Spring Break Part 2... Tetonia, Idaho...

Just got back from spending a wonderful week with my daughters, my son-in-laws, and my 4 very beautiful grandchildren! I just don't get out there nearly often enough!!!


Apparently nobody else does either...


The neighborhood...

I just don't know how they function living out there. Even though, I have to admit it IS absolutely gorgeous! God's country for sure! How I love this little house!


(Much, much bigger inside than it looks btw.) Nothing could possibly be any cozier during a sweeping blizzard inside there with the fireplace blazing. And I love the little footbridge over the stream (off to the left) that Aaron's brother built, and which they get to enjoy for at least 4 months out of every year.

Streams, rivers, mountains, ridges and lots and lots of snow covered dirt roads. These next scenes are only about a mile or so from the house...

*clickable*



And so, I guess if I'm being totally honest... I have to admit that I'd really like nothing more than to live in a place like this someday. But just not until I retire and don't have to be at work at 7:30 every morning... Because seriously, when you wake up at 6 am and look out of the window, you feel as if you are totally at the end of the earth...

But enough about Geography...

The real reason for my visit...


Storytime with Jade...


Being beat at Dr. Mario by a three year old...


Playing in the snow... because you can just never, ever get enough of all that stuff, ya know?


Holding that beautiful Rachel...


Melting at her infectious smile!...


Finally meeting the boys...


Crazy...


A duet...

The 28 hour flight home including the late night stopover at that seedy motel was somehow all completely worth it!...

Spring Break Part 1... "Tried and True"...

So, this is a really, really hard blog to write! Mostly because I've been so totally obsessed with this guy for 8 years now and suddenly... it sort of, kind of feels like it's finally over. But I've already been through 2 divorces, so it seems this should be old hat for me by now.

I even owned a blog about him once! Yes, really.

Please don't get me wrong, he'll always hold a very special place in my heart, we've been through far to much for him not to. I think I've seen him in concert something like 36 times (give or take a few). But his last tour closed in San Francisco on Saturday night and from his lips to our ears has basically said he has nothing else at all planned at all for the future. Maybe it's me, but I don't see him being all that motivated to continue on doing this forever. All he ever really wanted to be was a teacher. He got talked into going to the American Idol audition! I don't think he ever even fathomed the extent that it would change his life.

I'm sure there will be those who will spend the next year on the message boards speculating on what he'll do next and continuing to kavetch over his hair. Because there are those who have pretty much done nothing else for nearly a decade. It's a hard habit to break. Perhaps he'll finally just buy a home in Branson... and semi-quietly raise his son. Who knows? I honestly and sincerely hope he doesn't do that...

But still, it was so much fun going to Ft. Wayne this one last time with my Grand Rapids peeps!!!



And to finally have a good picture taken with him! The last picture I got with him 7 years ago in Salt Lake City... his hair was sticking up all over the place and it looked like he'd just rolled out of bed!...


Wait...

(Whit and I had tons of fun playing around with his collegiate UMASS hoodie the other day. Actually I was just using the opportunity to give her a quick tutorial on PhotoShop...)



Anyway, here's his show closing banter from his second to last show in Mesa, Arizona. See if you can spot his major "shout-out" to me at around 00:23...

And here's the beautiful rendition of "In My Life" that followed...



And if you'll just humor me with one more... one of my favorite songs from this tour... from his stop in Pittsburgh.



*sigh*

I think I'm really, really, going to miss him...