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July = Summer

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The end of June means the end of another school year. The last few days of the month are sprinkled with meetings and professional development, which often mean a little bump in our paychecks. The same is true for August, only in reverse. The meetings and development opportunities are at the start of the month, as we wind back into school mode. Wedged in the middle, July is a month where we can be certain of our time off, and make plans for travel. Time to hit the road!

We started the month by driving the Grand Junction, Colorado, and visiting the King family, as we did two years ago. The family has grown with partners, spouses, children, etc. 


Grand Junction had a nice parade in honor of the Fourth of July

Just a little accident invited us to visit the local ER

The drive across Southern Idaho/Utah is pretty bare. 
After CO, we drove back to Boise to visit Jeff's parents. To celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary, we left the boys in Boise while we flew to Maui for a week. Everyone seemed to be happy with their vacations. 
First stop: Mama's Fish House


Jeff woke me up super early so we could drive to the top of the Haleakala National Park volcano for the sunrise. It was freezing cold, but beautiful to see the sun come over the top of the clouds. The moment was even more magical when one of the park guides sang a Hawaiian blessing to greet the day. 

Wrapped in our beach towels since it was SO cold. 


Back at the beach!


Ten years of marriage. 
We stayed in a condo at Napili Beach. This was the same beach we visited on our first visit to Maui in 2009. It's a little out of the way from the crowds in Lahaina, but close enough to grab dinner or shop.



Our last stop: sunset on Big Beach on the Southern end of the island.

Our flight back to Boise included a brief layover in Portland. 



Meanwhile, back in Boise...the boys had a great time with their grandparents, cousins, and of course, Aunt Jenn!


No injury for Andrew; just a band-aid to match brother.





But wait...there's more from our July adventures!

A little quiet play time at home. In his tent.  
We arrived home just in time for Battle Ground's Annual Harvest Days "Cruise In" parade of cars.



An impromptu camping trip in Newport, OR



Newport Aquarium



Lounging at my dad's place.

Andrew likes his helmet. And his name tag from church. It's hard to remove either one, once applied. 


In Portland, Oaks Amusement Park is a historic park full of rides. During the summer, they offer "Preschool Hours". We pay just for the kids (or adults, I can't remember) and can go on as many rides as we like for a few hours. The "big kid" rides are closed, meaning we're surrounded by lots of families like ours. Although both boys experienced moments of hesitation, they seemed to enjoy everything. Even better, Oaks ends our time with cookies and milk. 






Overall, we all enjoyed our summer. We had a few more adventures in August, which I'll share soon. And then, it's back to school for all of us!

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