I am grateful for. . . . (Yellowstone edition)

a sister who planned a Yellowstone trip for Steven to celebrate his chemo completion (and happens to be an amazing photographer),



cousins who could come along and turn a cold trip north into an adventure,



a sister who skipped classes to come along and help out and make the trip more fun,



breathtaking views,



kids who put up with their brother's geological obsessions (check out Steven with his book on gyesers),



a husband who put up with his wife's car trip clausterphobia,



Steven's excitement about each site we visited,



my brother and his wife who hosted us as we passed through (and took us to the college observatory),



that Laura can sleep anywhere and managed to hit a single blanket when she threw up in the car,



Vacations. As hard as they can be for the mom, looking back I don't regret one of them we've taken. Even my little kids, who complained a bit about the smells and the cold and the walking, already talk about how much fun they had on this trip.

And as for Steven, he's just plotting how he can get there again. We met a man from Boston who had come alone to see Yellowstone for the 23rd time. Steven decided that sounded like a good goal. Well, three down, only 20 to go!