Durango trip...

the majority of these pictures were taken by Kaitlyn

We had tons of fun in Durango, Colorado. It was beautiful and green up on the mountain where we stayed. We spent a lot of time in town too though. Each time we drove into town I think I told Brandon, "It's so pretty here" about 10 times. Especially when we drove past that one crystal clear pond huh Honey? I think there was an afternoon thunder storm every day that we were there. We loved it though. The kids would have been happy to stay in the pool from sun up til sun down. There was a pool at Durango Mountain Resort where the condo we rented was.  Heated with a slide...my kids dream come true.

So, we left Snowflake around noon on August 25th. We drove up through Shiprock and Farmington New Mexico. If we didn't stop so much....it would have been a 5 hour drive. But we have little kids and a nursing baby....so we stopped quite a few times. By the time we made it into Durango...it was getting dark and a nice big thunderstorm was underway. (not the best conditions to be in when you are trying to find where you are staying in a place you have never been before.) We made it to the condo pretty late...some time after 8 p.m. By then we were all tired of being in the car and ready to be done with that part of the trip. Well....then code we were given to open the door on the condo didn't work....but luckily we were able to make a couple phone calls and get that worked out. The condo was nice...but not too nice. Perfect for us and our kids who aren't always so careful. It was sort of a basement unit. We discovered that it stayed pretty dark in there unless you turned on the lights or opened the windows. This made it very easy to sleep in and not even know it!

Monday we hit the pool...then showered up and went to see the Bar -D Wranglers at the Bar-D Chuck wagon Supper Ranch (or whatever they call that place). They are the whole reason we went to Durango. Brandon and I saw them perform here in Snowflake and we thought the kids would love it. We took one of their brochures and the more we looked at the pictures on it, the more interesting we became in visiting Durango...so we did! It was fun to go someplace new to us. Anyhow...back to what I was saying. We went to the see the dinner show. They have it all worked out there! You are assigned a table. They serve dinner buffet style...which would be a nightmare with 4 little kids...but they will also assign you a helper. So I stayed at the table and Brandon had a helper and it all worked out great. They have the BEST biscuits I have ever tasted. My mother in law makes some good darn ones but I think these might have hers beat! I could have eaten a dozen. We thought about asking if we could buy the leftovers. Oh...and that's another thing. You pay for your meal based on if your are an adult or a child and of you want chicken or beef...(beef is more of course)...and then when everyone as been served, they invite you up to get seconds! Like I said...they have it all figured out over there! So...by the time we were done eating, the show started. It was dark and the sky was clear and starry. It was a nice setting and a fun show. Our favorite songs were "Mike the Headless Chicken", and "Old Matt Palmer Has a Misfit Farm". They also sang some western classics...like "Ghost Rider". And then at the end they sang a medley of patriotic songs. We all of course sang along. When they were singing "and I'll proudly stand up next to you and defend her still today" everyone there stood up...without being told to. It was like a salute to our country. Made you proud to be an American and to be surround by people who felt the same way.

Tuesday we did some back to school shopping. They don't have many more stores there than we do in Show Low...but we managed to get the girls a few things. Then we went home and I think Brandon took the kids swimming...until the rain started.

Wednesday...we hung out on the mountain. I even did a crock pot roast with potatoes and carrots for dinner. We swam and took a little walk. It was a nice low key day.

Thursday we were nice and took the kids to McDonald's. (why do kids love that place so much?) They had a play place (those places disgust me...but I kept my mouth shut and let them play...I did however speak up when Weston drank from a discarded cup he found on a table. YUCK!) So...anyhow...we let the kids indulge themselves in all McDonald's had to offer...and then we went and walk around Downtown Durango. It reminded Brandon and I of Ketchikan, AK..the mountains and the way the river snakes through town and all the touristy shops selling t-shirts and nail polish that changes col rs in the sun. Plus there were booths set up with people doing tours and river rides. (It would be SO fun to go rafting there when the kids are older!)

Friday we planned to do the Alpine Slide at the resort...but it was storming. SO...luckily Melissa Ballard had told be about the Durango Rec Center. That place is awesome! I wish we had something like that here! They have the best kiddie pool I have ever seen. It was a little lazy river and a couple of  slides that were soft and shaped like a snail and a house. I didn't get in the water....but I had fun just watching Brandon with the kids. There was a big water slide that they all loved and then over in the big pool, Kaitlyn jumped off of the diving board which she had been nervous to do. Anyhow. It was a lot of fun. Then we had Dairy Queen for dinner....the perfect way to end the day. Well...actually...we took the kids to play at the park before heading back up the mountain. (I had to feed Connor and it was a good 20-30 minute drive back to the condo.) That's the only thing Brandon and I wish we had done differently on this trip. We wish we had stayed in town because that's where we spent most of our time. (now we know!)

Saturday we got up and got everything packed. We had to be out of there by noon. We headed over to the Alpine Slides.....turns out they draw a big crowd on the weekend... and we ended up waiting about 45 minutes! We didn't even think to wear sunscreen and Brandon, Connor and I got a little burnt. :[ Anyhow. The slide was fun. The ride up the ski lift...not so fun for me. I rode up with Adelin...who is fearless. She was like, "Can I try to get a leaf off the tree?"...while I am trying to not hyperventilate and singing "I am a Child of God" and constantly evaluating how badly we'd get hurt if we fell from the height we were at. The ride up was seriously about 5 minutes or more.  At one point, we went over a canyon and I was thinking to myself "Yup, we'd be dead if we fell now". I am a little freakish when it comes to heights...but I was proud of myself for doing it anyways. I think if I rode the ski lift maybe 100 times, I might be able to do it without all the talking in my head and praying over and over to not get hurt. ANYHOW....the slide down was a blast. Adelin rode with me...and she was like "Whooo! This is the best fun ever!" the whole way down! Brandon and Kaitlyn went down separately and both loved it. It would have been fun to do again if it were cheaper and not such a long line. Well, after that...everyone but me and Connor rode the mechanical bull. (I have some pretty sweet footage of that I'll post later!).......then we hit the van and started our slllooowww journey home.

All in all it was a fun vacation. The kids were happy...we were happy....what more could you ask for?