Spring Break Part 2 - Southern Utah

Come to Zion

We were able to escape from the frigid temperatures of Chi-town this winter with a trip to St. George.  It was just what we needed!  All week we had temperatures in the high 60s and sunshine. We soaked it up.  We stayed with my parents and Erin, Rommey, Miles and Magnus came up for the week as well. What a great time!  We hiked the hills behind my parents house.  We hiked Snow Canyon.  We hiked Zion (the trail that leads to the Narrows).  And how could I forget…the kids and Kermit got to swim (their highlight)! Lots of good food and fun visiting.  We popped in on Aunt Sheron and Uncle Richard.  We also stopped by to see Valrea's old house that Tanc has now and went to see our little plot of land out at Ivins.   We are headed back in April and can't wait.  Love you Family!!  Great to be able to spend the week with you.  We'll be back soon!

A visit from Grandma and Grandpa!

How lucky we are that my parents were able to be with us last week!  We had a lot happen and I'm so glad they could be here for those special occasions.  They flew in on Friday and I picked them up from the airport in time to go straight to pick up the girls from school.  The girls loved having their grandparents pick them up from school.  That evening we received word that Uncle Kimmel had decided last minute to jump on a plane and was headed into town!  Kermit went and picked him up late that night. We had a full house!

The next day was the twins baptism day.  We spent the day getting ready.  It was a very special day.  That night we ate out at the twins favorite restaurant "Noodles and Company." The next day was also a special day because Althea received her baby blessing during sacrament meeting.   It was so great to have my parents and Kimmel there to support us on this special weekend.  Kimmel had to head back home on Sunday but my parents were able to stay through until after Thanksgiving.

The kids had school for a few days before Thanksgiving.  My mom was so helpful getting the girls through their homework and piano practice.  I wish she could be here all the time to help me every week like that!  We spent the week getting ready for our Thanksgiving dinner.  Again, what would I have done without my mom!  Her years of experience hosting Thanksgiving was so great to help pull this year off.  We shared her amazing meal with some friends from church (Rockwoods, Olsons, Kotelly).

We were able to go out to dinner a few times.  We went to the new restaurant in the neighborhood called Summerhouse.  That was fun because a friend from schools father is one of the main chefs there. He came out and talked with us and gave us a few appetizers for us to try that were amazing and different than anything I ever would have tried on my own.  We also went out and got a Christmas tree from Home Depot the night before they had to leave.   A memorable week to have them here.  I love them and  I hope they know how glad I was to have them here.

Grandma

I found these photos randomly on my laptop.  They are from December 2011.  My girls with Valrea Althea Hafen King.  Kermit's mom.  Grandma.  She had just been diagnosed with lung and brain cancer over Thanksgiving weekend of that year.   We knew her time would be short and it was.  We lost her on Easter Sunday 2012.  From her diagnosis in November until her death in April we visited her in St. George 5 or 6 times.  This was from one of those visits.  Grandma had some mining property up in the mountains that she wanted to take her family to see.  Gabe and Tanc were there with their kids as well and we loaded up the suv's and climbed the steep dirt roads that lead to her mines.  We had a great time looking for fossils and rocks.  We even went into an old mine cave.  Very cool!  Grandma had been receiving her radiation treatments but still had enough energy to get out and do some things.

That is one thing I have always loved about her and miss.  She was always up for an adventure or outing.  She was never one to sit home.  She got out every day.  If somebody in the family wanted to take a hike - she'd change her shoes (or not) and join the fun.  If somebody wanted to go shopping, she'd take you off the beaten path to find the best places to shop.  If somebody wanted to go anywhere she was game to join in, always. Even when she was in pain before she had hip surgery years ago she was still up for adventure just to be with her family.  She loved to travel the world.  She loved museums and culture.  She loved life.  I hope my children will have her sense of adventure throughout their lives.  These pictures up in "no mans land" with their grandma I hope will remind them how much she loved an adventure and also how much she loved them.