My Epic Vacation Part 2: Utah

First off, I have to say, I didn't really plan our trip after the drive.  I was just going to be happy to survive five days of driving.  Luckily, we made it, and it was as pleasant as a car ride could be.  Point is, I didn't make arrangements to see all the people I wanted to see or do all the things I wanted to do.  My family was great though and took time after work and between this and that for me, even with my failure to plan--I got to see almost everyone, which was great.  So thank you, family, for taking the time to see me.  I just love family.

We arrived in Utah in the late afternoon of Monday the 11 of August.  That night my grandparents were hosting a family night for their neighborhood with a magician.  Rex thought it was the greatest thing and kept laughing and exclaiming, "How'd he do that?"  Everyone thought it was pretty great how excited Rex was.  Then the head of BYU's music department played some pieces, which is when we headed downstairs so the rest of the neighborhood could listen.

I love my grandparent's basement.  And so do my kids.

 Tuesday: Greg and I went to the temple in the morning.  My cousin Selena watched the kids and we did a short initiatory session so we could get back before Henry needed to eat again, which we did.  After naps, we took the kids to the temple to get some cute pictures from the very spot where we took our wedding pictures so long ago.  We had a hard time getting anyone to look at the camera.

Rex took this--could be worse

 We finished the evening by hitting up a local shaved ice place.

 Wednesday was the Ogden Temple open house.  We started the day with some shenanigans outside--the kids climbed into the basement window wells and up the retainer wall in the back.  The neighbor called to tell my grandparents my kids were climbing up the wall, so Grandpa Sune climbed up and brought them down--oops.  Rex and Alice, like I was as a child, are obsessed with basements and just think they are the coolest thing.

 After the open house, we went to the Ogden Cemetery to get a picture of Alice next to Grandma Sparks' grave, for whom she was named.

Thursday was BYU day. We did the golf cart tour of campus, which I'd never done before.  It was fun but the poor tour guide couldn't get a word in edgewise between me and Greg as we told the story of our dating life on campus, as most of our courtship took place on campus.

Greg then left for a lunch appointment so the kids and I hit up the Cougar Eat, BYU bookstore, and Eyring Science Center.

Greg caught up with us and we walked back to the car, but first we walked through my favorite in the world...maybe just campus, but also possibly the whole world.  I don't know but I still love it.  Even just walking through the atrium felt great.  Just like home.  Because it was my home for several years.  Yes, I still love you HBLL (Harold B Lee Library--nerdy I know, but he and I spent a lot of long nights together).

Then we visited the new Bean Museum, where I used to take Rex during the long, cold Provo winters.  It is much bigger and now has a slide.  The kids had fun.

Finally, (I know, long day right?) we met up with Noah's girlfriend for ice cream at the creamery near where DT used to be.  As in the creamery Greg and I used to go when we were dating freshman year.  Oh, memory lane.

Friday: In the morning, the kids and Greg discovered Grandma's Super Nintendo.

After Henry's nap, we did the Salt Lake thing.  My kids are obsessed with the Salt Lake Temple so we went there first.

 Then we went through the places where General Conference has been held, in chronological order, as per Rex's request.  We went to the Assembly Hall first, but I guess forgot to take pictures.

Here's the Tabernacle.

 And roof of the Conference Center.

 We also visited the North Visitor's Center and the Beehive House, or is it Lion House--Brigham Young's house, you get the picture.

Then we met up with my Aunt Deb and Uncle Steve for dinner.  We also went to temple #5 for the summer, Bountiful but the kids were being silly so we didn't get a very good picture.

 We finished the day with a concert in Bountiful City Park--a Beatles cover band.   It was a lovely day.  Summer nights in Utah are, well, perfect.  Heaven will be summer in Utah.

Saturday: Provo day #2.  First, the farmer's market, where we ran into a few friends from the old ward.  We ended up chatting with some neighbors for a while.  I miss them.

Then to the Provo City Center Temple just 4 blocks from our old house.  Sigh.

We walked about downtown for a while more.  Then the boys decided to go to a rock shop while the girls and Henry went to Bridal Veil Falls.

Seriously though, how could you not just love those mountains and that perfect blue sky.  Sigh.  Saturday was a hard day for me.  I still feel like I'm missing so much in Provo.  The BYU day wasn't hard--I got a piece of paper telling me I was done at BYU and that it was time to move on, but I didn't get that when I left Provo.  Just...just longing and sadness.  When I die, when I die, I'll move back.

Alice was crazy on the falls and were determined to climb to the top.  I didn't let her get too far, since I was holding Henry in one hand and using the other to balance so I didn't have much left to keep her from killing herself.

I asked guy to take a picture of me--I love it because I look super fat.  Seriously, look at my face.  I really had to question myself and what I thought I looked like.  Then I noticed it was just shadows.  

 Sunday: I was exhausted.  Seriously to the point of dizziness.  Greg drove up to Boise for some business meetings after Sacrament, and I planned to sleep but!! Deb came down so of course we hung out with her for a while.  We went through old pictures and Sune even told some new stories I'd never heard before.  After I got the kids in bed and was about to pass out again, Marc dropped by so we chatted about his high risk behavior and he brushed off my concerns about his motorcycle and private airplane.

Monday: We went back to Provo.  Provo is like my first born child that I've lost.  OK more like my college boyfriend that I still haven't quite gotten over (I married my other college boyfriend).  First we went to the Orem Wal-Mart because I am stupid.  We survived--barely, and then tried to visit some friends, but that didn't work out so we went to the Provo Rec Center, which was glorious, minus I didn't bring a swim diaper, sunscreen or my sun glasses.  I got burnt but the kids had fun.

Then Alice fell asleep in the car on the way to temple #9, so we got this picture of her in front of the Provo Temple.

That night, even though it was a school night, Cameron and Scott and their families came over for a brief hello.  Then Grandpa and I spent a few hours cleaning and packing up our stuff to leave in the morning. Greg drove in from Boise just I was putting my head on the pillow around midnight.

Tuesday morning we left but got this cute picture of the boys with the Great Grandparents before we left.

Until next year, Utah, until next year.  My poor kids when they grow up--every summer my mom dragged us to Utah to relive her past because she's obsessed and can't get over Utah.

My (Epic) Summer Vacation Part 1: the drive

We drove to Utah this year.  It took five days.  And several weeks of stressing.  Because driving with children, especially with a baby is a pain.  

Here's how we did it:

1. Packed by night, not by person--that way we only had to unpack 2 bags at each stop, one for clothes and one for toiletries.  Best idea ever.  Thanks Pinterest.

2. Lots of DVDs.  Ok, we really didn't have that many, but why do you need more than two right?  Who doesn't like to watch Frozen and Harry Potter twice a day for five days.  I loved it.  LOVED IT!

3. Pack a big box and toys--play dough, foam, crayons, coloring books, felt board and then number them.  Put all the numbers in a jar and then have the kids pull a number out to tell which toy they get to play with. Also make each kid a tray out of dollar store cookie sheets that attaches to their car seat to put their toys on. Then have the kids complain about their toy, throw them on the floor or just want to play toys.  Give up and watch Frozen, again.  I take it back--the kids played along with my games the first day.  Day 2, we just watched movies.  I did try to make them take a 30 minute break between each movie.

4. Ate breakfast before we left each morning.  We tried to leave between 6 and 7 each morning, which normally I'd try to sneak the kids in the car so they'd sleep a few more hours.  I don't know how the parents on Pinterest managed to do that one, but we failed every time we've tried to do that in the past and end up having to stop an hour after leaving for breakfast.  So this time, I just woke the kids up at 5:30 or so, dressed them and fed them.  Then we only had to stop once for lunch and usually once more for gas and potty--or 2 or 3 more times because Alice is a pregnant 2-year-old and can't pee in all out in one sitting.  Seriously, she'd ask to pee, we'd stop, she'd pee then repeat 20 minutes later.  

We ended up getting to our destination for each night around 3 or 4, which was nice because it gave the kids a chance to run around an play.

5. Bring a super nice breast pump and then fill Henry full of so much formula mixed with breast milk that he can't cry.

Now that we've done all that planning, our actually trip went fairly well.  But I forgot to take many pictures.

Day 1: Drive 503 miles to Nanna's in Princeton, KY

 Day 2: Drive 585 miles to Travis and Emma's in Manhattan, KS

We picniced at the St. Lois, MO temple--because it was on our bucket list and I love picnics.

When we go to Emma and Travis', the boys were tired from sitting and watching DVDs all day, so they sat and played XBOX instead--eventually, Emma and I walked the kids to a park to get out their squiggles.

 Day 3: Drive 584 miles to Evan, Amber, Autumn, Ethan and Ella's (good guess Amber?)

Cheyenne has a super rad public library--we played a few hours, while Greg went to his store-crush, Sierra Trading Post

And we obviously had to take a picture with a boot--it's the thing to do in Cheyenne

 Day 4: Stay in Cheyenne an extra day to hang out

Alice and Autumn being semi-twinners at church

After church Greg and Evan took the kids to a super rad and mildly dangerous park while Amber took a nap and I hung out in case Henry woke up from his nap--meaning I also fell asleep on the couch.

Then the kids ran in the sprinklers because it was soooo hot (like 80),  we had a picnic out back, played with chalk and in general had a good time.

Day 5: Drive 462 miles to Grandma and Grandpa Robins in American Fork, UT and being phase 2 of our (epic) vacation.

You've had a birthday

I turned 29 on Friday.  Kind of a weird birthday.  Not quite young, not quite 30--the one age that everyone lies about being.  As in my father and I are now the same age.  You'll have to have him explain that one or maybe he just needs to have a chat with his bishop.

Now before I go and rate my birthday good/bad, I need to explain a bit about having an August 1st birthday:  In the words of my sister who's daughter was born on Christmas--I'm not sure which is worse, August 1st or Christmas Eve.  That's right: there could be a birthday worse than Christmas: mine.  People just forget my birthday, especially when I was in school and I mostly only saw my friends at school and my birthday is the middle of summer and during Girls' Camp or a family reunion.  It just slide by year after year--except the one year we went boating and I wanted to see how far my parents would let me go so I asked if I could invite a boy and they said yes but I didn't really want to invite him so I was sort of hoping they'd be lame and say no but then they said yes and I didn't want them to call my bluff and so I invited him and it was horrible because I was like 15 and didn't know what to do with a boy and my parents around.  Sometimes I wish my parents were a little less cool.

Back to this year.  As I was re-oiling my counters and sweeping my floor and pondering on the dreariness of a mid-summer birthday, the thought struck me that birthdays aren't really about me.  It's about my mom.  I didn't do anything to be born.  My mom carried me about on swollen ankles and stretching ligaments for nine months minus two weeks (you're welcome) and then birthed me in a too-sterile hospital with too-touchy doctors and nurses.  And yet it's my mom every year who's made sure to make me a sign at Girls' Camp or a cake a family reunion or let me invite a boy to my party to celebrate my birthday.  In recent years, Greg has added his own flare to the festivities.  But today I would like to say thank you to my mom for having me.  And then for keeping me.  And then for raising me.  And she did a pretty good job.  I'm witty, clever, lovable, super funny, brilliant, nice(ish), clean--what more could she ask for?  OK, maybe humble, but let's not get carried away here.

So today, two days after my 29th birthday, I would like to say thank you Mom.  You done good.

My mom on her birthday in March

For those who would like a play-by-play of the day: we started with opening presents, because we're cool like that and didn't want to wait until after breakfast, let alone after dinner.

Rex and Alice got me a knife so I could join their knife club

 That night, Greg and I were supposed to go boating with the youth (because I LOVE boating and it's even better with a boy you actually like and your parents aren't around to chaperon--bow chick-a bow wow) but it rained and was only like 70 so that got cancelled.  Since I got a babysitter for Rex and Alice, we still decided to go out.  We got sushi, which was amazing.  But since it took so long to get our food, Henry got mad so we left even though I could have gone for another roll.  We put Henry to bed then headed to the Wheatley's to get Alice (Rex was having a sleepover), ate some of their pizza, got made fun of a bit by their oh-so-young teenage boys, came home put Alice to bed and did dishes while Greg stayed and played video games with the tween Wheatleys.  Then we had cake just me and Greg around 10, watched some Netflix and went to bed.  And that's what you do when you're 29.  And since my dad has been 29 for about 20 years now, looks like I have a lot more of that to look forward to.