Happy July

[Journal and photos of the completed trip.]

My kid and I are off on our trip today. I did not sleep well and I’m letting her cook breakfast while I clear the cobwebs from my head.

We will make it to my Pa’s house on the Snake River tonight, and stay there awhile enjoying the Owyhee Desert and doing a little fishing. His place in on the edge of the “fly zone” for the World Center For Birds of Prey, and I love watching the raptors hunt by the river. They recently lost a beloved pet, and I will be glad to be able to share some love and affection to help them grieve.

When we feel sufficiently visited, we’ll head over to Wyoming. I want to go through Grand Tetons National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and continue north to Glacier National Park.

Since my little one just recently received her passport but has never used it, I promised to take her into Canada (I’ll see if I can’t get them to stamp something official on her passport for her). We will head West, drop into Idaho to visit my mother on her mountaintop for a few more days. We’ll go back up to Canada and head west to Osoyoos (what a neat little town in Canada’s wine country), then drop south into Washington. I’m hoping to connect with my high school sweetheart and his lovely amazing wife in Washington. Then finally home.

What a trip, eh?

It will be a much-needed boost from my icky day on Friday. Due to a “glitch” that no one can yet explain, between my bank and my credit card company, someone lost $12,000 of my money which should have paid that damn card off to zero. Still not resolved. Meanwhile… racking up finance charges…  Then, in between calls about the lost money, I received a call from my boss to be, saying that even though she told me I had the job, they’ve been doing so well covering the job since it’s been vacant, they decided not to fill the position after all. “Don’t bother sending your resume for any other jobs here though,” she suggested. “We already have yours. We’ll call you if we need you.” Ouch.

Then my daughter’s father called and asked if he could come over and hang out with her and I told him “No.” I just wasn’t in the strength of mind to be accommodating, and it takes so much energy to be kind and calm around him for her sake. Sigh. That made him angry. I’ve never denied him access to her before and it upset him. But I’m practicing standing up for myself, so I stood my ground and just kept saying no, even though he kept at me about it. I’m glad I was firm. I got a lot done and had a great day in his absence.