Utah

We're back from a week in Utah. It was a fun week with lots of family. The kids had a blast and made lots of good memories. We did spend a lot of time in the car and I discovered there are a LOT of people in Salt Lake Valley. Seriously, where are all those cars going? And there are also a LOT of stores, restaurants, etc. It's just overwhelming. I don't have the best sense of direction and was lost on more than one occasion, but fortunately I usually had my sidekick brother Tyler and his trusty iPhone GPS to bail me out. Thanks Ty. Eventually, we always made it to where we were headed.

Our first full day there we met Grant & Hayley in Park City. They showed us around Olympic Park and we rode the Alpine Coaster and Alpine Slide. The kids loved it. Little Camille is much braver than I am. She rode with Tyler and was yelling "Go faster!!!" and laughing the whole time. I rode with Madison and she had different feelings about it. It was literally an emotional roller coaster. She was yelling "OK, I think I like this...wait! I think we're going too fast!...OK this is fun...no! I want to get off now!" In the end she said she felt scared but felt like she wanted to ride it again... pretty much what roller coasters are all about, right? Here is a picture of Laura with her Uncle Grant. Fun day.

The next day we went to Temple Square, Church History Museum, Gateway Mall and the Discovery Museum. When we first saw the temple, my Mom told my kids that's where she got married---to which Camille responded, "When you get married is when you get a baby. Except for us, we just got ours at the doctor." My brother Jared and his cute family met us at the Discovery Museum. Once again, fun day.

The rest of the week was spent visiting with Aunts/Uncles/cousins on both sides of the family. On Friday we headed out to Tooele (two-IH-la) for the Kroff Reunion. My Dad comes from a great family. I lived in Tooele until I was 7, when we migrated to California. But I still have lots of great memories of that city and family in those early years. The family met together in Ophir (some camped, we did not). We had dinner and games. The kids played. It hailed (what!?!). It was way colder than I anticipated and dressed for, but lots of fun.

Saturday the family once again met together, but this time at my Grandparents' home in Tooele. My grandparents are not with us anymore, but the home has stayed in the family and I'm glad. Lots of good memories...when I'm there I think of apricots, homemade root beer, Easter egg hunts, Sunday evening visits, and sitting on the porch swing.

I'm really glad the kids and I were able to make the trip this year. It seems life gets so busy and scheduled it's not always possible...but it's always great to be with family and remember how we're all connected.

Cousins...

Andrew is such a happy little guy...

A rare photo op with me and all 4 of my handsome brothers...we were standing on a slope--my brother Tyler (on the end) is really quite a bit taller than me.

The only thing missing from our trip was Ganon. He stayed home to work. You know how they say "Absence makes the heart grow fonder"...it's totally true. I missed him every day. Being on my own with the kids for a week, it realize how much I rely on him. We're glad to be home all together again.