Moab!

When I was home last month, I convinced my mother to take a quick road trip to... Moab! It's one of my very favorite places, and it was really fun to be there with the fam. (Or most of them, at least. My sister couldn't get off work, and well, obviously when your parents are divorced, family trips usually only include one parent.)

This trip was a bit of a compromise with my mother. She's slightly (ha.) more high maintenance than the rest of us, and her idea of a great vacation doesn't usually involve hiking, sweating, or rigorous physical activity. We originally wanted to go camping (we = my brothers and me), but we settled for staying at a hotel in town and still doing the hiking and nature-ing.

Our trip interfered with the USA vs. Belgium game of the World Cup, but thanks to the ESPN app, we were still able to catch most of the game on my iPhone. From our car in the middle of nowhere, we joined Americans everywhere in awe of U.S. goalkeeper, Tim Howard. The BEST was when some brilliant person changed this entry on Wikipedia. Lol!



We stayed the first night at the Kokopelli Suites. The customer service from the manager was horrendous, but the price was a steal, so I think I'd still come back here. It's basically like renting a furnished apartment, incl. 2 queen beds, a futon, living room, fully stocked kitchen, patio area, hot tub, etc. Nothing too fancy, but definitely comfortable.

We took it easy our first night and had dinner at the Moab Diner on Main Street (try the Kokopelli Chicken dinner. It includes their "famous green chili" and is quite good!) and walked around the shops in town. It was fun to see al the Western-themed boutiques and souvenirs.

I'd totally wear those red boots, a la Ted Mosby!

The next day, the hiking was ON! Our goal? Delicate Arch. But first, we took some seflies!



Arches National Park is like nowhere else on earth. I've only been there one other time, but it left quite an impact on me and really is one of my very favorite places.



The hike to Delicate Arch isn't too far (distance), but it's basically uphill for a good portion. My mom had never done a hike like this before, and I was proud of her and of all of us for making it. I kept telling everyone that the hike was a metaphor for life. At some points, maybe the thought,
I'm not gonna make it. I can't possibly take on more step." may cross our minds, but it's absolutely worth it to keep going, and we definitely have the strength to carry on. It was really nice how everyone coming back down would tell us, "Just a little bit further." Or, "You're almost there!" And isn't that just like the people God places in our path to encourage us and to lift us up when we think we can't go on anymore? :)



Sometimes, we'd see the top of a hill, and we'd think, There it is! We're nearly there! But when we'd get to the top, we'd realize we still had quite a ways to go. At any point, we could've called it a day and just gone back. What we'd already seen was beautiful and amazing, and it wouldn't have been a total loss. But we knew we hadn't reached our goal, so we kept going.

And finally, we rounded a corner, and we had made it!

She did it!! :) So proud.

This one's one of my favorites!

We rested for a minute, ate our lunches, and then took some more photos. Because what's the point of making it all the way there, if we didn't ACTUALLY make it to touch the arch?? Can you see how tiny we look there at the bottom? Also, I'm kind of bummed that the guy who took our photo didn't get the whole arch. This one was the best of all the takes.



Naturally, I turned some cartwheels, because duh.



Ahhhh, it was so fun to be there! The hike back down was a breeze in comparison. Until we got to the parking lot, and I realized I had lost our car keys somewhere along the hike. I remember I had them the first time we stopped for a break, and I didn't remember having them after that. Unfortunately, I had no idea WHERE we'd taken our break.

I said a desperate prayer, and my brother got the idea to go check the car, just in case someone had found our keys. Lo and behold, someone HAD. I was absolutely blown away by how quickly and specifically my prayer had been answered. How blessed we felt! Such a tender mercy! I wiped tear from my cheek as I said a most sincere prayer, and we were on our way.

We ordered Chinese take-out for dinner (Jason ordered in Chinese!), and we stayed in and watched a movie. The next morning, my mom and the boys enjoyed some pool time. (I'm afraid of water, remember?

The BEST part of this picture is Jason's ridiculous RM tan line! Look how much darker his face is than the rest of his body! LOL!

We took our sweet time getting ready and had a very relaxed morning. This was a vacation, after all. We lounged and packed and got some more Chinese takeout for lunch, and then we explored the town some more.



And then we drove home. (Where our car overheated and we had to pull over and get some coolant, but no matter. We made it!)



Thanks for such a lovely time, Moab!