Utah Trip

Christmas morning we learned that my Grandpa Garrett passed away.  We were expecting it--in fact we were asked to pray that he wouldn't have to suffer long.  We found some warm clothes, borrowed some coats and headed up to snowy Utah for the funeral.  The funeral was nice--I learned some neat things about Grandpa.  I saw some cousins that I haven't seen for a long time and it was great to visit with everyone.  We also got to visit with the Hodges side of the family.  It isn't very often that we can get together, but I love seeing all my aunts, uncles and cousins. 

There was a lot of snow on the ground and the kids begged to be able to play in it.  They had on their borrowed coats, some mittens and beanies, jeans and tennis shoes.  I thought they would only last for a few minutes, but I finally had to call them in after an hour because it was starting to get dark. 

The funeral was on Saturday.  We decided to drive home Monday.  We stopped in St. George to visit with some of Jonathan's friends from Uganda then went to the temple to see the Christmas lights (because we failed see them at the Mesa temple). 

It was a was a great trip.

Colorado Camping

After the wedding we decided to stay in Colorado for a few more days.  We originally planned on getting a hotel, but prices were too high, so we packed our camping stuff instead and found a nice campsite near Durango.  It was near a lake and a river and surrounded by beautiful trees. 

We had a lot of chipmunks running through our site and the kids wanted to catch one.  They set up a little "trap" and Corbin had fun tricking them into thinking that one actually came to take a drink. 

Our first day was Sunday.  We got setup and enjoyed some time together.  Corbin cooked one of our meals for a cub scout requirement--hamburgers and hot dogs.  Too bad that the nearby forest put fire restrictions on campers.  Camping isn't the same with out a campfire. 

We took a walk out to the lake after dinner.  It's not as pretty close up as was on the drive coming in. 

On Monday we spent the morning on the river fishing and playing in the water.  It was a bit of a hike. 

That afternoon we played some games and had a photo contest.  Jonathan gave the kids the camera and had them take 3 pictures.  I don't know who took what or who won, but the kids loved being able to use the camera.  Here are some of the hi-lights.

We were all in charge of an activity.  Braedi and Ephram made a mini-golf course.  I tossed a beach ball in the air and challenged everyone to keep it off the ground.  I can't remember what Dyllan came up with.  And Corbin had us play pine cone baseball. 

We decided to head back to Phoenix on Tuesday so that Corbin could be home in time for his cub scout pancake breakfast fundraiser on Wednesday.  We had a nice relaxing day at home and watched the fireworks that night. 

Colorado Wedding

The kids have a new uncle!  Auntie Ko and her long-time boyfriend, Matt, got married last week up in Durango.  They rented a bed and breakfast and invited family and a few close friends to spend 3 days celebrating.  The weather was a little warm, but the Ranch was beautiful and so were the festivities. 

We went up a day early.  We did some hiking.  Such beautiful mountains!  We saw smoke from the fires--everyone prayed for rain.

We saw a lot of animals--several deer, a bear on the side of the road, a beaver in the pond, fish and bugs. 

The first night was a bachelor/bachelorette party (dinner at a restaurant).  Then home to bed.  During the days we were on our own.  There was wedding stuff that needed to be done so not a lot of family visiting.  We spent Friday morning fishing.  A great river runs right through Durango and we had access to a private part.  Too bad the fishers didn't have much luck.

Friday night we had a rehearsal dinner.  All of Matt and Kosette's nieces and nephews were the wedding party and Faythe was the flower girl.  They paired up and practiced walking down the aisle.  They were super cute! 

Saturday morning Jonathan went on a fishing trip with another guest and the kids and I relaxed then went for a little hike.

 
Then back to the ranch to get ready for the wedding.  I met Jodi the night before and she offered to come over and do the girls' hair for the wedding.  I'm so grateful that she did becuase the 'dos turned out better than I could have done. 

The boys looked sharp and the girls looked beautiful.  They did a great job of walking down the aisle and standing in on the ceremony.  Faythe was funny, though.  She and the girl next to her traded flowers back and forth.  Faythe also played with her shoes and showed her underwear a couple of times.  The ceremony was beautiful and the vows were well said. 

Then afterward there were pictures, a yummy dinner, dancing and cake. The kids danced the whole night. Ephram took a while to get out on the floor, but once he was there he couldn't be stopped. They were fun to watch and dance with.  The photographers did a great job with pictures.  To see some more of the wedding check out their site. 

the only one of us. . .and my eyes are closed

Saturday night was a late night, but it was fun.  The next morning meant time to say good-bye and checking out.  We extended our Colorado stay and spent a few more days camping--but more about that in another post. 

CONGRATULATIONS MATT AND KOSETTE!

To Utah and Back!

Back in May, Jonathan's adopted brother from Uganda, Dan, and another fellow LEU mentor, Erin, got married, so we went to Salt Lake to be see the wedding.  I took some pictures on my camera, but I can't figure out how to get them off.  It was a beautiful ceremony and I was grateful to meet some of the people who played such an important part of Jonathan's life. 

We decided to make the trip a mini-vacation.  We left on a Thursday and drove halfway--stopping in Kanab. 

The kids love staying in hotels because they get to watch TV. 

Then Friday morning (my birthday) we made a long drive to Logan to visit my grandma and grandpa Garrett.  It was a great visit.  My grandpa is pretty sick, so we couldn't stay long, but we had a nice short visit.  I have another picture on my phone of my grandma reading to Faythe and Ephram.  Too bad I can't get them off.  The kids took a walk to the creek and played out back.  Then we drove to my grandma Hodges' house in Syracuse where we stayed for a few days. 

On Saturday, Jonathan met a mission buddy for a fishing trip and the kids and I went to the park with Grandma and hung out with her all day.  We also spent Mother's day with her and went to her ward.  Her kids came over that night and we had a nice visit with aunts and uncles and cousins.  We also took a "Sunday drive" out to the Great Salt Lake.  We hoped that we could just drive up to the lake and see it, but you actually have to pay $9 and go out to Antelope Island to be able to see anything.  In hindsight, we should have changed out of our Sunday clothes. . .

We took off our shoes, the boys rolled up their pants and we waded out into the lake.

Even though they had rinsing stations, we still ended up with so much sand in the car!

Monday was the wedding.  Jonathan's sister, Alison, watched the kids during the ceremony, but we took them to the luncheon and the reception with us.  There was real African music and dancing and the girls joined in on the fun. 

Tuesday morning we started our journey home.  We stopped in Cedar City and stayed with Jonathan's cousin and her husband, Angela and Joe for a night.  Angela is the one who introduced me to TJEd, so it was fun to visit with her about homeschooling. 

Wednesday morning we took the kids to a reservoir and did some fishing.  There we so many bugs, that I and a few of the kids stayed in the van at first.  It took us awhile to venture out.  Turned out that the bugs were harmless and left us alone.  It was a rough start, but Jonathan soon caught a fish--it was a great one for him, but I can't remember what kind--and was content for the rest of the morning.  A few favorites from that morning.

We drove the rest of the way home that evening and spent the next day doing laundry.  Vacations are fun!