Excuses, excuses, etc.

And it's been awhile since I've blogged. School started and life got crazy. Here are a few highlights over the past few months.

• About a week after school started we got a call from CMCA that they had a spot for Cade! We were and still are beyond thrilled that both of our kids are in this school. They have such a strong thirst for knowledge and it is being satisfied here. They are both thriving and doing well. The amount of homework was an adjustment but now that we're in a routine it is grrrreeaaat!
• Piano lessons resumed! I have 12 students spanned over four teaching days. I feel more organized and on top of things than ever. 
• Dan was (finally) selected to attend the Advanced Leadership Course (ALC) in Virginia Beach. He drove all the way out at the end of September. This is something that he has been wanting and needing for years. The promotion points will make it so he can be promoted to E6 much sooner.
• With that said, you'll understand our frustration when one day into the course the government shutdown. It will still never make perfect sense to me, but everyone from the ALC course got sent home. I mean, they were already there, had started their training, and it started in the last fiscal year. It was paid for. Nevertheless, Dan made the disappointing trek back home.
• Two weeks later the government reopened and so did his course. He left November 1st and will be home just before Christmas.

I don't deal well with changes, and life likes to make me learn to be flexible. With everything from school, piano, army stuff, church stuff, blog stuff, I just haven't even thought about writing here! The boys were looking at this blog the other day and I realized how much time I'd missed! Our adventures have been small. Lots of hiking with Carson, catching a $1 movie, attending church and school activities. 

But one adventure I had to share with you is from the weekend that Dan was driving back home. We had already planned to head up to Grandma Kathy's, and since the fall colors were beginning, we headed up to the mountains and caught a train ride! We went Georgetown and rode their steam engine. It was awesome!!! Time for picture overload! Make sure to watch the video at the end. The sound of their horn was gorgeous echoing through the valleys!

Family Reunion and Mesa Verde

Right at the end of summer we attended the semi-semi annual McBride family reunion. :)  Past reunions have been held in Mesa Verde, Virginia Beach, a cruise, and this year it was in Monticello Utah. There isn't  much to do in Monticello, but it is near the canyonlands in Moab, Utah. I was excited as this is somewhere I've seen lots of pictures of, but never been.



We rented out an entire Bed and Breakfast (Old Grist Mill Inn), and hung out for about 4 days. There was hardly any drama, lots of cousin playing time, adults chatting time, and even a temple session with the new video! It was a blast.

On our 'excursion' day, we went to Dead Horse State Park up in canyonlands with a bunch of family members. I wasn't terribly awe struck by it, though it had a lot to see. Maybe it was because it was like 90 degrees and we hiked both rims. I was hot and tired! :)  After Dead Horse we drove through Arches National park since we were right there. I'd love to make it back there and hike to the arches!

Dead Horse State Park

Colorado River

He's such a trooper!

These cairns marked the trail. Dan added the top rock to this one.

This is a view of the cliff where the horses got stuck and died. I understood their pain on this HOT hike!

Arches National Park

On our way home we decided to camp at Mesa Verde for a few nights and take in the sights. The campsite was beautiful and the tours are awesome, but the boys had apparently had enough of our trip. Their behavior was bad enough for us to pack up camp one day early and head home. *sigh* All pictures at Mesa Verde were taken by Dan since I was wrangling kids.

 Mesa Verde National Park (don't be fooled by the smiles, i was seriously seething in anger...)

These are Kevas, big pits in the ground, Alex truly almost fell in two of these because he ran away from us

Like my death look? :)

Nice face Cade!

So not everything in life is glorious or glamorous, but we get through it. We were glad to get home and get settled into life before school started again. :)

I say we do a cruise again for our next reunion!