Westward Ho! 2012

We wrapped up the summer with a trip to the West. The primary purpose was to drop Lauren off at college but the fringe benefit was seeing grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins. It is always a fast trip with not enough time to do everything we like but life keeps on moving and so do we.

Here are some highlights:

Lunch overlooking the Mississippi

Our view as we ate lunch. 

Electronics during the long car ride.

A buffalo peeing and then rolling in it right outside our car window.

Exploding watermelons with the cousins.

A basketball team reunion.

Grandpa's garden.

Finding cousins have the same taste in clothes.

More cousins at temple square.

Getting a key to the dorm.

Moving in.

Home for the next year.

Among all these great moments was one that made Ralph and I quite content. Years ago before a family trip I bought a CD of kids music to help with entertainment, Under the Sea by Ralph Covert. We liked it a lot, music the kids enjoyed without irritating the adults in the car. Over the years we have bought a few more of his CD's and they have become a tradition as we trek across country. On the last evening leg of our journey west, we played our entire collection of Ralph's World CD's and the kids sang along together on every song. It was a good hour or more of happy noise coming from the back of the car. It was one of those moments that make you happy to be a parent and appreciative of the great kids you've got. We don't know when or how often we will all be camped out in a car together again, but that was one of those perfectly content, happy family moments that we will treasure.