Fourth of July!

Well, I don't have any pictures from the 4th, mostly because I didn't manage to go to the races and watch the fireworks...I just wasn't feeling very well (stupid fibromyalgia!!) But Jamie went with Michelle and Cliff and they had a great time. 

I stayed home, mostly in bed, but Will and Ali came and woke me up and I watched the fireworks they set off. It was fun and it was so sweet of them to include me.

I come from a small family. I'm an only child and all my family has lived in another state for most of my life. While Jamie is one of three kids, his family is pretty spread out too. So, I'm not used to big families or really having family around. The past two + weeks in ID has been amazing with all the nieces and nephews and and great nieces and great nephews. The way Jamie's family has just allowed me to be family from the moment I walked in the door has been awesome. I really feel like I'm leaving here with a huge family.

I'm excited as Ali's sister is moving to South Carolina, not far from where we live in GA so hopefully we get to see them more often and get to see that sweet little Nixon too. I've told everyone PLEASE come visit. We have two extra bedrooms for anyone and lots of floor space and of course...THE POOL!! I'm really hoping any and all of them come visit!! Maybe our house can be the location of a family vacation and we'll get to watch all the "littles" in the pool and making memories!!

Well, it's time to help Jamie pack up the truck...I think we are actually leaving tomorrow for our journey home. Stay tuned...we haven't really planned out our trip home yet, so it'll be a surprise at every turn! (Hopefully only the good kind!!)

Keep finding joy in your Journey!
LeighAnn & Jamie

Nixon & the girls having fun in the pool

Oh my, I'm in love with little Nixon!! He really is the sweetest boy and very well behaved for his age...and too stinking cute!! We bought him a floaty for the pool...as every little guy needs his own floaty!!

  

He still isn't 100% sure  that not being held by momma isn't the best way to be in the pool, but he's getting there!!

And of course the girls had a blast (the water was a bit warmer the next day.)

Brooklyn, Morgan, and Chloe

Movies and a dip in the pool!

So Michelle and Cliff finally agreed on a pool for the back yard and Thursday July 2nd was the day it got put up and filled. We (Michelle, Jamie, and myself) drove to OR to pick up the girls (Brooklyn, Morgan and Chloe) from their mom and took them to the movies.  We went to see Inside Out which was a great movie and a great way (in my opinion) to explain feelings to a child. We all enjoyed the movie and then went out of sushi at a restaurant in Ontario OR. 

The girl heard the pool was filled and we stopped by to check with their mom (Erin) to see if it was okay to bring them back to Nampa with us. They came back and braved the cold of the pool water!!

 

There was a need for some encouragement for Chloe to get in LOL

The water was indeed cold as the water runs out of their tap COLD here in Idaho...not the balmy 72 degrees it does at our house in GA. I will be the first to admit, the thought of dunking my whole body in that cold water (no matter how hot I was at that moment) wasn't appealing!!

Of course Uncle Jamie got in with the girls. He was super great with all the "littles" and always made sure everyone was having fun!!

More updates to come soon!!
LeighAnn & Jamie

A Taste of Things to Come

Just to give you an idea of what else is on the "agenda"...

Tomorrow we are going to Ontario, OR to go to see the movie Inside Out with Chris's girls (that's Cliff's oldest son) Brooklyn, Morgan and Chloe. I'll get to meet their mom Erin too.

I'm not sure what we are doing Friday, if there is even anything specific planned. 

Saturday is going to the Meridian Speedway to see races and fireworks.

Sunday we are supposed to be heading home. 

We had plans to run Jamie's bike on the salt flats (not sure if that's still a go or not) and we have decided AGAINST going to the Grand Canyon this trip. It is SO hot out and they are calling for triple digit temperatures...I don't think we can do it. There will be another trip that we can visit in a bit cooler temperatures. Not to mention that Jamie looked at me today and said...."We are NEVER visiting ID during the summer again!" Ya, it's been pretty hot..."dry heat" or not!

I'll post our plans when we agree on them. 

Have a great day and Happy Travels!!
LeighAnn and Jamie

Update...Update!! 6/23/15-7/1/15

Oh my goodness!! I'm so sorry I've been MIA, but we've stayed busy!! We are still in Nampa, ID and will be here until Sunday the 5th...I think LOL. We aren't big planners obviously!! Before I say anything else, a HUGE shout out to Cheryl and Katie Elms for taking the best care of our fur babies. I'm worried that Bucky and Ellie will think they are their parents now!! Just kidding. They will remember us!! Anyway, I don't think we intended to be gone a whole month, but this has been a pretty awesome vacation/honeymoon!! Now to catch ya'll up!

Had to share this one with you. We went to WalMart in Nampa and look what we saw in the parking lot. Pristine condition...had to snap a pick of it. A guy I dated in high school drove a Pinto and so did my step mom LOL!!

Binx has become my buddy. He is such a handsome cat!!

He is chilling out in the grass with me while I was sitting in the shade. It was so sweet. He followed me out there and stayed with me for a long time :) I miss my kitties!!

And we've had soooo much fun playing with Nixon. He is SUCH  sweet boy!!!

I think we are LOVING being Aunt and Uncle...so much fun buying toys and just getting to play with the baby LOL!!

On Saturday the 28th we tubed down the Boise River. I don't have any pictures because, well, we were tubing down a river LOL. I wanted to buy a disposable camera and we just never got around to it. Cliff, Taylor, Will, Ali, Ali's cousin Tiffany, Jamie and I all went and it was a BLAST. I told everyone I'd go everyday if someone wanted to go back!! I believe it was a 6 mile "float" which included slow lazy sections, fast water that was a little choppy and even a few small rapids. Will was teasing me about how cold the water was going to be and how dangerous the river was. I kept trying to explain that I was floating rivers before I could swim. Yes, the water was cold, but since I was floating in a tube (just really my butt was in the water) it wasn't bad...but I really didn't want to fall out of my tube. I got splashed plenty in the rough water (loved it) and in the rapids (loved it!!) I'm so glad we waited for Taylor to be able to go. So far it was the most fun thing in ID for me. 

Of course we are going to fireworks on the 4th...we'll see how that rates compared to the tubing down the river!

Happy Travels and Enjoy your Journey!!
LeighAnn & Jamie

Some more Idaho 6/18/15-6/23/15

Just wanted to post some more things about our current visit in Idaho with Jamie's family. First I'll break down the family for you, you know, who is who. It's a bit overwhelming for me as I am an only child and basically grew up in a completely silent house...my mom and stepfather used to watch TV with the sound off LOL. I'm used to a lot of alone time, but being overwhelmed is worth it to be accepted by Jamie's wonderful family!!

So here they are (don't have pictures of each person, sorry.)

Michelle (Jamie's sister) and her husband Cliff.

the kids (they aren't really kids anymore lol)

Chris and his girlfriend Alex and his three girls: Brittany, Morgan and Chloe

Will and Allie with there son Nixon

Stephanie (that I only briefly met and haven't had chance to really get to talk to)

Taylor

Here's two videos of the girls doing the song from Pitch Perfect

Sorry about the video starting out "crooked." I promise I turn the camera LOL. Hey, I'm a scrapbooker, not a videographer!!

and here's a video of sweet little Nixon getting to ride in the wagon while his daddy (Will) pulls it around the yard with the lawn tractor

This was during our cookout for Father's day on the 20th.

Speaking of the Father's Day cookout...wow...tons of food and such a good time. Water balloon fights, fireworks, a small grass fire (put out with the hose that was at the ready near by.) 

I wish I had gotten more pictures, but I was busy having fun and yes, eating. There were hamburgers, salmon burgers, brats (yes, I made those lol) chicken; pasta salad, potato salad, 

chips and I think like 3 different types of dip. There was a HUGE chocolate cake and I made the "Better than Anything Cake" which disappeared as soon as I brought it out. I think I gained five pounds that day  alone!! 

It was an awesome day out and everyone had fun. It was nice to be part of a group/family like that again. Growing up in GA it was just my mom, stepdad and me. All my family was always in WI (and whoever wasn't in WI is spread out all over the country.) Anyway, it was awesome!!

Jamie started a patio for Michelle the last time he was here...he, Cliff and Will worked on it a bit before the cook out and yesterday they started working on it again.

He likes playing with his bucket and shovel!!! LOL!! Just kidding. I'll try to remember to get a picture of it finished so I can post it in another blog post.

Well, I'm off to find some more fun!! Won't be too difficult to do here!! (The house isn't as full today as some were only here for the weekend.)

Happy travels and enjoy your journey!
LeighAnn & Jamie

Hanging out in Idaho 6/18-6/22/15

So we got back to Nampa Idaho on Thursday, June 18th. It was late, maybe midnight-ish. We were worn out from all the driving (the 5 days to Washington and the 7 hour drive back from Washington to Idaho) and immediately crashed in bed when we got in. Father's Day weekend had big plans so Michelle and Cliff had a full house. We didn't even hear Chris and Alex come in at 1:30am we were sleeping so hard already LOL!!

So far we've had a FANTASTIC time!! 

Just like always...this shows Jamie being such a nice guy!! We had run into Target and when we were coming out we see a woman and a Target employee trying to wrestle a chair into the lady's car. The lady kept saying "I know it will fit." Well, after we got into the truck and were kind of just watching them, Jamie got out and actually cut a piece of rope off of our rope and took it over to them...

 Then he put the chair in the trunk and tied the truck lid down so that everything would be safe and sound for transport. What a sweetheart!! I'm so lucky!! 

Here is my niece Taylor...all Sophomores pose this way!! She is such a sweetheart and so has it together for her age!! I love her to pieces!! I won't even post about her voice right this second....You'll hear about that later!!

Jamie made sure everything was right with Jeep #1 that's been stored here since October. There is an issue with the upper and lower radiator hoses are dried out and we had to flush the radiator...but  we've already got the replacement hoses and will get everything installed within in the next few days.

We did drive it around a bit. The pressure plate needs to be replaced and the transmission still needs to be rebuilt, but it's road worthy enough to take it off the trailer if we would need to. Once we get it back to Augusta starts the real work on it!!

So Idaho has been amazing so far.

We'll keep you posted and I have more to share with you about our time here in Idaho, but I'll make you wait for it ;)

Happy travels and enjoy your journey. Be well!!

LeighAnn & Jamie

Congratulations Bodhi! 6/15/15

Well, the day arrived! The day the inspired the vacation/honeymoon and has us driving across the country like explorers from another country. I am SO proud of this "kid." I say "kid" because he is clearly not a kid anymore. He is in that tough place we all experienced when we graduated from high school. We were legally adults (except for the silly law about drinking alcohol until you're 21!) but we weren't even close to being real world adults. 

I know that a lot of people saw me as being "really put together" when I graduated from high school. In reality, I wasn't "really put together," I was "really told what to do." What appeared to some, to be my planning for my future and even knowing what I wanted to be when I grew up, was really being told that I was going to college for so long that I didn't know I had other options. And I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up, I just picked the subject I liked the best. 

I'm telling you, while Bodhi doesn't have his future any more figured out than I did, this kid really does have his head on straight. He's not following the "sheep" to college, or trade school, or anywhere. He's thinking for himself about what he wants his future to hold. His vision of his future may not be conventional or traditional, or even probable, but it's HIS vision of HIS future and I'm so proud of him for being strong enough to be himself...especially right now...where he is in his life. 

Enough with all that deep crap!! On to the pictures and happy memories!

Here is Bodhi's senior class all sitting down right before they start handing out diplomas. 

Here is Bodhi receiving his diploma from the principle of his school. 

Check it out!! This Pitboss shirt he is wearing under his graduation gown is from my friend's band...I got the shirt from Tommy and when Bodhi moved to Washington in like 2011, he took it with him. And there it is again!! Love it!!

Here is Bodhi with Papa and Nana!! They flew in from Wisconsin just to see him graduate. It wasn't nearly a long enough visit...but at least they were here. Hopefully before too long, Bodhi and Papa and Nana can meet up for a bit longer :)

Bodhi hamming it up with Jamie!

Here's Bodhi and Jamie again :)  I know that Marty is Bodhi's dad and Jamie has never tried to take that role away from Marty. But these two have such a great bond. They have had some rough times...but I think they've worked through them. Now they are more like peers than like parent/child...and they sure have fun together. I swear, Bodhi was happier to see Jamie than me LOL!! It's okay, I know this boy loves his momma!! I have no worries there :)  But I love seeing these two cutting up and laughing with each other...sometimes even at my expense LOL. 

Just like ANY visit with family, it always seems too short. 

Catching up and what the HECK is going on!!!

Hey everyone....I know I'm WAY behind on this blogging thing. It was all easy to stay caught up until we got to WA and I'm telling you...time went CRAZY fast!! Not only did time go CRAZY fast...my memory ran FAR away!! What I mean is, my days started to run together and even while looking at some of the pictures I am totally confused on where we were and what we were doing. SOOOOO...on some of those days, Jamie is going to help me put all the pieces together.

This does mean the blog is going to get kind of disjointed from the chronological standpoint. So...I'm going to put the date that the blog is about in the title going forward. That way, you can always go back and read them in date order (regardless of the date it was posted) to kind of get the actual timeline we traveled.

Now to just do a super superficial overview of what's been going on...

We got to Washington on Thursday June 11th. Picked up Papa & Nana from the airport on Friday June 12th. Bodhi graduated on Monday June 15th and we stayed until Thursday June 18th. We saw Bodhi every single day we were there...it was AWESOME!!  Thursday June 18th we drove back to Nampa Idaho where Jamie's sister lives. We are still here in Nampa and will be here until probably Sunday June 28th...and then the adventure begins again!!! So don't quit reading!! I'll get you caught up and there is still so much to come!!

Happy travels and be well!
LeighAnn & Jamie

Bulls, Bill and Solar Power (6/9/15)

 Hello everyone! I know, I'm even farther behind now than I was before, but whew, we've been TIRED. I haven't stayed up this late, tossed and turned in bed this much, or have gotten up this early since college exam days! Truly, don't know if we'll get anymore sleep until we get home...but everything is so much fun and there is so much to see...I'll suck up the tired...I can sleep when I'm dead!!

 As we are driving down the highway in WY, we pass this bull and many many many other herds of cattle. Together Jamie and I said "I think we're d

A Day Late...

Sorry ya'll didn't hear from me last night and I JUST realized that I didn't publish the night before's blog post either!! It was written, just  didn't manage to hit the "published" button LOL. By the time we've stopped, we've been exhausted so that's my excuse!! Last night we were pushing through and we just got tired. We actually slept in the truck at a truck stop...it was kind of fun. That truck is so big that I can stretch almost completely out in the back seat and almost sleep stretched out on my stomach LOL. Anyway, no motel room meant no WiFi or electricity for the laptop, so no post....so TODAY I'm writing stuff about yesterday's (6/09/2015) adventures and I just went back through all the pictures and there will be A LOT of them...I hope you enjoy them. Hopefully later tonight I'll write about today!!

First of, before I write anything else, or post a single picture, let me tell you that no picture I took can ever do what I saw true justice. I have never since land formations or landscapes that literally took my breath away. Our entire drive yesterday was nothing short of amazing and I have to say, if you are always flying everywhere...YOU ARE MISSING OUT. It was so incredible to just ride through these states and what the landscape change right before your eyes! Anyway, back on topic:

We left Ft Collins CO yesterday morning, kind of late. To be honest we did go to a local marijuana dispensary. One side of the building was dedicated to the medical side of marijuana and the other side was for purchasing it for recreational uses. It was kind of cool to see all the ways they "packaged" it...sprays, buds, lip buzz, and on and on. There were limits to how much you could buy and interestingly enough...the prices were similar to what were heard illegal weed goes on the street.

Our trip was full of time talking and cracking jokes and I KNOW many inside jokes were started yesterday for sure. The batteries died in one of my point and shoot cameras and until we got to the next gas station I was basically without a camera (both our cell phones were dying fast too) so we ended up just laughing and cutting up with each other. I'm not sure if it was all the miles or that we were just having so much fun, but we ended up being silly and laughing and laughing and laughing. Those of you that know me well know that while I can be a lot of fun, I have a very serious side. It was sooooo nice to just relax and belly laugh with Jamie!! This trip has really become like a honeymoon for us. I won't get into all the details but we've struggled with our relationship over the years and went through some really tough stuff. We also have never had a honeymoon from when we got married back in September 2003...so we decided that this is it!! We are have a BLAST!! So here are some of our laughs from 6/9/15

We pulled out my Ipod to listen to it for a bit (not many radio stations to choose from.) I was using an external speaker and guess we had it cranked up a bit too loud, to make up for all the wind noise from having the windows mostly down) and we ended up blowing up that poor little speaker...maybe on our journey home, we'll buy another one, or maybe we'll just keep talking LOL

After the speaker blew up we looked to see if we had any CDs in the truck and there was a Kid Rock CD...we put it in and that's when Jamie tells me it's actually Jane's (his younger sister) CD as their mom wouldn't let her have the explicit version...so Jamie gave her his copy (that had the explicit lyrics) and he took her copy LOL....so we listen to Kid Rock all bleeped out! LOL

Jamie has decided that one of the things on his bucket list is going to Bonnieville, the salt flats.

Then Burt Reynolds '79 TA needs to go...then he wants to do a remake of Smokey and the Bandit (I say Smokey and the Bandit Revived!) It was a hilarious conversations for sure!

I CANNOT get over the way things look, everything is larger than life.

Colorado is an incredibly beautiful state!

That is full of oil.

Then were are in WYOMING! 

Then we passed these!!

Jamie said it was Warren Air Force Base in WY.

There is so much to see...I'll try to run through some cool things for you...

It's called a "road gate" and it works like a train barricade does except it's closing the highway...usually do to weather conditions. 

I lived in WI and thought I knew what snow fences looked like...I was wrong!

Yep that's a WY snow fence!

We took a minute to grab something to eat in Chugwater WY

We really wanted to try a buffalo burger and we finally got the opportunity to do just that in Chugwater WY. At this place

 We got our buffalo burger, served no differently than a regular hamburger...

and tasted pretty good. Our only complaint was that because buffalo is so lean the burger was dry, even though it was pink in the middle. But the experience was fantastic!

This was right on the front door...ya, carrying a gas can with a couple gallons of gas in it, is probably a really good idea. I saw how far it was between exits and sometimes the exits said  right on the sign "no services" so they were letting you know there was nothing at that exit. As a city girl all I could do was say "CRAZY!!" I am truly in amazement about everything out here.

I do have to tell you our trip to Chugwater did bring it's own joke..."maybe more people would move to Chugwater if they changed the name to Chugbeer!" I didn't tell you it was a good joke!

Before I post some more scenery, Hey WI peeps...did you know there was a Taco John's in WY?!

Since I have to catch this up, I'm going to end this post here...for one, I'm terribly sleepy and we have to drive like 7 hours again tomorrow. Another is that I don't want to make post so long people get sick of reading it. So with that being said, good night and I'll do my best to get things caught up tomorrow!

Happy journeys and new adventures!

Jamie and LeighAnn