A Great Vacation

Since last Wednesday, Tiff, the kids and I have been on vacation. It was so nice to finally take some time off that was not for some family emergency. It is amazing how much fun and also how tiring just a few days can be. I am glad I have tomorrow off to recuperate. I am going to include pictures in this blog (not a normal thing) so I may get in trouble from Tiff for stealing her thunder but oh, well the story is much better with pictures. Besides she probably will not get to post for a while since she is leaving again tomorrow to go to the Johnson cabin in McCall with Joan and Virgil, the kids grandparents.

So here's the summary:

Tuesday Night - I will start here even though it was not officially part of the vacation. Since I was little I have gotten overexcited about going on vacations and never can sleep the night before. I was up until 2 AM doing random things like going to Winco at 12:30 AM to get pop for the trip and coming home with chips and salsa, bagels, and NO pop. The worst part was that I still had to go to work the next day.

Wednesday - After work I met Tiff and the kids and we headed out of town. Our first stop was in Twin Falls, ID. Our main purpose in stopping was to attend the Twin Falls Temple Open House. Ali has been waiting for this event for months. She has been so anxious to actually go inside a temple. The funny thing is that when she told her dad about it tonight on the phone her summary was that she had to where white things on her feet. What a cute girl! Here are some pictures:







One of my favorite parts of the evening is when our brilliant little Charlie taught his Grandma and Grandpa a basic truth. Virgil asked Joan who the temple president was. Charlie quickly responded, "Jesus". It is moments like these that makes a parent feel so proud.

Thursday - Thursday morning we woke up early and drove to Farmington, UT to go to Lagoon. For those who might not know, Lagoon is a small but very fun amusement/water park. The kids were so excited. We entered the park at 10:45 AM and left around 8:00 PM with Charlie screaming he wanted to go on more rides. The kids were diehards. Lagoon has a really good childrens' area with small versions of the bigger rides. The lines are never very long so the kids just keep going and going. I believe there were a few rides that they rode as many as ten times.

With Tiff being pregnant and us needing to take care of Oscar, the day really became about Ali and Charlie. I did manage to sneek away to some of the bigger rides which made the day fulfilling for me. Ali even went on a big rollercoaster with me, although, I am not so sure she will do that again. She claimed she could not breath when the ride when downward. Poor thing. She was brave enough to do it so I will give her the credit she deserves for just being brave enough to do it.

After we left the park we drove another hour to Provo, UT to get to an ice cream shop called The Creamery on the Brigham Young University campus. I know it sounds pretty sad when I would keep my kids up until about 11:00 PM just to get ice cream but anyone who has ever tried this should know why. All the ice cream is made fresh at the school. It is incredible. Sorry, blogging about food is a little lame.

That night we stayed with my brother, Rod, and his family in Payson. It was so good to see them. Tiff and I ended up talking with them until about 4:00 AM. We see them so rarely so it was great to catch up.

Here are some pictures from Thursday:






Friday & Saturday - These two days were the main attraction for me. The main reason we went on this vacation was to go to a family reunion in Henrieville, UT where my Grandma lives. This extremely small town has been a vacation destination for my family since as long as I can remember. Unfortunately I have not been back and stayed for almost five years. I was so excited to introduce Tiff and the kids to this place that feels as much like home as my own.

What made the trip even better was that is was to a family reunion. Family is really big on my mom's side and so when one of these events goes on, everybody goes: aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. My grandma even had a great great grandchild there. These events have changed throughout the years as us grandchildren have aged and had our own children but the essence is still the same.

We spent a good part of the time sitting out on Grandma's front lawn, migrating around to stay in the shade and visiting about anything and everything. The children would all be running around, playing like children should with no limitations. One of the greatest parts about being in Henrieville as a kid is that you can play in the streets without fear. I think Tiff's definition was that she did not realize how "podunky" the town really is. But that is one of the greatest benefits. The town sits just south of Bryce Canyon National Park in a picturesque setting of mesas and beautiful red and white sandstone mountains. The peace and quite of this small town made for many days of hikings, getting dirty, swinging from trees, running without rules, and I am so glad my children now have got to experience it.

This family reunion was like many others. There were games and singing. We had a couple inpromptu concerts. We watched a movie on the side of house and camped on the lawn. We stayed up late and got up early. We cried missing those not there, especially Grandpa and we laughed as all the new babies entertained us. I think the pictures will show it best:









Sunday - As the trip wound down and after all was packed up, the long trip home began. We decided to drive the whole 10 hour trip at once today which made for some more entertaining moments. I thought you might enjoy these:







The most important thing I got from the last few days is how wonderful and blessed we are to be part of families. May we all take the time to stay close and love one another. I love you all!

Missing

Tonight was a night of longing for me. My family and I are preparing to go to a family reunion at my grandparents' house in southern Utah this week. As part of our preparation, I decided to have a family night tomorrow in which I would tell the children stories about my Grandma and Grandpa Willis. I was watching a slide show I have of them trying to get ready. I did not expect to have the emotions I did.

You see, my Grandpa died in 2002 while I was on my mission in Mexico. He was one of my greatest friends. I loved to sit by his side and listen to the stories he would tell (sometimes, the same stories multiple times in one sitting there towards the end when his dimentia got really bad). He loved to listen to me play my guitar and he always called my his little George Strait (a country singer for those who may not know). He also called me his Little Toe Head. I loved it. I really missed those times as I sat and thought of him tonight. This week will be really only the third time I have been back since he died. I truly will miss his presence this weekend.

After I finished watching the slide show Tiffany told me to look at my sister's new post on her blog. My sister just moved to New Hampshire. I was already in a sappy mood but this put me over the top. I love my sister and miss her tons. I am happy they are making the sacrifice for Mike, my brother-in-law, to go to school. I know it is good for them, but...I still miss them. So, as a personal note, I just want to say, I love you Laura, Miles, Caliegh, Griff, and Ellie. Mike, I know you do not like the sappy stuff so I will just say...you rock.