"Let's go to Utah!"
So we packed up everything as fast as we could and threw it in the car. It was that impromptu. It was hard because we didn't leave until 3 pm and we didn't even get to see Ryan before we left. He gave us his blessing and told me to let him know when I was getting tired so he could find us a hotel. My goal was to make it to Moab, but the kids were really tired, it was dark, and since I was driving on my own I thought it was better to be safe than sorry and we stopped in Monticello. The kids did really awesome and I feel I was blessed to stay awake because even though I did have a Dr. Pepper in the car, I barely drank any of it.
Part of me felt like stopping ended up being a waste of time because I didn't sleep at all that night. But it was good for the kids and I know even though I wasn't sleeping, the rest was good. Besides Pierscen sure had a blast. Haha!
Continental breakfast in the morning before hitting the road:
We arrived at my parents probably around 11. This trip was very different from others we have taken because all of Pierscen's cousins were in school. So we had a lot more grandparent time, which is really nice.
What do sisters do when they get together? Workout together. Mostly to make fun of me for not knowing how to make the equipment work. Ha! Good times.
You're welcome, Kara.;)
The great timing about this trip was that the new Provo City Center Temple open house was going on while we were there, so we were able to take a tour. It was very cool. It is amazing to see the Lord's hands in things. Losing the tabernacle was heartbreaking. But I still remember as clear as day listening to conference when President Monson announced that the tabernacle would be restored and turned into a temple. Ryan and I were in the car driving back from Holden. We both gasped and I felt a rush of cold chills wash over me as I started to cry. It was pretty amazing.
Kara and I went to Paul Mitchel school of hair to get trims. Styling was included, so I opted to have them curl it, since I never, ever do. It was very pretty. I would do it myself if it didn't take at least an hour. Dodger got his hair cut too, so I needed to take a picture of the two of us.
Fun at Grandma's, and later Issy's tap competition.
That made more time for cousins and friends. Here is Devry and Olivia:
Bowling with Issy and cousins at Provo Beach Resort:
The Bean Museum in Provo with my best friend from childhood, Lisa. I went to the Bean Museum often as a child. It's a wildlife museum at BYU. It was always cool, but they recently redid it and wow = it is incredible! I was rather happy and nostalgic to find that they still have Shasta the Liger on display. I have always been fascinated by that cat.
It was so awesome to get to spend time with Lisa and her kids. I love this girl so much. We were absolutely inseparable growing up.
At the Provo Rec Center with Jen and family:
Climbing, climbing, climbing:
There was one afternoon where Jen watched the kids at the park while I helped run Samantha to volleyball. While there, Devry had become sort of attached to one of her cousin's stuffed animal kitty. She loves cats. And she loves stuffed animals. Jen later bought her the same one her cousin had. You can see how happy she was! Thank you Jen!
We met up with Philip and Chelsey and their kids at Nielsen's Grove. There is so much to be said for cousin time, and it was awesome to get to spend time with Phil and Chels too! We don't ever get to spend much time with this family, so this was especially great.
Opa gave Pierscen tree climbing lessons while Devry enjoyed an otter pop with Oma.
Kara got her wisdom teeth out while we were there. That was pretty funny. Sorry little chipmunk!
A week and a half after arriving, it was time to make the trek home. This time I would not be stopping for the night. The whole 11 hour trip was up to me! We had not been planning another trip to Utah after our Thanksgiving trip until the following Thanksgiving. This was quite an undertaking. I was very proud of myself for being brave enough to do it. It was definitely a different kind of trip. It was hard because both my mom and Necia got really sick. I usually spend a lot of time with them, so it was really sad that we weren't able to do as much. However, it did open the doors for us to spend time with people we normally wouldn't have had the chance to, so there was a silver lining. It was a good trip.
We stopped at Wilson's arch a little before Monticello to stretch our legs. Pierscen loved it, but I don't think I will ever do that "hike" again without another adult with me. I was holding Devry the whole time, so I only had one free hand. The rocks are super slick and the arch, being an arch, has a big drop on the other side which was absolutely terrifying for me having my 4-year-old scampering around by himself. I felt like I was having a heart attack the entire time.
The trip went really well. Yes, we were all kind of losing our minds by the end of that drive, but we did it. I did it! I made the trip to Utah by myself! The kids were champs.
This last picture was taken in the garage just as we pulled in. Can you tell someone was happy to be home? It was so good to be home!
Ryan had another successful residency at Seton Hall. In fact, I would say a little more than successful. This year, both his cohort and the staff voted on the top student for this last year and guess who took both awards? RYAN!!! Words cannot express how proud of this man I am. Ryan is my best friend. He works so hard at everything he does. I don't know how he keeps up with full time work AND full time school. He is amazing.
OH! Did I mention that he got a promotion at work? I don't remember where this fell in the time line of things, but the position of Manager became available. It is exactly the position Ryan was hoping for, but he wasn't going to apply for it because he hadn't been working for the company very long. His director, however, told him to apply. It came down to him and another guy who used to work for the company, but had left for another company (all on good terms) and was now coming back. We figured they would hire him. Sure enough, they offered him the position, which he accepted. Not long later, Ryan sent me a text saying that he got to meet the new manager and then sent a follow up text with a selfie picture saying, "And it's THIS guy!" I was surprised and very confused. For reasons unknown, the other guy decided against the job. The uppers were trying to decide if they should post the job again when Ryan's director said, "Guys, we have Ryan. He hasn't been here very long, but he is super talented, driven, he's getting his Masters, and if we don't give him something more, we are going to lose him." So they offered him the job with a plan to ease him into it. He has now been manager for several months and in addition to his role as manager, he has been tasked with some HUGE "extracurricular" things like working with the VP to get all the branches in each of the states working on the same page. CMS just recently asked for Ryan SPECIFICALLY to put together a presentation on the advantages of electronic health records for him to present NATIONALLY next month. Big, big things. He is honored, overwhelmed, but doing amazing. Top student and top employee. I couldn't do a fraction of what he does. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have him as my partner and best friend. I love him more than anything and am SO proud of him. He is the best husband and father in the world. The kids adore him. He is my hero.
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