Summer Road Trip to Utah! May 31-June 8, 2009

Hannah decided to brave EFY at BYU this summer, so she and I jumped in the car and headed across Wyoming for a week of fun in Utah. We arrived at Tyler and Jaimee's apartment about 9 pm and were ready to crash! Of course, we were too excited to sleep, so we just had fun being silly and hanging out until the wee hours! Sorry to Jaimee and Tyler who had to get up early to go to work!We really didn't sleep in Tyler's spot, but it was fun and cozy and made a cute picture!

Hannah and I headed down to Provo for the 11 am checkin at the Marriott Center! There sure were a lot of happy, excited kids there. We got her all checked in and went to Helaman Halls--David John Hall to get her unpacked in her dorm room. Her roomie was Kelsey Marshall from Colorado Springs. They didn't know each other before coming to BYU, but they had a lot of fun together as the week went on. Hannah had a rough start (mostly because she didn't go with anyone that she knew), but as the week progressed she was really glad that she had come. Hannah and I met my good friend, Cindi, at Cafe Rio, for some lunch and then we left Hannah to fend for herself! Cindi and I had a great visit and then I headed on to Glen and Kendi's home.

Carter and Bess were so much fun to be with! (Glen and Kendi too!!) Carter has really great tree climbing skills! On Tuesday, Kendi, the kids and I ate at Cafe Rio again! I don't think I could ever get enough of that place. It is just too good!

Bess is just too darn cute! She is always ready for a pose. I guess that probably comes from having a photographer for a mom!

We sat out on the front porch and enjoyed the thunderstorm. Bess kept running out into the rain and got all soggy! It was a lot of fun being with this sweet family in their lovely home.

On Wednesday, I met Cindi at the brand new Draper Temple. We did some work for some of her ancestors. Then we ate lunch at a fun little cafe in Highland called the Blue Lemon. Afterwards, we went to several homes in the Utah County Parade of Homes. There were 27 homes in all and we only made it to about 6 of them! They were really nice homes and we enjoyed the tour very much. It is always so much fun for me to spend time with Cindi. She is such a blessing in my life.

I stopped by our good friend, Katie Chick's house in Cedar Hills for a short visit before heading back to Tyler and Jaimee's. Katie lived in our ward in Longmont for many years and just moved to Utah about a year ago. We miss her family very much and it was really great to see them again.

When I got back to their apartment, Tyler BBQ'd some burgers on his new grill. They were yummy! This is Tyler at his office! He has such a nice place to work. I have to admit it was much nicer than I could have imagined. He is an agent for Farmer's Insurance and is doing very well at his job. He has his name on the door on the front of the building! Keep up the great work, Tyler!

On Thursday, Tyler and Jaimee had to work so I just kind of kicked back at their apartment. I decided to go for a little walk and though I didn't get lost exactly, I did get stuck in some no outlet neighborhoods and 1 1/2 hours later, hot and thirsty, I dragged back into their place!! We met for lunch at the Olive Garden at the Fashion Place Mall. Karen Merrill and her daughter, Chelsea and grandson, Ben, joined us as well. It was a lot of fun catching up!

After work that night, while Tyler watched the B-ball finals, Jaimee and I went out to look at houses and neighborhoods! We never really got any further than Daybreak! We are all ready to move there. I told Mike that when we are ready to retire again for real, I have found the place for us!! It is such a great neighborhood with just our kind of homes and parks and it's very own Temple! I am in love with Daybreak! Jaimee is too! I think everyone should move there! It's a great place for all ages, from young families to grandmas and grandpas! Here are just a few of the pictures we took:

Is that house screaming out my name or what? It reminds me of our old house on Amethyst Drive.

Pretty cool to have a temple on your street, and the houses are affordable too!

We loved the porches and the colors!

Lots of warm, homey touches like wreaths on the doors, flags, ceiling fans on the porches, picket fences, etc. Truly Hometown, USA!

Tyler took the day off on Friday and Ryan came down from Logan to join Tyler and I for some golf!! They golfed and I drove the cart. It was actually so much fun! It was kind of a cold, rainy day, but we still had a really fun time together. They are pretty good golfers too!

On Saturday, I went to Provo at 7 am and picked up Hannah! She and I went to IHOP before driving to Logan to spend the weekend with Ryan and Ali. Tyler and Jaimee drove up too and we had a fun time all together. We went up into Logan Canyon and bbq'd some burgers and just chilled for a while.

Jaimee, Ali, and Hannah relaxing in Logan Canyon. After the canyon picnic, we went to Tummy Yummy's for some frozen yogurt. Very yummy and a really fun place to hang out.

Later on that night we all drove to Honeyville, Utah, about 30 minutes east of Logan and went to the Crystal Hot Springs. That was a very relaxing way to wind up the week. Tyler and Jaimee headed back to Salt Lake from there as they needed to be back to teach their Primary class on Sunday morning.

Ryan and Ali have a darling apartment as well. Everyone of our kids and their spouses have a knack for decorating! Sunday, Ryan, Ali, Hannah, and I went to Brandon and Amanda Brady's baby blessing at their ward in Logan. It was such a sweet blessing and Brandon did a very nice job. We went to a luncheon at their place afterwards and got to have fun chatting with lots of family. It was a nice way to spend our Sabbath. Later on, Ryan, Ali, Hannah, and I played a little Apples to Apples and then we were all pretty exhausted. Hannah and I headed out the next morning for home.

We stopped in Bear Lake on our way home and got a sneak preview of the Serendipity House where we are having our Moore/Griffith Reunion in August! It is so beautiful and we are going to have a great time!!! Everyone is going to love it so much! We can't wait!

It was a great week in Utah and much thanks go out to Tyler, Jaimee, Glen, Kendi, Ryan, Ali, and Cindi for making it so great!