Driving farther West: Idaho to the Oregon Coast

   We said good-bye to Rexburg and all the cousin craziness, looking forward to the more peaceful half of  the vacation.  We stopped at the Idaho Falls Temple, to see the newly renovated interior, while my parents kindly watched the younger kiddos.
  Sean and I were married here 23 years ago!   (The photo below is not one I took personally.)

   The renovation was beautiful. The old wall murals had more life and clarity to them.  You don't often see murals like these in the new temples.
 

    This is also the temple I remember taking 5-hour-long bus rides to from our town in Montana as a teenager. Before we would get back on the bus for the ride home, we'd always eat lunch at the temple cafeteria. ( I don't know of any other temples with a cafeteria in them!)  Sean and I both have fond memories of the temple scones and chocolate pie from our teenage temple outings.  So, of course, we had to take Asher into the beautiful temple that had so many good memories for us.

      He agreed that the fresh, hot scones and  pie were "divine". The wall murals were also astounding.  It was really satisfying to share a place that we love so much with one of our kids.

    Then back into the car for a cross state drive.  I had hoped that the Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls, Idaho would be a good stopping spot for lunch. Unfortunately, wasps in the picnic area, combined with 100 degree temps, made us gulp down our cereal and milk,  take a couple scenic pictures of the falls, and jump back in the air conditioned van.

   
     The Shoshone Falls are really epic.  All that water in a sagebrush wasteland!   There were kayakers coming up the river, right to the base of the falls, getting showered in cool mist.   If we come back this way again, I'm going to schedule more time, and figure out how to rent kayaks and make this a memorable outing instead of a quick scenic stop.

     We arrived in Meridian in time to gather tomatoes and grape for a delicious dinner with Sean's parents.

     Brad has an amazing efficient backyard growing area.  With very little space they get bushels of peaches, berries, tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots.   They have thick vines of grapes growing over their back porch.  Ephraim was in heaven, helping Brad harvest produce.

     Ephraim and McKenzie also came to an agreement this trip.  If Ephraim didn't get too close to her, McKenzie wouldn't bite his face.  I felt this was a positive step in their relationship, and boded well for the next week when they would be housemates at the coast.

   I thought the sleeping arrangements for the kids was pretty funny.  Ephraim, Asher and Sylvia could all fit head-to-toe on the leather couch in the TV room.

     I took the kids to the swimming pool in the neighborhood while Sean shopped for groceries.  We also went to a great museum in Boise, "The Discovery Center of Idaho".  Having gone to several science museums all over the country, this was one of the best.  I'd put it second only to the one in Milwaukee.  The kids would love to come back and spend more time here.

The favorite exhibit was a giant bubble maker.  Sylvia and Ephraim loved it!

      Finally, we were off to Oregon. We drove half way to the coast and stopped into our motel.  They had accidentally given our room to somebody else, so the made up for it with giving us a suite with a hot tube in the room!   We all climbed in, watched TV (Ephraim may have jumped on the bed), and decided we were really living the luxury life.

   The next morning... we planned on picking up Asher's girlfriend (Beth) at the Portland airport and driving to the ocean  So much anticipation!

     Thursday morning, after a small glitch with the GPS taking us on a detour to a private airport in Hood River, Oregon  (very cute town, would love to explore it another time!), we found Beth at the correct airport in Portland. 
     We smooshed this smiling girl (whom we had only met briefly previously) into the backseat of the van with Asher and his viola, and headed off to find the ocean.   We nervously hoped she would survive our family vacation.

      After a delicious lunch at "King Torta's" (an authentic Mexican restaurant outside Portland), we stopped at the Tillamook Forest Nature Center.  It had a lot of cool exhibits explaining the logging and forest fire history of the mountains between Portland and the coast.
    Beth made immediate friends with Ephraim by being willing to play animal puppets in one of the nature exhibits with him.  She did not realize that she would then have a little buddy attached at her side for the rest of the trip.

     We enjoyed playing in the river behind the center, as well as hiking a bit on the trails. It would be a good place to explore more another time.

Asher and Beth got a chance to sit and visit, after somehow surviving a summer apart.

     We continued on, arriving at the amazing Air B&B house in Oceanside that Brad and Liz had rented for us all to stay in for the next 5 days.  We unpacked, made dinner, and headed to see the ocean before sunset. 
     When got to the Oceanside beach,  we saw a man drawing a giant geometric pattern in the sand.  Ephraim though it was a cool idea and started copying him with a piece of driftwood.

   
    Sean talked with the sand-artist a bit.  He said "The ocean and I are in a relationship.  I give her my art, and she tells me what she thinks of it."   Fair enough.

    We waded out into the ocean, of course!  You don't just drive 2,000 miles and keep your feet dry!   Brad and Liz hadn't driven as far, so they kept dry and enjoyed walking their dog, McKenzie, along in the foggy sunset.

    It was a nice time to get to know Beth a little better. 
    This is me asking if I can touch her boing-y curls, and her laughing about it.

    Asher and Beth also walked a long ways, enjoying the beautiful view and each others company. It was tough to leave, but we knew we could return the next day, and several days thereafter.

  The night ended with everyone exhausted, and lounging on the couches watching TV to wind down.   Sean and Ephraim made this a nightly ritual.

     It was really nice to have the two separate floors, with two couch areas, three bathrooms, and five bedrooms.  We had lots of space for everyone to spread out in and not feel like we were tripping over each other. It was a great find!  A perfect homebase for the many adventures in the days to come.

Chiddix Family Reunion 2019

      You could call it a "Chiddix Family Reunion", or you could call it a "Live-In-Your-Swimsuit-Crazy-Cousin-Palooza-2019".  (I think the latter is the more accurate title, although it would have been difficult to fit such a long name on the t-shirts Lisa made.)

Sean and I in the official Chiddix Reunion 2019 t-shirts!

     We all gathered at the Daniel's lake house in Rexburg, Idaho.  He generously reserved the house Labor Day weekend for our entire family (along with a cabin and an yurt).   It was the perfect place to gather our large group: my mom and dad, their seven kids and spouses, and 27 out of 29 grandchildren. Only my Noel and Mattias were missing!

    Friday and Saturday, everyone lived in swimsuits and went from one water activity to another.  Daniel was amazing, rounding up dozens of child-sized lifejackets, so everyone could be on the water together.  He also offered stand-up-paddlebording, jet skiing, kayaking, swimming, and fishing.  There was always something fun to do if you wanted to be in the water.

Me, getting instructions on how to drive a jet-ski.

Me, being WAY AWESOME on a jet ski, loving the speed!

Uncle Daniel giving Sylv a ride. She wasn't a fan.

Speed-demon Ephraim, loving the jet ski.  No surprise there.

Ephraim, trying to follow the older cousins example,
and climb up onto the railing to jump in the lake.

Ephraim flinging himself off the railing with reckless abandon.
Honestly, that should be his name:
 Ephraim "Reckless-Abandon" McMullin!

Asher on a stand up paddleboard.
 He was royally sunburnt the next day!

This floating mat was the BEST... THING... EVER.
Hours of fun for the kids.
Here is Ephraim dancing back and forth along it, singing?

Sylvia and the older cousins loved taking the mat to the
 middle of the lake, having their own world to rule.

Ephraim spent hours in his little kayak.
He paddled all over the lake, solo, loving his freedom.

 Saturday morning, our family and Cheri's family went with Daniel and Addie to hike the "R Mountain", a dormant volcano that rises up out of the deseret by Rexburg.

     I used to run up and down this mountain weekly as a high school cross-country runner.  Thirty years later, it was really tough!  I think going up 5,000 feet from what we were used to was a bit shocking to our lungs... along with simply being out of shape!

Super hikers!  Non-whiners! Girl cousin power!

 
It was fun to look around at the volacanic scenery.  With the river running through the desert below, and some wildflowers blooming,  it was actually pretty.

Everyone at the top, still breathing.
 (Sean is breathing behind the camera).

      Despite warning Ephraim (several times!)  about not looking under rocks for bugs -- there are scorpions and rattlesnakes here --  he started digging around in some rocks under a sagebrush at the top.
    I heard a scream of "OW!" and he shakes his hand, flinging something large into the air away from him.  Somehow he got away with just a pinch from the scorpion instead of a sting.
   
     It was a rough hike for Ephraim in general.  He ran down the trail, falling and scraping his knee and hand.  The band-aids wouldn't stick on because of all the dust and dirt. Uncle Daniel saved the day, packing Ephraim out the last bit of the trail on his shoulders. We were glad to be off the dusty mountain and heading back to the land of brownies and kayaks. Yes!

   Back at the lake house, Ephraim's life got better.  Grandpa had rented a bouncy house and climbing wall for Saturday afternoon. Dozens of cousins went between the lake and the lawn, in their own private wonderland.

Very tall rock wall and bouncy house.

Ephraim spent a lot of time on the wall.

Both Spencer and Ephraim, making it to the top to ring the bell.

Aunt Becca, mom and dad, watching the kids climb.

    Ephraim learned to play chess this winter, and has been doing a chess app as we drove across the country.  He was VERY excited to see a really nice chess board on a table at the lake house.  He played games against himself and Sean all weekend.
         He tried to play his cousin Felicia, but got trounced. She was a good sport about it, and it was good for Ephraim to practice being a gracious loser. (He may need more practice in that area.)

Felicia and Ephraim showing their skills.

   Sylvia has beat several people at chess this summer, mostly on scout camp-outs.  She was feeling pretty confident going into a game with Darci, another of Dave's kids.

     Little did she know, she had met her match.  The game went on into dinner time, and the younger cousins gathered around to watch the big match with their paper plates.

     Darci won, but dinner was delicious.   We will have to demand some rematches next year.  I always loved playing Dave chess. I'm glad to see his kids know how to play well.

     In between activities and meals, there was plenty of time for the cousins to all get to know each other.   Time around the campfire at night. Eating more s'mores than their parents would ever approve of if they had been outside watching...

Ryder and Eli, the younger generations pyro-maniacs.

     Time in the pool table room, making up their own games.  Coming dangerously close to chipped teeth and pinched fingers from flying pool balls...

Time doing random things like shooting a BB gun.  This was a real "Red Rider" BB gun, and nobody "shot their eye out"!

Ephraim, hunting pop cans and water botles with Uncle Daniel.

Time lounging on the floor of the TV room, watching movies...

Exhausted kids after a full day of sun, in front of a movie.

And bedtime together... which always seem to be very loud and giggley for Sylvia and her "tweener" cousins.

Addie, Joel, Darci and Sylvia  "sleeping".

   I loved how the older cousins helped out! Here's Braxton and "Blue" giving Ephraim a ride around the lake on a 4 wheeler .

 
      Sunday, we went to church with my parents, taking up three rows, and looking mighty fine if I might say so myself!  It was great to see the youth leaders that helped shaped me decades ago, and tell them how much I appreciated their love and patience.

      After church, we had a baby shower for the FIRST Chiddix Great-Grandbaby!  Braxton and his wife, MiKayla are having a baby girl next month, "Livia Boyle".

     Tammy had a bunch of plain "onesies" that she handed out to all the cousins to decorate with sharpies.

The results were surprisingly good!  We have some very clever and creative kids in this family!

My favorite was done by Nicole and Hannah Boyle. (#BoyleBooty 🍑 right across the rear end of the onesie!)   Those girls are funny as adults.

     After the shower, we all gathered for some "family history" games and activities.

      Each family had a set of cards with photos of grandparents going back three generations.  We had to match up the couples and put them in chronological order. Then, mom (Grandma Chiddix) pulled out a big box of items she had gathered over the past few weeks.  Each item related to a story that went along with each ancestor.

   It was a engaging, simple way for the kids to learn one thing about those people in the black and white photos they had just matched up on the floor.  There were lots of great stories for each person relating to each object (honey, a cow, trains, a baseball, etc.)  My mom did a fabulous job keeping it interesting and short.

     Dad told how an antique canvas watering bag for a car radiator kept cool by hanging on the car's mirror as it drove. He also told about his grandfather's blacksmith hammers.

    Then each sibling family put on a family history skit.  In advance, everyone read up on some ancestor and decided how to present a story from their life.

   Cheri and her kids did "Uncle Billy and the Confederates".  Carly was amazing in her role as the wife, saying plaintively (and in a southern drawl) "Don't go Billy, you'll get shot!"  as Ryder went off to steal back his horse.  Both she and Ryder could be on stage!

  Brandon was a hoot, as always.  He played Santa Clause.  Braxton played a great grandpa (as a litle boy) who just wanted a new pair of shoes for Christmas.

Michael was a convincing "peg-leg" great-grandpa.   He hobbled around with his wooden leg, doing funny tricks like kicking his leg off, and nailing his sock to it.

    After the skits, adults sat and visited, while the kids timed each other on the "Chiddix Cousin Challenge board".

   The game was a  beautiful poster board Sean made, with photo slot for all the cousins and aunts and uncles. It was tricky for the kids to match eveyone into their correct families.   They would stand around and cheer for each other, and crack up laughing as some people assigned the wrong children to families.  This was a hotspot for the kids for a couple of hours as we waited for Lisa to arrive with her family for the mega-family photo shoot.
 
     I think Darci completed the game in the fastest time, but Carly was close behind. She did it over and over again.  She is a very determined little lady.

Carly and her finished product of cousin perfection.

   Once Lisa arrived, and we all grouped ourselves onto the back lawn just as the sun was beginning to set.   I got lots of photos of people all cleaned up, looking beautiful.  As I looked through the lens of the camera, taking random shots of people standing around, I thought "These are the people I love!"

     We finally organized ourselves and got the large group photo of the entire family taken, with only minimal tears and drama.  (I'll post a picture of it here when I get it from Lisa.)  After that, we laughed and cried together, and did smaller group shots.

Brandon doing a "sexy lips" pose for photos, cracking us all up.

Five sisters.  Five buddies.  Five moms, doing the best they can.

Becca and I with sexy lips and our hair blowing in the breeze!

Mom and dad with all the grandkids, except Noel and Mattias.  A good looking group.

     Lots of good relationships were formed this weekend.  I appreciate Uncle Brandon helping Ephraim catch several bass.  He was a very patient fishing guide.

     Ephraim was soooo happy, and I was very grateful.  The next day I helped Rebecca's little ones (Caleb and Michael) fish, paying forward Uncle B's kindness.

   This was an amazing weekend.  The activites were great -- building blocks for a stronger family.  Once we cooked dinner, hiked, sang, or caught fish together, we had a common story.  It was well worth the cross-country drive.  I'd even say it was the best spent three days of this year.  It helped me value family members I didn't know as well, and see how rich we are in this family. I am going to love watching these little neices and nephews grow into themselves at future reuinions! There is a lot of potential bundled up in those chubby little bodies.