Makes Me Wanna Take a Back Road

The hubster and I spent Memorial Day weekend with his family up in Driggs, Idaho at the Buxton Farm, on Buxton Lane, just over Buxton bridge. After the long car ride through the middle of nowhere, you enter the beautiful valley, overlooked by the Tetons.

This is one of the most peaceful and beautiful places I've been to: no crowds, no hustle and bustle, no traffic, no shopping malls. Just friendly waves from passers by, dirt roads, acres upon acres of farmland, and one stoplight. Just ONE.

I love this place. This is where generations of Buxtons have worked the land over with their hands, planting and harvesting potatoes, barley, hay, you name it. I love hearing all the stories about the hardships and the fun times. I'm grateful for the farm in Driggs. My part-cowboy, part-politician split-personality husband (love him so much!) spent his summers working side by side Granpda and Grandma Buxton, repairing fences, branding calves, plowing fields, moving pipe. He learned how to work and how to work HARD. Getting up with the sun and working all day until sundown. Without spending his summers up there, my husband would most likely be like too many people's husbands: lazy and afraid to get his hands dirty! (HAHAHAHA JK, but for reals)

There is a beautiful simplicity up in that Teton Valley that I have come to love. To be cliche, people stop to smell the roses there. And that fresh, mountain air does a lotta good for the soul! That trip was just what I needed: a break from the busy and complicated world we live in. Nothing better than a ride up the canyon on a four-wheeler, campfires and mallows, and making more memories with family.

We miss you, Grandpa Buxton! It just isn't the same up here without you...

Makes me wanna take a back road...

See ya in the fall, Driggs!

CRUISIN

I have LOTS of catching up to do. You'd think that with all my extra time now that school is over, I would be able to keep up my blog... not sure what I end up doing with that spare time HA!

From May 6th through the 10th, me and the rest of the Miles clan were aboard the Carnival Inspiration, heading to Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico.

I decided cruising is my new favorite way to vacation. When else do you get to enjoy a completely care-free trip? No need to plan or prepare meals, worry about everyone being entertained, etc. It was seriously the best! We are already looking forward to going on another one in a few years.

You've been warned: picture overload!

Pedis with the sistas the Saturday before the cruise!

Waiting anxiously at the airport to get to Long Beach

Took this picture simply because of the PURPLE blossoms on the trees. 

I've never seen a purple tree like that!

Made it on board the Inspiration after HOURS of long lines.

First stop: Catalina Island - isn't it beautiful?! We were sad the sun wasn't out. Almost our entire cruise was cloudy, windy, and even rainy!

Found this little guy trying to sunbathe in Catalina. I think he was just as disappointed as we were HA!

Loved the little towel animals every day!

So Call Me Maybe! - Superstar Karaoke (with a live band)

Next stop: Ensenada, Mexico. Hola!

Colton just had to buy this obnoxious sonbrero... isn't it lovely?

Ole!

These little kiddos were EVERYWHERE! They would tap on your arm or back and try to sell you little things. We tried to tell them we didn't have anymore money and they pointed to Colt's pocket and said, "Mucho money!"

Quite the shirt, eh? Colton wouldn't buy it...

Hard to believe that something this big actually floats! Crazy!

And then it's back on board for some long-awaited basking in the sun:

and then it got really windy... again.

My favorite part: 24 hr. ice cream cones!

Pretty view from the back of the boat. And of course we had to get one of these:

We had one last little bit of sun!

Sad to see it come to an end... but we had a GREAT time! 

The hardest part was coming back to this:

No more delicious, fancy meals waiting for us :( 

Colton attempted to make a towel animal - turned out swell!

Thank you to David and Cindy for taking us on our very first cruise. Can't wait to do it again!