D.J. was neck-deep in Midterms in February (poor guy). Since he spent most of his time away studying or meeting with classmates for more studying, Elise and I paid a visit to the Ranch.
This was Elise's 3rd flying experience, so she traveled like a pro. She's always a hit with the flight attendants and loves to play with the unopened peanuts on the plane. Early February is slow travel-wise, and we lucked out with 3 seats to ourselves on every one of our flights (4 total). It made for easy flying, especially since Baby Girl could stretch out and play or sleep without bothering anyone else.
Grandma and Auntie Boo picked us up at the airport in Reno and took us out to lunch and shopping (woohoo!). Then it was off to the ranch.
If you're not familiar with my country-girl roots, let me just tell you I grew up in the middle of nowhere. No, not just rural or remote- The. Middle. Of. Nowhere. While isolated living can have its down points, you can't beat the beauty of the wilderness. I once showed a Texan a picture of the ranch via Google Maps, and he said, "Oh! You're from the mountains!!" Yep. Nestled against the mountains sits Birch Creek Ranch: 10 miles from the nearest neighbor-- my childhood home. I never appreciated those great big mountains in my backyard until I moved away from them.
While we were visiting the mountains, we were lucky enough to see ALL of my siblings! Brittany had a basketball game in Jackpot (on the Nevada/Idaho border), and Ashley and Tiffany drove from Rexburg to meet us there. Seeing them made me so happy, and they loved playing with Elise. We all stayed in adjoining hotel rooms in Jackpot and bonded for 24 hours. Short, but oh, so sweet.
Brittany played some amazing ball, and I felt pretty nostalgic cheering for my high school. That's her in the 2nd picture (in orange on the far left) making a basket--that's my girl! 3 of my cousins were also there-- one plays with Brittany, one plays on the boys' team, and one coaches the boys team. It was a family affair!
After Jackpot we headed back to the ranch and had a lot of quality grandparent time. Great-Grandma Young came up for dinner one night, and I loved visiting with her. Elise suffered from a little separation anxiety, as you can see by the terrified expression on her face! Haha!!
We also spent a lot of time with Uncle Dan and Aunt Katie. Dan had to work when we went to Jackpot (we missed him!) but Katie came with us. Elise thinks Katie is BEAUTIFUL and couldn't keep her eyes off of her the entire trip! :)
Dan somehow eluded getting his picture taken, but he looked a little something like this:
He got a haircut right before we left, but I think the mustache remains (poor Katie!). We love him anyway.
The week flew by, and before we knew it we were back at the airport. Emily ditched school and came with us to say goodbye.
Our flight home was uneventful, and we were so happy to see D.J. He said he slept better while we were gone than he has in months! I guess that's what having a baby does to you. :)
Finals are upon us, so he's scarce again, but we've got plenty to keep us busy. At the end of the week he leaves for China (CHINA!) for 18 days. He will travel with a group from the school, listen to lectures, and even get class credit for the trip! He's taking the camera with strict instructions to get lots of pictures, so we'll share when he gets back.
