Summer Vacations

This summer has flown by! Josh goes back to work/school tomorrow and Kinley goes back to child care full time today (I miss her already!). I, of course, work full time every day so my schedule doesn't change at all.

We were able to squeeze in several vacations over the summer though, which is what makes summer time so fun!

Our first vacation was over the 4th of July at Lake Kanopolis. We left on Wednesday the 4th and came back to Olathe on July 8th. We knew ahead of time that this would be our final trip to the lake this summer because the rest of July was busy and school/football starting in August. So, we made the absolute best of our time! We helped Kendell and Chris move, wakeboarded, went on boat rides, played cards, relaxed by the baby pool, and just enjoyed the company of family! It was wonderful!

Our next trip was to St. Louis with my dad and stepmom. We were gone from July 17 through July 21. I had never been to St. Louis, so I was extremely excited. On Thursday, we went to an antique car shop to oogle over some really neat muscle cars. That night we went to an oyster bar, and Josh tried his very first raw oyster on the half shell. It has been debated whether I had had them in the past or not, but I definitely proved myself that night. And yes, they are still disgusting!

Friday, we went to the St. Louis zoo, which was huge and awesome! We didn't make it through all of the exhibits because we had a pressing appointment. That appointment was the Budweiser brewery tour. I had never been on a brewery tour before, so I have nothing to compare it to, but it was awesome! I really enjoyed myself! That night, we found a little hole-in-the-wall barbecue place with the most amazing ribs ever!

Saturday, our plan was to relax and then go to the baseball game that night. However, we snuck in a trip to the arch. I was terrified of being in the "egg" going up to the top, but it really wasn't that bad. The top was much worse! We spent very little time on top because of the swaying! Ugh!! At the game, the Cardinals whooped up on the Chicago Cubs. Some of the fans were less than friendly, but it was still a lot of fun! We really enjoyed our trip, and Kinley really enjoyed spending time with her BoomMa and her BoomPa.

Our last trip of the summer, was to Denver to visit Josh's brother, Brad and his wife, Julie. This was Kinley's first trip on a plane. She did absolutely phenomenal! While we were there, we also got to see Josh's childhood friend, Ann and and her family. We were there from August 1 to August 7. On Thursday, we met and and her family at the Denver aquarium. It was really neat. I saw the largest fish I have ever seen in my entire life! It was all little eerie! They also had a really neat mermaid show which the girls loved. We met her husband for lunch afterwords, and then Josh and I headed to REI, a sporting goods store. It was a busy day in Denver!

Friday, we went to the Coors brewery tour in Golden, Colorado. it was pretty neat, but smaller than the Budweiser tour. On our way back we stopped at Gunsmoke, a gun supply store. It was really cool because there is a television show that follows the owner and his family as they sell and build specialty guns. It was awesome and we even got to meet the owner!

Saturday, the boys went go-karting, and Julie and I got pedicures. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and even did a very little bit of shopping. We had a nice dinner that night in Loveland.

Sunday, we drove to Estes Park to do some hiking. We had to leave very early in the morning in order to get there in time to drive up the mountain, instead of taking a shuttle. We had an awesome time and got a great workout too! I was definitely sore afterwards!

Monday, we took a last-minute, impromptu trip to the Denver zoo. You know I love a good zoo! It ended up being a really nice day out too. Tuesday we headed home and Kinley won over all of the Southwest patrons!.

During all of our vacations and travels, Kinley did great! She had one ear infection and we caught it on the front side of it. She has been an absolute delight this summer and I have loved getting to spend so much time with her! She still loves the water and the loves any opportunity we have to go to the pool or to the lake. We absolutely love that little girl! Here are a few pictures to show what an awesome time we have had so far this summer!