A Grand Vacation

We've been roughin' it...in the depths of the magnificent Grand Canyon. The good news: we made it through some of the roughest and toughest rapids in North America and had a wonderful time. The not-so-good news: I need a massage, a pedicure, a facial, a trip to the hairdresser and, well, you get the picture. I know what you're thinking: SoMeOnE is high maintenance. But, I beg to differ. This is a vacation unlike any other. It's roughin' it - to a new extreme.

There were no phone calls to our families, no primping and make-up, no showers (although you could submerge yourself in the FrEeZiNg cold river - sure to give anyone an ice cream headache and you're left with a fine, sandy residue), no bathrooms (only what Tan and Ty refer to the "GrOoVeR" set-up in the evenings at camp), and a new campsite every night (I'm a PRO at setting up our tent, blowing up our air mattresses and rolling out the sleeping bags - after all, we did it eight times or so).

Sounds tough, right? These are small sacrifices for a indescribable vacation to a place most people will never see in their lifetime.

It was a private, rather than commercial, trip. So, the really fun thing was that it was all friends and family. Here's the crew (starting at the bottom left): Karie and Tyler (Tanner's youngest bro), Sanford and Michelle (our fabulous neighbors and friends), Shannon and Darlene (family friends from way-back-when), and Merrilyn (Tan's mom). The next row: Paul and Shelley (Karie's cousins), me and Tan, James (Terran's best pal), Ben (Tan's dad) and Rex (Troy's dad-in-law). Back row: Terran (Tan's 2nd oldest bro) and Troy (the oldest and wisest bro).

Tan and I celebrated our 9-year anniversary while we were on the river. It was an anniversary I'll never forget. I know, I know, you all want some of that FINE rain gear I'm wearing and one of those HOT life jackets. The rain gear and life jackets are lifesavers in the Grand - the water is freezing cold and the rapids are so gigantic that you're likely to take a swim.

This was our boat: a monstrous S-Rig which carried all 16 of us safely down the canyon.

We hiked up the most beautiful side canyons. This is the Little Colorado where one can be found with their life jacket fitted like a diaper, floating down miniature rapids. Our fave was the train method with Sanford in the lead.

At the end of many hikes, we'd discover amazing waterfalls.

Some hikes were higher than others - definitely not for the faint-of-heart.

We relaxed - oh, did we relax! No lounge chairs necessary - we'd take what we could get for some much-needed R&R.

Our friends, Sanford and Michelle, were such good sports. Seriously, they really didn't know what they were getting themselves into when they committed to go. This was Tanner's 78th trip down the Grand (he ran as a River Guide for a commercial outfitter for many, many years) and it was my 5th trip, so we knew what to expect. Our friends, on the other hand, had never traveled the depths of the Grand, but they did it effortlessly - like pros!

Hiking, hiking, hiking. With a life jacket on? There were great jumping spots at the end of our hike up Havasu and, well, I like a little added floating protection when jumping into the icy river.

Aren't Sanford and Michelle the cutest? Honestly, we got so many great pictures of them. In all, we took over 500 pictures. So, today's picture overload is only a very small glimpse of our journey.

And, well, this is the drive home. Diann, this pic's for you, babe. I think you'll understand - LOUD and CLEAR! Mind you, this is Tanner's already-been-used deodorant with no lid (which Sanford and Michelle were not afraid to stick right up to their noses).

It was honestly the trip of a lifetime. You can't compare it to any other vacation. But, I'll tell you, I missed my girlies like crazy. I'm so happy to be at home with them again. Oh, and, sleeping in my own bed last night, was HEAVEN!