2016 Summer Trip ~ Tyson’s Disability Story

This past summer we had the amazing opportunity to travel for about 5 weeks to see our many different family members. Our first stop was to Farmington, Utah to visit with my grandparents and friends in that area. We were able to visit with some of my cousins and celebrate my Grandfather’s 90th birthday with him. It has been such a special experience being close with them over the last year because we have been able to visit them almost every month during our trips to Utah for Tyson’s doctor's appointments. They have always welcomed us with open arms and made us feel right at home. We also had a lake day with one of my best friends from high school. Tyson was able to experience going into a lake for the first time and he loved the waves and splashing. At one point Cameron was holding him and didn’t realize that I couldn’t touch where I was standing and handed Tyson to me. I kept him above water but Cameron received an ear full for that one!

Our next stop was to Saint George, Utah where we were able to spend a few days with my other Grandparents. We had a lot of fun making meals together and going swimming at their community pool even though it was pretty hot outside. It is always so special to see Tyson with his Great Grandparents. We then headed farther south to Gilbert Arizona where Cameron has a lot of extended family. We were able to have a big family dinner with cousins and Aunts and Uncles. It was fun to see them because some of them I had never met and others we had not seen since we were married. Tyson and Cameron’s Aunt’s German Shepherd was very protective of Tyson and loved playing with him even though he was told he couldn’t by Cameron’s Aunt.

After a few days we were off to Southern California to see my parents and siblings. On the first day we went down to the beach and took family pictures because that was the only day all of us and our spouses were going to be able to be there. The pictures turned out great even though we had a long car ride before. We had fun getting tacos afterwards and of course Tyson’s Grandparents just loved on him. For the next week and a half we spent time in Murrieta and in Carlsbad at a beach house. We loved going down to Coronado and riding bikes as well as eating yummy pizza. We were able to go to a friend's wedding reception and also visiting a retired military ship in San Diego. It was a lot of fun soaking in all that sun.

We left for Nothern California a week and a half after arriving in Murrieta and we enjoyed seeing Cameron's Grandma and other family members. We did some swimming there as well and enjoyed good food as usual. We were also able to see some of my extended family there and go out to lunch with my Grandpa. After a week or so we left for Portland area and enjoyed hanging out with Cameron's family. We went to the Saturday Market and out to dinner with Cameron's mom. It was so special getting to spend time with Cameron's sister before she left for her 18 month mission.

After a week or so we packed everything up, including Charlie who had been staying in Oregon while we traveled, and we headed back for Idaho. We stayed with some friends in Rigby and packed our things up in about two days. And we said goodbye to the beautiful summer weather and mountains and headed for the mid west. We were able to stay a night with my sister in Wyoming and then had one more long day of driving to get to Oklahoma. We were pretty shocked at how green and humid it was here but we were happy with making this our new home!