Well, this vacation of ours is drawing to a close. What a great time we had though! It was only four days long (not counting two full days of flying) and it all went by in a whirl.
Here are just a few snippets to sum up our adventures in Utah.
We arrived in Utah late Tuesday night and on Wednesday morning we went to the aquarium in Salt Lake. They had starfish, otters, stingrays, jellyfish, sharks, an octopus and a hundred other things. But the best part was being with all aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents.
One of the fun things at the aquarium was the giant net/rope-bridge that was strung over a couple exhibits. Everyone had a chance to walk across and the younger ones went across a couple times. I'm not frightened by heights, but I didn't like how wobbly it was.
In the photo above you can see my big brother (navy sweater), little brother (yellow shirt), and two of my cousins (blue sweater & pink shirt).
Here they are again ... this rope bridge was probably our favorite exhibit of all :)
Granny, Sister, Aunts and Me -- waiting at the otter exhibit.
My siblings, mother, great grandmother (purple shirt) & my mother's second cousin (scarf).
After visiting the aquarium we went to wish our great granny a very happy birthday.
The whole reason we made this vacation to Utah was to celebrate my great granny's 100th birthday (do you see the balloons in the background?). A hundreds of extended family members were in Utah this week so my family and I were kept busy seeing people and eating cake (on more than one occasion).
4 - Generation Photo
Someday, maybe, there will be a 5-genneration photo
That night, my uncle took all of the adults in my family (grandparents on down) + Great Granny out to dinner. It was such a nice night because we left all of the children behind with my younger brothers and sisters (they are stellar babysitters) and just took all the time we wanted to enjoy each other. The food was great, but the company was even better.
Thursday morning a lot of the family attended a temple session together in the Provo Temple. I couldn't go, but I know they had a good time. This photo is of (left to right): my mother, sister, great grandmother, granny, my mom's second cousin, and my two aunts. This is a family of strong, virtuous, beautiful women and I'm proud to be a member of it! What a wonderful heritage!
Every morning the boys would go on a run around the neighborhood, but on Friday morning they hiked Y-Mountain. It's a 1.2 mile climb -- and I think the boys enjoyed the whole thing. They came home with stories and some great photos.
Go Cougars! Gotta Love BYU Provo (Even though I attend BYU Idaho :)
We stayed in a rented house in a small neighborhood not far from my great aunt's house (where my great grandmother's stays). We took may a walk down to my great aunt's house to borrow things.
My mom also had a friend on that same stretch that we visited at least once a day. We did yoga at her house two days out of four and the boys came over and rode her bikes. Her husband was kind enough to take them around on his bike and show them the best routes to take.
Fiday night (I KNOW! We were running from place to place :) we had a birthday celebration at a Stake Center close by. My grandparents were in charge of purchasing the cakes and my older brother, sister and I cut and served them. That was the best part. I always feel a little out of place when I'm in a large group, but not when I'm serving.
We had a lot of extra cake that we took home, but we were able to get it finished off by taking it to other events.
Saturday was the last official day of our vacation. That afternoon we had the Family Olympics with a lot of fun team-work games and relays at a park. Truth-be-told, my older brother was the only one who represented our family at this event ... well, we showed up in the middle of the last game so that doesn't really count.
We were out shopping for my sister's last few mission things and seeing friends who drove down from Washington to attend a wedding. It was good to see them -- even though we were all pretty tired from all our running around.
The last game was a soccer tournament with two balls going and four goals. It was sure fun to sit on he grass and watch.
It was a lovey trip. My great grandmother is still alive and healthy and lively. We were able to see people we hadn't seen in years as well as build relationships within our close immediate family. All around, it was a wonderful vacation!
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