greetings from utah

i survived the 3o hour journey mostly intact. Nebraska didn't impress me. It seemed like i was there for four days. We stayed in Ogaloogahellaballua, Wyoming at the stagecoach inn. What a beautiful resort. The smell of our room burned my nostrils... and not in a good way. (gil) My friend Kim came with me and I felt bad for her. I forced her to sing lullabies to Presto most of the way. Mason took the 1400 miles to perfect the most annoying sound. Why is there only Subway at every stop? There are other foods, right?

We went up to the cabin and I had no phone or internet until now. Luxury. Melanie and I tubed the river with our big kids. We hit our rear ends on many rocks and slabs of ice. Sweet. Our kids have been in "Fort" mode which is my favorite mode. They have an HQ and a dead moose carcass and a huge swing. Preslie took a nap with her Grammy on a blanket by the river. I learned a couple new card games and got to call my sister "IDIOT!" I love the cabin with all my heart. It is small and we are big - but it's worth it.

My brother Jamey (Yes, Jamey ... we reuse many names in my family - right Melanies?) and I took the big kids down to the lake to go boating, or rather, to be pulled on a tube behind a boat. I got married when Jamey was nine and so we don't know everything about eachother. I wanted him to think I was not a frumpy momoffour so I challenged him to a tube ride "gladiator style". Last one on wins. I won. I lost the use of my shoulders, got a mouth full of blood and woke up today with a stiff neck. But I won. I won, I tell you.

Tomorrow is Lagoon day. I am going to ride Colossus, win an oversized deck of cards playing skeeball and look at some old pioneer china from behind a plastic sneezeguard. Let me know if you want me to pick you up a plastic gorilla full of lemonade.