Day 1
We got up bright and early Wednesday morning and packed up the truck with camping gear, paper goods, food and water coolers, and a trailer laded with the Ranger and hit the road by 7:00 am to travel to Moab, UT.
The first blessing we noticed upon arriving was the wonderful cloud cover. It wasn't too hot! We met at the Delicate Arch Viewpoint trail to get our family shirts, and while we were waiting Jamin ran smack into a car. I happened to be right there and tried to grab him, but couldn't reach him until he actually ran into the car. The second blessing was other than the scratch on his neck where I tried to grab him he was completely unharmed! Holly and Jamin were shook up a bit but we had time to calm down waiting for everyone to show up. We looked awesome in all 40 of our matching t-shirts. We got a nice family picture on a big safe slick rock with the arch int he background. Third blessing--Holly was inspired to change the location of the family picture from under the actual delicate arch to the Viewpoint trail, would have been 4 hours and too hard/risky for the little kids.
We Schauers took Lucy and had just enough time to hike up to the arch and Lucy took a great picture of us there. We got to Moab Valley Campground to check in just after 3:00, Holly right on our tail, and I collected 2 keys for 8 cabins so I could hand them out as people showed up. Fourth blessing--the cabins had AC and electricity and were quite comfortable, we had the pavilion all to ourselves, and the playground with chess and checkers was right across from the cabins. Great for the kids!
We met at Zax restaurant at 4:00 and had pizza, soup, and salad, and there was a blessed gluten free option for Fiora. I passed out the boating excursion tickets tot he kids and parents to try and organize that, started feeling anxious again about how that was all going to work out, but Grand and Karli Sue gave a lovely devotional that night about "I Choose to trust God even when..." that helped me have faith again. (I trust God even when I'm undertaking to lead a boating river raft ride down the Colorado river with 40 people I've never done before and depending on 3 shuttle drivers and babysitters for 6 1/2 hours to do their part while I sit on the boat and trust my stamina to guide and to for as long holds out!) I told people again where to be at what times that evening and everyone seemed excited. By the way the kids had a blast in the swimming pool at the camp ground, I think Weston swam about 6 hours in total the two days we were there. My kids love cousin time.
Holly and Bill put on an awesome breakfast that was perfectly timed in the morning and we got the boats no problem and with no delays, I felt confidence it was working out. Fifth blessing--perfect weather! Again not too hot and more importantly not too windy so it wasn't hard to row. My dad drove us right to the first and east-most put in, and we had plenty of life jackets that fit kids. I had packed food for myself and put in int he dry bag and perched myself on the back of one of the rafts and pretended I was a certified guide. It was SO fun. I love rafting. Everyone loved the river, and seemed to like me giving instructions like it was a real tour, the scenery was so beautiful, and Bill and Dad really came through on the shuttle. Jared did a beautiful job guiding the other boat. We took the young kids on the slow and easy stretch from Hittle bottom to Onion creek, too about an hour and a half and we only waited 5 minutes for the other group to show up with the teenagers. We took them from Onion creek to Rocky Rapid take out, about a 2 hour run with rapids, the kids loved it and got in and out several times. Jared's boat bottomed out on this run and we girls turned around to watch teh boys struggle to get it out ha ha. Group 3 waited for us about 20 min, but we got the adults situated for the last run from Rocky Rapid to Take out Beach. The rapids on this stretch were a lot bigger and it was super fun but unfortunately my phone slipped out of my life jacked and was bobbing tin the water at the bottom of the boat for a minute before I noticed. Yeah it died. I lost all the wonderful pictures I'd take on the reunion, but sixth blessing, the one Lucy took of our family under the arch I'd already sent to savanna so it was saved! Also sixth blessing was no one was hurt or lost on that entire excursion except my phone, and Justin's wedding ring. I loved seeing everyone's fun reactions to the boating. It was a unique and fun Moab experience and many thanked me for making it happen. So despite the blisters on my hand and the bruise on my bottom from sitting on the raft for 6 hours, and the physical exertion it took to steer and row that long, 'm SO glad we did it! God really blessed em to know the correct timing of things. We made it to our destination by 4:30! Plenty of time to lad and return the boats.
Jesse and Justin bought us chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, and biscuits for dinner and we swarmed that food like flies! We hadn't really planned lunch so my family at least was STARVING. It ws totally comical, no semblance of order or line, just grab what you can where and when you can! We did have a prayer. Our family is careful to thank the Lord. Holly had planned a lovely musical devotional that evening, there was a sweet spirit at the devotional as we all sang and listened to songs, as tired as I was I was thankful for music and my children and nieces/nephews hearing us sing, and maybe even the other campers felt it too. Holly was sweet in her testimony. I feel Holly was being led by the Spirit to know exactly what three days would be overcast, and mild in temp and wind, and not too busy, and get this--seventh blessing--Krystal had her baby the night before we left so she would be taken care of at the hospital the entire time we were gone! And that Christine Rappleye was available to watch Grandma R that weekend! I'm in awe of the miraculous timing. I was so tired that by the time it was my turn I only had the wherewithall to play "Proud Corazon (Heart)" from Coco, but so glad I did because it was the perfect song for our reunion and that evening:
Say that I'm crazy or call me a fool
But last night it seemed that I dreamed about you
When I opened my mouth what came out was a song
And you knew every word and we all sang along
To a melody played on the strings of our souls
And a rhythm that rattled us down to the bone
Our love for each other will live on forever
In every beat of my proud corazon
Our love for each other will live on forever
In every beat of my proud corazon.
It is exactly how I feel about my family and my ancestors too. I love them and am proud to be with them forever.
I went to bed grumpity at Jared for leaving the devotional early because of mosquito bites, but all was forgiven the next day when he took me to the Firey furnace hike. He reserved the ranger led tickets 3 months previous knowing we would be in Moab that weekend, and it was again a unique and amazing Moab experience! Eighth blessing for me.It was a three hour tour so I was tired and hungry when we got back at 12:30, and we had missed the first ATV excursion, and people needed babysitters for the second run, but I happily watched babies for four hours, my tank was full from that wonderful nature experience in the firey furnace. I wasn't about to let my kids go without lunch again, so I had Jared take them to the quesadilla mobilla to get food. There was a delay in getting the second run on the road bc one of the rentals broke down in the morning and it took a while to sort out. But ninth blessing--they let us rent the machines til 5:00 instead of 2:00 because of it so the second group got a 3 hour long ATV ride. The Carpenters and I were watching Kali and Karli's babies, while Weston went with Grandma and Grandpa and his cousins up Millcreek hike for some fun in the water. The Carpenters had to leave when Titus got a bad wasp sting so it was just Jared and I hanging out at Rotary park having fun with my babies. God gave me strength to stay awake until we pulled out of Moab, I crashed and slept in the car for an hour! Blessing 10--we made it home safe, our animals/house were fine, and my new phone shipped by insurance was here waiting for me.
We came home exhausted but happy! So blessed. Make memories, leave footprints.
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