Five Down....One To Go!

We're back! We had a great trip to Utah for my sister, Crystal, and Matt's wedding. Our kids were so excited to be in Utah, since they don't remember the last time we were there.

We left Monday evening and traveled only to Missoula, Montana...I had to get to a television to watch the final episode of the Bachelor! My good friend, Crysti, and I still found time to talk during the commercials...even with the time differences. While I watched my show, the kids had fun in the hot tub and running around the hotel. I don't know what it is about kids and hotels, but they find them very cool.

Tuesday, we traveled most of the day down to Utah. It was a long drive, but with movies playing continually, there were no complaints. Our biggest obstacle was our puppy, Aja, not going to the bathroom when we would stop. We were so nervous that she was going to have a accident in the van, but she did awesome! We stopped multiple times for her to go do her thing, but she held it ALL day until one hour out of Salt Lake.

On Wednesday, we went to the Draper Temple Open House. This was the highlight of the trip for Jamen and Kaitlyn. They were beyond words knowing that they were going to be able to tour the entire temple. Kaitlyn even said that it was better than Christmas morning when we surprised her with Aja. She is a sweet girl and knows what is important in life. After the open house, we went shopping at IKEA and then spent the rest of the afternoon at Temple Square.




Thursday, we traveled down to BYU, took a look around the campus, ate at the Cougareat, and went to the Bean Building to see all the animals. The kids had fun looking at the animals. Kyle and Cecily, my niece, named each and every animal. Their naming took a turn towards an African theme. We heard names like, Shareeka, Mumebobwa, Shaneekwa, Unemamma, etc. They were quite the crack-up.



Thursday evening, Crystal was receiving her Endowment at the Salt Lake Temple. I had only done one other session at the Salt Lake Temple before, but always remembered how beautiful the craftsmanship is there. It is inspiring to see the intricate detail and work that they put into building and decorating the temple by hand.

One funny thing that happened that night was with the kids. They were at the hotel with the dog. They had been instructed to stay in the room, not answer the door, etc. My sister, Elise, left her dog in their room. As we were entering the temple, Chris received a phone call from the hotel informing us that they had three complaints about Elise's dog barking in her room. We told Jamen to go get Cali and keep her with them. Chris then proceeded to turn off his cell phone as we entered the temple. After our session, Chris turned his phone back on and noticed a message from the kids. Apparently, (just imagine this) one of the kids opened the door to our room. Cali, not wanting to be with four rowdy kids and a puppy, took the opportunity with the open door to make a run for it. She tore off down the hall. Jamen ran out after her, followed by Kaitlyn, Aja, Tyler, and last but not least, Kyle. As they are ALL running down the hall chasing Cali, they came to an abrupt stop when they heard the room door shut behind them. Now we have four children and two dogs stuck in the hall and two parents completely unaware as to the chaos unfolding! What a night. Luckily, my brother-in-law was upstairs with his two kids, enjoying a relaxing evening, so he was able to keep them until we got home. I'm sure it was just what he would have wanted...6 kids and 2 dogs in ONE hotel room. Thanks so much Josh....you saved us!

Friday, we had to be at the Mount Timpanogos Temple around 8:15am for the wedding, so we were up bright and early. The wedding was beautiful and Crystal and Matt looked blissful together. The day was filled with running from one place to the next. I didn't get too many pictures at the temple because it was freezing cold and we had to get our kids to a warm place.



After the wedding ceremony, we had a brunch in a beautiful building named the Hampton House. Then we were off to the reception at Noah's. It was a long day. Luckily, my very wise mom, reserved a room at Noah's for the kids and dads. It was a lifesaver. It had a giant big screen television, leather couches and a pool table to keep them entertained during the reception. We ended up getting back to the hotel around 11:30pm.

This is what happens when two guys find a hair extension!
Don't ya just love Chris' comb over?
I think he looks like his Dad!!! :)..right Kathy?

My cousin Todd and his family live in Farmington. Their daughter, Jessica, and Kaitlyn have become friends from spending time together at our family reunions. Since this past summer, they have become pen pals. Kaitlyn was excited to see Jessica again and even got to have a sleepover with her.

Saturday, we slept in. Matt and Crystal had left early Saturday for Mexico, my parents, Grandma, and Elise and Chase took off for home, so it was free day. We decided to head to Temple Square again to catch some of the things that we had missed earlier. We took a tour of Temple Square with some sister missionaries, toured the Conference Center and Beehive House, and watched the Joseph Smith video. It was a great day. Our children got a great perspective into the hard work and dedication the early saints put in to what we have today. The kids enjoyed touring the Beehive House and seeing how the people lived back then.

The Tabernacle

The Beehive House

The Conference Center is where we hold General Conference every 6 months


This is a well known pictures for LDS memebers. I learned though that it was created for the Spokane World Fair.Kyle, Tyler, Jessica, Kaitlyn, Jamen, Brian, and Cecily

On Sunday, our trip came to an end as we headed home. Utah was so beautiful and our kids didn't want to leave. We had a long drive ahead of us,and the kids were great.
We had such a great time in Utah. We don't get to Salt Lake as much as we would like, so we soak it all up while we can. It is a place filled with so much heritage for our family and religion. We couldn't have asked for a better family vacation! Again, Congrats Matt and Crystal!!!