Recap...part 1

July 4th Flag Raising Ceremony. Jon's mother is in red.

June 27th we moved to a different house.

4 days later we got in our van and drove to Spanish Fork, Utah. We spent the night at my sister's house.

July 3rd we drove up to Idaho Falls to spend the week with Jon's family. My sister joined us for the weekend which was nice to have her around and share the chaos with. Jon is the last of 10 kids. 9 of the kids were present for the weekend. I include Lori who passed away 5 years ago. I know she was there in Spirit. Her kids were there and I have to say they are fun to be around.

On our drive we stopped and met up with half of Jon's family at Lava Hot Springs and enjoyed the water slides and pools.

Jon and his sister being crazy during the flag ceremony. I told you that Lori's Spirit and influence was there. :)

July 4th started with the annual Flag raising ceremony at 8 a.m. Jon's mother has had this tradition since her husband past away 24 years ago.

Lots of people came.

After that we loaded up and went down to the I.F. parade. Boy, do the locals know how to Party! Maria (Jon's sister) and Jon de-stressed by dancing in the street, yelling, chanting, running after floats, jumping on floats while lip-synching and dancing. There is a tape of it somewhere that I need to get my hands on. It was hilarious to watch. I will never underestimate my husband's charisma.

Jon and Micah chasing down the Star Wars Float. We couldn't let Micah's favorite characters get away. He loves Star Wars.

Where the family enjoyed the parade. Many of us are not in this picture.

After the Parade we went to the family reunion on the Olsen side (Jon's father's siblings). It was good to hear stories about Jon's dad and his dad's parents. Especially since Dennis passed away when Jon was almost 7. From the stories they tell about Dennis of how he teased his siblings, I have a better understanding at how my husband and our children are so good at teasing and pranking people.

After the reunion we drove up to Rexburg to spend time on the acres of land that Maria lives on.

Then we drove back to I.F. and watched the fireworks. Lucas and David slept through the whole experience in the van. My sister and I stayed in the van with them while Jon and Micah went with the rest of the family to the river to watch. I tried to wake Lucas up 4 times by shaking his legs, yelling at him and nudging him. He didn't budge an inch. I guess he was tired. Maybe next year he'll see the show.

Idaho Falls Temple. We enjoyed the visitor center with Jon's mother.

The rest of the week in I.F. we played volleyball, sat around and talked to other family members. 5 of his siblings and their families live in the area so there were many opportunities to catch up and enjoy their company. We enjoyed going to the Temple's Visitor Center with Jon's mother. Jon, Lucas and Micah enjoyed boating with Nathan and kids. Throughout the week we made lots of memories and enjoyed the small town feel of I.F. Thank you for hosting us.

Micah enjoying the boat. He is such a cute kid.

Lucas, Jon and Micah on the big floating device. They were enjoying the ride.

We continued our journey the following Friday. Leaving I.F. and meeting my sister in Boise. Because of how much my sister travels she was able to get us a two bedroom plus living room suite at a Marriott. Jon's oldest brother (20 year difference in age) lives in Boise and he came over that evening. We enjoyed talking with him and catching up.

Saturday we were on the road bright and early leaving Boise to my hometown. Or neighboring hometown to be more accurate. This is where I will stop for now.