Summer Vacation; The Longest Post Ever!

July 7th Abbi and I leaving for Seattle
It was the first time I had been on a plane or even set foot in an air port since before 9-11. I was a bit stressed. I should say a lot stressed. It rubbed off on Abbi because as soon as we were at our gate in Spokane airport she was crying missing her Dad, already. Thank you for cell phones. He could calm her down in two seconds.

We were in the air long enough to get a glass of juice and a bag of pretzels and it was time to start coming down. Wish all plane rides were that short.


July 9, OCEAN SHORES Washington!! ( I've been looking forward to this day for weeks!)
Somehow I always manage to stay out of the pictures at the beach so I took one of myself playing in the water.

We dug in the sand and bought saltwater taffy we even stopped at humdinger for lunch, an old haunt. I even remember taking a trip with Jen (in our younger days just to eat there) It was sooo much fun spending time with her and her boys. Oh ya we even saw a whale just beyond the surf! No lie! We saw it spout two or three times! So cool!

Gotcha Jen!

It's the ocean rain or shine I should have know to pack that kid's swimsuit!!!

Oh well she had fun without it.

Not that great of a store on the inside ( I'm sure most things that go inside a sharks mouth would feel the same about a real shark)


July 10th Abbi got herself a new friend at Build a bear


July 11th, Celebrated my Dad's 61st birthday with all of my family (Sans husband)
Yes he's using a torch to light his own candles.


July 13, Leave for Arizona with my parents and brother. Rest stop in Oregon



Boise Idaho Temple




July 14th Promontory Utah, The Golden Spike National Historic Park

1869
"The last rail is laid! The last spike is driven! The Pacific Railroad is completed! The point of junction is 1086 miles west of the Missouri River, and 690 East of Sacramento City."



July 15 (My Father's Birthday) Salt Lake City Utah






My mother broke her hand back on Memorial day weekend and consequently the heat had made her hand swell, so, we stopped to let her soak her hand a bit in the fountain, well if that wasn't embarrassing how about my father thinking that it looked great, taking off his shoes and soaking his feet as well. Parents, so embarrassing!

This false leg on display in the museum belonged to my great-great grandpa Evans who had to wear it (with great pain) while pushing a handcart across the plains.

I was in too much of a hurry I didn't wait for the camera to click oops!




July 16, Bryce Canyon Utah




Do you see the squirrel? It just sat there perched on a ledge chirping at the people walking by.

The canyon just draws you in but not too far when your wearing sandals and flip flops.

Beautiful views everywhere you look.



Any chance to take a silly tourist photo



That's us driving through the rock


July 17th, Somewhere in North Arizona

I was certain I could push that rock over, No! wait I was holding it up ya that's the story.


Any way to find some shade

in the early 30's a woman's car broke down on the side of the road and she had to spend the night. She actually began to love the area and came back after purchasing the property and began to build a home there among the interesting rocks

Lee's Ferry Arizona where my mother's ancestors crossed the canyon and they traveled to their new homestead.


July 17-20, Clement Family Reunion, Sunset crater Flagstaff Arizona

Grandpa(deceased) & Grandma Clement
11 children
64 grandchildren
123 great grandchildren
164 people in attendance at the reunion

My mom and two of her brothers

Abbi and one of her many, MANY cousins

The flag I made for our family

So many things going on at once you could walk the whole campground and see family interacting with other family.

It has been a long time since I've seen so many of them it was hard to try and catch up with them all so we almost just picked up where we left off and just created more memories together





July 20, (1996) Our wedding day. July 20,2009 Jason Colville Washington, Georgia Camping Arizona.
To my Dear Jason,
Thanks for letting Abbi and I go for such a long time to see my family and visit new places and experience new things. I wish you could be here with us. Abbi and I both miss you.
Love, Georgia

when we started setting up our campsite, I found this stump sticking up out of the ground. The perfect little heart inspired my to write Jason & my initials in the heart with the date (our anniversary) in it now that stump is there and I'm back at home with my hubby. Happy "Lucky 13" Honey!


July 20-24th, Camping Blue Ridge Reservoir, Mogollon Rim, Arizona


Between The wind and thunder storms and massive down poor, there were chances to sit around the campfire with aunts and uncles and some of my cousins of course my parents and grandma too. It was good to see them and spend extra time with them all after the reunion. We also got to play in the water. Good thing too, my parents hauled two kayaks all the way from Renton Washington, just to use them on the lake!

July 24th-27th Pine Arizona

Then we went to Pine Arizona. Pine is a small town where my Great Grandpa homesteaded, raised my Grandmother, and where she lives today, at least during the summer. We came for a short visit to see my grandma. We also did some shopping at the thrift store (always good clothes for the dress up box at grandma's house) and visited the museum in town, I also had to buy honey sticks at the honey store next door, but the most fun I had was digging around the ruins of great grandpa's barn ( I found an old horse shoe a piece of a plow a nail and some old glass) relics I've got a project for later.

A Turkey Buzzard flying overhead.

We went to grandpa's grave to see the headstone and place gravel around the grave. I love visiting pioneer cemeteries ( A new thing since I became a funeral directors wife.) This one is special because of the ancestors I have here. It was very touching to watch and be there with my parents and grandmother and aunts and uncles.
While we were in pine, we went to celebrate Pioneer Day with my Grandma at her Stake Pioneer Picnic. They had great food, Hamburgers and hot dogs, salads and corn on the cob and home made root beer.
while we waited for the food lines to die down we snacked on candy and snow cones and Abbi played in a bounce house.
The day was full of fun activities, watermelon eating contest, sack races, tug-o-war a dance at night and even a greased pig contest( we left so I didn't get to see that I dearly wish I did)

July 27, time to head home.
All through Northern Arizona, along the roads are stands where Native Americans sell things like jewelry, pottery, rugs and it's all pretty and fun to look at but, there is one place where the road winds up out of the canyon and has a beautiful view. We stopped there to eat lunch stretch our legs and of course to buy jewelry.
Wow Mom That's It? Yup Abbi, that's the Grand Canyon.
Next stop. The Glen Canyon Dam on Lake Powell.
Us sitting on a turbine. Ouch it's a sharp seat!
We were hoping to get in on a tour but we were too late. Looking over the edge will have to do for this trip.

Next stop, the Moqui Cave North of Kanab Utah. Pre- 1950's this abandoned cave was used by teenagers as party central. Then a man and his wife bought the property and had a painting party painting all the walls white and put a bar and a dance hall inside and made the mouth of the cave look like a big triceratops dinosaur. Then in the 70's or 80's (I can't remember what the tour guide said) they decided to slow it down a bit and made it a gift shop and museum. with a large number of dinosaur tracks and rock minerals.
The outside of the cave is surrounded by replicas of cliff dwellings inhabited in S. Utah about 900 A.D.

My brother was very happy to be out of the car.

The coolest tourist trap I've visited ever!

July 28, Idaho Falls, Idaho Falls Temple visit.
It was also the day that Idaho Falls holds a concert in the park and let gobs of little rubber duckies ride down the falls. We didn't get to stay and have fun in the park. It was time to get back on the road.

July 29, some where in Montana.
We were just driving though to get to Spokane Washington so it's worth mentioning it was the Sixth state Abbi and I had been in the last 2 weeks.
This rest stop had prairie dogs everywhere. Kind of cool in a creepy sort of wild rodent way.

July 30- August 3, This time Jason joined us.

The Rigtrup Reunion at Sun lakes Washington

The Armor of God Sunday lesson- Family luau, pig throwing contest

The 3 little alien puppet show - uncles and cousins rough housing

cousin line up - It's 109 outside squirt bottles welcome

Any chance to catch the family spending time together

girls doing what girls do best- and uncles doing what they do best

Good food- cold drinks to beat the heat- and memories of another reunion
Rigtrup family

Grandma & Grandpa Rigtrup (deceased),

5 sons (and their wives),

25 grandchildren (16 currently espoused),

44 great grandchildren.
59 family members were able to attend this years reunion.

That's it! That's what I've been up to. Thanks for reading this.(exactly how much time do you have to sit at the computer? Ya me neither.)