Glacier

Hi Ty! It was great to talk to you tonight! It’s always good to see your smiling face and hear your voice. We really missed you this week at Glacier. Everyone asked about you and hopes you are doing well. We were excited to hear about transfer news. It sounds like you will have a fun opportunity to train some new missionaries, and hopefully keep practicing your Chinese! Your new companion is going to love you! I hope everything continues to go well with the people you are teaching.

This is what we did this week:

We arrived in Helena Montana Saturday night, and then drove the rest of the way to Glacier on Sunday. I don’t know how much you remember about the property, but it was just beautiful. The lodge and cabin had great gathering areas. There was a lot of grass and wild flowers, and a stream that runs through it. Perfect place to stay! The breakfast burritos came in clutch for dinner that night.
Monday we got up early and drove into Canada to enjoy Waterton Lakes National Park. It was rainy and cool, and I was glad to have brought ponchos. We started with a hike called Bear Hump—short but steep—with a beautiful overlook at the top. We hurried down and got on a boat ride across the lake, which was a highlight. In town we found a candy shop with chocolate and ice cream (of course!) and then we visited the Prince of Whales hotel for more amazing views. We topped off the visit to Canada with a stop at Red Rock Canyon which had a color of rock I don’t remember seeing before. The kids got in the river to ride down some natural waterslides, but the water was swift and dangerous, so they had to be super careful.
Tuesday was wet and cold again, but we had reservations for a boat ride, so we got up and out early with our ponchos again. The boat took us across Two Medicine Lake and then we hiked through the mud to Upper Two Medicine lake and Running Eagle Falls. Absolutely gorgeous! I made it though the entire hike without slipping until right at the end and landed on my behind in the mud. So I walked over to the lake and sat right in it to wash off the mud, but my pants are toast.
Wednesday was finally sunny, and perfect weather for driving the Going to The Sun Road. Wow! Is was so beautiful! Then on to Avalanche Lake which was pristine. And then down into town for more ice cream!
Thursday was absolutely perfect weather. We started with the Hidden Lake hike which was absolutely stunning with wildflowers. We saw a couple of Marmots chasing each other around, and the lake at the top was stunning. Up next was St Mary’s Falls and Victoria Falls. Dad was in waterfall heaven! When we passed St Mary’s Falls on the way up, there were youth groups jumping off the bridge into the water below. So of course the kids wanted to jump on the way down. A handful of people from our group jumped, including Grandpa Bramhall! Tate jumped off a rock down lower. I was happy to just watch! The hikes were all great, but by the end of the day I was exhausted!
Thankfully Friday was a sleep in and go to the lake day. It was a perfect day to relax by the beach. We rented a few paddle boats and hung out for the afternoon. Grandpa went out on a paddle board and lost his balance and his glasses! But the water was so clear that Jett was able to find the glasses and earn $10 from grandpa! I cannot even tell you how many times I had to search the house for my dad’s lost items when I was a kid! His reward money has gotten a lot more generous! Dad really wanted to drive the Sun road (ie. long way) home that night. That was fine by me, because I was having a good time trying out my new camera. We made a photo stop and came upon some mountain goats and their babies, which was exciting! But it delayed us, and we got home super late.
Checkout was 10am Saturday morning, and very much a challenge for me. This week wiped me out! We drove all the way home and made pretty good time. Your brothers are super road trippers! I overheard Jett saying to dad this morning, “I never thought I’d say this, but thanks Dad for taking me to a National Park!”
Blake spent most of the week on Zoom calls. I wish he could have come into the park with us, but at least he had a beautiful setting to enjoy while sitting through his meetings. He’s already just itching to leave. Hopefully the MTC is all he’s been dreaming of! Tonight we had a MTC devotional for incomning missionaries. They said the largest group they’ve ever had arrive at the MTC in one day was 750. But this Wednesday they will have 1000 missionaries coming in! I imagine the lines in the cafeteria are going to be crazy! Tyson Nattress had his parents send him a microwave in the MTC because he said the lines were too long. Lol.
It was so fun to have the family all together at Glacier. I wish we had had more time for games and relaxing, but the park was amazing. The little kids had a blast playing with each other and they spend HOURS trading Pokémon and basketball cards. It’s was the best. Jazlyn has become a marathon-running NICU nurse. Camryn faced her fears and jumped off the waterfall bridge. She also won a few games and rubbed it in. Ethan learned how to play Nertz and I think he really liked it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he teaches all his friends how to play. Ryan and Kelsey have a new dog who is delightful. And their babies are starting to talk and they are so adorable! Maddy is enjoying her break from H&M. She’s headed to Croatia for the new few weeks, and it sound like an amazing vacation. Giannina doesn’t think she ’s smart enough for her new job as a paralegal, but she is. Zach rehabbed his Achilles well enough to be able to hike with us. Allison is counting down the days until school starts back up. Wesley is goin into Kindergarten! Ryan is really liking his new job and is thinking about picking up another day of work to allow Kelsey to drop a day. They are homeschooling their kids and taking care of who knows how many animals.
Grandma hosted us for dinner tonight (bless her!) to celebrate Nolan and Jimmy’s birthdays, and it was Blake’s last family dinner before he leaves. Jimmy decided to go skydiving for his birthday. Yikes! I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed with my to-do list this week, and the fact that I have to let another one of my kids leave the house. Sigh. This summer has gone by way too fast!