Yosemite

We went to Yosemite at the end of July for a Hancock/ Cheney Family reunion. I hadn't been to Yosemite since my senior year when we hiked Half Dome for Young Women's. I forgot just how beautiful the place was! My mother-in-law's side of the family had a reunion up there, which was really fun, and we had a great time reuniting with her cousins and their families. It had been 7 months since I had been back to the mainland, and before we drove up to Yosemite, we stopped at a local Winco in Fresno to pick up some items I didn't feel like packing. Boy was I in REVERSE sticker shock! I could NOT believe how cheap it was to live in California, or rather, FORGOT how cheap it is to live there! I don't think I've ever been so excited about the amount of items I was able to get for just over $50! Anyway, we had a great time, and it was so beautiful. The first day we were there, my mother in law spent some quality time with the twins, and Nathan and I joined her cousin Jerry and his wife, and went rafting down the river. Its too bad the water level was so low. We probably could have done more rafting and less walking! Anyway, the company was what was our favorite anyway. I'm so glad I took some pictures on the rafting trip, because by the next afternoon, a huge fire had broken out not too far from Yosemite. The sky was never clear again while we were there, like it was the first day, and as a result of the fire, we had lost power in our hotel. They only had power in their lobby, and in the cafeteria. Needless to say, the power was never restored while we were there, so I guess you can say, we did some serious camping! Its definitely a different experience staying in a hotel, but having to use a flashlight because you have no other options. And you know their showers are no where near windows, so it made for very dark bathing experiences! It was an adventure inside and adventure, but we loved every minute of it! I won't lie though...when we checked into the Sheraton by LAX our last night, it was nice to be reminded of what luxury felt like!