Salt Lake

Next stop on our way to Oregon was Salt Lake and then to Bountiful to see my Nana.   We didn't have a lot of time in Salt Lake- and it was still cold so we went to the Planetarium- since it is free and quick.  Annie came to visit us and say goodbye- it was fun to hang out and just let the kids play.

I tried and tried to get him to look at me- but he was to busy playing on the rocks to listen.

But Paul was obedient- like always:)

And Kyle is a piece of cake to get to listen to me.

But not this guy!

We stopped at Nana's.  It had been a long time since I or my kids had seen her.  They remembered her house because it's the one with the quarters stuck in the cement sidewalk.  Nana is so sweet and we had a good time visiting her. I have so many great memories of Sunday dinners there with my cousins.  Life is sad sometimes- how it just goes on and we all grow up and move away. 

Love you Nana!  Now it's off to Idaho and then Oregon!

Moab and Arches

Road trip! After we went to Gran's in Dove Creek we stopped to spend a night in Moab and went to Arches.  I have a lot of great memories of Arches and Moab.  From ward trips, and Young Women trips to Arches, to Spring Break as teenagers in Moab.  They were good times.  We stayed in a fun hotel on Main street.  We walked across the street to a climbing/camping store.  I felt so at home- and it had been so long! I looked at the hiking books, down jackets and chalk bags.  This is a part of me that is still in there.  It's coming back out as my kids get older.  I had a great time putting this little backpack on Gabe.  He was so cute I took a ton of pictures.  

Kyle being innovative.

Erica and Mike hung out with us and it was so much fun to have them there! Erica is expecting a baby- so she had to take it easy- which is hard for someone who is usually out running marathons and climbing the Grand Teton with us.

We hiked to this little arch called Sand Dune arch- and then did this crazy little made up hike I used to do in as a church group and in Young Womens.  It was a lot harder with 4 kids- one of whom was Gabe.  He was cold and grouchy and cried almost the whole way.  It was kind of sketchy in places, and I was wondering what I got our family into.  Poor Erica and Mike waited patiently for us at the end of the hike worrying about us.  Some lady saw us, and just assumed we were in trouble- don't ask me why.  But she told Erica and Mike to call a Ranger, and she thought one of us fell.  Thank goodness Mike didn't jump to any conclusions and they waited patiently for us without calling a ranger.  I was just as releaved as Erica when we got back shortly after that.  

I love the red rock with the snow capped mountains in the back.

 Arches is an amazing place! I plan on continuing the tradition of it being a place our family goes.  My kids will have some great memories of it while growing up. 

Dove Creek Colorado

When Darren was 2 years old his dad, Ronald Dean, was riding his motorcycle and was hit by a drunk driver and killed.  At the time his mom was mom was pregnant with Erica, and his brother, Corey, was 4.  I can't imagine the hard time that followed.  Not only hard for Darren, Corey and his mom, but also Ronnie's mom, dad, brothers and sister.  Which is why Dove Creek is a special place for us.  That's where his dad was from- a little town just over the boarder from Monticello in Colorado called Dove Creek.  Darren's Gran, and the rest of his aunt's and uncles still live there.  They are a tight family.  We love to go be a part of it. When we go I can still feel a part of Gran's heart is missing, longing for her son, Ronnie.  All of Ronnie's kids hold a special place in Gran's heart because they reminds her of her son.  A little piece of him lives on through his children.  Ronnie's brothers and sisters also miss him dearly.  We love to hear stories about him and how much Darren reminds them of him.   And so, when we came out West, one of the first things we did was visit Gran.  She is getting older and her memory is going, but she is just as funny and feisty as ever.   Her house is always full of delicious food. It's hard to stay there without feeling a little bit heavier and slower than when you arrived.  Erica was able to come with us, and her husband Mike met us down there.  We stayed only a couple of days- but we had a great time.   

I love road trips, and I love the West.  Aren't these road signs just nostalgic?

We took a day and went out to the old farm where Darren's great grandparents homesteaded.  This is the junk pile we did our shooting at.

Uncle Mulligan helping the kids shoot a 22. They loved it! Now Paul wants a gun for his birthday.

Ellie's turn!

My turn- I love shooting! I actually have my concealed weapons permit.

Here is the 2nd home his great grand parents lived in.

And here is their first one.  A little 10 x 12 one room cabin.  I can hardly imagine living in that for years. On the left is Darren's uncle Mike- Notice how much Darren and him look alike?!

Here is the pig pen that they had their pigs in.  It's so crazy to think about the life they lived.

This is where the old well is.  Covered up- but they said there is still water down there!

The next day we visited one of Gran's cousins house-or some sort of relative.  Her husband is a geologist and has an amazing rock and dinosaur bone collection.  It was really cool.  Darren really likes that stuff.  When we left he gave Paul a big ol' dinosaur bone worth about $150! 

One day we also went to some Indian ruins.  I didn't get many pictures- but the kids had a great time running all around.

After a couple of days we were ready to head to Arches, and then to Utah, Idaho and Oregon.  We had a great time but were very looking forward to the next step in life. 

Roasting Darren

There is always so much to do in Utah haven't been there for 2 years and you want to see everyone!  We started off by having a big graduation party for Darren.  Laura hosted it at her beautiful house that they just put a new addition on- I should have gotten some pictures- it is amazing!  She has a slide that goes downstairs into the game room.  The kids loved it.  Laura and Gordon are the perfect hosts- their house is clean, and fun, and big and beautiful.  They make everyone feel right at home.  I think it helps that Laura loves to have parties.  Laura bought a bunch of Graduation decorations to set the mood.

She bought 30 balloons so all the kids could have one to take home.

Laura provided the main dish and the rest of us brought delicious side dishes.

Erica ordered this huge sheet cake- that was totally delicious!

We had secretly planned the party to Roast Darren.  Of course my mom went ALL out and got a ton of funny gag gifts for him.  It was great- she went to so much work and everything was wrapped beautifully.

I've got to tell a story about Laura.  Laura is one of the kindest, thoughtful, unselfish people that I know.  See those candy bars in the bottom right corner?  Well, a couple nights before the party a kid came by her house selling candy bars.  He was one of Jame's friends.  It was late, cold and he seemed tired.  He told Laura he was selling candy bars to raise money for him to go on a track meet or something.  Laura said, "How many candy bars do you need to sell?' He said, "35"  She said, "when do you need to sell them by?"  He said, "tomorrow." So Laura bought them all from him so he could go home.  He was so happy!  She put cute wrappers on them that said, "Congratulations Darren" and gave them to everyone at the party.  I feel so lucky to have such a great siblings.  I have lots of stories about each one of my brothers and sisters and the small, kind things they have done.  They are all such examples to me.   

They all learned it from my parents.  My parents are angels here on earth.

Each one of my mom's gifts had a clue written on the outside- and a gift on the inside that turned it into a joke. Like this one was something like, "What's the best part of being a Nurse Anesthetist? and in the bag was a mini propane tank that said, "it's a gas!"

We ribbed Darren- it was great. 

Then the party got a little serious as Darren thanked all our family members get through the last 9 rough years. We had a really rough time for a while there.  It's a long story and maybe I'll blog about it some day.  Getting through school hasn't been easy either.  But we made it.  Then he thanked me for standing behind him the whole time.  We were both in tears.  It was really sweet.  Then my dad said a funny joke and we were all laughing.  It was such a fun night.

Julia gave me this fun "Jacob" shirt from Twilight- cause Darren is like Jacob- he can become a very grouchy werewolf very quickly.   I can't thank our family enough for supporting us through everything.  We would not have made it with out them.  I love you guys.  Seriously.