Ellie and I woke up to find out everyone had made it safely as we were unconcerned and sleeping. Mollie, my mom, and grandma had stayed at a hotel that was way too sketchy for the high price they had been charged with no breakfast options. Rude. They had a long 2 ½ hour drive ahead of them. Meanwhile, Ellie and I enjoyed a nice hot breakfast of waffles, sausage, coffee, and juice. We had to walk outside to get back to our room. It was freezing, windy, and snowing. Ellie and I opted to stay warm in our room where I let her watch too much TV, and I caught up on my own projects. It was only an hour or two later when Mollie appeared at our doorway. We almost thought she’d never make it, so we had stacked all of our things on the bed she was supposed to be sleeping in. We moved our things, let her settle in, and headed out for lunch. Ellie ordered a corndog and fries. When her food came out, she was horrified.
Ellie: I ordered corn and fries. Not a corndog.
Next stop was the Grand Canyon. On the way there we stopped for some gas.
Grandpa: Okay. I’m the hunter and you girls are the gatherers. Now go gather some gas.
Us: Sure. We’ll get right on that. *We don’t move*
Grandpa: *Gets out to get the gas and returns* I almost couldn’t figure out how to work the gas pump.
Mollie: Oh my goodness, the gatherers almost had to get out and help you.
And we continued on for about an hour before everyone started getting a little antsy.
Mollie: How close are we to this so called “grand” canyon?
And we were close. Also, it was snowing, still. In fact, it was getting heavier and colder. By the time we were out of the car, we were ready to get back in. We hurried over to the visitor center for directions and warm drinks.
Afterwards, we started the drive around the canyon. We would stop, go on a small walk down the pathways, and take pictures. With all the snow, we saw a lot of white space instead of canyon, but there were a few rare moments where the snow and clouds cleared up just enough to see the depth of the landscape in front of us.
This slideshow requires JavaScript. While we walked through some of the views we said several things that as Houstonians we never have to say.
Ice is sticking to the bottom of my shoe.
My toes might fall off from the cold.
The ice hurts when it hits my face.
Ryan: Don’t lick any metal poles.
Ellie: You should never lick anything but yourself.
Ellie jumped in every possible puddle of water claiming she “couldn’t see them” and in the process, soaked Mollie’s shoes. Mollie was less than pleased over it. Ryan almost slipped as he ran to catch up with us at one point. Mollie and I were both taking pictures and video just in case he fell. He had our hopes up for a second when he hit an ice patch. While his arms flailed out, it also rebalanced him. Unfortunately, he did not succumb to the fall.
Here is Ryan right before he catches his balance again.
Despite that disappointment, overall, even in the little we saw, it was something no picture can truly capture, and no person can fully describe. It’s an experience you take and remember the rest of your life. My mom must have felt the same way because her reaction went something like this:
Mom: This is beautiful.
Mom: You guys, this is GORGEOUS.
Mom: God has painted a view and it is breathtaking.
Mom: *Claps dramatically* Bravo, God. Bravo.
And as the heathens we are, we decided she had taken it too far and started to make fun of her. *We see cool animal on the way home*
*Everyone (except my mother) starts slowly and most dramatically clapping*
Everyone: Bravo, God. BRAVO.
*Someone says something stupid*
*Everyone (except my mother) starts slowly and most dramatically clapping*
Everyone: Bravo, God. BRAVO.
*It starts snowing and it’s getting dangerous and everyone’s kind of worried*
Me: Do you think God is punishing us for making fun of Mom?
Mom: Yes. I definitely think He is.
Dad: It was worth it.
Mollie and I: *Start dramatically clapping for snow* Bravo, God, BRAVO.
No, we were not struck by lightning and made it safely to the restaurant to meet up with some old friends. Before we got there our lives were threatened.
Mom: Listen here. These people are good friends of ours. I know I tell you guys to always be on your best behavior, but I mean it. You guys, DO. NOT. EMBARRASS. US.
Me: I think you do that enough by yourself.
So, we went in to meet the family after not seeing them for 9 years.
Since we have seen them, we have added 1 person to our family. This made us a family of 6.
They left a family of 4. We now met them as a family of 9.
When we decided to take a picture of our families together another random kid tried to run in the picture.
Mother of random child: Stevie, stay out of their picture!
My Dad: No, it’s fine if Stevie is in the picture. We won’t notice him in the picture anyways.
From there, we headed back through the snow to our hotel where we crashed for my last night in Vegas… well, technically, Arizona.