I have sometimes wondered if Utah is really as great as I think it is. I wonder if I have talked it up so much in my head, and have so anticipated it, that I have made it up to be this mystical wonderland of a type. However, then I get a chance to visit, and I remember that it really is wonderful.
I was hoping to get lucky enough to make a quick, weekend trip to Utah, just myself and Sawyer. My aunt Jen had planned a big "Women's Conference" or "girls reunion" for all my Sorensen sisters, cousins, aunts, mom and grandma. My trip didn't turn out quite as I had planned... it turned out better.
My mom and dad let it be known that though they would 'love' for me to come home for a visit, I could not come without my kids. Making that change to my plans allowed us to have some more freedom in scheduling departure and return dates because Devin wouldn't have to take charge of the kids. So my little weekend trip expanded into a two week trip. Then I decided that it would be way more enjoyable if Devin could join us for at least part of the trip. With everyone's help, we successfully talked him into taking the trip. Maybe Devin and I are so attracted to one another because we are so opposite in this respect. I will jump on the trip ship in one quick leap, but Devin prefers to stick to the shore most the time. I'm so glad he didn't miss the boat this time. We had an amazing trip.
I definitely feel like being with my family is the best it gets in life. I know I have an incredible family. And I have a sneaking suspicion that my family is unique, and it is uncommon for people to like their family so much. Devin told me its not "normal". So I admit it. My family is not normal. Ha ha. They are incredible, every single one of them (including the married ins and all my in-laws), and we so love being with them! I would kill to be there with them. Someday we will! For now I just dream about it (literally). And I am content (mostly, or at least trying to be) to wait until that day.
Devin... how am I doing on this post? Am I getting too whimsical? (Devin is usually is my editor in chief of all my blog posts. Some of you get the ingenuous, unedited version if you are lucky enough to get my first published draft. After Devin sees it, he lets me know how my naivete led my words astray. My apologies if I ever appear inconsiderate.)
We flew in on a Saturday. With Devin's help, the kids did great on the airplane. We flew first to Phoenix, and then to Salt Lake City. The kids were anticipating Utah so much (Bridger especially), they could hardly stand the long flight, and I received a continual stream of questions with the "Are we there yet?" theme. Afterward Bridger said, "The first flight was so long! I liked the fast flight best!" And once we got outside he exclaimed, "I am so excited to be in Utah!"
Amy and Dallin picked us up from the airport in Dallin's family's big Excursion which was great to fit in our growing family and all our bags. It was so fun to see Amy and Dallin waiting for us, plus they brought lunch! A large pizza to feed our masses, and a bagel sandwich specially dairy free for me. I thought that was especially considerate, and we were such a happy crew!
We topped the day off by cooking hot dogs and s'mores in the back yard over the fire pit. Could not ask for a better beginning to our trip.
Day 2
Amber's Homecoming/ Grandma and Grandpa Send-off
One of my most favorite things is when all my family, my cousins, aunts, uncles, grandma and grandpa, and great aunts plan a big welcome home party for us! It is so nice of them to do that! (wink wink). This time we all got together for Amber's homecoming. I love being able to see so many people I love in one big setting all together.
Amber just returned home from her Argentina mission. It was a treat for us to be able to attend her homecoming. She has a sweet testimony and she blessed many lives the past year and a half. We spent Sunday in Honeyville. Wherever my family goes there is also good food, so we enjoyed a lot of that, socialized tons, and never ever thought of being bored.
Myra quickly found a little doll in the outside doll house, and she also insisted and carrying the pink little chair over to sit on while she ate her dinner. Bridger found a grasshopper and kept it for his pet most of the afternoon in a plastic cup. He loves all little critters. The grasshopper was new to him and he documented it with pictures he took himself. Sawyer was a happy little guy, surely loving all the attention everyone paid him! Devin played several rounds of competitive corn hole. And I did my best to keep track of my kids and catch up with great people!
The day doubled as my Grandma and Grandpa Halladay's send off to their mission in the Philippines! They are serving wonderfully already, doing a great work! Before they left my grandma arranged it so family home evenings can still be held in her house while they are away (even though someone else is living there), being together is important! I love being able to join in when I can!
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| Amber with Katey, Amy, and Myra |
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| Here with me are some of the best examples I know! I look at this picture and just feel loved. I want to be just like each of them! |
And doing what they do best...
Day 3-
Tree House Making/ Trip for Costco Tortillas/ Motorcycle Date Night
"Well, just wanted to invite Bridger and Myra to Grandpa's tree house building party. The party is for two weeks beginning September 15-29th. I sure hope they will be able to make it! Grandma will com pick them up. And grandpa will take them home. PS- airfare included. Love, grandpa."
(this is the text my dad sent us prior to our trip.)
Monday was the start of the tree house building side of the party. Devin and Bridger helped. They rented a little digger that kept threatening to flip over with my dad in it (I was nervous!). My dad has big plans for this tree house. It will not be your ordinary, lay a couple boards down in a tree type of tree house. He is going deluxe! It will have a kind of a cottage look to it, equipped with a rock wall, slippery slide, and rope ladder. The plans are exciting! And the work got started...
I do not like using up precious Utah minutes with running errands, but Costco tortillas are a staple in our household, and our Costco doesn't sell them! So I did the mandatory Costco run for four bags of raw tortillas, which I freeze, and then fly them all home in my overstuffed bags (along with other treasures: apples, plums, and pears).
My mom's yard was producing delicious supplies of apples, plums, pears, raspberries, black berries, grapes, ... So Yummy! We picked many bowls full of berries, and I was calculating how much I would spend at Wegmans to buy that many berries which my mom has in abundance! Also a garden ripe with tomatoes and all things needed for fresh salsa... MMM mmm MMM!
Nicholas has a new motorcycle. Thanks to him for planning, and my mom for babysitting, Devin and I got to go on a fun double date with Nick and Court. We borrowed a motorcycle for Devin to drive (I just hung on!), and we rode up the canyon (so pretty!), and into the Valley for dinner. The most hilarious part of the night was when the waitress placed Devin's plate in front of him (it was large enough to take up his whole side of the table!). He had ordered a full rack of ribs, which turned out to be about double the size he expected. Devin was flabbergasted (my big word for the day). Just the sight of that enormous plate made us erupt in great belly laughs.
Day 4
Knee Boarding at Tolman's Lake
One thing my dad really knows how to do is plan a party! He had something in mind for every day we were there. We didn't make it through all his fun plans, but we did a lot of them. He wanted to take us out to the lake, and uncle Bryce was generous enough to pull us behind his boat.
The Tolman lake is a club ski lake. It has sandy beaches, and it is private. Wonderfully, none of the other club members came that afternoon, and since it turned out to be a hot day, the water was enticing enough for us to jump in (even though we only had borrowed suits) !
Devin and Dallin double knee boarded together! It was amazing. I really couldn't be shown up, and it looked way fun, so even though I don't know if I have knee-boarded ever, I figured I could do it better than skiing, so Amy and I tried the next double. It was fun! After us Amber and Haylee showed us their knee boarding skills!
We were treated to Dairy Queen on the way home by Dallin. And I think I'll just mention how many bugs are in Utah! I had forgotten how buggy it is there... when you try to see through the windshield you see mostly bug splats! Seems ironic, I thought Virginia had all the bugs, but my windshield never looks like that!
Day 5
Kayaking Kausi Reservoir to the Kokanee Salmon
As a nightly ritual, we started saying what we are grateful for from the day. For two weeks at least, Bridger would always mention first "the slippery red fish I caught with my hands" ("and the cute little baby kitty cats" which we meet later).
Wednesday my dad took us (Amy and Dallin, my mom, and Devin and I, plus our munchkins) to Kausi Reservoir. I never knew of this place before and I could not believe that all growing up I had never been there and it is only a hop and a skip away from my backyard! It was beautiful. Blue and red rock canyons, pine trees, and trees decorated for Fall, it was a picture I'd like to frame.
My dad has three kayaks (my dad, Devin, and I each commandeered our own), Amy and Dallin paddle boarded, and my mom stayed with Sawyer, and Myra who couldn't bear to leave grandma behind. We paddled up to where the Kokanee Salmon were spawning. It was crazy. Tons of red fish trying to hop back up the little stream to where they hatched. We pulled our kayaks ashore and hiked up stream a ways. The water coming down the stream was freezing, but soon enough our legs were numb and we were busy trying to catch the salmon with our hands (but most the time they darted between our legs). I was never fast enough to catch one swimming by me, but if I was able to sneak up on several hiding out I could manage to catch one. Dallin was pro fisherman, he could go on survivor and survive! We all managed to catch a few though, even Bridger! It was a new and exciting thing for us and Bridger did not want to leave!
My regret is that we didn't take a camera with us on our kayak trip. We could have snapped some super cute photos of Bridger holding onto the tails of these salmon. And it was so pretty up there!
Before loading up, we did a little swimming (in short bursts, the water was cold!), we watched my dad jump of a cliff a couple times, I tried out Amy and Dallin's paddle boat, and my dad let Bridger try manning his own kayak. It was an adventure I didn't expect to have, and we loved it!
Day 6
Family Pictures
Devin was so not happy with me about this. However, our family picture needed to be updated! It did take away from an evening with family, but we got some really cute shots of our kiddos!
Day 7-8
Head to Murtaugh/ Funeral
It was unfortunate that our trip to Murtaugh was for a funeral, but we were really glad we had an excuse to visit with the Poulton's! Aileen picked us up in Cliff and Deon's van so we could drive together. My kids seemed to think it was the longest drive ever, even though they could watch movies in the back.
Visiting in Murtaugh was so fun! My kids loved grandma's dog, and spent a lot of time calling to her so they could give her a pat, while at the same time trying to maintain their distance (at least Myra). We did a small introduction to Lorenzo (the exciting show about the puppet Lorenzo, the one who loves primary kids), and proved that it is timeless, my kids were sad to turn it off.
Devin's aunt passed away so we went to her funeral on Saturday. Funerals always have the effect of making me want to be a better person. I didn't know her, but it was obvious her life had blessed the lives of many others.
Before leaving Murtaugh, Devin took Bridger and went with his dad and Cliff to the potato cellar. They brought back so many big and true Idaho potatoes! I'm always so impressed with the average size of potatoes they bring... at least double the size of the "Idaho Potatoes" I buy in my grocery store. The potato cellars are so big and they are full of potatoes. Incredible.
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Day 9
Temple Dedication/ Aunt Jen's
The Ogden temple was dedicated while we were there. It was neat to be there and listen to the apostles speak and be a part of the dedication. Maybe because kids weren't allowed (only those with temple recommends), I was able to listen well, and I was impressed by the talks.
My aunt Jen had us up for dinner Sunday night. I love her, the way she is interested in me, and all her energy. We had a fun night together.
Day 10
Breakfast/ Kitties/ FHE around the campfire
Work beckoned and Devin had to fly back to Virginia on Monday. We were sad he had to go, but so happy he could come! Before he left, Nicholas kindly took us out for an early morning breakfast at Jeremiah's (yum!) where the best breakfast can be found (at least in my High School remembrances). This spoiling was due to Devin's helping Nicholas (and Peak Pest Control) with a service at Snow Basin's ski lodge. He works even when he is on vacation (he likes it).
After I dropped him off at the airport I stopped in to see my high school friend Camille who lives in North Salt Lake. It is always so fun to catch up and see how life has evolved since High School. She has a little girl Myra's age and it is fun to watch them play.
Later that afternoon we got to go on a special visit. To Bridger and Myra's delight, the neighbors, just up the street from my mom's house, had kittens. They were really cute. Bridger and Myra both did their best to talk grandma into taking them home, to no avail. But they loved those kittens. Every day after they asked to visit the kitties.
Family night was around the campfire. We had uncle Mark and his family over and we sang camp songs. I knew my kids would get a kick out of our camping songs. Every year at our big Hansen park extended family reunion we sing the best campfire songs, led mostly by aunt Joan and the grand-kids. But we are usually on the other side of the country and miss out, so I wanted to share a small part with my kids. We also had a lesson and more yummy s'mores!
Day 11
Goats/ Hike
Grandma's house is really a fun place to go and see animals. Bridger would check on Grandpa's chickens every day. Bringing in the eggs was his favorite, he would usually pull a couple eggs from his pockets (luckily, none broke). And in addition to the kitties up the road, another friend down the road had baby goats! Bridger loved them!
That afternoon we crossed over the mountain to hike up to a waterfall. It turned out to be a very small waterfall this time of year, but the colors along the way were best! It was a perfect little hike.
Day 12
Aquarium/ Mandy's
There is a neat aquarium that is fairly new to Draper. We were able to meet up with Deon, Lynndi and their kids there, at the aquarium, and we had so much fun! I wish we lived closer because it is so fun for my kids to have cousins! They had a great time playing and exploring together. We saw all sorts of marine life, penguins, and kids wearing funny hats (wait, those are mine).
Day 13
Temple/ Hair cut
My Utah babysitters are top notch! They take fussy babies and whiny kids for a no charge fee, and when I return they are sleepy and happy. Therefore, I was able to go to the newly remodeled Ogden Temple with my Grandma Sorensen and my dad! It's a beautiful temple, with a total new look inside and out. I'm glad I could be there with my grandma and help her through the session. Even though she is aging and getting funny, I was glad to spend some time with her. She has been a super example to me all growing up and I love her.
And a great big thanks to Aunt Jen for the great hair cut she treated me with! My hair was bad... too long since the last cut, and after my summer braided extensions it needed some evening out. My hair was really cute in Utah! Virginia humidity is an oppressive opponent, straight vs. fuzzy... Fuzzy always wins. But soon, the humidity will subside and I will be able to style my hair again!
Day 14-15
Sorensen Girls Reunion/ Women's Conference
This big gathering of all the Sorensen girls was the reason behind my trip. I loved having a weekend away with them! I left Bridger and Myra with my dad (they had so many fun plans) and I took Sawyer with me (he was the only boy allowed).
Jen went to so much work planning this conference. It probably took her a year to get everything planned but I so appreciate everything she did! We went on a hike, got started with vision board making, slept in a (fancy) bunk house, listened to speakers, and did yoga. Everything was uplifting, everything was enjoyable, and being with everyone was awesome! To finish off the conference we went to the General Women's Conference and then out to dinner.
I'm excited to make this a yearly event. I love the Sorensen family!
Day 16
Sunday, last night of games and partying
It is always sad to see my trip wind down. I love having so many helpers while I am there, and just being together in general is awesome. We did our best to make the most of Sunday together and played games into the night.
These are some pictures that express more all the fun we had...
Special movie on Grandma's I-pad... (the kids were always trying to sneak off with it to watch movies)
Berry picking! My mom's yard was producing bounties of raspberries, blackberries, plums, peaches, pears, apples, and grapes. It was the perfect time of year to visit for delicious snacking!
Garden Snake... Bridger kept him as his pet most the day. He saved him in his pocket for a while.
Even Sawyer loved grandma's house!
Day 17
Adventures in Flying
Three kids against one is intimidating, especially when it comes to flying! To make my trip home easier, my mom accompanied us. Having an extra set of hands is so nice. We flew together from Salt Lake to Phoenix. When we checked in at the desk in Phoenix, our gate agent told us "Sorry, we only have two seats." I thought she meant they only had two seats together, but I soon found out there were only two seats on the plane. Flying standby we often get hit with the unexpected. So my mom and Myra boarded the plane, leaving Bridger, Sawyer and I behind to wait and hope a few someones wouldn't make the flight and a few more seats would open up for us. One more seat available and I sent Bridger down to meet grandma (he definitely hadn't been happy with the idea of getting left behind).
"That's it. No more seats," the gate agent reported to me. If I had gotten stuck in Phoenix my plan was to call my cousin Heidi with the hope that she wouldn't mind picking me up. But I did some quick thinking.
"Are there flights back to Salt Lake this afternoon?"
"Yes, do you want me to list you on a flight back?"
"No, but can I switch my mom?"
So, three kids, against one mom, we successfully endured the long flight back to DCA. Actually, they did really well. I definitely did not get any sort of reprieve, no naps for me, but thanks to helpful passengers and flight attendants, it wasn't terrible.
Home, sweet home. When Devin is with me in Utah, I think I could stay forever. But when he leaves me, I always look forward to coming home, even though I am sad to leave. It was such a great trip. I love it there, but I know "home is where my husband is".
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