Memorial Weekend Road Trip

This weekend we took advantage of Chad having 3 days off to make Cassidy's first trip to Dayton to see her Grandma and Gramps. We left Saturday morning, 4 am, the pick-up loaded with Cassidy's gear, our bags, and of course all 3 pups. I did my best, repacking and reorganizing, but it was still an impressive sight to see all of that little girl's gear. Thank goodness for the canopy...I don't think the Saturn would have had any room for us to sit! It was a beautiful trip across the mountains with sunshine and snow still in the peaks. Cass slept well all the way to Ellensburg where we woke her up for breakfast. Chad and I also ate, giving Cass a little more time out of her car seat and we were pulling out of Ellensburg before 9 o'clock. Cassidy wasn't sure she wanted to be strapped in again and fussed a little, but was back asleep before Yakima and slept all the way to the farm. She was great! When we arrived Mom and Dad met us with big smiles and "lemmie see the baby!".

We spent Saturday hanging around. Chad and Dad went to bring back the wagons, Mom and I played and loved on Cassidy and baked for the coffee hour at church the next day, then Dad and I went for a walk to check cows and water. It was so pretty there, every hillside a shade of green with the different crops. We had a neighbor, Ron, stop in to say hi and meet Cassidy.

If I didn't know better I'd think they were related!

Sunday was a busy day. Dad left early to help our friends Clay and Kathy gather their cows up and move them back to thier place. Chad, Mom, Cass, and I all went to church. It is a pretty small congregation and every one knew who we were, or maybe a more accurate statement would be who Cassidy was. We were very welcomed and had a nice time visiting with every one after the service during the coffee hour. And I have to say our muffins and cookies were a big hit! After church and lunch, we headed to Clay and Kathy's place to watch the branding of all thier calves. Dad was on Belle, the only mule in the bunch, and doing a great job handling some pretty wild calves. In this picture Cass is watching Gramps hold the rope tight on the calf he just caught so it could be branded and vaccinated. Cassidy also got to meet some more wonderful people who were more than happy to let her watch from their laps.

Gramps took a break to give her her first ride on a mule....

I'm not sure how I feel about her first ride being on a mule, but Belle is a good one to start off with. I'm thinking I'll just have to hurry up and get her on her horse Rocky before she thinks you only ride those things with the long ears and funny voices.

Artie and Judy came by Sunday night to meet Cassidy. They have been life long friends and I was so happy they got a chance to see her.

Even though Cass was running on almost 5 hours with out a nap, she did great and had lots of fun showing off how she likes to stand up and was giving out lots of smiles.

Monday was another beautiful day. While Chad was trying to get a little bit back on his his graveyard sleep schedule, Grandma watched Cass so Dad and I could go for a ride. There is something about riding in that wide open country that makes you feel amazing. You can get up on top of the rolling hills and see for miles across fields of different colors, the little town, and into the Blue Mountains. It's absolutely one of my all time favorite views.

After getting back and having lunch, Dad hooked up Belle and his new mule Kate to the wagonette and off we went on Cassidy's first wagon ride.

We stopped in at our neighbors, Mike and Sharon....after some cuddle time, Sharon decided she wanted to join the adventure.

We were out about an hour, and Cassidy seemed to really enjoy the ride, the breeze in her face and watching the mules from the front seat. The girls of course did great, Belle seems to have found another "golden girl" to be paired with. Cassidy did get a little tired though towards the end..I think it may have been the rocking motion and noise of the wagon that did her in....But she found her spot on Dad's shoulder, her thumb, and was perfectly content to take a little nap on the way back.

When we got back from the ride it was time to get packed up. We had dinner and then hit the road. Grandma did well, although we both had a hard time saying good bye. It's tough being so far away from such wonderful family...The only bright side is how much fun we have when we get to visit the farm!

We left a little before 7pm and after such a busy weekend, Cassidy was asleep before we got off the gravel road. She did amazing and was such fun to introduce to all the great things at Grandma and Gramp's place. I can't wait to have her back there in October for hunting...She'll be so much bigger and will have even more things she can see and do for the first time on the farm.