Family Visit!

My parents and the two youngest of us Hartley's (Kara and Garrett) as well as Garrett's friend Lennart, from Germany . . . all came to visit us the last two days! They are in the middle of a very fun week long vacation/road trip out here in the West. They left last week Friday and have gone to see many things so far: Mt. Rushmore, The black hills, Yellowstone, Old Faithful, Jacksonhole. They have seen so many fun things, especially bears/elk/prairie dogs, etc. and have done lots of hiking. They stopped through Utah and went to the Kennecott Copper Mine. The boys went disc golfing here in Provo, and we just had a good time chilling at the grandparent's house in Pleasant Grove. (Now they are off to Goblin valley, the green river, Moab - the arches, and estus park (sp?) in CO for rafting! then back home to Iowa)

I loved seeing them and visiting with them. I'm so lucky that work let me take the afternoons off so I could see them. Seth has a job that is flexible as well, and he joined us too. It was fun to meet Lennart too. Garrett went to Germany on a foreign exchange student program, and went to Lennart's. Then last summer (?) or the summer before (?) Lennart came to Iowa. Now he is back again. He's been here in the USA for 3 weeks and goes back next Tuesday. I hope he has had a fun time seeing America, b/c they sure have traveled a lot to get a good view of it!

We also celebrated my neice, Olivia's 2nd birthday. It was fun to see her and my cousin Mason (3 mo younger than her) get to know each other better and play, etc. It was just a really good last two days, and I started missing them again right when Seth and I left last night to go home. Seems like there is never enough time to be with family you don't live with anymore.