*I’m so sorry that the blog has looked wonky for the last couple of days. I wasn’t sure what happened to it, but I tried removing all the bold sentences from this post and that fixed it. Thanks for your patience, sweet siestas!*
Top ten reasons to ditch Houston in August and head to Jackson Hole, Wyoming
1. There are days when the temperature will make you wonder if it’s December. And you will start singing Christmas carols without realizing it.
2. Instead of dead armadillos on the road, they’ve got these guys.
3. There are no billboards, no skyscrapers, and no sidewalks so hot you can fry eggs on them.
4. Your man might go for a hike and come back with something like this.
5. You won’t have to wait until February to go to the rodeo.
That is my son drinking hot chocolate in August.
My future cowgirl and me.
6. There are good burgers to be had beyond our state’s borders.
Oh, Billy’s Burgers, how we heart you.
7. When life slows down, funny things happen.
That’s a bagel in Jackson’s mouth.
She fell backwards and landed right in her brother’s lap. He was so tickled.
Annabeth fell asleep while we were at a cookout. She had to have her thumb, of course.
8. Your hair may go bump-it in the night.
You are looking at God-given bump-it, siestas.
9. You might see a grizzly bear. Preferably from your car.
(This is zoomed in – we would never get that close.)
10. Yellowstone National Park is like the Disney World of Nature. You cannot believe how much cool stuff is in one place.
We got there early in the morning in hopes of seeing more animals.
And there it is.
I’m not sure what this is. Maybe Jackson was excited about the dirt on his hands.
Jackson and Curtis with the Upper Falls in the background (I think).
Can you see the rainbow?
River water going over the Lower Falls.
This picture makes the bottom of my feet hurt. Does that happen to anyone else when they look down from up high?
After seeing it from close up, we drove down the road and saw the Lower Falls from a distance.
Top ten songs from our vacation playlist
1. “Just Wanna Say” by Israel Houghton
2. “My Brightness” by Charlie Hall
3. “Glorified” by New Life Worship
4. “You’ll Come” by Hillsong Live
5. “Light of the World” by Watermark
6. “A Grateful People/Bless the Lord” by Watermark
7. “Glory to God Forever” by Fee
8. “Since the World Began” by Matt Maher, Amy Grant, Ed Cash, and Mac Powell from Glory Revealed 2
9. “He Will Rejoice” by Trevor Morgan from Glory Revealed 1
10. “Waters Gone By” by Shawn Lewis from Glory Revealed 1
*More pictures than you ever wanted to see coming soon!
How beautiful!!! I love the picture of Jackson asleep with the bagel in his mouth. Too funny and so precious! Brings back some memories. ;o)
Thanks for sharing!
Kimberly
Ha! I just spent the past week moving from Montana to Wichita Falls, TX. I guess everything is a matter of perspective. I was feeling so blessed to be greeted by 95+ degree weather and the promise of another month or more of summer. Not to mention no more winters with -40 degree days! I do have to admit though, that the pictures of Yellowstone made me just a bit homesick. WY and MT can definitely boast some amazing landscape.
Thanks for sharing!
"Wonky"? 🙂 Cool pictures and neat words. Thanks.
I love that area!! Glad you had a great vacation!
Love Love Love the "built in"
Bump It!!!!!
Wish my God given Bump Its were in my hair instead of on my rear…. hummmph…..
;0) Breahn, Palestine Texas
our favorite place. also didn't know Glory revealed had another cd!
Loved seeing this post. My husband and I just moved an hour south of JH from Houston 3 weeks ago. We are enjoying it a lot and have made 3 trips to JH since arriving. We will have to try the burger place….not sure it will beat Papa's Burger's though. Can't wait to make it to Yellowstone too. This morning while we were at church someone mentioned that it snowed at his house here today…totally crazy to me since I am so accustomed to Texas autumns and winters. I was happy to see that we get "Life Today" and I can still see Beth on Wednesday mornings here…feels like home.
Thanks for sharing about your trip.
Kim
Wow! You are an amazing photographer. Thanks for taking those pictures- God used them to speak to me.
I am ready for a roadtrip to Yellowstone! God's beauty is all over that place! Takes me back to my childhood. What fun, thank you for sharing with us!
Sherrie
Spokane, WA
Yellowstone is one of my favorite places on this earth. Just LOVE it! Planning a trip for next year.
We never tire of "Big Sky Country" where God is always speaking to our hearts. The pic's gorgeous…and thanks for sharing with we siesta's the blessings of your beautiful family. It was like taking an armchair vacation!
Hugs,
Pam H.
Buena Park, CA
Nothing better than the Teton Yellowstone area in the summer. Praise God for giving us such a beautiful world to live in. Can't wait to see what heavens like!
You have a fantastic camera! Thos pictures are beautiful. I would love to go there. I have been trying to talk my "citified" husband into going there. What an awesome experience it must be for you and the fam!
Ps. I have that same blanket that sweet girl is laying on. It is my nap snuggly couch blanket.
Thank you for sharing your vacay with us.
Amanda, you are so beautiful! I'm so glad you guys had such a wonderful trip 🙂 The bagel in Jackson's mouth cracked me up!!!
I LOVE yellowstone and the mountains. Your pix reminded me of the times we've been there. It was like a "remote" vacation. Much needed. Thanks for sharing and I'm looking forward to the pix to come!!!
I grew up in Montana and every summer we took a day trip to "the park" – Yellowstone that is. It has been years since I have been there – the beauty is the same. I need to take my family there. Thanks for the reminder.
Marcia/Portland,OR
Amazing pictures! Looks like y'all had an awesome time!!
What a great vacation. I have never been to WY. I might need to add it to my list of places to go.
Loved the pictures and the Tetons! Loved getting to see your sweet family as well. Makes me think of the song we used to sing in Sunday School (a LONGGGGG time ago..) "God's beautiful world, God's beautiful world, I love God's beautiful world. He made if for you, he made it for me, I love God's beautiful world." Thanks for sharing!
Janet
Amarillo, TX
Amanda:
Thank you so much for sharing your photos and your awesome family with us! God's gift of a glorious sight is amazing. You are blessed and so are we.
Lichelle
Breathtaking!! Chris and I just got home from a mountain getaway in Colorado and I can't get enough of the mountains now!!!! These pictures make me want to head to Wyoming right now!
Those pics are wonderful, I can just smell the air and feel the breeze…..check Full Color, a pro lab in Dallas that will work with amateur photogs and they have some wonderful products, shipping is not too expensive…just saying these are really good…. I think you have some real great shots from the Master artist Himself. Shalom
Amanda, LOVE IT !! thanks for sharing
Amanda: My husband and I met each other in Yellowstone National Park way back in 1988. (The year the park was on fire) I lived in Canyon Village and Jack lived in Gardnier, MT. I was finishing up my college degree at Azusa Pacific, and he had just finished his MDiv at SBTS in Louisville, KY. We both worked for the Christian Ministry in the National Parks providing the services there on Sundays, and in turn, they provided us with a job. I was a waitress in Canyon, and Jack delivered books to the visitors center. I love that place, and I am glad to see that you can visit there often.
Just want to say thank you for your ministry and the testimony of God's grace in your marriage and family… We love you all in Redding, CA..(Jack is now the professor NT at Simpson University..)
Lynn
Redding,CA
My absolute favorite picture was definitely Jackson with the bagel in his mouth. That's because I have a picture of my little man (just a little bit older than Jackson) asleep in his carseat with beef jerky in his mouth. The funniest part of that is that he kept chewing off and on! Your picture brought back such funny memories. Thanks for sharing!
What BEAUTIFUL work of our Master!!!
Amanda, these pictures are gorgeous! I went to Montana over Labor Day weekend to see one of my BFF's, and while I was there I felt the exact same way about the weather. We went camping at Glacier National Park and also saw bears, and it was equally as gorgeous! I posted so many pictures, too, b/c I just couldn't decided what I wanted to post. It's so nice to get away and unplug. So nice. Glad y'all had a great, relaxing, refreshing trip after a crazy summer.
P.S. A bump-it? Do you even know how much I want one? I'll totally admit it. No lie.
It looks like you had a wonderful trip!!! And… I love the top music list, I always need some new titles and artists- that is not my strength (title's and artists' names).
Blessings to you- so glad you had a wonderful time.
Abby
It's more the bottom of my spine than the bottom of my feet…but I get it.
Love the pictures!! Hope I get to go back someday. And that someday my girls go without begging to turn the DVD player back on…
Little Momma, these pictures are magnificent! Those mountains are huge! Not like East TN rolling hills and smoky fog:) Your kiddles are cuteness and a half:):) You do have a God-given bump-it girl, that is fabulous! Aww, wild flowers from your sweetie:)
katiegfromtennessee
the thermostat cracks me up!! But really does help explain all the "gear" ya'll are wearing. =)
I love seeing pictures of this part of the country. Was in that area when I was very young and have just a bit of memory of it. How breath taking!
Thank you for sharing your private family time!
I get a little sick looking down down down down too. It was almost too much when we visited the Hoover dam. SHEW!
I'm hungry after looking at that hamburger picture. YUM!
Sweet little Annabeth having her arm bundled up – bless her.
I am a teacher…the kids were off at something or I was eating lunch at my desk and I went onto the blog here…thank our Lord it is not firewalled out because so much is…and saw these BEAUTIFUL photos! What a blessing! Thank you for sharing your life Amanda…you are SUCH a gift to all! What an uplift to see God's handy-work in nature!
After seeing these pics, I'm heading to Wyoming!! We're hot here in Austin and I would love some snuggly with hot chocolate! :O)
Absolutely gorgeous pictures! Thank you for sharing!
Great pics! I did not realized how big Jackson was….great family. May God bless you forever!
Absolutely beautiful. These pictures just take your breath away. It is amazing the wonders that our God created.
Thank you for sharing your photos.
everything about your trip looks so appetizing! all those beautiful pictures are a great reminder of how big and lovely our Daddy is!
thanks for sharing!
xo
Rae
Seattle, WA