I'm Alive!

Hi, I'm back! Sorry it's been almost two months, but nobody
really reads this, anyway, so...

Yeah. The trip was fantastic. Quick (or not so quick) overview:

* Atlanta at the Bartons - kinda hazy, but I know I had fun; kick the can

in the street out front, sleepover in the basement with Carissa, the second-oldest, and a few rounds of Guitar Hero before we left the next morning.

*Missouri with the Walleys - we actually stayed in a hotel nearby. Most memorable because my mom burned her thumb so badly it looked like someone had smeared glue on the pad of it, and the

next morning... our car broke down. Only time that happened on the trip, though!

*Nebraska with Just Aunt Gerry - sooooo much flooding. Not fun.

But Just Aunt Gerry took us all over Lincoln and we had a great time.

*Montana at Ellie's - one of the highlights of the trip!!! Not as much squealing as expected, but why would I when my m

om has a camera shoved in my face? There was a gigantic bear hug and then an awkward silence until Mom turned it off. After that it was a lot of fun. :D

*Washington - running ALLLL over the place visiting LOTS of people. Lots of parties for birthdays and 4th of July and all that...

*Oregon - another highlight. Camp was amazing. I loved my paint with three teeny white dots, Unbearably Solid. I made great friends and had tons of fun. Then I rejoined my family members who were camping nearby and slept for three days straight. :)

*Colorado with the Jenovais - interesting... they made me eat a buffalo burger. Which I probably would have enjoyed had I not already been feeling queasy.

*Nebraska again! Flooding was worse, but we had less trouble with it. How that works, don't bother to ask me. Mom and Ben were tired and grumpy and wanted to be home, so we only stayed overnight and left fairly early.

*Missouri again! This was so much fun that even Ben was okay to stay two nights. I had a blast, even though the only other girls were the mommies and four-month-old Grace. (That made it four girls and ten boys.)

*Home at last. It's only been two weeks since we've been back, but it feels like so much longer. We're already back in school and I'll be starting Freedom Ride next week.

Oh, and I got my permit. It's kind of overshadowed by the fact that Ben got his license the same day... but I'm still excited. :)

~Charli Rae

(PS, sorry for the lack of photos later on. Alyx, our little picture-taker, flew back with my dad in Seattle.)