Family and Friends: Part Two

August 11, 2016

We're almost there, people! Only two more days in Utah to cover before the LONG drive home. Let's do this!

Tuesday

While we were up in Salt Lake for the weekend, Kristin and company were in Logan visiting other family, too. We all reconvened at Scott's parents' house on the Sunday night, and were able to spend a few more days with them before we hit the road. In our initial planning for the road trip, we thought we'd all go down to Moab together to visit Arches National Park at some point that week. Once we were out there, however, we decided that it was TOO hot to go in July -- especially with a baby. Scott's parents came up with an alternate outing for us that was just right.

Upper Provo River Falls

I like to think of this picture as being titled "Ethan Contemplating Life." Hahahahaha.

Cousins!

Tuesday morning we caravanned up to the Uinta Mountains, stopping first at the upper Provo River falls to roam about, and then continuing on for a picnic and ramble at Mirror Lake. It was beUTAHful! Hahaha. As had been the trend throughout our trip, give my kids some water and some rocks and they're good to go! Having the cousins to play with, too, was just icing on the cake. After eating, and then taking a nice hike around the Lake, we drove back down to home base where we rested for just a bit before Scott and I headed out to meet up with one more set of friends before we left town. Alex and Isaac were the only kids we could convince to come with. Let's just say that certain children had reached their limit of meeting up with random people that they don't even know. Hahaha.

Pictures really can't do the scenery justice.

Supposedly the name Mirror Lake refers to how still the water usually is -- which is supposed to be like a reflecting glass for the scenery all around. It was pretty windy the day we were up there and the water was certainly more rippled than calm.

The Cooper girls are possibly my oldest friends. Our families were good friends when we were kids in New Orleans and we stayed in touch even when they moved to California when I was 9. Candace and I were even pen pals throughout our teen years! {Doesn't THAT seem so antiquated now??} The Coopers had the same number of kids that we did (7) and ALL of our ages matched up except for the youngest ones. When I headed out to BYU my freshman year, Candace and I roomed together in the dorms and the year after that, my sister Emily and her sister Lindsay followed suit. The year after THAT, all four of us lived together, and eventually my sister Sarah roomed with their sister Stephanie as well! It's kind of funny to think of my kids maybe one day reconnecting at BYU with some of the friends that they've made as we've moved all over. :)

Emily, Lindsay, me, Candace, and Stephanie. {Sarah we missed you!}

Wednesday

Our last day in town was pretty chill. Emily and her kids came down to hang with us at Scott's parents' house, and Freddie joined us as well. The kids put on another production {Mulan} much to our entertainment, and later in the afternoon, Scott took the kids (minus Isaac) to Seven Peaks water park with Kristin and her family while I hung a little longer with my brother and my sister and tried out the infamous "Waffle Love" joint. It did not disappoint. :)

Isaac was the cricket. Hahahahaha. How adorable are those little antlers that Grace fashioned out of tin foil and a headband?? Hahaha.

Emily eventually had to head home, so Freddie came with me to join in the Seven Peaks fun before the park closed. Getting everyone to go to bed and settle down that night was difficult to say the least. Nobody wanted to say goodbye and have to leave the next morning. I'm pretty sure that all of my kids want to move to Utah after this trip, even though I've tried to explain that being on total vacation in a place is not the same as LIVING in a place. Hahaha. Nevertheless, after 13 days away from home, it was time to get back. {But not before a couple more stops on the way back...}