the one about the Burns reunion

We got home Sunday evening from the annual Burns family reunion. That is Grandma Galley's family. This year, we went to MillSite State Park near Ferron, Utah. It was such a neat place! I had never even heard of it but it was a super fun place to go. It was very nice and clean. There were very nice camp sites right on the beach of the lake. There was a really cool golf course there and the guys hit that a few times. We had a nice pavilion and full bathrooms and showers. Of course, I have my own bathroom and shower in my trailer, but it is still nice to have it there. The weather was sort of nasty the first couple of days, but Saturday was PERFECT! We had a lot of rain, but that wasn't even that bad part... the WIND was AWFUL! But only a small part of the time so it was bearable. We left Wednesday afternoon. the drive should have only been about 3 and a half hours, but it ended up being about 5. We started having vehicle problems at the summit of Indian canyon. We pulled over, popped the hood and Brett discovered a blown radiator hose. He had to totally McGyver it with an old leather glove and his belt, but it got us to Price so we could get the parts we needed. We traveled with Tara's family and by the time we got to the part store in Price, the kids were ready to stretch out.

They had water guns so.... do the math. Antsy kids cooped up in cars, slow, hot travel; add in a few water guns and... well you can only imagine! After that little bump in the road, and a pit stop at Subway, we were on our way. Setting up camp was pretty easy, since there wasn't much leveling to do. Spence looks totally weird in this picture, but it was so funny that he kept putting his head in the trailer and yelling things like, "Mommy! I'm hungry!" "Mommy! I'm scared!" etc. etc. He is such a nut!!! He took a tent and we put it right by our trailer. I was so worried that he was going to get attacked by a bear. Brett assured me that there are not many bears in the dessert, but I was still concerned. They also told me they sprayed the tent with bear repellent so that eased my mind a lot. ;) We were all hungry around 10 pm, so I made TONS of grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. Thursday morning, we headed for Goblin Valley. It was about an hour and a half drive from our campground. Like every camp out, Quayd and Drake are attached at the hip, so Drake rode to Goblin Valley with us. They are such good boys and they have so much fun together. Here are some pix from that day. Brett, Spencer, Quayd, Drake and I all walked into the valley together. Can you see Brett and Spence way up at the top of the above picture???It started getting really hot and it was time for lunch but Brett and Spencer still wanted to hike so the little boys and I headed back to the pavilion. Grandma Galley had brought a nice big lunch for everyone. We spent a few hours there, then headed back to camp. We were all hot and tired and I think everyone of us, except Brett since he was driving, fell asleep. Friday morning we played Bingo. Grandma Galley takes her Bingo pretty serious! She shops all year long looking for sales and good deals on prizes for the kids and adults. Brett was the bingo caller and I helped set up prizes. Can you believe this? There were close to 80 people there and everyone that played went home with with a paper grocery sack full of stuff! On Friday evening, with the swords they got from Bingo, Brett and Spencer decided to have an ultimate fighting/jousting competition on the water trampoline. It was so funny. They both ended up bruised, scratched and sore the next day.

/p>

Saturday was spent mostly just relaxing and playing in the water and on the beach.








On our last night at the reunion, Brett and Spencer decided to make a craps table. They used the back of some wrapping paper and it it actually looked pretty good!


Brett had packed his poker set and it had everything in it for craps. They invited anyone who wanted to play. It ended up being Chad and Marcie, Scott, Shae, Brett and Spence. They had so much fun! The kids stayed up late that night riding bikes, playing with glow sticks and roasting marshmallows. Tara and I stayed up and fed our Bejeweled addiction. Yah, we totally had WiFi at the campground!!!

This is Chad's little boy, Evan. Isn't he so cute? I just love him!!! He gives "face lovies." So CUTE!!! It got kind of windy once it got dark, so it ended up being sorta chilly. I don't know how or why... but a few "people" decided to "take a dip" in the lake, if you know what I mean. Burrrrrrrr, it was SO COLD, but it sure was fun!!!!! It was a good way to end this fun camping trip. Quayd loves camping so much! I like it, I always have fun, but even if I didn't it would still be worth going, just so Quayd could have fun. It's funny, actually. I feel like I hardly even see Quayd when we are camping because he is off playing the whole time. He stays pretty busy exploring and playing. I'm so glad he loves it so much. He is so much fun! I just wish he would stop growing....

By the time we got home, cleaned everything up and re-stocked the trailer, I had decided that I had enough camping for awhile. But, now I have changed my mind... I am ready to go again. I actually think we might go this weekend. Anybody want to go???

the one about my bad luck at the Burns reunion

So I have been home for almost a week and still haven't posted this stuff. I have been a little sick-ey and just haven't had the energy to do much.

I was SO excited to go to this reunion. The Burns family is Grandma Galley's side of the family. (Her siblings, mostly.) We get together each year and, thanks to grandma, have a WONDERFUL reunion. We always have fun and get to catch up with all of this fun family. Grandma Galley puts so much time and effort into these reunions and they just get better every year. This year was no different. We had a huge turnout. I think the final number was around 102. Everybody had a great time, even me, despite the bad luck I encountered......

The reunion was held in Altamont at Hidden Springs Ranch. It is a beautiful cabin/lodge set up with tons of fun activities. They have a rock climbing wall, paint ball fields, shooting range, horse and pony rides, basketball, volleyball, pool, hot tub, game room and more! We have been here before and had great experiences. There are 5 private suite type rooms (you have to pay extra for those), 2 rooms that sleep 5 and 6 rooms that sleep 12. We were in a room for 12 with Rhonda's family and Gary and Tara's family. That makes 13, actually. (Brett, Quayd and I, Gary, Tara and their 4 kids, Rhonda and her 3 kids. Our room wasn't the only one full either. We were to capacity. The reunion was from Thursday to Sunday. Brett had to work and couldn't come until Friday, so Quayd and I just decided to ride over with Talia on Thursday. She also wanted to go to a store in Roosevelt and we decided to have lunch at a yummy drive in there. We left town at 12:00, on the way called in our food and headed straight for the restaurant. This is where my bad luck started. (Brynn, Beau'D, Cory and Gleneita joined us too.) We waited and waited for our food. We had been there for over an hour when we finally asked what was going on. They informed us that our food had been sitting there done for a long time, but they forgot to call our name. Well all of the food was soggy and nasty. They did re-cook some of it, but we were anxious to get going. Then we go to the store Talia wanted to visit, and it was closed. Strange. Closed on a Thursday afternoon at 2:00. Ok, whatever. A few wrong turns and a flat tire later, we were headed for the lodge.

Remember how I went to the concert? Well I had only gotten about 3 1/2 hours of sleep the night before, so by now, it was really catching up to me. As we got there, we were unpacking, and first of all, I put my stuff in the wrong room and caused a little panic for a second. We got that worked out, and as I was hauling my cooler of diet Pepsi down to my room, I got intercepted and informed of the "no food or drink downstairs rule." Errrrrrrr..... Ok. So I took my cooler back out to Talia's car and grabbed my last bag. As I shut the hatchback of her brand new Mercury Mariner, the back window shattered! Yes. It shattered and I had sharp pieces of glass EVERYWHERE! The glass actually got stuck all over in my brand new ModBe flip flops and I had to chuck them. I couldn't save them. I also had glass stuck in my legs, my feet and my hands. I tried to pick it out the best I could and then I remembered.... "I still have to tell Talia!" She was pretty cool about it, considering what happened. But to my defense, it was decided that the hydraulic things that collapse to close the door malfunctioned, causing the window to break. I still feel bad though. I was about to cry looking at it, and looking at her. Once the mess was pretty well cleaned up, I went down to my room and hid for awhile. I tried to nap, but there was just too much excitement around me. (Remember, still going on 3 1/2 hours of sleep the night before!)

Now, moving onto day 2. We decided to drive up to the activities center and let the kids ride the pony. I rode up with Tara. As we were heading out to the car, I had my camera on my wrist and went to reach in my cooler (that I ended up sneaking into my room! Shhhhhhhh.... don't tell Grandma!) for a ice cold diet Pepsi. Well my camera dangled down and dipped into the ice water and, well, do I need to finish? So thank Tara for these pictures...

Isn't he just adorable though! I mean look at those big brown eyes and that big smile. I just can't resist his cuteness. And isn't Quayd cute too?

So after the pony ride, Quayd, Amelia, Kaylee and Abby wanted to ride the paddle boat. The wind was blowing so hard by this point that they would just get the boat out, and the wind would blow them back to shore. When they were getting off, Quayd said, "That was the suckiest ride ever."
(Tara. Thanks. Pictures.)

That evening, Darlene did the cutest game for everyone and we all got a prize. They made this cool wheel and we all got to spin for a chance at something awesome! I won some nice hand soap and lotion. Quayd got a nerf foot ball thing and Brett got a $2 bill. Quayd wanted to help Grandpa Galley spin!!
(Tara, thumbs up!)

Now back to my bad luck.... Before we left, I lost the top to my brand new ModBe swimsuit!!! Luckily, I got two suits so I was able to wear the other one, but I can't find this top ANYWHERE!!!

So I know I sound like a total downer right now, and don't get me wrong, this was a GREAT reunion. REALLY!!!!! I just had some bad luck. But on Saturday, it got real "explosive" for me. I mean, it all went down the "crapper." My bad luck was "running" wild and "churning" with "real force." Yes, that's right. I got the stomach flu. I ended up coming home alone a day early. It was terrible, and it really held on for most of this week. I have just felt yucky. I am doing better now and I feel like I have caught up on some very badly needed rest! Everybody had a great time at this reunion, and as always, it was PERFECT. This was just my version of my bad luck. Grandma, thank you so much for all of your hard work! You are amazing and I am personally grateful for your hard work and effort to make these things happen. Thank you for including us and always making me feel welcome! I LOVE YOU!!!!