Fall Break 2014!

We had an amazing time on Fall Break this year! We were able to meet Tyler, Kelly and their boys in Moab... then we all drove down to Mesa Verde!

We sooooooo missed having Brad, Cami and Asa with us... this was definitely their

kind of trip! (So proud of them in Missouri in Graduate School!)

ALERT: there are many pictures from this trip...but it was so fun!

Here are some pics from Moab...

 Climbing the ladder...one of our favorites!

 Everly learning it is fun to get dirty!

Rock skipping at one of our favorite places...The Grotto!

 Photo shoot!

 James found a Nebraska Plate for Tyler and a Massachusetts Plate for Brad and Cami!

 We went to Balancing Rock...

 Yes those are MY boys climbing to the top... I was shaking and had tears (in other words they caused their Mother to have a PANIC ATTACK!  I didn't used to get so scared watching them...I must be getting old!) and YES they even went higher before my yells stopped them :) Boy they were missing having Brad lead the way!

 Then we met up with Tyler and Kelly and boys and drove to Mesa Verde...

I have always wanted to see the Indian ruins there!

First we were able to stay inside Mesa Verde National Park at the Lodge...

But they only had 2 rooms--so we put our blow up mattress in between the 2 beds, and had a blast! The kids thought it was a giant sleepover with Mimi and Papa and EJ!

 Noah and Kalvy at breakfast...

 So much fun with Uncle EJ!

 Then we headed off to our tour of "Cliff Palace"... more climbing!

It was so amazing... these dwellings were built in the 1200's! It was amazing to

see how they built their homes, and to see so much of them still in tact!

Lots of hiking...we had such an amazing time!

Ben, Mel, Everly headed home after this tour... saying goodbye to Uncle Ben and Everly!

Then the rest of us went to tour "Balcony House"

I don't even know how to describe this... You can't see it until you climb down a LONG way... 

Rhett fell asleep before we started and slept through most of the tour :)

So you hike down and then we got to climb UP this 35 foot ladder...oh man... 

It didn't scare Kalvin at all :)

 Then Ethan and Kalvin led the troop up and out on rather scary climb out :)

WOW! What an amazing day!!

BUT...it wasn't over yet!

We then took one of the most beautiful drives we have ever seen!

We drove from Mesa Verde to Teluride Ski Resort (on our way to Tyler's outside Grand Junction)

It felt like we were driving through a painting...
(I wish I could say I took this picture...but I found one that looked just like what we saw as we drove!)

 Then we drove in to Teluride...It was like an Alpine Village. 

This was Kalvin's face when he saw the Gondola we would be riding up the mountain!

You ride to the top and then down the other side to this wonderful little village...

where we enjoyed some hot chocolate!

This was an amazing way to end our day (of course Tyler and James still had 2 1/2 hours to drive... and Kalvin kept us laughing the whole drive!

I think this was as close as I will get to my dream of visiting Austria... I even put my arms out and spun around as if I were "Maria" from "The Sound of Music"...as we walked back to the gondola it was sprinkling and smelled amazing... a dream for sure!

I told Tyler he got me as close to my dream as possible and we agreed we ALL need to come back!