Have you ever played the License Plate Game?

If you answered, "NO" to the above title and question, well, you are missing out. If you have answered, "YES" then you know how extremely frustrating it is to get so close and yet seem so far away.
The Durants just got back from a TWO WEEK vacation. It was AMAZING. Filled with memories galore, pictures too many to count, bank account drained, tired kids, but it was all worth it in the end.
It all started on Monday, June 14th. Hells Gate State Park was our first destination. We camped at a great place, right next to the Snake River, but not too close, for safety reasons. The park was quiet, shaded, and right next to the bathrooms. A must with all those small kiddos running around. Not just our FOUR, but all of the Durant grandchildren, (minus Conner and Kyleigh-- living with their mom, and Sadie and Preston-- living with Heavenly Father) All but one of Nick's sisters were with us too, Holly just got a new job, and had no vacay to take. It was great, we made pottery, went a LAME museum, got rained on, smoke from the fire in our face, sunburned at the water park, and put on a great talent show. We had some yummy food, (Dutch oven desserts still need some work) laughed, stayed up WAY too late, and Lucy was just a hot mess. She decided to start walking a couple of days before, so she fell, and she fell alot. Her clothes will never be the same. I love Nick's family, and I love the fact that we all just get along, and have a great time. Thanks to Christmas and Joy, I walked 18 miles that week too, at 6 am on VACATION. Now that is dedication. What a great reunion... when is the next one?
After camping, the rest of the clan headed to their homes, but we kept treking EAST. Next stop, Billings, MONTANA. Yep, if you do the math, we left the morning of the two crazy tornados, and that pesty storm just lingered in our back mirror the entire time. We were in too many tornado watches, and thunderstorm warnings to count. I have an extreme fear of weather, so needless to say, I paniked one night. It was legit though, I saw green skies, and the air was way to calm. We were protected, because we had no damage, it just came to that area after we left. Above will be some pictures, this is just the long narrative part. I try to spice it up, make it funny and lively. My best friend, Jessica, got married in Vegas, and no we weren't there, but the pictures are great... hi Jess and congrats again...!
Okay, so we met my parents in Sheridan, Wyoming. I am sorry if anyone has lived or is living there. Not much to that town. From there, my fabulous dad made us all our own schedule of events for the week, complete with confirmation numbers and reservations made. He had the whole week mapped out. I will put that on a future blog, because I just think it is great that he went through so much effort to make our trip successful. So here's what we DID SEE: deer, birds, DEVILS TOWER, more road constructions, stormy skies, buffalo, MT. RUSHMORE, Reptile Gardens (EXPENSIVE TOURIST TRAP) Story Book Island, Dad's old house and high school, Dinosaur Park, more deer and buffalo, road kill, mullets and fanny packs on overweight men, lots of bikers, STURGIS, American pride EVERYWHERE, tons of Marine Corps Flags, my grandparents, depleting bank accounts, (paid cash for it all, no credit cards were used by us) and way too much stuff to list. Here's what we didn't see: VERMONT license plates, saw the gazillion different types Montana has, and all the other 49 states, but no Vermont. There are 49 states right? No new ones have been added? Okay, great just checking! Anyway, it was a great time. I loved every second of it, minus the storms. Happy Reading