Colorado!

So I just got back from a fishing trip to Colorado. It was great fun. Before we went, however, we stopped at Quartz Mountain last Saturday (the 20th) to hear Leighanne's first choir concert. It was fantastic! She did amazing. Funny story, we were going to have a picnic with her saturday for dinner, and so we brought KFC to the porch outside the cafeteria. Just as we got there, it started to rain. It didn't stop. So, we did the logical thing, and sat outside in the rain to eat our fried chicken, mashed potatoes and biscuits. I had to drain the water out of my plate several times, my napkin disitegrated
and we were all quite wet by the end of it.

My grandparents then took Nathanael and I to Colorado and we got there on Monday. We fished Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and didn't even get any bites. It was very discouraging. I did catch just about everything except fish, though. Rocks, trees, bushes, branches, grass, the bottom of the river, my jeans, my fingers, and lots of the long, slimy green moss that grows in every river on the planet.

Our grandparents starved us the whole time, giving us oreos, chocolate, ice cream, hot chocolate, pork chops, stew, burgers, mexican food, and other yummy things, making a hike on Wednesday very necessary in order to lose some of the weight I'm sure I gained. We hiked upriver to a big rock that we climbed up, and the view of the mountains (we were in a valley) was spectacular. I also love climbing rocks, so that was fun. But we had to go back after that, because it started raining.

It rained Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, so we had to stay inside. We played games, and I drew for a while. Wednesday, when we tried to eat outside for lunch, it started raining. This time we were able to go inside, though. After not catching any fish, we went to visit my Aunt who lives in Colorado for her birthday on Thursday. I had to order trout at a restaurant in Pagosa Springs in order to get my fish! It was good though.

The drive from Antonito to Bayfield was totally amazing. Words cannot describe how beautiful the mountains were. My camera died just as we got to the best part of the drive, but I got some pictures later. I don't see how people think that the world could have been created by chance after seeing something like that.

For my Aunt's birthday, we went to the Bar D Chuckwagon, which is supposed to be outside. You'll never guess what happened. It rained. So they had to pull the cover over all the tables to keep us dry. It was yummy food though, and the show afterwards was quite good, and very amusing.

Friday we drove to Albuquerque to see my other Aunt and Uncle and cousins. For dinner we went to a place called Genghis Grill, wich was "Mongolian Stir Fry." I don't usually like stir fry, but you went through a line and put all the raw ingriedients (only the stuff you like) into a bowl and then give it to the cooks who all stand around a big, round grill. It was good.

The biggest problem with the trip was that the bathrooms were very primitive, and there were no showers, so I only got to shower once in the 5th wheel. I was glad to get to my Aunt's house just so I could feel clean again. Saturday morning we got up extremely early in order to go back to Quartz Mountain for Leighanne's second concert. Once again, it was amazing! She even had a part in a small ensemble that were the bells in the most difficult song the choir director had ever directed in his life, and he directs a professional adult choir! She did fantastic, of course.

Amazingly, we got home Saturday evening in time to swim (the pool is finally open!). It felt great, seeing as the temperature at Quartz Mountain was about 107. And I was used to the nice, 75-80 degree weather of Colorado!

(pictures to come later)

~Ellentia

Summertime

I keep thinking to myself, why am I so busy? Am I not supposed to be less busy during the summer? But somehow, I feel more busy. But, I am enjoying everything that I am doing. I had so much fun in Nac two weeks ago, I wish I could have seen more people, but there's only so many people you can see in 3 days.

This next week is VBS at our church, and I am signed up to be a crew leader. I am very excited, but by the end I will wonder (as I always do), why did I sign up to help this year? It might not be so overwhelming, except that we have around 500 kids come every year, so the whole church is covered in decorations and crazy kids running around causeing as much trouble as possible.

I will get a rest the next week, though. On Saturday we will be meeting my grandparents at Quartz Mountain to hear the choir that Jc is in perform. The next day, my grandparents are taking Nat and I to Colorado to go fishing! I am so excited! The last time I went fishing, though, I fished for several days and watched everyone but me catch a fish. Even my 9 year old cousin caught a fish on her mini barbie doll poll. But, maybe I will catch something this time. I really just want to eat it though, fresh grilled fish is delicious!

~Ellentia