My Trip to Utah

Eric had found cheap tickets to Salt Lake just before Christmas and decided to surprise me with a ticket to go visit my sister Shalyce’s family and my mom and dad.  They had just purchased a new home and wanted me to come help them get settled in.  I was scheduled to go the end of February, but Austin was so sick I just felt like I couldn’t leave him so I had to postpone my trip.  I scheduled it for after Spring break thinking for sure by then he would be feeling better – not so, but it was a good little break for me, though he was constantly on my mind and I am sure Austin was happy to get a little break from me too.

It was so nice to go and spend time with my Mom and my sister setting up house.  We did A LOT of shopping!  I left a van full of stuff for my Dad to drive up to me in Vancouver the next time they came up to visit.  There are so many great stores in Utah.  Is that really true or is it just that when I am at home I don’t take the time to shop so I don’t know of all the great stores right in my own backyard.

I also got to spend some great quality time with my cute little nieces.  Mira and Reese would play with my hair for hours and Sage even did it for me one day.  I loved sitting and reading with them and hearing about their preschool.  Sage played the piano for me.  I am so sad I am not near to teach her.  She is such a good student and practices so hard.

I got to go up to Malad for a few days and visit with my Grandma and Grandpa.  Aunt Helen even dropped in from Boise (she can’t stand it that anyone is getting together without her).  I am so glad Thayne would drive her all that way to see us.  What a treat.

My mom had to stay in Malad to help Grandma and Grandpa so I came back home to spend some quality time with my Dad.  I so enjoyed just driving around with him and listening to anything and everything he would tell me about his life.  He told me about growing up all over the country, his adventures, his experiences with the Spirit and how I came to be in his life.  I even got him to go shopping with me.  Wow, my brother and my dad shopping with me in the same year!? What a treat. 

My Dad and I also enjoyed decorating my Mom’s room.  Merging two households isn’t easy and she just needed her own space to retreat to where things were organized and projects didn’t abound.  I tried to make her room that place.  It was fun to think of her while doing it and try to put things together like she would like.  I just wish I could have seen her face when she came home and saw it.

Tanner was finishing up his year at BYU while I was there.  So I was able to help him study for his humanities final and pack up his dorm.  It was also his birthday so I was able to take him out to Red Robin for his birthday burger, shopping for a little wardrobe update and to the movies to celebrate his 19^th year.  Then I got to bring him home on the plane with me for the summer.