I was 19 when I boarded an airplane for the first time.

I was 18 the first time I went skiing (I live 20 minutes away from the Greatest Snow on Earth!)

I've been East of the Mississippi, West of the Rockies, and I've been out of the country on a Mexican Vacation.

I have not, however, been to Yellowstone National Park. Until this past weekend.


Shane has been numerous times, seeing as he grew up about 2 hrs from the park. He has promised to take me every since we met, it just has never worked out before.


We finally decided to get away for the weekend and head up there. My parents graciously agreed to keep the kids for a couple of days so Shane and I packed a few things, threw the tent in the car, and headed to Yellowstone.

It's as beautiful as I heard it would be. How incredibly amazing!!


It was difficult being away from the kids. I've spent a night away before but was never more than 3o minutes away and I was back home before a full 24 hrs was up. So to be 5 hours away and gone an entire weekend did gnaw at me a little. But I tried not to think about it since I knew they were in good hands.


I was able to spend some much needed one on one time with the man I love. It's so easy to get distracted with life and parenting... so to be alone together and enjoying Mother Nature (and be unplugged since there isn't any cell phone coverage up there) was fabulous. It reminded me how much I am so in love with him and enjoy his company.

I had been a bit nervous about going this particular weekend, because I found out that President Obama was making an appearance at the park on Saturday. I was so upset when I found this out. One, because I could imagine the crowds, the road closures, the red tape... and two, because I didn't vote for the man. He's NOT my favorite person at the moment. So while I respect and honor the office he holds (and I won't "bash" him solely for that reason) I wasn't excited to have my personal time interrupted by ideas I don't agree with.

As we drove into the park, we saw Air Force One fly right in front of us. The picture I was able to get isn't as great of a view as we originally saw... but it was still neat to get a picture of.

The only other impact his visit had was when we were visiting a little steam lake and the transport helicopter flew overhead, flanked by Blackhawkes. (I must admit, that was pretty cool.)


Old Faithful was INSANELY busy. Parking was horrendous. I had heard that the road into Old Faithful was really backed up and at a stand still when The President had been there earlier. But that was cleared by the time we got there. We were still able to see Old Faithful's eruption up close and personal. And I was able to check in with the kids and talk to Lilly on the phone. (As she handed the phone back to my Mom, I heard her sweet little princess voice say..."I love my Mommy.")

We spent the entire day on Saturday touring the Park. I saw geysers, steam vents, hot pots and mud geysers. I saw Buffalo (and heard them), smelled fresh air, and bathed in Sulfur Steam more times than I can count.


That night, we set up our tent. We lit a fire and gathered close and roasted hot dogs on sticks.


Then it hit.

It was 35 degrees that night so we were bundled up close in the sleeping bags. This would have been fine, but I was in excruciating pain! It felt like someone was trying to pack barbed wire into my stomach. I was sweating bullets (but every time I pulled the covers back I turned into an ice cube) and knew I was going to puke.


The moment came and I rushed outside. I didn't make it very far.... I worried about attracting bears, but I really had no choice.

And I don't just throw up easily. I usually get super nauseated but never throw up. This time, I puked all night and all day Sunday. One time I tried to make it to the flushing toilets (that were incredibly clean I might add) and only made it as far as the stall. Yeah... I felt really bad about that one.

Sunday morning we had planned to visit a side canyon and take a dip in a heated river that our friends had told us about. Instead, I begged Shane to take me to the Hospital (2 hours away in Idaho Falls).

We packed up and headed home.

By the time we got to Idaho Falls, I wasn't puking anymore and the pain had calmed down a bit so we kept driving. I knew it was my gall bladder and the last thing I wanted was to be stuck in a small town hospital away from my kids.

We made it home.

I feel better now. Still having an attack but nothing as major as I was. My Doctor has agreed to take the darn thing out so now I just have to call and schedule it sometime around our trip to Denver. I just hope I can make it that long. UGGHH!! ***UPDATE*** My surgery is scheduled! Friday the 28th. I'm both nervous and thrilled.

So even though my body is truly my own worst enemy and it's trying to sabotage every thing I do, it was still a successful trip. I enjoy the scenery, the company, and the time-off.

Next time, though, I'm renting an RV and bringing the kids (and will hopefully be gall bladder free).


Be A Hero. Be An Organ Donor.

P.S. I have tons of more pictures. As I get the cleaned up and edited I will throw them into future posts. So I apologize in advance for any Yellowstone Picture overload you may suffer. Hopefully, the beauty of the place will make up for it.