We went to Nevada

Home means Nevada,

Home means the hills...

I love living close enough for a quick trip to my parents' house.  Sagebrush makes me happy.  So do aspen trees and full moons (I know, the full moon is not an exclusive Nevada thing, it just felt like it).   Visiting on my parents' front porch and watching the moon rise over the mountains makes me happy.

And I love my mom's cooking.

Friday, Emma and I helped Olivia paint two rooms.  It was fun.  I wish I could do every job with my sisters and Emma.

(Even though they correct my word usage.)

(It's not a crime to call the floor the ground.)

(Apparently no one has told Olivia and Emma that isn't a criminal offense.)

I enjoyed my time though.  I was the bossy older sister and told Olivia we didn't have enough paint and then we did.

(Sometimes bossy older sisters don't know everything.)

Olivia has a ladder that we used and I couldn't stop expressing my love for that ladder.  It was the perfect size and super lightweight.  (Our ladder weighs roughly the same as our van.)

Olivia called Edgar at work and had him stop by the store and pick up an identical ladder for me, to thank me for painting.  But I loved painting!  I didn't need a reward!  (But I loved that ladder and happily took it.)

I didn't see Marianne or her family much because they were deeply involved with the Ruby Mountain Relay which is a race they run.  Literally.  They are in charge of it and their kids run in the race.

Desi and Liberty's team (they came in 4th overall and I stole this picture from Marianne on Facebook and I'm not even sorry.)

Hyrum's team.  He's the one in white.  I also stole this picture.

Adam and Braeden and Emma helped out by taking the overnight shift of overseeing runners and volunteers.  That meant Robert could sleep.  Adam brought the kids home around 4:00 a.m. but he stayed until around 8:00 a.m.  That man is amazing.

Here are some of his pictures:

The race went through the night:

Dawn:

And then day again:

Saturday morning I drove around visiting my mom and aunt Claudia who were race volunteers (they were stationed at my grandparents' ranch), visiting Olivia who was making a birthday cake for Ammon her son (not to be mistaken for Ammon our brother), and visiting Carolina, entrepreneur extraordinaire who was raking it in at a lemonade/cookie stand.  I told her the cookie I bought from her was delicious and she said, "It ought to be, I made them."

If Carolina could bottle up her moxie and spunk and sell it, she could have made even more money.

It was a wonderful trip.  Braeden got to soak up cousin time...

Omar and Braeden

...and grandpa time, chatting and watching the moon together.

When we were leaving, Braeden said, "This is the last time I'll be here for two years."  So we thought that merited some pictures.

I liked one picture better because you could see the house and one picture better because you could see the faces...

Mark got to spend a little time in my dad's shop (sometimes unaccompanied like when he cut guns and knives out of wood using my dad's big band saw).  Luckily he didn't cut off any fingers and luckily my dad doesn't mind Mark raiding his wood.  My mom played cards with Emma and Mark and taught them how to play Rook, which is the game we played a lot while growing up.

We had to leave Ammon's birthday party early but we were able to give Ammon his present before we left:

I stole this picture from Olivia...and I am not sure what to think about Mark's dirty knees.

Before we left, I got to give quick hugs all around to nieces and nephews.

I feel like a lucky kid.