Utah Trip

Every summer we try to make it to Utah to spend some time with our extended families. Lucky for us, both sides of our family live about an hour apart and with our move this summer we were able to spend a week with each. The first week was spent with the Stuarts and we arrived on Saturday July 12th.

Sunday we went to church and then Joe and I visited my grandmother in Layton. She is 98 years old and wasn't doing too well the last couple of weeks. She wasn't sick but getting old and unfortunately her body was starting to shut down. The day that we were cleaning our house to leave San Antonio I got the call that she was struggling and going fast. As I was vacuuming and crying, I was also hoping that she would hold on for us to get to Utah. That Sunday she recognized and talked with us but she wasn't the same. Grandma has always been quick as a whip with a very sharp mind. She has an amazing memory. This day she was floating in and out mumbling about different life experiences and acting very fidgety. It was very difficult for me to see her like that. After visiting with her for a while, we went to Justin and Marci's new house and played with them for a while.

On Monday evening, everybody came over and we had a pizza party and the kids played outside in the irrigation water. The kids had a blast chasing each other around, eating popsicles, and trying to get wet.

Tuesday morning was spent riding horses and the four-wheeler. Katelyn loves to ride Grandpa's horses and someday wants to be a rodeo queen. She is very confident when she rides and isn't scared at all. She actually does a pretty good job at guiding the horses and taking care of them. Grandpa even took her to Smith and Edwards to get her some cowgirl boots and she was very excited about that. Joe took the kids riding on the four-wheeler back and forth to the barn. They would scream and laugh. Jake wanted to drive it himself and would push the gas as far as it would go and laugh uncontrollably. I hope this isn't indicative of what is to come. Clark spent the night with his cousins, John and Zach, and would go with them every morning to golf lessons. He really enjoyed it and wants to take lessons himself.

Wednesday, Joe flew to Chicago to take his written board exam. That afternoon, we all met at Shelly's in Kaysville and tried to make it to Cherry Hill Water Park but due to a company party making it extremely busy, we headed to the Farmington pool and had a blast splashing on the splash pad, getting swimming lessons and contests from Aunt Shelly, sliding down the slides, jumping off the diving boards and having fun in the sun.

Thursday, Grandpa took the boys, Clark, John, and Zach, hiking up to the B on the mountain. Clark was really excited for this. He did this last summer and wanted to do it again. Katelyn and McKell had a Tea Party with Grandma. When my in-laws were on their mission in Nauvoo, they picked up this cute little porcelain tea set. Grandma wanted to have a little tea party with her granddaughters when they would come visit. The girls spent the morning making sandwiches and cutting shapes out of them with cookie cutters. They then poured lemonade into the tea cups and we sat around the coffee table for our tea party. The girls loved it and Grandma was the server in her apron. The kids just enjoyed playing and visiting with their cousins and grandparents.

On Friday we all got up and headed down to Fashion Place Mall for the Nordstrom Sale. I took the kids on a tour of the mall because I used to work there in high school. Unfortunately, the stores I worked at (Arby's and 5-7-9) are no longer there and the mall is completely changed so the tour wasn't that exciting. But we had a great lunch with Grandma and Grandpa and then they headed up north to work in the temple and I headed south to spend the next week with my side of the family.

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Our second week in Utah was also a great one filled with many activities. Saturday was spent at the Young Living Family Farm. This is a farm south of Spanish Fork and they are known for their Lavender Fields. Unfortunately Lavender Days was over but we had a great time with the farm all to ourselves. There were antique wagons, a wild west town, Indian village, medieval castle, and a nice little river. During the festival they run paddle boats, have jousting, and lots of fun activities. We had a great time just running around and being noisy. Afterwards, we stopped at "The Red Barn" for some homemade ice cream and treats. YUMMY!

Sunday we drove back up to visit great-Grandma Holt. This Sunday, she was very unresponsive and we didn't stay long. She looked very peaceful and comfortable but didn't recognize or acknowledge our visit. That evening at 11:00 p.m., we got the call that she had passed away. She was an incredibly strong woman who was a great example and although we will miss her, she is reunited with her husband, daughter, and other family members and we look forward to seeing her again.

On Monday we went to my sister's house and the kids played in the sprinklers, ran the Slip'n'Slide, and jumped into the inflatable pool. We also tried our hand at RockBand and decided to start our own sister band. If only we didn't laugh so hard, we might be pretty good.

Tuesday we went to Seven Peaks Water Park. It was a lot of fun. My kids are actually a little timid in the water so the lazy river was the hit. The small slides were just perfect and Clark was going to try some big ones with Aunt Jenn and Uncle Kyle but wimped out at the last minute. After he heard that Tyler (3 yrs. old) went with his dad, he decided we definitely need to go again so that he can "do the big slides". Later that evening, Joe got to my parents' house from San Antonio. After taking his boards on Friday, he caught a flight to San Antonio Saturday. He spent the weekend there with friends, signed out officially on Monday morning and started the drive in his car back to Utah. With my grandmother's passing, Joe came back up instead of waiting for us in Las Vegas. I was excited to see him again and so was my family. It was the first time in over 2 years that he was able to spend time with my side of the family in Utah. And with Jim and Steph visiting also from St. George, it was the first time in over 2 years that Joe and Jim got to hang out.

On Wednesday, we hit the new IKEA in Draper. We fell in love with IKEA when we lived in Maryland and would make the 45 minute drive to Virginia to shop there. During our first few years in San Antonio, the closest one was in Houston so we would do a day trip just to visit there. A couple of years ago, IKEA was built just north of Austin so we would drive the 1.5 hours and stop at the best outlets in the nation on the way up or back. Needless to say we love IKEA and our kids love to check in and play while we shop. We always load up on Swedish meatballs and lingonberry juice. We picked up some furniture for Carlee and a few odds and ends and headed back to my parents to pack our overnight bag. My dad had reserved rooms for all of us at the Little America Grand Hotel so that we could join in the Days of '47 celebration on Thursday. I was so excited for this. I wanted to take my kids to the parade and my dad surprised us with the room reservations. It has been probably 20 years since I've seen this parade and I remember it well as a kid. We checked into the hotel and then went out to dinner as a family at Macaroni Grill. We then went back and swam in the pool for a while to tire out the kids for a good night's rest and an early morning.

Pioneer Day came early with Jim, Dad, and Joe saving great seats for the parade. The Days of '47 Parade is the 5th largest in the country and had some amazing floats. The parade runs about 3 hours and the kids loved it. I think the best part was the Salt Lake City Police Department. They put on a great show with their motorcycles doing tricks and driving patterns down State Street. After the parade we went to The Gateway for some lunch, shopping, and splashing in the splash park. The kids were all soaked, screaming and running through the water. Joe and Jim even had a great time trying to walk through to the other side without getting wet. Unfortunately some water went up Joe's shorts and got them both. We then headed to the rodeo. It was fun but the bull riders didn't fare too well. At least the nachos and ice cream were good. When it was over we drove back to Mom and Dad's where we lit fireworks and played games. The kid chased each other with sparklers and Carlee about blew up an entire box of fireworks with hers but we caught it just in time and enjoyed the show. We were all exhausted and crashed for the night.

Friday was Grandma Holt's funeral. It was a beautiful ceremony and my sister, Stephanie, gave an incredible tribute to her. There were a lot of tears but we know that all is well with her. We had lunch with our extended family and it was nice to catch up with cousins that I haven't seen in years.

On Saturday morning, we had family pictures taken. Again, it's been years since we have done that. Jacob was about 2 years old when we last got our pictures taken and it was about time. We went to a really cool spot in American Fork with an old barn, a junkyard full of antiques, a river with a rope swing, and a waterfall. The kids did fairly well but I haven't seen the pics yet so hopefully there are a few smiles from all of us at the same time. We then took our lunch to the park and played for a while before crashing on the couch for some much needed naps that lasted about 2-3 hours.

Sunday we went to church and packed up our cars for the next day's drive to our new home. Thank you to our families for 2 wonderful weeks full of fun memories and good times. We love you and are excited to live closer for many more.

Transitions

Well, we have officially left San Antonio and started on our next adventure. We left last Tuesday after scrubbing the house clean, packing the cars completely full, donating perishable goods to sweet friends, cleaning up the yard, and walking through bedrooms saying goodbye to our first home. The kids were a little sad and eyes filled with tears as we drove away from San Antonio. We thank all of the good friends we have met there and shared good times with. We know our paths will cross again and we have been blessed by knowing you. Some friends we get to take with us and others we will see again. Thank you for the examples and influence you have been on our family. Anytime you want to visit us in Fabulous Las Vegas, you are more than welcome.

Road Trip Details:
Tuesday--Got to El Paso at 12:30 a.m. and stayed with "the cousins"

Wednesday--Played and swam with "the cousins"; left about 3:30 p.m. in the middle of a huge rainstorm and flooded roads; Got to Surprise, AZ about 9:30 p.m. and stayed in the Hampton Inn

Thursday--Drove to Las Vegas and started looking at homes at 1:00 p.m. ; Found a great one about 4:30 p.m. and decided it was the one. Looked at 2 more homes, had dinner with friends, and continued to St. George, UT to stay with my sister

Friday--Played with Uncle Jim, Aunt Steph, Tyler, and Madi at Jumpin' Jacks, lunch at Applebee's, ran a few errands--Lowe's, craft stores, swimming and good night's sleep

Saturday--Left about 12:00 for Utah. Stopped at Grandma and Grandpa Holt's about 4:00 to say hi to everybody and continued on to Grandma and Grandpa Stuart's

Let the 2-week vacation in Utah begin!

Graduation

Joe graduated from Residency on Friday, June 6. It was a great ceremony and the speaker was Major General Elder Granger. His speech was not only terrific and sincere but also short, sweet, and to the point. All of the graduates from all the medical programs received their diplomas and there was a short reception out in the lobby. Congratulations, babe!

After the ceremony, we went home to get the kids and headed out to Incredible Pizza Company. We had never been here before but it was recommended by some of the other Orthopaedic wives as a fun place. It was great because everything is indoors. We got to play in the air-conditioning! There is an all-you-can-eat pizza and pasta buffet complete with salads, baked potatoes, and dessert choices. There is bowling, mini-golf, bumper cars, go-karts, and video games. Basically, a glorified Chuck E. Cheese with a CiCi's pizza buffet. The food was actually pretty good and the games were fun too. The kids loved it and so did Grandma and Grandpa Stuart.

Field Day

June 3 was Field Day. I took Jake and Carlee and we watched Clark and Kate participate in their events for a couple of hours that morning. Clark actually wasn't feeling well that morning so I dropped Kate off at school and he spent the next hour or so laying on the couch. After resting a little more and drinking a lot of juice, he felt a little better so we decided to try Field Day. I told him that I would be there so if he started feeling bad to come find me and I would take him home. There were several events that the kids participated in. Some included sponge toss, tetherball, foot race, long jump, sack race, throw the rubber chicken, and flush the teacher. Clark was on a team with Darrell and Jaylen and Kate was with one of her best friends, Deannah. They both did really well and had a lot of fun. They came home sweaty and hot but with ribbons and big smiles.

Where is May?

Yes, I am wondering where the month of May went. It's already June and the start of summer. I can't believe it! May was a bit busy for us so here is a review:


Mother's Day weekend was spent in Las Vegas looking for a new home. Clark, Kate, and Jake were left in Texas with sweet friends and we took Carlee with us. She did very well on the flight but stayed awake the entire time and with the time change, she was exhausted. We arrived Saturday night around 7:00 but spent 2 hours in line getting a rental car. Right before we got the car, Carlee finally fell asleep. So we loaded our stuff in the rental van around 9:30 and headed on our way the 1.5 hours to St. George to stay with my sis. We were starving so we hit the 24 hour McDonald's at the end of "The Strip" and drove along looking at all the sights on the way. Joe and I haven't been to Las Vegas in years so it was fun to talk about memories and all that has changed. It took us about an hour but Carlee was asleep and we figured this was a good time to see it in the dark. We got to St. George about midnight Vegas time and 1:00 a.m. Utah time.

Sunday was Mother's Day and the first time I didn't wake up to breakfast in bed by my children. I missed them especially that day. We went to church with Steph but it wasn't the same. I missed seeing my sweet children up on the stand singing their little hearts out with the "mother" songs. I missed Jake's big grin and thumbs up as he tries to sing all the words but ends up getting distracted and talking to his friends. I missed Katelyn's shy smile and wonderful singing voice getting all the words right. I missed Clark's "I'm too cool to smile at my mom but I'll sing my heart out with sincerity and try not to smile at her" smirk. We had a great morning with Jim and Steph and after a yummy lunch we drove to Vegas to check out the area all afternoon and then headed back that evening.

Monday we started the hunt. We looked at about 16 houses. Most of them were foreclosures and needed a lot of work. We went to a few other ones but it was hard to look past the clutter to actually see the home. We would set up appointments but the homeowners would follow us around the house and wouldn't even clean up before we came! I was amazed and disappointed. It was a very discouraging day.

Tuesday was spent in Henderson. We looked at about 14 houses this day. There were some nice ones but yards were extremely small and it would be a very long commute from the ones we did like. We then stopped in Logandale on our way back to St. George and visited with some great friends and went to dinner. They took us on a tour of Logandale and convinced us to look at homes there even though it is also a far commute. They are so happy there and we would love to live close to them.

On Wednesday we really liked one particular house and were thinking of putting an offer in but found out there were 6 other offers on it so we didn't want to compete. We also looked at another home that had my favorite floorplan and a half-acre lot. We were so excited from the front door and then we walked into the kitchen . . . It was gutted. Some of the top cabinets, bottom drawers and doors, the island, dishwasher, sink, and parts of the butler's pantry were missing! I was so sad. Two of the upstairs bedrooms were also missing carpet. It would have been the perfect house but we would have paid too much to buy it and then even more to make it liveable. We also checked out some new homes that are being built and they were pretty nice but, again, no yard for our children to play. We looked at about 6 more this afternoon.

By the evening, we were sick of looking at houses and just wanted to relax. We checked into a motel for the night and then went out for dinner at Claim Jumper in a really great outdoor mall. It was fun. Carlee had a blast just walking around and looking at things and we enjoyed just being with her. We then went to bed early for our 6 a.m. flight home. Although we came home feeling a little disappointed and empty-handed, we do know the area a little more and have time to continue our search.

Jacob had his end of the year program for preschool on the 17th. His class sang a couple of songs and he did great. He has really enjoyed this year and loves his teachers, Miss Kim and Miss Rose. He was lucky enough to go to school with his best buddies, Mitchell and Brayden, too. He finished off his year the week before Memorial Day with a pizza party on Tuesday and a water party on Thursday. He had a great time and is out for the summer!

Clark had his piano recital on May 23. His teacher was Brooke Jardine and we are going to miss her. She was a great teacher and Clark did well. He has a great ear for piano and can often play the songs just by hearing them. Unfortunately he needs to sight read a little more but we are going to work on it over the summer. Clark enjoys playing the piano and has a great talent for it. We will miss Sister Jardine and appreciate all of her hard work and patience with Clark.

Memorial Day was spent having a traditional breakfast at the Guenther House downtown. The kids ate up their waffles and bacon and we toured the museum and enjoyed walking along the river. We had a 45 minute wait for breakfast so the kids passed the time posing for pictures, playing "Mother, May I?" and "Red Light, Green Light". After our yummy breakfast we went miniature golfing at Malibu again. Unfortunately we weren't as lucky as the last time but had a wonderful time anyway. When we walked through our back door that afternoon, the phone rang and it was a house showing in 20 minutes so we ran through the house for any touch-ups and jumped back into the car. We decided to get some ice cream and go to Target to look (not buy) at toys. When the hour was up we headed back home to get ready for the next week and the beginning of the end . . . of school.