Utah Trip--buckle up...this is a long one

We had a wonderful family trip to the great state of Utah.  We visited at the end of June and came 2 1/2 weeks later.  It was great, wonderful, so worth the time and money...but it was great coming home.  Dave was only able to stay in Utah for one week, so I was left for a week and a half by myself with the kids.  Not the easiest feat, but worth it.  Here's what we did:

Thursday Night: Bachelorette Party!!!

We went to Classic Skating in Orem, dressed in 80's gear (of course).  The best part of the night was dressing Angela as an 80's bride.  She was GORGEOUS.


After Classic Skating we went to a friends house for cake and gifts.  We got Aaron Fischer to jump out of a cake dressed as "the sex sax player"
Here is Beth, Angela, and me (BFF from high school)

Friday Night: Grooms Dinner at La Callie

It was beautiful, delicious food, and so fun to meet Connor (yes it was the first time I had actually met him in person), and to meet his family.  Dave grew up minutes from La Callie and one of his favorite runs is along the La Callie trail.  He's had a goal to one day eat at La Callie and he was thrilled to meet that goal and not pay for the meal. :)

Saturday: Wedding Day

My BFF, Angela Fischer tied the knot on June 30th to Connor Dwyer.  It was an AMAZING wedding! They are so in love.   I loved that I was able to be a bridesmaid.  It's astonishing to think that a friendship that started sophomore year in high school and grew from a mutual love of Brad Wilcox, would grow into the friendship it is now.  We served on student council together, strengthened each other through stupid boy break ups, have done road tips to see each other, and are still friends today!

Angela & Connor

The Bridesmaids: Shannon, Me, Angela, Ashlie, and Abigail (Abigail is pregnant with TWINS in this picture--what a trooper)

CAFE RIO: I have to get my fix ever time I go to UT

The 4th of July
in honor of Lori's birthday Dave, Lori, and I went SKY DIVING!!!  Typical birthday event, right? :)  Plus, it's extremely patriotic, so fitting to go on the 4th of July :)
Sadly we were too cheap to buy the photos (this was our second time sky diving and we bought photos the first time)  So picture me smiling and jumping out of a plane with a parachute on.
Then we went down to Provo Town and watched a BYU Men's soccer game. 

We saw Elder Gates (a missionary who served in our ward) He played in the game.  So fun!

Dave left back home on Thursday and me and the kiddos headed down to Provo to hang with prego Natalie and Johnny.  Sadly I have no prego pictures of Natalie.

Mark and I at the Y.  He loved the stuffed cougars at the Will

Saturday night we headed up to Bountiful to hang with my Grandma and Grandpa Quinn.  My boys, myself, my mom, and Hannah spent the weekend there.  It was so fun.  Since my in-laws live in Utah I usually stay with them when I travel to UT, which is always great.  But it was fun to stay with my grandparents this trip because I don't do it anymore and it brought back fun memories to when I was young and would stay with my Quinn Grandparents.

Aunt Jennifer and me.  So fun.  She's my inspiration and coach when it comes to racing.  Plus, she introduced me to Downton Abby while we were staying with them.  Now I'm a fan.

Grandpa Quinn, Grandma Quinn, Caleb, me, and Mark

while we were staying with the Quinn's grandpa lost his voice.  Mark was so concerned he kept saying: "Grandpa, were did you put your voice?"

Quick story: on Sunday we went to church with my grandparents.  While there we met some of the ward members: Elder Nelson, his wife Sister Nelson, and Sheri Dew.  They sat one row behind us.  That was a stressful sacrament meeting because I couldn't help but stress out every time one of my kids made a noise. (But I must say miraculously my kids were surprisingly well-behaved, probably because Aunt Jennifer fed chocolate to my boys the ENTIRE sacrament meeting).  We also sat next to Elder Nelson, Sister Nelson, and Sheri Dew during Sunday school.  Crazy, right?  And to top it off...Sheri Dew TAUGHT Relief Society.  Can you believe it?  I almost died.  I really wanted a picture with them, but since I wasn't sure of the church's policy of photos at church I refrained.

Monday: At Grandma and Grandpa Hoole's for the Van Dam Reunion

Monday: visit the family cemetery and see the grave sites of Don, Ada, and Janet.  Then we went to Chuck-A-Rama...oh boy :)

Tuesday: At Lee and Holly's for Grandpa's Golf Gismo 

Mark LOVED helping Oma water her plants and to talk with Opa outside.

Mark isn't shy about ANYTHING.  And he talks about EVERYTHING.

Wednesday: Natural History Museum

we saw real Dinosaur bones with Grandma Anderson

when we came home from the museum we found Oma's basement flooded with sewer water.  Ugh.  Luckily the only damage done was to the carpet.  But it made for cramped quarters since there was a full house: my boys, me, my mom, Hannah, Aunt Rebecca, and Grant.

Thursday: Shopping or actually TOURING the new City Creek Center

Wow!!! Beautiful!!!

Rebecca, Elaine, Hannah, Morgan, Sharon, Diane, me, and Oma

Playing at the water fountains IN the mall.  The mall is a mixture of indoors and outdoors, like a large football stadium the ceiling can literally cover and retract based on the weather.

Hannah and I couldn't miss a photo opt with the backdrop of the Salt Lake Temple.

Friday: Hiking to Cecret Lake (yes that's how it's spelled)

Caleb got sick that day.  It wasn't until days latter that I learned it was Roseola.  But it was a rough hike and rough day.  It was the end of the trip and both boys weren't well behaved, Caleb was sick, and I was tired of solo parenting.  That night after I finally wrestled two boys, one sick, into their beds the only thing in the world I wanted was to eat Cafe Rio.  I was alone at Oma's home because everyone left to the girls night at my Aunt Jean's.  My sweet mother bought me (what I thought) was a cafe rio beef salad.  To say I was thrilled to sit down in silence, read my book, and eat cafe rio is a HUGE UNDERSTATEMENT. Eating cafe rio would be my solace, my sanity, my saving grace from a rough day.  I happily opened the box only to find an undercooked pork burrito WITHOUT the cafe rio sauce.  It was the worst possible realization.  The restaurant had obviously gotten the order wrong and I was stuck in the house ALONE for the night.  I decided in my irrational thinking mind to call cafe rio.  I fully intended to be calm and just explain, for their benefit, the error they ignorantly made.  I barely got out two words before I started full on sobbing to the cafe rio employee on the phone.  I think my conversation sounded like this "terrible day...sob...Caleb is sick....sob...and I'm so alone....no help...and all I wanted in the ENTIRE world was a beef salad with cafe rio sauce....sob sob sob....is that too much to ask?  But I don't have it....you gave me....sob sob sob....a PORK BURRITO (saying it like it was chopped liver)...I'm leaving UT tomorrow and I'll NEVER eat cafe rio again....sob..." Obviously I was both calm and rational.  This conversation got me so much sympathy that they refunded the entire $40 meal (the portion my mom bought for her and my aunts as well).  The night ended better than it began because my mom (out of gratitude for saving her $40) stopped by cafe rio on the way home!!!

Saturday: Last day of the Reunion and Leaving Time

We attended a wonderful luncheon with all the Van Dams.  It was so fun to see second cousins and first cousins that I haven't seen in years.  It was a wonderful reunion and such an important reminder that families are eternal.  

Opa, sick Caleb, and Oma

We loved staying with you.  My boys LOVED spending time with you and we miss you so much.

Airplane ride home: I couldn't get home fast enough.  Caleb was still sick and Mark was...a typical three year old.  We'd all been 1 1/2 weeks without Daddy and we ALL were excited, anxious to see him.  Caleb threw up just as we boarded the plane.  Yay.  Then he promptly fell asleep, which was great, except in my fear of waking him I refused to change his clothes.  He smelled great.  Then a rather large (ok, obese) woman sat next too us.  I think she figured: this lady has two kids, one sick, NO ONE wants to sit next to her, and I take up 1.5 seats, no one wants to sit next to me.  Match made in heaven.  Mark looked at the woman and before we even took off, we were still in the runway preparing for a 3+ hour plane ride, and said "you're tummy is big, do you have a baby in there?"  I tried to laugh it off saying, "oh he says that to everyone because my sister is pregnant."  But I didn't directly answer Mark.  How could I?  "No Mark, she's not pregnant, she's fat."  No.  So I ignored his question.  Big mistake.  He proceeded to repeating the question over and over, louder and louder, wanting me to "explain why her tummy was so big."  This was one AWESOME flight. I literally sprinted to Dave as soon as the flight landed in Chicago.  And when I saw Dave, I fell in love all over with him because in his arms he held out a to go bag from Panera--my favorite Chicago restaurant.  It just shows how perfectly in-sync we are because while I sat cramped and uncomfortable on the flight I had thought "I would give my right arm to go home tonight and eat my favorite chicken caesar sandwich from Panera." And my sweetheart Dave, fulfilled that desire for me. :)  I love you Dave.