I'm Baaack...

We returned from our wonderful family vacation Sunday night. As you may recall, we were blessed to be able to leave the heat of the Phoenix area to spend a week in the awesome Lake Tahoe area. It was beautiful and amazing and restful, not to mention cooler than we’re used to in the Valley of the Sun this time of year! To me, there really is something special about being surrounded by nature and I always feel closer to God when I am. We really enjoyed the friendly blue jay that frequently visited our balcony and occasionally came in our room. Though I must admit, the numerous “beware of bears” notices were a bit disconcerting.





This vacation was the first for our little Sweet Pea and the first for us with her. She is nearly a year old now and while it was definitely more work to vacation with a baby, it was also more special in lots of ways. It was a time of many firsts for her. For the first time she felt pine needles and rough tree bark, sat in grass, stood in a lake, had a couple of french fries, lay in a hammock (with Daddy, of course!), went down a slide, rode in a swing, and went on a bike ride.













We had a great time with her and I think she had lots of fun too. We were staying up at the northwest part of the lake, at the Olympic village, but Jeff’s father lives in Reno, so we were able to visit him too. We also went to Virginia City (the old west town) and had a good time there. One of the best parts though, was Sweet Pea getting to meet her 95-year old great-grandma. It really was a very special time. (So now she has met Jeff’s 95-year old grandma and my 87-year old grandma!)




Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay indefinitely. As usual, when it came time to leave, I didn’t want to come home. And yet I was so happy to get home. I’m an odd duck, I know. It was great to see our 4-legged family again and to sleep in our own beds. But, it was hard to leave such beauty, cool temperatures and relaxation. However, we came home feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and reconnected as a family again. In short, it was fantabulous!