Montana or BUST!

Larry, Me, Jocelyn, Blake, Dallon, Izabelle, Sophia, Jordan, Milo, Nanny and Papa

In June we intended to drive to Montana to help with the home my in-laws are fixing up.  To drive from Alaska to Montana,  you have to leave the United States.  My passport wasn't issued in time,  so the boys and Larry left me behind and began the long journey.  A few days later,  I boarded a plane with my passport in hand.  Yes,  I used airline miles to book myself a first class ticket.  They left me behind! Wouldn't you?




This was a trip to work  and a chance for the boys to meet their new brother, sister, nieces and nephew.   Larry's children live in Utah near their mom, which is where he was last stationed in the Air Force.

Pony,  I mean Papa

Milo drove Izzy and her kids from Utah to Montana.  
We really enjoyed getting to know and  having time to spend  with everyone.

Aunt Gin teaching Jordan a thing or two about water fights.

When I got there,  the boys were off with Aunt Ginger and Uncle Robert.  The boys loved these two and we pretty much had to force them to come back and stay at Nanny and Papa's.  It was interesting to spend time away from them and I was shocked to find myself saying,  "I'd really like to see my kids while we are here."  Do NOT mistake this as being ungrateful to Aunt Gin and Uncle Robert,  we did appreciate them taking and loving on our boys for a few days.

Larry and Blake working in the yard.

The weather was fantastic while we were there.  Their property has several places to hike and to see  the true beauty of Montana.

There was work to do but everyone enjoyed pitching in and helping.    There were moments of pure fun too.  Nanny brought out the water guns one hot afternoon.  All the kids and many of the adults cooled off in the fun!









The last few days of the trip were not so fantastic.  The morning after the family reunion BBQ, Nanny and Papa were late to get up.  They were both sick,  so was Milo.  Larry went down for the count next.  The following day was my turn.  Luckily,  Izzy and the kids seemed to miss getting it....or so we thought.

Once we were on the mend, our family of four loaded up in our truck,  trekking our way back to Alaska.  The first night on the road it was raining cats and dogs.  We couldn't find a place to camp and didn't want to set up a tent in the rain.  We decided that we would take shifts of sleeping and driving.  Sometime during the night,  we were both so tired that we finally pulled to the side of the road to rest.  This was a short lived plan since the belly bug finally hit Blake.

We had planned on a leisurely drive home, with stops for hikes and adventures along the way.  Once a kid starts puking in the truck,  you can't wait to get home as swiftly as possible.  To top it off,  Larry  had a sinus infection and wasn't up for much touring anyhow.

We did stay a night at Liard Hot Springs.  We went down to the hot springs around 10pm and had the pools to ourselves.  The campground was clean and well laid out.  The boys couldn't believe that the earth was responsible for heating the pools of water.  They also couldn't get over the rotten egg smells! Larry and the boys spent at least an hour playing around and relaxing.  I lasted about ten or fifteen minutes,  I just don't do temperature extremes...even in our hot tub at home.

Ending on a positive note;  we saw a ton of wildlife and the time together as a family was truly fantastic.

The boys favorite memory?  They loved staying in a dingy motel on our last night of traveling.  I do have to say,  we all needed showers and even a strange bed is more comfortable than sleeping in a truck seat.

A few days after getting home, we bought a camper.