Good Old Indiana

Our family braved a 16 hour drive trip-18 hours after you stop for food and potty breaks. The kids actually did really well and it was well worth the drive. We had a great time at Nana and Papa's.

Shumard Men: Papa (Larry), Damone, Blair

Nana and Papa got us a night at a hotel with a water park inside. I was so "cool" in Lydia's words. We had so much fun, and the kids loved being able to play with their cousins Britton and Cal. The town this hotel was in was a rural Amish town. We were seeing horse drawn buggies on the roads every two minutes. All the stores had buggy parking and we even saw men working on their farms with horse drawn plows. It was neat, they are such a fascinating people.



 Playing red light green light with Nana

Amish buggy

"Just chillin" in the hot tub

 Lincoln LOVED Nana's birdbath-can you tell?

 Crazy cousins- Cal, Kyler, Cooper, Britton and Lydia

 Trip to the Zoo

Lincoln loved these birds, he kept screaming at them. The birds would stop and stand dead still with their heads tilted listening to him.

Boys will be boys- especially when water and bugs are involved.

Presidents Club- Phoenix, Arizona

 WARNING PICTURE OVERLOAD :)

Damone and I went in April to Phoenix, Arizona for his Presidents Club trip. We stayed at the beautiful Royal Palms Resort and Spa. It was the most relaxing hotel. You literally feel as if you've been transported to another world. The grounds are breathtaking and the food at the restaurant T. Cooks was so amazing not to mention the spa. I wouldn't hesitate to come back here in a heartbeat.

 Fireplaces placed throughout the grounds.

 We had a rewards dinner in this room

 I loved all the orange and grapefruit trees.

 Welcome Reception

We decided to go horse back riding and LOVED IT! Kyler was especially jealous. We did our tour with Western Destinations. Our guide was so funny and really made it fun. We went riding for a while and then stopped in a little ghost town where we.............................

 threw tomahawks,

 learned how to rope cattle. It took me a while to get the hang of just swinging the rope but once I got it, I roped the bull the first time.

and we shot pistols. Damone hit all his targets, me- I missed every one.

 We had to stop and eat at Cooperstown and order the "Big Unit" which was seen on Man vs. Food. It was huge but really tasty. Last but not least we were able to meet up with my cousin Jaren and his family and one of my old college roommates Shiloh and her family. It was fun to visit and catch up with each other. We had such a great time, thanks to Nana coming out to be with the kids we didn't worry about a thing.