We were privileged to spend four days visiting the Grand Canyon. We stayed on the rim for two nights at the Thunderbird Lodge and also two nights at Yavapai Lodge. We hiked at least five miles of the rim trail with the girls and Robby covered many more while he was photographing the rim. We were glad that we had the extra time to spend at the park. Traveling with kids definitely slowed us down, but we allowed ourselves enough time to see and do what we wanted even at our slower pace. Emily loved riding the shutle bus around the park. Nature visited us every evening as the elk came in to graze on the grass, the bats ate the bugs drawn to the porch lights, and the stars shown like artwork in the sky.

One of Emily’s favorite things to play with at every place we went was dirt. She would check out the views, climb on any available rocks, push sister around in the stroller, and then play in the dirt. It was a good thing we took her to such cool dirt! It definitely kept her busy while we enjoyed the sights.

11 years, 3 homes, 4 cars, 44 states, 2 kids, and one marriage spent together. I wish I had a photo from our honeymoon or wedding to display, but we were married in the pre-digital universe. I just didn’t have time to get one scanned in time to post, so here is a photo of us at the Grand Canyon 3 years into our marriage.

We have enjoyed our time together and it seems like it has been forever. I can only imagine what it is going to feel like in 11 more years. We have been truly blessed by each other. We praise God for the gifts and provisions He has given us in our marriage. We also pray that our marriage will be a blessing to others.