Rexburg

 Our family left for Rexburg on Friday, July 13th.  We stayed the night with Matthew and Kamber Friday.   Saturday morning we got up and had a few delays because of car trouble.  Nothing major, just a belt that needed to be replaced so it didn't turn into something major.  Then we drove to Chelsea and Ryan's and stayed the night with them.  Unfortunately we didn't get there until 10:30 because of the late start.  After church on Sunday we continued on to Rexburg, getting there before everyone else did coming back from Coeur d'Alene.  My parents just bought a house up there that they are fixing up.  My dad has been there since about end of January, but he had been fixing up the floors, kitchen, bathrooms, etc. while my mom stayed in Zillah, WA taking care of my grandma.  Dad had been living with less than the bare essentials.  He was working so much between his job and the house he never was idle enough to sit on a couch or chair.  He had bought a table just before we all came.  Needless to say, when we showed up there was work to be done to get this empty house ready for the mass chaos that was about to ensue.  Chaos is pretty typical when it comes to all of the Richards gettting together.  Good, fun chaos though.  Chaos that I have missed dearly.  I was so excited to be there even if it meant painting, cleaning, and getting the house liveable.  I was in heaven just seeing my family.  It had been 2 1/2 years since I had seen Laurel and her family, Marlayne and her family, and Chad and his family.  It had been a while since I had seen Bri and Mom and Dad too.  Heck, it's always too long even if it has only been a month!  I love the way I feel when I am with my family!  We quickly swept floors, threw dinner together, and got everyone settled in one room or another.  We got the room that is grandma's room.  It was perfect for us.  It has a deep closet that we put Kelsey's pop up crib in and she slept better there than she does at home.  That was a blessing indeed (especially since I was up WAY too late most nights...okay, every night).  I can't possibly put into words what that trip meant to me, but I can tell you a few of the highlights and you will have to imagine the best possible day and then multiply it by 10 to see how much I loved each day there.  I just kept looking around and smiling, taking in the faces that I hadn't seen in years and so happy that I was really seeing them.  I got to run with my older sister, Marlayne, 4 different mornings.  I stayed up late each night talking with my siblings and parents.  I adore my parents and siblings.  Especially my sisters.  They are so fun to talk to and laugh with.  I love how I can be so totally myself around them.  No point in being guarded or trying to hide my faults, they know them better than anyone other than my husband.  There were rides on grandma's golf cart.  Visits to my friends Susie and Emily.  Susie is an old roomie from Provo and a dear, dear friend to me.  I can't help but smile every time I think of her.  I wish I had my Susie here or I was there.  Life is so much better with her in it.  Emily is a friend of mine from Ricks, more particularly the preschool program at Ricks.  We meant very early on at Ricks and were instant friends.  I love that I haven't seen her in 10 years and I picked up the phone and talked to her like it was yesterday.  Trip to the sand dunes.  Family pictures taken by Laurel.  Eating out with the adults.  Yellowstone park with Mom and Dad.  Nielsen's frozen custard.  Going to the temple with my husband.  Shopping.  It goes on and on.  Honestly my favorite moments are just sitting around and laughing.  We did a lot of that too.  My oldest brother, Chad, lives a few miles away from my parent's new house.  So, even after everyone else left, we still got time with Chad and Tricia and their kids.  Their kids are getting so grown up.  It is really fun to hang out with them.  I have amazing nieces and nephews.  I saw that again on this trip.  All of them are really, really good kids.  They are funny and enjoyable to be around.

Yellowstone Park with Mom and Dad

 Rexburg Temple with my husband (and Nielsen's lemon custard after!)

 While I was visiting my friend Emily my back window was shattered.  I had to push the window out, it was shattered but still on the van when I came out to the van to leave.  I think a stray piece of gravel hit it from the road they were redoing.  I pushed the window out so that it didn't shatter into the car as I drove home, especially since the kids were with me.

  It was going to take too long to replace the window in Rexburg and we had to get home (my niece, Autumn was getting baptized the 28th and Austen was getting blessed the 29th) so we just fixed it Richards' style.  I thought it was hilarious when we pulled up to Chelsea's (the 26th) on the way back home and she saw it and she said, "that's a really nice taping job!"  Way to go, Dad!  Even if it is just tape, you still do the very best work!  It got us home and we got it fixed the next day.  Thank goodness for 0 deductible on glass because it would have been about $600 if we paid out of pocket!

We hope to go back every summer now that they live in Rexburg.  It is still a long drive, but close enough that we can survive it.  Their house is absolutely perfect.  They have lots of land for the kids to play on and a 4,000+ square foot home for the kids to get lost in and rooms for everyone to crash in when we do finally sleep.  I am already counting down til next year...so are the kids!