blue skies and buckets of love sprinkled with holy water

We gave the boys the power to decide where we would go on our family vacation.

This would be Randy's first vacation in a year.  He and I were too overwhelmed by the excitement of sleeping in, that we were not in right mind to make the important decision of the destination.

The choices we gave the kids were:

1~ Mount Rushmore 

[we have threatened to go there every year for the last 8 years!]

2~ Monterey, CA

3~ Reno/Tahoe for Hot August nights

The unanimous vote was Reno/Tahoe.

Two years ago, we happened upon the Grand Sierra Resort and Hot August nights while traveling to San Francisco.

We all fell in love with the accommodations and events of the resort.

The boys say this is their favorite place to be!!!!

I would have to concur it to be one of my fav family destinations also.

Since we were driving through Winnemucca, NV I decided it would be a good time to make a little extra cash for the trip.

Good old fashioned hard work I tell ya!!!

 The Grand Sierra has a beautiful RV park equipped with full hook-ups for our trailer.  I enjoy their clean, large bathrooms to shower and get ready for the day in.  We parked the trailer and the boys couldn't wait to get to the 'beach'.  The beach is the swimming pool surrounded by sand, cabanas, tiki hut, bbq grill and volleyball nets.

Jax got in on a game of volleyball with three other kids.

I was so proud of how he opened himself up to a new experience with unknown people.

I got teary eyed watching as my young man looked and behaved so mature in the game.

My boys were wrestling in the pool, ya know, as brothers do........

Jax was on River's back and Riv was moving like a sea horse to get Jax off of his back.

Randy and I looked at each other in heart stopping shock!!!!

I jumped in the pool as fast as I could to inform my boys that they looked gay in this particular position!!!!

It was sad because they are at an age that that kind of horseplay as brothers will need to come to an end.

They may be brothers, but they definitely don't look like brothers.

So NO MORE SEA HORSE BACK RIDES for them!

We decided that throwing a football in the water to each other was a little more socially appropriate.

We spent that entire day at the 'beach' and more hours in days ahead.

When you have buckets o'beer, carne asada tacos, sunshine, and family smiles, there is no reason to stop a good thing short.

We all gained a few extra pound on our trip.

We ate like pigs and I drank like a fish.

I almost can't even look at this bbq platter picture.

There was soooo much food that we only ate a quarter of it!!!  

And I was sick for two days after all that damn meat!

UGH!

Pepto chased with Bud Light was my friend.

River's 14th birthday fell on a day that we were on vacation.

[yes, we are doing some kind of hair experiment.  it's been a torturous long haul!  my boys have NEVER had their hair longer than a #1 buzz.  Riv's massive carpet head is almost uncontrollable.  i've never seen someone with so much hair!  he's even got a few chest hairs and a trail going from his chest down his belly!  we may need to save for electrolysis before college!] 

F O U R T E EN!!!!!!!

I'm so proud of my boy :)

I got a good one there!

His bday request was to ride the free fall swing.

I was willing to go with him even though I get very sick on anything with height and movement.

But it's my kids' 14th birthday dammit and I will buck up and do whatever I need to do for him!!!

[And mind you.....I was still in bbq platter recovery!  I was concerned about a lil stomach let go from every end!]

Luckily, Jax stepped up and said he would go with Riv and I breathed a sigh of puking relief!

They were pulled 190 feet to the top of the tower.

A count down from 3, and River pulled the rip cord.

My heart jumped as I heard River laughing his signature belly laugh and

 Jax yelling, "look at me mom!!!  I'm flying!!!!!"

Randy and I were proud and excited and elated with the joy in our boys' face.

Of course, how do you pass up a chance to go-cart your way to #1????

Riv was very competitive and was in second place behind a kid who took his position very seriously.  It was a game of cat and mouse until the last turn!!!

Riv saw his opening and took it on the inside lane!

He finished first place with Jax in the final position.  Jax enjoyed taking the ride nice and slow and let people speed around him.

Makes me wonder if this is insight into their real driving personalities?

If so, they both have me concerned!

The resort also has a movie theater that has this awesome seating.

For $3 per person, we watched Madagascar 3.

I really enjoyed the love seat idea, but next time I will take a sheet to sit on.....I think this could have been one of those XXX theaters in a past life.  There seemed to be above average amounts of  'sticky' and  I'm pretty sure I could smell remnants of PeeWee Herman.

ew!!!

Then the boys entered an unlimited laser tag game for two hours while Rand and I got in some gambling.

The next day we drove the entire loop of Tahoe.

It was 103 degrees when we left Reno, and by the time we got to the top of the world around the loop, it was 53 degrees!  We drove with the windows open and the smell of misty pine trees filling the truck cabin.

It took about 1.5 hours to make the drive around the lake, but it was SOOOOO worth it!!!!

We were in amazement from the multi-terrain beauty.

We pulled off to one of the many beaches along the way.

Jax has always, since he was just a lil buck,  loved to dig to China in the sand.

River is so damn strong!!!  He would find a rock at the bottom of the lake [usually about 70 feet out] and pull it up and swim it to the shore.

He had people on the beach watching with surprise.

 It was time to make our way back home since it's quite a long drive from Reno.

We stopped in Wendover for two nights because I had a free room from my players card.

We did more swimming, gambling and spent a day on the salt flats at Bonneville.

They were having the famous races and we saw some kickass cars and motorcycles that made speeds over 400mph!!!!!

The morning of our final departure for home, we walked to the parking lot only to see that our trailer had been wrapped in that yellow caution tape.  We are still confused as to what kind of crime happened in the wee hours of the night, but everything looked to be fine. 

Damn aliens!

This was one of our first family vacations that didn't include drama.  

I take this as a good sign for future trips.  

But if this was an isolated moment of wonderfulness......

I am truly grateful and and will appreciate it for what it was.

And IT was blue skies full of buckets of love and sprinkled drops of holy water that all just happened to coordinate well with my tootsies 

:)