4th of July Weekend in Springerville

We hope everyone enjoyed a super fun Independence day. We took a drive to cooler climate and paid a visit to my mom and step-dad in Springerville for the 4th of July weekend. We had a great time with them (well worth the 6 hour drive it took to get there). My Mom and step-dad (Roy) have been working on building a home in Springerville since the beginning of the summer and have fallen in love with the small town they now call home and this weekend we were able to see why. Springerville is a beautiful little town with friendly people. We enjoyed seeing the progress that has been made on my parents' home and were able to get to know their good friends, Paul and Christine, a little better as we stayed in their home for our visit.

Above: As I mentioned, it took 6 hours for us to get to Springerville, but it was such a neat road to drive on. We drove through the mine in Morenci, literally through the mine which made me feel like I was in Terminator Salvation or something ( minus Christian Bale :( ), it was spooky and exciting. We also saw some beautiful sights; the sunset, elk at the roadside, and an owl swooping through the night sky. The beauty of the drive made the 6 hours pass fairly quickly, although not quick enough to make me want to do it again too many times. We took a different route home and it only took a little more that 4 hours for us to get back and it was still a pretty drive.
Below: Here are a few pictures from the 4th of July parade (which was actually held on July 3). The first is of my niece, Maizie enjoying the parade, then one of Noah and I watching the parade, and then a picture of Noah eating his monster of a snow cone (and that's a small!), then finally a picture of our favorite parade float, the Lincoln Memorial where Abraham Lincoln actually stands up!





Below: Here's a picture of my parents with Maizie, Noah, and Nate in my parents' "under construction" home. They're standing inside, looking out a bedroom window.


Above: As I mentioned we stayed with my parents' friends, Paul and Christine, while we were visiting. They were such great hosts and it was really neat to see that my parents have such nice friends up there where they're so far from their kids and grandkids. Paul and Christine made sure we all had a lot of fun and let Nate and I take a spin on their quad. Noah liked riding with me... he LOVED riding with daddy!
Below: Here's a shot of all of us together after a great 4th of July weekend, just before Noah, Nate, Maizie, and I headed back home to the heat.