Family Vacation on a Budget

My long-time childhood friend, Jenny, and her family came to visit us for a few days. They live near Corvallis, OR; it was a long drive and I'm glad they made the trip. There were no guests here, and Doug, Heidi, and Cierra took a road trip; therefore, we had the ranch to ourselves. They had a mini vacation, staying in the cabin next to ours and doing many of the activities we do with our guests. The weather was cold on the day we planned to raft so instead we rode the pony, played on the zip line, fished in the pond, and made apple cider. The next day we watched the Bigfoot Days Parade and had lunch at my parent's house. I'm hoping Jenny will send me some of her pictures since I only caught the horse ride. Leo and Taylor brushing Domino.

James and Leo.

It was fun to see Annika wearing lots of hand-me-downs from Taylor and Lauryn.

A highlight for me was taking a hike with Jenny on one of the trails that leaves the ranch. We took Lauryn and Annika in packs on our backs. At one point we had to make our way precariously across a creek. It reminded me of a photo we have of Jenny's mom, taken by my mom: Barbie is hiking near a creek with Jenny in a pack on her back. I'm sure my mom was giving me a ride too. Would anyone else like to come for a budget vacation? Although James offered to help us finish the Laundry room, we didn't make him work that hard (besides moving some big pieces of furniture and pressing eight jugs of apple cider).