BIG Adventure: The Final Chapter

I'll bet you all thought I had forgotten about the TOP 25 from Steve and Kim's BIG Adventure.  It has been in the back of mind since the previous chapter but I just have not alloted time to do it.  But today is the day!!  Steve and I are trying to get back in the swing of life back in Ohio.  We've had various jobs to do around the house.  I spent alot of time getting ready for the fall semester to begin. I made a trip to see my Dad who will be 96 on December 1st.  Steve and I needed to see the dentist for our 6 month appointment.  Steve tiled our front porch and we are preparing to put a privacy fence along the rear property line, which means we must move a variety of flowers and shrubs.  And I cannot forget that we spent a day at the Fairfield pool with Cade and Jace!! 

Even GrandDad gets in on the FUN!!!

Now to the TOP 25. . .

1.  Sequoia National Park

2.  Yosemite

3.  Lamoille Canyon, Elko Nevada

4.  Chinatown, San  Francisco

5.  Pacific Ocean

The remainder are in no special order because everything we saw and every place we visited was absolutely GREAT!!!

6.    Balanced Rock

7.    Deer Creek State Park/Visiting with Todd and Mauna in Utah

8.    Tombstone Bar:  Big Nose Sally's

9.    Dirt Track race in Albuquerque

10.  White River in Arkansas

11.  Mt Hood  in Oregon

12.  Climbing a volcano

13.  Waterfalls everywhere

14.  Moose!

15.  Seattle, Washington

16.  Park City, Utah

17.  Columbia River

18.  Snake River

19.  Mountain Views

20.  LBJ Library/Museum

21.  Fishing in Chetek, Wisconsin

22.  Golden Gate Bridge

23.  'El Perro Loco' Sonoran Hotdogs, Tucson

24.  Saguaro National Park

25.  Cape Meares Lighthouse and Whale Watching

 And  numerous sites along the roads we traveled that are only recorded in our minds!   

Steve and I would like to leave you with one last thought. . . While driving along the interstate (somewhere near the end of our trip) we saw a huge billboard that said two words. .  .

BE GRATEFUL.

Our wish for all of you is that someday you will

be able to have your own BIG Adventure and

travel the United States.  There are so many

beautiful sites to see, some of which can be

found in the most unexpected places.

 

Thanks for traveling along with us!!! 

BIG Adventure. . . Chapter 19 Part Two

Well, it is August 11 and Steve and I have mowed the grass,

trimmed the shrubs,

pulled the weeds,

filled the pond,

restocked the frig,

unloaded and cleaned the RV,

cut up the limb that fell out of the apple tree,

washed, dried, and put away eight loads of laundry,

and filled nine HUGE bags with lawn waste! 

We are EXHAUSTED!!. . .

But it is great to be home! 

Once we left Chetek Wisconsin on Thursday, August 4th we began our journey to get back in touch with family.

First stop. . . Bourbonnais, Illinois and the Mathews Crew!!!!

DALEN, ETHAN, EMMA, AND BENJAMIN

Next stop, West Lafayette, Indiana, and the Daugherty Gang!!

JACK, TREY, GRANDDAD, TESS, AND CHASE

Next stop, Hamilton, Ohio and the little flower!

MIA FLORA and GRANDDAD

Last but not least, our final stop in West Chester, Ohio and the

Costello Clan!!!

CADE, JACE, AND BECK
There is something extra sweet about this picture!! 
Is it the way Beck is gently cradled in Jace's arms or
the way Cade is gently touching Beck's little hand. 
Their love for their new little brother is an amazing sight to see!!

As Steve and I look back over the years we often think about the time when Teresa, Whitney, Stephanie, Garrett, and Aaron were young children themselves.  Back then we would often wonder about how our lives would be when they were grown and have children of their own, our grandchildren.  But we could not have imagined having what we consider to be the twelve most special grandchildren in the entire world!!  On our BIG Adventure we visited many places throughout the United States that were absolutely beautiful and often wondered what it must be like to live there.  Nevertheless, no sooner than we thought about it, our minds went immediately back to those 12 grandchildren and how much we would miss them. 

 

There is no place like home!!!

We will be taking a little time to accumulate our TOP 25 list from our
BIG Adventure!

Number 1:  Sequoia National Park and the GIANT Redwoods!!

Remember them???

Holy Mackeral!!!!!
That's one BIG tree!!!!

Stay tuned!!!

BIG Adventure. . .. Chapter 19: Part One

We have arrived. . .  Steve is in his BIG man chair watching some mob movie on CABLE, he has been cable deprived for the last couple of weeks, and I am going to take a long, hot bath!!  Awwwww. . .  the anticipation is making me crazy!!!!!  I don't have a lot of time to write at the moment (BATH!!!!) but I will have a final post describing the last two or three days of Steve and Kim's BIG Adventure and we will have our TOP 25 list of favorite places, sites, and adventures for the past 88 days. 

Stay tuned for just a little while longer. . . . . :)

BIG Adventure. . . Chapter 18

August 3, 2011

Before I get to what has been going on for the past few of days we would like to say a

BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to

Ethan Cain Mathews who turned 7 on August 2nd

and to

Jace Michael Costello who turned 4 today, August 3rd.

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First of all I need to go back to our time spent in Minneapolis, Minnesota and our visit to the Mall of America.  I made Steve walk all four levels but most of his enjoyment came from watching all of the kids at the amusement park in the center of the mall.

 

If I were a kid again I would most definitely have done this. . . I am not sure what it is called but it looked like a blast.  The kids where walking from level to level attached with safety harnesses.  I could see all of our grandkids wanting to do this not just once but numerous times!!!

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We spent two more days fishing, one of which was very, very hot and the other was very, very wet!  But nothing will stop Steve form hitting his favorite fishing holes, not even a downpour that lasted not for a couple of minutes, or a couple of hours, but rather ALL DAY.  My fingers and toes were shriveled up like raisins by the end of the day.  Oh. . . and by the way, if your rain pants are ripped in the back you can expect your rear end to get very wet!!  I think we will be looking for new rain pants before our next fishing trip.  :)

We took Tuesday, August 2, as a day off from fishing so I could do laundry and Steve got a haircut in downtown Chetek.  We spent a little time in the city of Rice Lake goofing off and hanging out at the trailer.  We were anxiously awaiting the Wednesday arrival of two fishin' buddies, Steve's brother Mike and nephew Matt.   We met them in town. . where else but BOB's.  For those of who who have been to Chetek know what I am talking about and each of you has your favorite breakfast items.  For Steve it is the blueberry pancake that is as big as a dinner plate and for me it is the bisquits and sausage gravy.

Thanks for a great Breakfast Uncle Mike!!!!!

The ROD and GUN. . . our favorite bait shop. 

There they are. . . Steve, Mike, and Matt.

Are they discussing breakfast, fishing, or both!!!

One of our favorite sites here in Chetek is the eagles, watching them soar through the treetops or diving to snatch up a tasty meal from the lake.  They are absolutely beautiful and never taken for granted when we are here in Wisconsin.

Even though our BIG Adventure is nearing its end we still have a couple of stops.

STAY TUNED!!!