Happy Birthday Punky Poo!

Don't ask me why I nicknamed Emily Punky Poo. I honestly have no idea why. But today is her 10th birthday. Double digits! Wa Hoo! It seems so weird that it's been 10 years since I had a baby. And what's even weirder (is that a word? It looks, well, weird!) is that she is dang near as tall as I am. Not that I'm very tall (5' 2"), but she is only 10. And my baby. And she shouldn't be almost as tall as I am. But she is. And I love her for it. She is my baby. My drama queen. My diva. My kid who isn't afraid to tell you how it is. Exactly how it is. No matter who is around or who she will offend. And I love her for it. My kid that sings in the shower every day even if she has to make up a song while doing it. And I love her for it. And today is her birthday. We celebrated her birthday yesterday because her dad had to catch a plane at o' dark thirty this morning (on her birthday) to go back to work. So I spent the last week or so gathering items to create her birthday present. She wanted a new bedspread. She has asked for many different things over the last several months, but the bedspread is what she kept dwelling on. We painted her room back in January. She got to choose whatever color she wanted. Her favorite color since birth has been green. So we painted her room a very bright shade of green. And it is absolutely adorable. And she loved it. But then somewhere down the line, she decided she wanted a pink room instead. And since she chose the green, the green stays. So I decided that I would incorporate some pink into her green room. So that's what I did for her birthday. I made her room a bit more girly for her.

First, I chose a comforter with pinks and greens in it. It was hard to find too. I had to order it online. It's actually a bed-in-a-bag so it came with the sheets and pillow cases too. And it is very cute. Then I chose items to deocorate her room using the colors in her new bedding.

I found this very cute rug to go with it. It looks very cute on the laminate flooring.

I wanted to make her a valance to hang above her window. I went to the fabric store and couldn't believe it when I found fabric with the exact pink and green that I needed. Together. And very cute too!

She likes to have her name displayed in her room so I found some wooden cutouts and painted her a name plaque. I tried to use the same shades of pink and green. It turned out pretty cute.

While at the fabric store, I lucked out and found these Wallies. They were the perfect pink and matched the flowers in her curtains that I made. So I lined her room with them. I love the bright pink against the green wall.

We even found a matching fish tank for her Betta fish.

The final result. I think it turned out pretty darn cute.

The birthday girl sitting on her new cute bed in her new cute room. She really loved everything I did. It took some time and effort, but it was totally worth it. And she was thrilled that I did more that just the comforter, which is all she asked for.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILY. I LOVE YOU!!

Kirkham Hot Springs

**Disclaimer: I started this post 2 weeks ago. Before everyone got the swine flu and life as we know it ceased to exist. But I didn't feel like changing it, so I didn't. **

Flyboy came home Thursday night. He'll be here for the next 2 weeks. I took Friday off from work and the kids were out of school for teacher workshop so we headed up to the mountains to Kirkham Hot Springs. We haven't been there for several years. It's about an hour and a half drive so it's an easy day trip. We were bummed to find out that you now have to pay a $5 fee to park there. Times sure have changed. It seems like you can't go anywhere in Idaho anymore without paying a fee. But, fee and all, it is worth it. And as usual, I posted a lot of pictures. 'Cause I like to see lots of pictures, so I like to post lots of pictures too.

The drive up Hwy 21. You can tell Fall is on the way. It's still green, but really dry. Still pretty tho.

The family sitting in the "shower spot", as they named it. The hot springs showered down upon them.

But we wanted deeper water, so Flyboy and I ventured further to find a deeper spot.

You have to climb down the rocks to get to the hot springs. It's a pretty easy climb down.

Emily maneuvering the rocks.

Flyboy was standing above me. There were HOT pools higher up. They were too hot to sit in tho.

There are awesome photo ops for those interested.

I ventured out and took a bunch of scenery shots while the fam played in the water.

Flyboy trying to get a bit of the cold river water to mix with the hot spring water. Believe me, it helped!

I thought this was beautiful. Jessica thought it was slimy and gross.

I told her she had to look at it as natures natural beauty. It was green and gold. The picture doesn't do it justice.

Lots of waterfalls around. Small ones, but pretty.

A view of the river. There are several hot pools in the rocks that people have formed up.

Another photo of some beautiful slimy goo.

This pool was the best to sit in. The water was hot, but you'd get swirls of cold river water that would coil around you like a snake and the mixture felt really good.

Flyboy

Sarabeth

Emily

Jessica

Mama

Emily walking thru a hot pool next to the river.

A view of the hot springs coming down the rocks

A shot of the river (hot pools are behind me)

A good swimming hole with a hot waterfall running into it. If it was hotter outside, the girls would have swam in it.

Taste the Rainbow

A view of the river right before the hot pools.

Pretty descent sized hot waterfall.

One of the girls footprint. On our way out.

A view of the river from the top of the hill.

A view of the hot springs from the top of the hill. It is a really nice place to visit. There is a campground, but we've never stayed the night. It's a great spot for a day trip. It's a pretty poplular place. You can't tell from the pictures, but there were several people up there. But there are enough pools that everyone was able to spread out and have their own area.

Just set up to do mobile blogging from my phone. Don't know if I'll ever use it, but this is a test to see if and how it posts. I'm thinking its like Twitter.

Road Trip 2009 - Day 3 Part 2

Here are some more pictures of Carlsbad Caverns. Sorry if you're tired of seeing them, but they are just so beautiful that I want you to see them all. Enjoy.

Road Trip 2009 - Day 3

Day 2, we went to Carlsbad Caverns in southern New Mexico. We did the 1 1/4 mile walk down the natural entrance. Once we got to the bottom, we decided to head to the hotel and come back the next day and visit The Big Room. It was going to be another hour and a half of exploration and we were pooped. So, on day 3, we went back. This time, we took the elevator that descends 750 feet in 58 seconds. We knew we were in for a treat, but couldn't imagine how big of a treat it really was. The Carlsbad Caverns are said to be the most decorated caves in the world. If you can read the sign, it says that The Big Room is the largest known natural limestone chamber in the Western Hemisphere. It is shown to scale against a 747. It is roughly the size of 14 football fields. Yes, it is that large. And it is breathtakingly beautiful.

Please remember that it was hard shooting photos in the dim light. So bear with the blurry photos.

Imagine being Jim White, over 100 years ago, trying to explore this cavern with nothing but an oil lamp and his homemade ladders. What took us 1 1/2 hours to descend the natural entrance, took him over 10 hours. He didn't have a paved trail and was exploring the unknown.

If you look in the center of this photo, you can see the handrail going across the length of the photo. This gives you an idea of how big and open this cavern is. Some areas higher than others. but not claustrophobic at all. And it stays a cool 56 degrees year round. We took sweatshirts, but didn't need them. It was very comfortable down there.

Word can't describe how beautiful this cave was.

This stalagtite is call The Lions Tail

Yes, that is exactly what it looks like. Nuff said.

This is a ladder that Jim White build to drop down into a lower cave. It is closed off to the public.

If you ever get a chance to go to southern New Mexico, please do. Carlsbad Caverns is well worth the time and effort. I would definitely go again. If you are a cave explorer, visit their website and check out the other cave tours they have to offer. They have about a 6 month wait on them.

Road Trip 2009 - Day 2

Today, a "J White 1898" inscription in a cave boulder well into the dark zone of the cavern testifies to the presence of 16 year-old Jim White, 100 years ago, following his curiosity into the cave darkness. That curiosity set him on a course of discovery that would last the rest of his life.

As guano miner, explorer, guide, trail-builder, park ranger and tireless promoter, White spent nearly a half century bringing this cave to the attention of others. During those early years, Jim White did whatever needed to be done to draw others to the cavern he so dearly loved.

From the beginning, White single-handedly risked entry into the inky depths of an unknown and huge underground chamber. He endured scorn from those who stayed safely on the surface and ridiculed his exploration reports. He guided almost everyone through the cave from the casually interested visitor to government and scientific experts, reporters and photographers. After years of toiling in near anonymity, White's dedication and determination finally bore fruit. Carlsbad Cave National Monument was authorized in 1923. In 1930 Congress proclaimed it Carlsbad Caverns National Park. (excerpt from The Discovery and History of Carlsbad Caverns, Jim White's own Story)

This is the Natural Cave Entrance and ampitheatre (for the bat flight show). This walk descends 750 feet and is 1 1/4 mile long. It is a paved trail that took us about 2 hours to descend.

Heading down the path into the main cave entrance.

Almost to the cave entrance.

Here we go! Right inside the entrance. It is already very, very cool!! Kuna Cave doesn't hold a candle to this!

They carved paths through some of the rocks to make the paths. This cave entrance is absolutely ginormous!

We drove through Roswell, NM on our way down to Carlsbad. Notice the t-shirts?

These limestone caves were carved by very aggressive sulfuric acid about 250 million years ago.

Keep in mind that we are descending 750 feet into the earth. There are lights throughout the cave, but it is still very dark inside. Therefore, it was difficult to take good quality pictures with our amature camera. We didn't do too bad, but some will be out of focus. Regardless, the pictures can't even begin to describe the awesomeness of the Caverns. You MUST go and see it for yourself. Seriously. It is worth the drive.

StalagMITE: One that grows up from the ground and stands "mighty"

StalagTITE: One that grows down from the ceiling and clings "tight" (lesson from park ranger)

Good picture of the trail descending down (looking up) into the main cave. This 1 1/4 mile walk is still considered the cave entrance.

Looking down into the entrance

It was SOOO beautiful. We were able to take our time and admire everything.

Do you see the 2 blurry people next to the 2nd stalagmite on the right? That gives you an idea of the size of things.

Absolutely beautiful!

Looking up at the cave entrance. Still have a long ways to descend.

You can rent audio devices that give you information about the caves throughout the tour.

Here's the family listening to something cool.

We have finally descended to the bottom of the entrance. Here, you can see different pathways. If you go to the right, you will enter the Big Cave. If you go to the left, you will find the bathrooms, a resteraunt, and the elevator that takes 58 seconds to go 750 feet. If you don't want to walk the entrance route, or aren't in good enough health, you can take the elevator. But that isn't an adventure. At least on the first day.

This is what it looks like outside the cave. The caverns are about 30 minutes south of the town of Carlsbad, New Mexico. You are literally in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to see for miles and miles and miles. It's so awesome to know that these caverns are hidden below. I'm thankful that they were discovered so many years ago and that we are able to see the natural wonder of them.

Road Trip 2009 - Day 1

My husband is a helicopter pilot. We live in Idaho and his job is in Louisiana. Every 2 weeks, he leaves us and goes and flies in the Gulf of Mexico for 2 weeks. His job is to transport the "roughnecks" to and from the oil platforms in the Gulf. 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off. He usually flies back and forth when he goes, but he has also made the 2,200 mile drive (one way) several times. Each time he has driven it, he tells us that we need to make that drive with him to see the beautiful sights. Plus, he wanted to show us where he works in Louisiana. I'm an Idaho girl, born and raised. I've been to the surrounding states, and even to a few foreign countries. But I've never toured America. And I've always wanted to. So, we decided to take a family trip and see some places that we've never seen before. We both had 2 weeks vacation and planned a tentative road trip. But nothing was set in stone. We wanted it to be enjoyable and relaxed and not be rushed to get somewhere at a certain time. We made a plan, but took it one day at a time. The most important thing was that we were going to tour America as a family and enjoy our time together doing it. So, on July 9th, at 11:00 pm, we set off on our adventure. We left at night so we would be near Moab, Utah during the daylight. Arches National Park is right before you get to Moab and he talked and talked about how much we needed to see it. Flyboy knew how long it would take to get to certain places. And he planned it perfectly. The crack of dawn we were there.

About 8:30 am, maybe 10 miles away from Arches Park. We stopped at a rest stop so we could brush our teeth, change our clothes (us girls slept all night while Flyboy drove) and have a bite to eat.

Driving into the park. I've never seen anything like it. It was so beautiful. The colors and the texture of the sandstone was nothing I've ever seen before. And they were so huge!

Right inside the park entrance was a "lookout" area. It had a trail you could walk so we decided to do that and get right up close and personal with these magnificant rocks.

At the top of the trail. It took about an hour and a half to walk it. Of course we had to stop and look at everything. Our family loves geology and trying to figure out how the earth was made and what was going on when the mountains and rocks were created. It's all very fascinating.

Flyboy and I before our walk. Beautiful scenery.

On the path through the canyon.

Some of the different textures.

Emily

Jessica

Sarabeth

Flyboy and the girls.

I couldn't get over how huge these formations were.

Balanced rock.

I believe this was Devils Garden.

What the park is named for. There are "arches" all over the park.

The famous Delicate Arch

Close up of Delicate Arch.

We spent about 3 hours touring the park and didn't even see half of it. There was so much to see, but we were just passing through. It was definitely worth the trip. If you're ever in the area, it is worth the stop.

We headed south toward Albequerque. That's where we stayed for the night. On our way, we passed through part of Arizona and drove by Shiprock. It was huge, but this is as close as we got to it. A storm was brewing which is why it's so hazy.

Perfect ending to a perfect day. I love beautiful sunsets.

Same sunset about 2 minutes later. It was magnificant to drive into. Our day one tally: Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. Total miles logged for the day.....996. Flyboy drove that with no sleep. He is such a trooper.