Vacation 2011 -- Wyoming and the Grand Tetons

When Ryan went into the hospital and ended up having surgery, we thought our vacation plan was doomed! We were supposed to leave the Friday he had surgery, but ended up leaving Sunday morning instead (with the blessing of his surgeon).

It was a bit of a challenge to wrap my mind around packing after being gone and stressed for several days, but it all worked out great. We loaded up, and I crawled into the back of the van and stared into space for a very long time. It was a good way to recover from stress. I know some people who might have done a hard work-out, or gone for a run or something...but sitting and staring at nothing-ness worked well for me! : )

Riding in the van wasn't a bad way for Ryan to recover either. Other than getting a little stiff from sitting in one position for so long, riding for hours on end forced him to limit his activity in the first 48 hours following surgery. Each day of the vacation he felt better and added activity. He and I did sit out of the white water rafting trip, due to his surgery. The other kids said I was glad that I didn't go--that I would have been crying and begging to get out of the raft.  The record snowfall of the winter has led to very high river levels and very FAST rapids. It was the highlight of their trip and Ryan and I missed it! After seeing the pictures (I hope to show them later...we have to purchase and have a cd mailed to us), I think I am relieved to have missed it.

We were in Grand Teton National Park in July of 2005. They have grown a lot!

We did some really fun activities while on vacation, including some meal trips.  We were taken to a site by boat or wagon and then served a meal.  We enjoyed them so much, because we were taken to very beautiful locations and then served delicious food! It was a neat way to see different parts of Grand Teton National Park. Each trip lasted 3-4 hours.

my version: