Fall Break in Wyoming

Our Fall Break was October 20-23. We tried to decide on something crazy and out of the ordinary for us to do and when it all came down to it, it's always about Grandmas and Grandpas and cousins and Wyoming. Oh and Aunts and Uncles too...can't leave them out!

I know I know...it's I80! But it's Wyoming! Isn't this perfect! Nothing for miles and beautiful, blue skies! "There is a place...where the spirit is free!"



We left Wednesday night to play cards and hang out with Grandma and Grandpa Gardner in Kemmerer. Don't know why Kierra is so solemn here, but really we did have a great time!

The weather for the whole trip was perfect. We were even treated to a beautiful full moon on our way out of town!



Our next stop was going to be just a quick hi and bye to Uncle Dale, but we ended up seeing everyone and hanging out at the coolest hang out in Rock Springs!



We were in this Wal-Mart parking lot for nearly 2 hours. Crazy I know. We should've just gone to DJ's and hung out, but we all thought it would be quick. :) Grandpa was passing through on his way to do a football game in Evanston so we got to see him too! We actually had a ton of fun visiting before we finally decided to run into the store for some lunch!



Even the little girls had a blast playing! They got sick of us just sitting around talking so they unpacked. But...don't look too close at this picture.....



...don't look too close...'cause I'll just focus in on it for you! :) Ok...so this picture was staged...just a little bit..."that thing" was actually sitting just on the other side of the girls! oops. Oh the joys of family reunions in parking lots! ;)



We eventually left there and stopped in Rawlins for about an hour to visit Matt's brother and his family. We don't usually stop much on our way to Laramie. Usually we take a 10 minute break at one gas station and get right back on the road, but this time we thought we'd stop and see everyone.

We got to Laramie in time for dinner with mom and then to go to the church to watch my brother and sister teach some dancing to the singles ward. I wish I had gotten pictures of Abby, Cody, Jackson and Mindy, but it was the first time I had really officially met Mindy so I think I was scared to start stalking her right away! ;)

Instead I got my hubby and kids that are already used to it. Hopefully we didn't scare the singles away too bad. We kept the kids in a different room right until the end. We had a fun time. I'm not nearly as brave with the flips and tricks anymore! :) But the girls loved dancing with their daddy!





Saturday was just fun and relaxing. We went to cousin Dylan's soccer game and raked some of Grandma and Grandpa's leaves...



I became more a little more stalkerish with the camera! We had fun visiting with Mindy and her daughter...



Grandpa, Aunt Abby and I drove over the mountain to watch Laramie volleyball at regionals....



And we all just hung out and relaxed at the house...




The Uncles are always a blast! We had fun watching these two little boys hang out! I think they remember each other now. It's fun to see them grow up together and just be boys! I loved it!



So, our fall break in Wyoming was a huge success! The snow got there the next day, so we just missed it!
It was great for me to get to see ALL of my family on this trip, plus Grandma and Grandpa Gardner!
We sure LOVE our families and are so thankful that we get to spend so much time with them.

I didn't take any pictures of last weekend (Nov. 5th) so I'll talk about that here too. Matt's brother came to go through the temple for the first time. He chose the Salt Lake temple...there are just no words to describe how beautiful that temple is. Their older brother Chad flew in from Texas for it and their parents and Aunt were also there. We were a small group, but it was still great to be in the temple with family. With all of the busyness of life I always LOVE to be in the temple and be reminded of what our eternal goals are. I LOVE watching mothers (or I think there was a sister this day) helping their daughters in the temple. I look forward to that day so much! I LOVED this talk in the general relief society meeting that Sister Beck kinda gave to her daughters and granddaughters, but still gave to the rest of the world. I hope my daughters will always know how much the temple means to me.

"I hope my granddaughters value the temple as did the sisters of the first Relief Society, who believed that temple blessings were the grand prize and great goal of every Latter-day Saint woman. I hope that, like early Relief Society sisters, my granddaughters will strive daily to become sufficiently mature to make and keep sacred temple covenants and that when they do go to the temple, they will pay attention to all that is said and done. Through the blessings of the temple, they will be armed with power and blessed to receive “the key of the knowledge of God." Through the ordinances of the priesthood found only in temples, they will be blessed to fulfill their divine, eternal responsibilities, and they will promise to live as committed disciples. I am grateful that one of the Lord’s primary purposes in organizing Relief Society was to give the women the responsibility to help each other prepare “for the greater blessings of the priesthood found in the ordinances and covenants of the temple.”