Creating Memories...part 2

Now...for the long waited surprise that happened on the second half of our trip.
After we left Grand Junction, Colorado we headed north to Jackson Hole, Wy and the Grand Tetons.  We had reservations at the Teton Mountain Lodge & Spa....

Well, when we walked in the front door, (a bit road weary as we had been driving 8 hours) one of the gentleman behind the counter said, "Let me guess, are you the Vander Poel's from South Dakota?" I found myself thinking, "Is it that evident we are country hicks?" He than went on to explain that there was a surprise waiting for us in our room. So, are you ready for the surprise that waited for us at check in?


To help us celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, the lodge upgraded our room to a King Suite. Here are the pics:

My hubby and I have never stayed in such a beautiful and lavish place before...yes, I cried! 

This experience reminded me of 1 Corinthians 2:9
“What no eye has seen,

what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—

Just as our lodging was so much grander than we ever expected...so are God's promises for our future life...

While staying in the Tetons we took a day hiking and a day exploring Yellowstone.  (I have a story about our hike that I will hopefully be sharing soon.)

When we went to Yellowstone we went in through the south entrance.  That morning it had started snowing just a bit--kind of pretty in a beauty sort of way.  Well, we stopped at many different spots in Yellowstone to take pictures and marvel at God's creation.At our last stop, I took this picture.  Notice the reflection of the Yellowstone map on the window.  Hmmmm...this should have maybe been a clue to what was coming up. 

Five minutes down the road we ran into this:  

Due to snow the road out was closed!  Us simple South Dakotan's thought, oh well, we will turn around and go out a different way, not too big of a deal...oh, yah...it is a big deal when you have to go around mountains and passes, etc...took us 3 1/2 hours longer than we planned to get back to our hotel.  Talk about an adventure!!

Grandson



Oldest daughter and grandson

 The next morning, we packed up and headed to Montana to see some special people!  (The drive was breathtaking, but we were so excited to snuggle with our grandbaby we didn't stop to take any pics.)

Thanks for sharing the memories with us!