday morning and drove eleven solid hours before arriving in central Indiana.  By the time I put the van in park, four ladies had popped out the front door ready for an excursion that included visiting the cemetery where my great-grandparents are buried, time with two of mom's cousins and dinner.

From the first hello, to the last good-bye, my time was full.  We shared memories, worshiped in the church where my mother was married,  attended a 96th annual family reunion, stopped at three cemeteries, visited friends, and had meals in all three of my cousins' homes.  When I left after lunch on Monday, the house was still full of family.  Once again I drove eleven solid hours and came home to a sleeping house.  I woke Dean to let him know I was home and collapsed in sleep.

I'm still working on summer projects and I know I'd better keep in gear because the first day of school is just around the corner and I'm not ready for that yet.  The last two days have been spent working in my laundry room - not doing laundry but preparing to paint.  What that's done perhaps I'll grab a few minutes to write about our vacation, but I probably should spend my time lining up all the school books.  Now off to more racing.

The planning started a year ago when we talked about the date, but the real work all happened in June.  It was our turn to host the annual Shaffer Cousins' Birthday Celebration.  It comes our way once every five years and we wanted it to be a special day for everyone.  Several months ago, we settled on a carnival theme and the boys and I brainstormed about games that we could set up in our yard for the children to play.  We settled on eight games that involved tossing, shooting, choosing and aiming.  The prizes for each game?  Candy or beef jerky.

By the time the children had played all the games as many times as they desired, they had a bag full of candy and the parents had collected the bags and said, "no more." 

I think they all decided that the miniature golf was the hardest game to play, but it was one of the cheapest to put together and then I found a golf club for 99 cents at Goodwill.

In keeping with our carnival theme, we had a cotton candy machine that Dean kept going during the game time.  Justin had told me a week ago that all the cousins were going to go home in a sugar coma.

Each child gets several small gifts and they were all eager to see what they got.  I think JJ's favorite was the flashlight.  At least it was in bed with him last night.

Supper wasn't really a carnival supper, but we all enjoyed our Mexican salad.  I did discover that I had forgotten to put out the guacamole, but it just turned into a bedtime snack for those who still happened to be hungry. 

Dessert brought us back to our theme and we had funnel cake sundaes.  While some were satisfied to eat their funnel cake sprinkled with powdered sugar, many added ice cream and sauces.  We fried cakes until we ran out of plates and the kids kept coming back for more.  We had cut all the cakes in half the first time and I heard one the young cousins tell his dad that he wanted more because he had only had two halves and one whole.

One of Dean's sisters and her family stayed overnight and we ended our day with some home fireworks.  Even though we were all bone-tired, it took six children longer to settle down then three.

We were blessed to have 31 people here for the day.  We were blessed to have a rain-free day. (It poured on Sunday.)  We are blessed to have a family that values family time and who commits to getting together several times a year as an extended family.  And we were blessed that no one went home in a sugar-induced coma.

Years before my father was married, he took a trip from California to Oregon with his sister.  One of the places they visited was Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge.  These falls are a popular tourist stop and the gift shop at the foot of the falls offered various souvenirs.   

Dad picked out a copper arrowhead key fob engraved with a picture of the falls.  He put that arrowhead on his key ring and it stayed there until the day he died.   When the hole wore through, he mended it by melting a penny.  

When I was eight years old, we visited the falls as a family and that little gift shop at the foot of the falls still had copper arrowheads.  Dad bought me one and I hung onto it until I was old enough to have a key ring of my own.  I think I was first entrusted with just one key, but it wasn't alone on my key ring.  That solitary key kept company with my copper arrowhead from Multnomah Falls.  When the hole on my arrowhead wore through Dad took it to the garage and lovingly mended it with another penny.

As the years went by, dad and I would sometimes compare the wear and tear on our arrowheads.  The word "falls" right under the hole disappeared first on both arrowheads.  After Dad's death, I asked mom if I could have his copper arrowhead.  It no longer had any recognizable markings on it, but the memories are still there.  When placed next to mine, it's easy to see that his has traveled more miles than mine but they both show signs of wear.     

Three summers ago, we took the boys on "The Great Western Trip" and visited Multnomah Falls.  We walked to the top of the lower falls before stopping in the gift shop.  I had one objective in that shop:  find a copper arrowhead.  I went through that shop at least twice before I came to the conclusion that there were no copper arrowheads and I had to settle for an alternative.  I finally found a metal key fob and decided that it would do.  We purchased two and they're being held in reserve until Jeremy and Justin need keys.

As Father's Day approaches, I've been sorting through more memories and find that the hole Dad left in the family hasn't mended even though the tears don't come as often.   My arrowhead probably didn't cost more than fifty cents, but the memories associated with it are priceless.

We heard that they were coming, but I wasn't worried.  There were reports and discussions on the radio and my interest rose.  Conversations with friends left me amused, but I still hadn't heard the first chirp.

And then I started to see some casings hanging on the patio fence.  Looked like a science lesson to me, but I had yet to hear or see one.  Then I began to notice background noise when I went outside and I finally realized that I was hearing the cicadas.

As the days went on, I began to realize that I was hearing them when the house was quit and then I could hear them even when driving down the road.  None of us were bothered by them though until Jeremy went outside and came in with one on his back.  All was well until it tried to make its way down his back and dancing broke loose.  I sweep the cicada out the door and we all had a good laugh.  Now the volume is increasing and when we drive down the road they crash into the windshield.  I'm starting to wonder how long they'll be around and the boys have plans to live in California by the time the hoard emerges again in 17 more years.  I must admit that I still find the idea of a cicada invasion somewhat amusing, and I haven't been bothered by having them around; but I will be glad for the quiet when they crawl back in their holes and settle in for a long nap.

On Friday, we checked JJ out of school early and drove up to Pennsylvania.  We wanted to get an early start on Saturday since we knew we had a very full day planned.  We started our day by spending the morning with Dean's grandpa.  He's the boys' only great-grandparent and we always enjoy a visit with him.  He had planned ahead that I would fix lunch and it was nice to work in the kitchen with him.  As soon as the kitchen was cleaned up, we loaded up the van and drove an hour and a half to Lake Tobias where we met Dean's parents.

We headed off on a safari ride where we all had fun feeding the animals that came up to the bus.  Some of the animals were braver and tamer than others and towards the end of the ride, Jeremy was able to get several elk to take crackers right out of his mouth.  Justin and JJ were satisfied to feed the animals from their hands and to pet the ones that got close enough.

After the ride, we walked around the rest of the park and enjoyed feeding and observing the animals.  The zebras weren't interested in the dry crackers, but did enjoy the handfuls of grass that the boys plucked and stuck through the fence.  Our crackers were gone by the time we got to the petting zoo and I had a goat nibble my camera strap. (I made sure to use the hand sanitizer on it when we left the enclosure.)

We ended our visit in the Reptile house where there was an interesting animal show.  Even though there were signs posted around the park that some of the animals would bite, Justin had nothing to worry about when he posed with this creature.  

We ended our day sharing a meal with Dean's parents and then driving four hours home.  All the boys were ready to crash soon after we arrived home and none of us were at our perkiest first thing Sunday morning.  We really enjoyed our quick trip to Pennsylvania and the memories we added to our memory bank; and I really enjoyed my Sunday afternoon nap that I was able to sneak between the morning and evening services.

When I find the newspaper strewn across the island, I know that the boys have been looking at the comics.  Every now and then one of them will cut one of the comic strips out or call one to my attention.  This usually happens because they see themselves in it.

We've laughed about the fact that I can always tell where Justin has been working on projects because he leaves a debris trail behind him.  And for some reason, the boys can never figure out how I know which boy to call to clean up each mess.  I tell them I can't give away my secrets but that they'll get it figured out by the time they're parents.

JJ has a thing about shoes.  Back in November he began telling me that he needed a new pair of shoes.  I put him off since I don't like to spend good money for shoes that will be the wrong size in  few months.  When I couldn't find what he wanted at a re-sale shop, I put him off some more.  Finally, I broke down and we got him a new pair for his birthday.  In a few weeks, he had a smudge on one of the shoes and he was already talking about needing a new pair of shoes.  By the time his shoe lace was dragging, he was sure he needed new shoes.  We're almost to summer and I think he can make do with crocs and flip flops until school rolls around again.

And then we move on to talking about taking pictures.  We have some absolutely terrible pictures of the boys where they thought it would be funny to make a face just as the shutter snapped.  I have told them that they don't need to ruin every picture we take, but we still keep getting strange poses. 

When I hand the boys a stack of clothing I do intend for them to put them away properly.  Well... let's just say that I often find odd pieces of their wardrobes in odd places.  If this comic strip is any indication, I'm fighting an uphill battle.

We always have a good laugh when we find ourselves in the comics, but it's also a reminder that we still have some room for improvement.

Ever notice that there are some things we don't appreciate until we don't have them anymore?  I've also noticed that there are things that I dislike and I don't miss them when they're gone.

Like a migraine after I've had a good night's sleep and I wake up feeling better.  Don't miss that migraine at all.

Or the weeds between the bricks on the patio after they've been sprayed?  Never wish them back.

How about the ants that are looking for crumbs.  I never notice their absence when the poison has been effective.

And all those toys strewn over the boys' floor.  I enjoy having them in their rightful places. (and so do my feet when I walk through in the dark.)

That stack of dirty dishes after a good meal?  I never walk in the kitchen saying, "I wish we could stack more dirty dishes more often."

Don't get me talking about all the laundry that needs to be folded.  When all the laundry is folded, I never dream of overflowing baskets.

What about the sounds of bickering between brothers?  When we're in the middle of peaceful times, I never wish for more squabbling.

And that deep feeling of embarrassment that leads to a full-body blush.  I just wish I could forget those times even more - I don't want them back.

Enough of remembering the things I don't miss.  I'm thankful that these annoyances are temporary and not a permanent part of my life.  Now I'm going to have my cup of tea and enjoy the quiet of the morning.

For several days in a row, JJ prayed about a trip to Pennsylvania.  His prayer always included sleeping two nights at grandma's and seeing cousins.  He thought that it would be a good idea to get out of school early on Friday so we could get a head start on our trip, but we continued with our normal schedule.

One of the first things on our agenda was to visit the newest member of the family.  Justin had wanted to walk through the woods to visit her by himself, but we all wanted to see her and we went together.  I found a recycle shop while the rest of the family browsed in a used book store.  The afternoon and evening included visits with more cousins.

JJ was in his glory when he discovered that grandpa had a 4-wheeler just his size.  He spent quite a bit of time on it Saturday afternoon and thought he had it all figured out about who would and wouldn't be able to ride it on Sunday.  When it came right down to it, a part fell off and the joyriding was cut short.

Almost the entire family showed up for Sunday dinner.  Everyone pitched in and provided part of the meal.  There was some joking about the men doing the dishes, and I did catch Jeremy helping to clear the table, but the use of disposable tableware made that chore simple.  The children all had a great time playing together and most of the afternoon was spent in visiting and play. Once in a while one of the adults would nod off and catch a few winks, but the kids ran full-tilt all afternoon.  All of us fell into bed soon after we arrived home and were rewarded with a wonderful night's rest.  There's nothing like a long weekend to make sleep sweet.

Last night I drove through the area around the courthouse and saw an army encampment springing up.  Row after row of tents were filling the meadows near the roads and I could see lamps shining through the canvas and campfires burning.  I felt a little out of place driving through history.  Somehow our van didn't quite fit in with all the tents and foot soldiers.

I knew that the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Chancellorsville was coming up, but I hadn't thought about it much until I actually saw the activity.  When I got home I did a little research and discovered that Friday was scheduled as an Educational day.  I sifted through my e-mails and found one with information about student activities and decided to take the boys for the day. 

Our first visit was with a abolitionist senator and a Union recruiter.  The senator gave us a good overview of the battle and the recruiter told the boys that they were too young and should come back in a few years.  Jeremy thought it sounded like a miserable life and didn't think he'd go back any time soon.  Both boys are larger than the average soldier in the Civil War so even though they were too young, they weren't too small. 

We wandered through the camp and heard a balloonist telling stories about some mishaps

and listened as a bugler told about finding his great-grandfather's grave and playing taps for him.

We visited medical tents

And watched cannon and musket firing demonstrations.

Several mounted soldiers were making their way through the camp.

The main activities are scheduled for the weekend, but I left knowing more about firing muskets and cannons than I'll ever need to know.  The boys had a great time learning and said that this was the second best field trip of the year (or did they say ever).  People were still arriving as we left and more and more tents were being erected.  I'm sure that the crowds tomorrow will be more than I would want to deal with, so I'm very glad that we were able to join hundreds of kids from all over the area on a very gorgeous day.  It was nice to let someone else teach today and history was covered quite well.  We'll take that math test on Monday.