The Fourth, and Beyond!
July began with me having big-time FOMO when my babies, Kat and Mal, were enjoying the 4th of July holiday together in Kauai, but I absolutely loved the photos they sent me. Mal said it was one of her favorite 4th of Julys—and she's had some good ones.
Happy Birthday to Katrina on the 25th! XOXO
We did some patriotic stuff as a family such as attending the service at the Marriott Center and picnicking with Waffle Love. We're still getting used to having Ava so accessible. She is more settled now that she has a great job as the secretary for Wasatch Behavioral Health in Provo. Ironically, I have been doing my service hours through WBH in Wasatch County. A term we never used to say is now a common household phrase.
This photo I took on the drive home was of the MOON.
President Raegan taught that patriotism is not passed down through the bloodstream.
Matt, Callie, and I took a walk up to Huber Grove. I love these images I took that symbolize the difference in PERSPECTIVE.
My dad invited us to a summer BBQ that the Lindon Senior Center held on Wed the 12th. Matt and the kids didn't have youth night so we picked up some burritos. Dinner was at 5 pm! By the time everyone got off work and to the park, it was basically clean-up time. True to the Taylor ways, we stayed and had the park to ourselves. The teens are more docile than when they were youngins. It is both happy and sad watching them morph and grow. 
Just as Adren enters the MTC, we are ready to countdown to Grayson's homecoming! Callie chose the colors of the Chicago flag for the paper chain.
CIRCLE A RANCH, CUBA NEW MEXICO July 18th-July 21st 2023
I decided I wanted to bring the frisbees and wax papers to use in place of paper plates like I did last year. However, I could not find where I put the box! I searched high and low in both the garage and basement. No where. I wondered if it was a big enough deal to pray that I could find them. Why not. As soon as I finished, the thought came to me, "Are you sure you put them in a box?" As soon as I opened my mind to the possibility that they were in a bag, I found them right away!
At Alice's grave, the cousins cleared away the remnants of a harsh winter to the satisfaction of us all.
complicated detailed plan it would take to get to the airport, I informed him that if we hopped in the car we'd get home faster. He agreed. And with that, we were off.
We all listened to our own things on the way home. It wasn't the same vibe as on the way down. I did appreciate Graham washing the windshield when I stopped for gas. It took till Spanish Fork for him and Callie to finally be jiving, listening to the same music, and having a good time (maybe because they had dinner in their bellies?). I was almost disappointed to be home so soon, such a great time we were having.
Callie and I road-tripped it! Honestly, that was one of the most fun parts of the trip. Just the two of us listening to what we wanted, stopping when we wanted, eating what we wanted, but especially listening to what we wanted;)
Callie has never been to Four Corners and she was curious what it would be like to see four states at once, so we stopped there. Shiprock looked amazing in the distance as we drove on.
The Ranch was aglow when we arrived after nightfall. It felt like walking into the Weasley's cottage and I loved showing it off to Callie. It was better than she had pictured in her head. Do you know what I've remembered the most in the past 20 years since I've been? The sound of the creaking staircase—one of the most distinct sounds you'll ever hear. Everyone was busy playing games, running around, or chatting by the fire.
Another highlight was doing yoga on the lawn in the morning. I had my lemongrass bug spray, soothing sounds playing on a portable speaker, and the place to myself! Everyone slept till about 9 am so I got a good hour or more of quiet time. I had met one of the dogs the night before but was surprised when a different dog greeted me in the morning. As soon as he saw that "I come in peace" he flopped down on his side and enjoyed the tranquility with me.
We live off a pretty busy road so to be off the beaten path felt revitalizing. At about 9 o'clock the teens who wanted to do yoga joined me. Just one hour later made a big difference with the heat.
A handful of cousins were flying in the next day, so we made our way to Albuquerque. I wanted to stop at the quaint shop, Jackalope. It was different than I remember but still had many nice things and it seemed we all left with something. Callie and I chatted with the gal at the register who insisted on pulling up photos of Circle A Ranch to get a better look. She was in awe that such a large group of us were down there for a family reunion. Callie was following a group text to tell me where to drive next. The nail salon. I pulled up front and parked. I thought it so odd, had some people decided to get a pedicure? It wasn't until she said, "Now they are headed to the car wash" that I realized they were on a Breaking Bad tour.
In the parking lot of Mister Wash, I decided it was a great place to eat our sack lunches. I had cleverly packed them with some loose ice in the cooler in the back of the rental car. Well, when I picked them up, the bags broke clean through and our lunch toppled onto the hot asphalt. I looked around, not to check that nobody had seen, but hoping that somebody had! How funny it was! Someone missed out on joining in on some laughs. Perhaps it was captured on a security camera. Next, the tour consisted of a few other drive-bys including Walter White's house. The new owners don't seem too keen on the unsolicited attention. The sign read: Take your photos from across the street! Do not disturb us. The owners must have really fallen in love with the home to put up with all this.
The Taylor boys had had enough of the tour and so we met up with them at Old Town. You could feel the summer heat as we walked around. On the sidewalk, Ollie began telling me something about school. I hope he didn't find it too odd that mid-sentence I cupped his chin and said, "Look at this face!" The babies of the family are not babies anymore and there are some growing pains. Still, I'll take the freckly and snaggle-toothed phase while it lasts.
Another evening, I was seated in the dining room with the boys as I labeled the slingshots they bought in Old Town. They got laughing pretty hard at the nicknames they told me to write.
Shopping in Old Town with my girl.
The others must have shown up while I was in the dressing room of a boutique. I heard Cade's voice, "Is Abby in here?" As I came out, I said, "I was just trying on this dress." He said, "Well, get the dress, and let's head to the airport." I did as I was told. The sales gal looked pleased with the ease of the sale. That dress was just the find for upcoming wedding receptions and Grayson's homecoming.
Back at the Ranch
As equally charmed as Callie had been with the Ranch, Graham was equally uncharmed. He's not wrong to suggest a bug abatement program:/ As I gave him the tour I showed him the room that I was staying in. I jokingly said, "You are welcome to snuggle up with me in this full-size bed." The last bed was in the little boy's bunk room. We opened the door to chaos at best. He said, "I'll sleep with you Momma!"
Actually, he spent the bulk of his time at the ranch researching how to get back to the airport. Matt had previously agreed to drive him there. However, Matt wasn't on the trip, and I had not agreed. I left Graham to it and joined the others at the lake.
One morning, I read the books I had recently ordered for my upcoming Children's
Literature class to the boys. At one point, there were three or four boys on that hammock…and a cat.
Literature class to the boys. At one point, there were three or four boys on that hammock…and a cat.
The Lindseys led us on a scavenger hunt to Aunt Alice's grave. The siblings stopped at told Ranch stories along the way and then the cousins received a bead. These stories were not prepared beforehand. Rather, we thought of them as we went. One of us would say, "I have something I can say at this spot." We came upon the outline of a tepee with four sticks. Shafer and Cade were standing there deciding what it could symbolize. I suggested the three Woolf sisters but there were four poles. Shafer tossed one to the side just as the group came into view to hear an analogy of the "three sisters."
At Alice's grave, the cousins cleared away the remnants of a harsh winter to the satisfaction of us all.
Alice is buried under a charming tree, which is adorned with chimes and bobbles. Very Alice. Artsy Alice.
I had recently studied the Navajo culture in my Anthropology class, who are indigenous to New Mexico. I learned about the art of sand painting. Once the painting had served its purpose (for prayer or healing) it was destroyed. I thought an arts and crafts project around that would be perfect—no one would be taking the art back home in a sandy car. I pictured the littles being the ones who got into it, but it was mainly the older kids. Callie even brought hers home.
I believe the most memorable part of the trip was our time spent at the Clay Flats. You smell them before you see them, and it is heavenly.
We stayed all evening watching the sky change and the sunset.
The sun had also set on our time at the ranch. Callie was sad when I told her the next morning that we were heading out, but, among other things, Graham needed to get home. After he had shown me the
We all listened to our own things on the way home. It wasn't the same vibe as on the way down. I did appreciate Graham washing the windshield when I stopped for gas. It took till Spanish Fork for him and Callie to finally be jiving, listening to the same music, and having a good time (maybe because they had dinner in their bellies?). I was almost disappointed to be home so soon, such a great time we were having.
Thanks, Mister Carwash.
Circle A forevah!
Reunions will only get bigger in the future with the next generation on its way. Baby Baker was born on July 28th!
Back home, we only had a couple of days left of summer break. We would be leaving for our summer family vacation in a week and then it would be back to school. I told Matt I had plans to clean out the garage that Saturday. He didn't look too thrilled—it was a HOT July day. However, once we got started we couldn't stop. We have had the top of our kitchen island in the garage since we removed it last summer. We haven't had luck selling it online so Matt taped a For Sale sign to it and had his counselor help him lean it against the fence.
We realized how deceiving that was. With everything else pulled out of the garage, it looked like we were having a yard sale. I couldn't believe how fast people came! At one point seven men were sifting through Matt's tools. Another lady was interested in the shelving unit, another in the snowblower, and yet another in Graham's motorbike. Yikes. Matt had stepped inside so I went to grab him, "Help!" Now I know that if I choose to do a yard sale in the future, we are in a great spot!
We realized how deceiving that was. With everything else pulled out of the garage, it looked like we were having a yard sale. I couldn't believe how fast people came! At one point seven men were sifting through Matt's tools. Another lady was interested in the shelving unit, another in the snowblower, and yet another in Graham's motorbike. Yikes. Matt had stepped inside so I went to grab him, "Help!" Now I know that if I choose to do a yard sale in the future, we are in a great spot!
Before:
During:
After:
Callie kept herself plenty busy bejeweling her shoes, for...
