Yellowstone

Since moving to Montana, one of the things I have really wanted to do was see some of the unique wonders of the world that can only be seen in Yellowstone.  Some things you cannot find anywhere else in the world.  Living so close, I thought it would be a tragedy not to go.

My parents were super helpful putting the trip together.  They have some friends that own a cabin just outside of Yellowstone and were gracious enough to let us stay there - which was awesome.  One of the great benefits of staying there was we drove through a part of the park every day that doesn't see a lot of traffic, and therefore were able to see more wildlife.

Getting to Yellowstone was a journey on it's own.  Another bucket list item was to drive the Beartooth Pass.  The drive is a lot of fun and you get to see some beautiful scenery/vistas.  It's not for those who don't like narrow roads with huge drop-offs though.  If it bothers you that the only thing keeping you from certain death is the skill of the driver a thin piece of sheet metal...this is not for you.  If you look at the pictures below you will be able to see all of the snow.  The pass is only open part of the year...and even in the middle of summer there are parts with 10+ft of snow.  I think the funnest part was driving above the timberline.  It was very weird to be driving on top of the world with not a single tree in sight...it was like another world.

Another great part of the trip was no cell coverage.  AT&T, Verizon, and TMobile had no coverage.  It was awesome.

I did not appreciate the size of Yellowstone.  The place is huge.  It takes hours to cross the park.  I didn't mind the driving, it was just more than I was expecting.  The views were great along the way, so it was no problem.

We were able to see lots of bear, bear cubs, elk, deer, antelope, fox, bison, snakes, birds...lots of wildlife.  There was a buffalo that was blocking the road and wouldn't let us pass.  Once he finally got off the road we slowly started to drive past and as we were passing, Emily rolled down her window and the bison did not like that!  I thought I was going to get a bison horn signature on the side of our van.  Thankfully we made it out okay.  

One thing we have been trying to do for a long time is show Audrey stars - lots of them, like you only see out in the country. We woke Audrey up in the middle of the night so we could go outside and look at the stars.  Using my dad's telescope we saw the moons of Jupiter and a bunch of other stars.  Audrey thought it was amazing.

Driving home we got to see a bunch of waterfalls and the remains of an old hydro power plant that supplied power to an old mining town.  That was really cool.

Overall it was a great time with amazing people, beautiful views, and wildlife.  I am so glad we went.

-Paul

 

 

Sweet Wyatt

I've been avoiding this.  Mostly because I haven't known what to say.  I feel like I've been bombarded by tragedy this year and I really don't know how to handle it. 

During our vacation to Disney we got the news that my nephew Wyatt was diagnosed with AML Leukemia.  It was a blow to all of us.  I found myself sobbing at random for days.  I wanted to take what seemed like a nightmare away from my brother and his wife.  I wanted a do over.  I wanted to rewind a few months and let them go back to normal.  I instantly thought back to their visit here last year.  They didn't have to come this far out of their way to see me.  I was grateful for every moment I got to spend with them and their sweet babies and now I'm even more grateful.  I'm grateful for that time without cancer, without hospital stays, and without fear of the unknown. 

I got to go out a few weeks ago and take care of Michael and Chrissy's kids.  I wanted so badly to help.....to relieve some small portion of their burden.  I really just wanted to take all the pain away but I knew I couldn't do that.  The only thing I could do(as small as it was), was to be there to take care of their kids while Michael went to work and to the hospital. 

I could tell that Michael carried a burden that I could probably never comprehend and that was only half of it.  Chrissy carried the other half at the hospital day in and day out watching her son suffer and not being able to do anything about it.  I had a hard time leaving knowing I couldn't be there to help if he needed me another time.  I hate living so far away and I've grown to hate it even more now that some of my family members are struggling and I can't be there to help. 

Today my heart goes out again to my brother and his wife.  They received yet again some difficult news.  I find myself going to my knees yet again to ask for help from the only person who can lift and carry them through this.  He promises that He won't leave us comfortless so I have to trust that He's going to be there in their many hours of need.   

I was reading my grandma's history last night.  I'm so grateful that she took the time to record her thoughts.  As I read about her life and the things she went through I drew comfort and strength from her experiences. I've had a picture of my great grandmother on my fridge for a while.  She too went through a lot in her lifetime.  The future can be a scary thing....you never know what it holds.  I just pray that I'll be strong enough to make it through to the other side with a strong testimony like these women.