Durango

It has been a crazy-busy-fun past few months, with lots and lots going on.
Well, lots of everything else other than blogging.
This poor poor blog has been oh so neglected. 
It has been so long since I've updated the Malufau happenings, that it is hard to even know where to begin.
  So... let's do the 'Top Ten' and see how that works out.
Ready for it? On your marks, Get Set, Go. Top Ten of Where We've Been!
  #10: Durango, Colorado and Farmington New Mexico
(why won't this blog let me type or center anything? So Frustrating)  

Back in May our great friend, Nicole, got married in beautiful Durango, Colorado.  We were so excited to have a reason for a little road trip, and to go to a place of the country we had never been before.  The wedding was beautiful, and it was so great to see her and Jed so happy.

This poor kid's receeding hairline!  It's embarrassing.  sad thing is he will probably have exactly the same hair in 50 years.  Why is it that our family seems to only get dressed nice for weddings? 
So, since we all have our hair brushed at exactly the same moment, figured we'd get a couple pictures out of it.

The Girls.

  The boys.

I figured I should actually be in the pictures every once in a while.

The beautiful view during the wedding.(Both the kids and the lake)

Best part of the wedding? 
Hands down, the bouncy house for all the kids! 
The sparklers as the newest couple left were fun too, even though Porter's face doesn't show it.

Not quite sure what Scout's face is showing either:)

 I was so excited when I looked up on the map to see where Durango was to see that it was less than an hour from Farmington, New Mexico. My old seminary teacher, and his cute family moved from San Diego to Farmington a few years ago. When they moved, we were all sure none of us would EVER visit, because why would we be in New Mexico? Ever?
 Well... there we were.
 So we called them up, and spent a few days with their cute, and so grown up, family.

The Larsons live close to several different old Indian village ruins.  We kidnapped Olivia to be our tour guide, and first went to the Aztec Ruins. It was fascinating to see actual homes and structures that were built by Native Americans hundreds of years ago. We're talking Nephites and Lamenites. Crazy! Olivia was the best tour guide ever, telling us all the stories and history of the ruins. I can see why people get so into history- it really is incredible to walk where these people walked, and get a glimpse into their world a bit.

This was the size of all the doors.  They must have been much much smaller than us goliaths. Ammon was in heaven at all the ruins. "Better than Disneyland" he kept saying.

Scout and Olivia even became Junior Rangers.  Cutest thing ever!

After the Aztec Ruins we drove two hours back to Colorado to go to the National Park Mesa Verde Ruins.  Here you could see all the villages the people carved into the side of cliffs, way up on top of the highest mountains. 

They built a lot of their homes and rooms underground.

Awwww. But where are the boys looking?

Can you see the village back in the cliff behind her?

The day was a little exhausting for everyone involved. Porter especially, can you tell? He did NOT appreciate me bringing out the camera.    After a few days in New Mexico we started the drive home.  Ammon claimed that the Four Corners was "on the way home."  False.  (we all know that Ammon has a bad history of claiming things to 'be on the way,' and I have a bad history of believing him.  Like when he told me that Mt. Rushmore was on the way from Chicago to Utah.  So false, we are talking like 2 states OUT of the way.)  Well, I believed him, and we made the trek to 4 corners.  Despite my grumbling (that day, and still today), I am glad we did, because the chances of us being in the middle of nowhere like that ever again (I hope) are slim to none. 

4 states at one time... preeety cool.

One family, 4 people, 4 states, and one time

Ammon's highlight of the trip?  Finding the exact spot on the road in the middle of no where that Forest Gump ran on.  (You remember the part when he is running and running forever, and then he gets to a spot in the middle of the dessert and stops and turns around. Well, after lots of turning around, and driving back and forth, we found it. We think.

It was a great trip.  Lots and lots of time in the car, but the kids were total champs.  (And I swear at one time her seat belt was properly buckled,,, or maybe it wasn't, let's be honest) Our family spends a lot of time in airport terminals. But sometimes it is great to hop in the car, and spend 12 hours straight confined in a small space together. Until the next Malufau Road Trip, carry on.