Well here we are in Island Park, one of the most beautiful places in the world! This is one of our favorite places to visit and lucky for us, we visit here at least once a year and if we're lucky, twice. Look at that blue sky, fluffy white clouds, and green pine trees. It is definitely "God's country."
I look at this picture above and think it is a perfect family picture of us (other than I'm missing, of course, but I actually kind of prefer that in pictures:) But I love family pictures that describe a family and what they love to do together. For us, that is four-wheeling. Now I will admit, it is not Maddy and mine's favorite thing to do, but we definitely enjoy it. There is nothing like being with family and enjoying the beautiful sights, sounds, and smells of nature. I love it! When we are out together, I feel like everything is "right" in my world. It also reminds me of my childhood growing up in that area so it makes for a nostalgic experience for me every summer.
This is Jeff & I, with Maddy, at Big Springs. We have to visit Big Springs every time we come here. It's just a short, little jaunt from our cabin and is beautiful. There's tons of fish to see and unfortunately, a lot of seagulls, too. They seem to be taking over the place and leaving quite a mess behind, if you know what I mean.
Me and Maddy. I hope we are always close as we are right now. :)
The guilty culprit that is taking over Big Springs.
The kids (well at least the boys) love to get a shot of them on their machines. As you can see, Josh is trying to give us his "cool" look.
I thought this was so cute of Maddy. She kind of looks like she's heading scuba diving.
And here is Jake on his machine. I used to be a nervous wreck about him driving himself but he has come so far! He is way better than me now and loves it almost as much as Josh.
Me and Jeff at Fishing Bridge...on a windy day, as you can see from my hair.
We also got to enjoy some time with part of Jeff's family at the cabin. Above is Tina (Jeff's sister) and her daughters, Thea and Gwen.
In addition to the beautiful scenery, our favorite part is the amazing wildlife we get to see each year. As you can see, we got quite lucky this year in capturing some good shots of great animals... 
We saw several bears this year which is always a huge deal. We even got to see 2 bear cubs close up. They were SO cute!! Maddy and I wanted to bring them home with us, they look so fuzzy and cuddly. 
This picture was taken right across from our cabin. As you can see, we are surrounded by aspen trees when we were there and I absolutely love it! It is so peaceful to hear their leaves rustling in the wind. 
As you can see- we had a nice, relaxing week surrounded by the beauties of nature. Although there are times when we would like to enjoy a different summer vacation, I am so grateful that we have this peaceful retreat that we can go to and enjoy. It truly takes me "back to my roots" and makes me feel "at one with nature." Sometimes it just feels so good to sit back, relax, and slow down this crazy life we lead. It's amazing the joy and gratitude we can feel as we take time to enjoy all that Heavenly Father has given us. I feel so very blessed and am so thankful I was able to enjoy this time with my whole family. :) 
On our way home, we stumbled on to an Air Show in Idaho Falls. Interesting, because we LOVE air shows! Every time the Thunderbirds come to HAFB, we're there! So it was especially fun to be able to enjoy this show of the Blue Angels. Pretty cool!
I know alot of these shots aren't great, but let me tell you, they are going SO FAST that it wasn't easy getting them on the camera at all, so I was quite proud of myself.
It's amazing what these planes (and pilots) can do...
And so beautiful to see them against the blue sky...
When I see them and hear them, it just makes me think of the wonderful freedoms we enjoy in this nation.
Wow! 
It's weird to see the blue planes of the Navy. They never come to our area so we are used to seeing the white Thunderbirds of the Air Force.
Either way, I think it is a beautiful sight! Absolutely breathtaking!!
As you can see, we literally just pulled off the highway and watched from the truck. It was scorching hot but well worth it. It was a great way to end our trip.
I look at this picture above and think it is a perfect family picture of us (other than I'm missing, of course, but I actually kind of prefer that in pictures:) But I love family pictures that describe a family and what they love to do together. For us, that is four-wheeling. Now I will admit, it is not Maddy and mine's favorite thing to do, but we definitely enjoy it. There is nothing like being with family and enjoying the beautiful sights, sounds, and smells of nature. I love it! When we are out together, I feel like everything is "right" in my world. It also reminds me of my childhood growing up in that area so it makes for a nostalgic experience for me every summer.
This is Jeff & I, with Maddy, at Big Springs. We have to visit Big Springs every time we come here. It's just a short, little jaunt from our cabin and is beautiful. There's tons of fish to see and unfortunately, a lot of seagulls, too. They seem to be taking over the place and leaving quite a mess behind, if you know what I mean.
Me and Maddy. I hope we are always close as we are right now. :)
The guilty culprit that is taking over Big Springs.
The kids (well at least the boys) love to get a shot of them on their machines. As you can see, Josh is trying to give us his "cool" look.
I thought this was so cute of Maddy. She kind of looks like she's heading scuba diving.
And here is Jake on his machine. I used to be a nervous wreck about him driving himself but he has come so far! He is way better than me now and loves it almost as much as Josh.
Me and Jeff at Fishing Bridge...on a windy day, as you can see from my hair.
We also got to enjoy some time with part of Jeff's family at the cabin. Above is Tina (Jeff's sister) and her daughters, Thea and Gwen.
In addition to the beautiful scenery, our favorite part is the amazing wildlife we get to see each year. As you can see, we got quite lucky this year in capturing some good shots of great animals... 
We saw several bears this year which is always a huge deal. We even got to see 2 bear cubs close up. They were SO cute!! Maddy and I wanted to bring them home with us, they look so fuzzy and cuddly. 
This picture was taken right across from our cabin. As you can see, we are surrounded by aspen trees when we were there and I absolutely love it! It is so peaceful to hear their leaves rustling in the wind. 
As you can see- we had a nice, relaxing week surrounded by the beauties of nature. Although there are times when we would like to enjoy a different summer vacation, I am so grateful that we have this peaceful retreat that we can go to and enjoy. It truly takes me "back to my roots" and makes me feel "at one with nature." Sometimes it just feels so good to sit back, relax, and slow down this crazy life we lead. It's amazing the joy and gratitude we can feel as we take time to enjoy all that Heavenly Father has given us. I feel so very blessed and am so thankful I was able to enjoy this time with my whole family. :) 
On our way home, we stumbled on to an Air Show in Idaho Falls. Interesting, because we LOVE air shows! Every time the Thunderbirds come to HAFB, we're there! So it was especially fun to be able to enjoy this show of the Blue Angels. Pretty cool!
I know alot of these shots aren't great, but let me tell you, they are going SO FAST that it wasn't easy getting them on the camera at all, so I was quite proud of myself.
It's amazing what these planes (and pilots) can do...
And so beautiful to see them against the blue sky...
When I see them and hear them, it just makes me think of the wonderful freedoms we enjoy in this nation.
Wow! 
It's weird to see the blue planes of the Navy. They never come to our area so we are used to seeing the white Thunderbirds of the Air Force.
Either way, I think it is a beautiful sight! Absolutely breathtaking!!
As you can see, we literally just pulled off the highway and watched from the truck. It was scorching hot but well worth it. It was a great way to end our trip.
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