home at last............

We got home around 2:30 this AM (06/20)--we decided to drive on home so we could sleep in our bed--we went to church this morning and surprised everybody (except Papa C, he had a feeling)--took a big fat nap this afternoon and mom and Vandie came over for dinner--Missy & Trey got here this evening for a few days with us--we will post some more pics from the trip tomorrow--it was great to go but also great to be back home--in synopsis: 5,988 miles (Frank drove all of them), 11 states, 6 national parks, 9 temples, lots of little side trips, 5 1/2 books read, seeing old friends and meeting new ones, learning things about each other (even after almost 10 years), a boatload of pictures, memories to last a lifetime--all of this was a true blessing and is priceless--we are glad to be back home.....love Frank & Stacey

Albuquerque Temple Pics

We went to the noon sesion at the temple--it was very peaceful and beautiful within those walls--after the session we ate at the cafeteria (pretty good food--the homemade nut chocolate chip icecream was awesome)--we are off to explore the area--love Frank & Stacey

New Mexico days and nights.....

We found a house (only 1.3 million --guess we will have to wait to move out here)--no really, it is beautiful here from open country to big city within view of each other--we have taken these few days to catch up on rest and relaxation (we packed in a lot of stuff at the other places so now it is just reflection time)--we are getting dressed to go to the temple today and mess around a little afterwards and then to bed early so we can leave at o' dark thirty to go on to Oklahoma (make sure you sing that state (some of you may not be old enough to remember that movie))--we found out yesterday evening that we lost a friend from EMS in a car wreck so please pray for the family and friends of Stephanie Gabriel--we miss and love you all and will see you soon--Frank & Stacey

Our last night at the Canyon and on the road to New Mexico

We ended the day with seeing three elk from about 15 feet or less as seen in the pictures---we arrived back at the camp site to see four mule deer at the end of the road so we stopped and took a few pictures from about seven feet away--- later that night I took Stacey to a viewing area to see the stars without any light pollution (it was the first time that she had ever seen the milky way)--the sun had set but you were able to still see a little light--then all of the sudden the starts started "popping out"--what a view more stars than we could ever count with total darkness-- we woke up early, packed up and started the drive to New Mexico along the way we stopped at a local "route 66" shop and then we caught the painted desert & petrified forest (check out the ancient drawings on the rocks (it stated they are from 1100-1300s))--we got into Albuquerque this evening--tomorrow it is on to more adventures--love Frank & Stacey

Grand Canyon continued...

Here are a very few of the pics that we have taken of the Grand Canyon--Teddy Roosevelt stated, "Do nothing to mar its grandeur...Keep it for your children, your children's children and all who come after you as the one great sight which every American should see"...  we wholeheartedly agree with this statement--the beauty is too much for words--Stacey is enrolled in the Junior Ranger program and will get a badge when she graduates--we are off to the local ward for church then back to look around the canyon some more and tomorrow we are off to New Mexico--Stacey wants to stop at the Petrified Forest (we will see...)--hugs and kisses--Frank & Stacey

Brrrrr at the Grand Canyon.....

We are wearing sweatshirts, jeans, and coats here at the grand canyon--we got here on Thursday afternoon and walked out to part of the south rim after we set up camp (we were in shorts that day)--woke up on Friday morning (after sleeping late--until 10:30) and went out exploring and taking in the sights (this looks too amazing to be real--Frank states the only word to describe this canyon is "God" meaning he is surely to be credited for this--the colors are ever changing depending on the lighting--we have seen mule deer, ravens, squirrels, elk, and California condors--we sat out and watched the sunset at Yavipai point this evening (Saturday)--we attempted to check out the stars through telescopes the past two nights but it is too cloudy--tonight it is suppose to get down into the 30s (brrrrr...)--we are going to the local tomorrow afternoon and hope to post more tomorrow (we just found out where wifi was this evening and our cell phones don't work here--darn the luck (please read the sarcasm in that comment)--oh yeah on the way here we found a cafe off of Route 66 called the Road Kill Cafe (of course we ate there--we had the scatter platter, beer breaded skunk, and wild turkey jerky--it was all good though--going to go snuggle to keep warm--love and miss you all--Frank & Stacey

Sin City Days & Nights

We haven't had time to blog (sorry)--I really think that you can buy anything in Las Vegas (and we have seen things on the strip that was pretty amazing)--the first night out (06/07) we walked from the Stratosphere to the Tropicana (3.8 miles) down one side of the strip and back up the other side (another 3.8 miles) just taking in the sights--the next morning (06/08) we go up and went on a "dam" (Hoover) tour (we are such tourists)--this was pretty cool to see the inside and when we went to the top of the observation tower it was registering 112 degrees (we handled the heat pretty good because it is a dry heat)--we got back in the early afternoon and took a nap and later went out to Freemont street to see the sights (it is a very cool place)--we messed around checking out the sights, sounds, and people--got up this morning (06/09) and went with friends (Charlie & Julie Worden) to a session at the Las Vegas temple and spent the rest of the day with them swimming, touring some of the different hotels on the strip and later this evening we had dinner at their home (thanks guys, we had such a good time catching up)--tomorrow morning we leave for the Grand Canyon--enjoy the pics--love and miss you--Frank & Stacey