It was cold last night! (maybe 40 F?) I slept with my head completely inside of my sleeping bag. When I moved at all (including to inhale/exhale) my hair made noise inside my bag and I was convinced that a bear was circling our trailer. It took me a while to figure out it was my own hair, and by then my heart was beating so fast that it took forever to go back to sleep.

We all woke up and the kids did NOT want to go get food. They wanted food at the trailer. We made them cereal, and Mom and I headed to the store/restaurant and had coffee and breakfast. We then had to head back and get everyone ready for Whitewater Rafting!!

We were all signed up for the trip...not the scenic tour, but the actual paddling/whitewater trip. Our tour left at 11:15. At about 10:30 Mom realized that her heart was beating about 40% faster than normal. At rest. She decided that it would be smarter for her to stay home and not get her heart racing even faster with a whitewater trip. We were sad she wouldn't come with us, but intent on seeing the river up close and personal.

We went out in a boat with a total of 9 people (including the guide.) The rapids were between Class II and IV. All kids paddled! The water was 40F and very fast flowing. All together, we were only on the river for ~ 1.5 hours since the water was so fast. It was enough. We all loved it...as I expected we would. At one point the guide made a somewhat sarcastic remark that "here is a calm area, and IF you wanted to you could get out and take a swim." All four kids promptly jumped in. OMG!!! We were in wetsuits, but that water was FREEZING!!!! The guide couldn't believe they jumped in. The girls then shivered the remainder of the trip so badly they couldn't really even talk. They still enjoyed it. We bought 5 pictures from the tour guides and will upload them in a day or two...we didn't bring our own camera.

After the rafting trip, we came back to the trailer, showered, played cards, played on the playground and finally went to dinner in Jackson Hole. Walked around, did a little window shopping, bought a few books and headed home.

A very interesting couple of unrelated facts about this trip. 1.) I don't think the kids miss TV at all. They LOVE the campsite and just want to play cards, LIFE or Monopoly while here. Or shoot their slingshots. No request for TV, even though I could actually bring it up on HULU with our MiFi. (They still play video games in the car.) 2.) After almost 3 months of coughing, I pronounce myself cured. I don't know if it is because we have left Sarasota, because a nasty cold has run its course, or because I am now taking allergy medicine religiously or what, but I cough so infrequently now that I am definitely cured. So is Elise. Same thing...she is now on Zyrtec...I'm on Claritin. The facts that little Jimmy is still coughing and Clark is almost recovered from Strep are curious, but at least we are on the road to recovery!!! Thank God. I guess I don't have lung cancer after all.

Tomorrow, we drive through Grand Teton National Park and then on to Yellowstone! We are very excited.