The Wild Wild West

Tales of our journey across this beautiful country of ours...

Cedar Breaks National Monument in Utah. We had to drive on some windy roads to reach this spot. After 15 minutes, Asher threw up in the back of our brand new minivan...so much for that new car smell! Thankfully, this is the only day he has gotten sick.

We spent two days at Yellowstone National Park-we had such an amazing time! What a beautiful place...mountains, rivers, waterfalls, canyons, animals, etc.

Old Faithful was a site to behold shooting up from 100 to 115 feet into the air.

The kids had more fun playing in the dirt than they did watching Old Faithful.

A buffalo siting! Even after seeing this rare animas, Asher is still gasping each time he see cows...yes, COWS! I guess there are rare in Hawaii.

We were so close to this black bear! We also saw a grizzly bear with her 2 cubs.

Then we spent 2 days with great friends from college, Jeremy and Laura Beth Rhodes, in Great Falls, Montana. Amazing how conversations change when we now have 6 kids between us. The kids had a great time playing with "real" children and getting a break from the car. And it was wonderful to catch up with our friends.

Devils Tower in Wyoming.

Mt. Rushmore...more amazing than we had imagined. Asher says this is his favorite thing we have seen so far (besides Disneyland).

The badlands in South Dakota have been my favorite thing so far.

You go from rolling green hills and valleys to the badlands...it is like you are on Mars. It was so fantastic (but super super hot!).

The kids were able to roam on some of the badlands for a little while. It was way too hot for me! The specks in this photo are Joel and Asher exploring.

We are now resting for a few days in Watertown, South Dakota with some of Joel's family. It is so nice to get another break from the car and let the kids run. After 5 minutes of driving on day 1 out of LA, Anna says "You're right Dad...this is a long way!". It has been long but it has been amazing. These breaks with friends and family have been soooo important though. The hotel rooms have lost some of their excitement. Anna and Asher are not too keen on sharing a bed. Asher tends to pull her hair in his sleep, or kick her, lays his legs on top of her, etc. She says she can't wait to have her own room in Ohio! The whole journey has made the move a little unreal...it hasn't truly settled in that we aren't going back to Hawaii and we have no clue what our life is going to look like on the other end. I'm sorry to those we haven't called...we have not had cell reception since Yellowstone Park! AT&T is not good in the rural areas of the NorthWest. You will hear from me soon-I promise! Next phase of the journey is visiting family in Nebraska and Wisconsin. Love to all!