Living The List

Andrea showed me a list of all the things she hoped to do while they were in Utah. My response? "Woo who I'm coming along for the ride!" I'm so grateful Tony and Cindy's family were able to join with us too. It's the cousins that make it fun!

One day we went to the trampoline place. It's a fun place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there. The big kids were all over the ninja course, all of them doing great and making it further than they did last year, and the little kids bounced themselves sweaty-heady, and all had curly hair to show for it. Eli the buddy was not little enough to be little or big enough to be big so he needed Jack and Wyatt to be medium with! It was a blast watching everyone jump, dive, twist, turn, fall, laugh and play. 

One day we went downtown Salt Lake City to the Church History Museum across from Temple Square. It's a beautiful building, and you can visit as a group, or one-on-one (as I was able to do with Jonas and Elise later this summer) or alone (as I did while I was serving at the conference center). The new film of the first vision is really captivating, although it's in pana-vision and can make me motion-sick if I'm not careful.

Jane Marie and Whitney Amelia showing their lovely and feminine spirits, matched by the equally pretty stained glass window behind them.

Calvin sat down at this station and stayed the entire night. He was hooked. I'm not even sure exactly what it was he was doing either. And I think he's going to be left-handed. I usually am slow to notice if someone gets a new watch, or shoes, or purse. But I always notice if someone is writing left-handed.

These are light tables where the kids created different shapes with pieces of plexi-glass. It was colorful and challenging and rewarding all at the same time, as you can see by Lauren's look of total concentration!

Vivi and Eli putting their geometry skills to the test. See, sometimes we use math in real life!

Reagan is my go-to gal whenever I can't figure out instructions, and she was a whiz at this origami table. Seriously I look at those instructions that are painted on that table and my mind sees three different ways to do each instruction, and I don't know which one is correct.

When Andrew was a little boy, I'd give him puzzles to work on, and he would dutifully complete lots of them, but finally one time he said, "Puzzles give me a HEADACHE!"

Denny and Joe and Emma hosted us one night at their beautiful home. They've got a brand new kitchen, new theatre room (spelled "re" for Grandpa Hiatt); and have completely redone their family room in the basement. It's so beautiful! and we enjoyed the best treats - frozen sherbet deserts in cute coconut shells and grapefruit halves. There was lots of visiting and piano playing! I would have photos of the piano playing but it's hard to get flattering photos when people are playing piano player piano players.

Another item on the list was to hike to the waterfall above Sundance. Andrew and Andrea and their family had arrived before we did, and already taken some family photos before, so I don't have any of them. But here's the Tony and Cindy Sweat family, sans Lauren (AGAIN) because she's a teenager and has to work! It makes me realize how fleeting the years are when they are all under one roof. There were lots of other things we did while we were home, but I don't have photos so I can't remember them ha ha. I shouldn't use "ha ha" because I'm almost 64 and that's reserved for people 35 and under, but, it fits, ha ha.

I want to wake up to this every morning  - I can't look at it without smiling! I just pictured Tony trying to throw me up in the air like that and now I'm laughing.

Picture-framed Care Bear!

Okay......okay, let's take "jumping" photos! Ready?

 "JUMP - No, Reagan, not yet, wait!"

 "Oh, never mind, JUMP B!"

   Hilarious.

 Well, at least they're both on their feet in the first and last photos!

 Cute girls in their hand-crafted "Sweat" shirts!

Cindy and Andrea would probably have done a jumping photo if I would have asked them!

We definitely are beyond the "jumping photo" stage. These are the "Sweat" shirts we made. See how mine is white with blue lettering? That's the "happy accident" that worked out in the end because that's how the "Keep Calm and Carry On" saying is printed. Did Winston Churchill say that? Or maybe Ann Landers, or the CEO of Hobby Lobby?

The destination of the hike is this waterfall.

It's a long hike, but I really love it. It's nice to work up a good head of sweat and steam, and I don't do it on my own! It's probably two miles up and two miles back. These three teenagers ended up getting there before we did and were already soaked to the skin after going underneath the f-f-f-r-r-r-e-e-e-zing cold waterfall a few times.

Last year Jane had "go under a waterfall" on her bucket list, I'll never forget that.

There is a steep cliff off to the right side of the waterfall, above the path (you can see it in the first photo) It's not the really big cliff, just the rocks to the right). As the rest of us were reaching the waterfall, I started having cold sweats thinking about these three who had arrived ahead of us. I was afraid they would climb the cliff. I was so glad when we arrived and they were on the ground, smiling, soaking wet and safe! I told them how relieved I was they hadn't climbed the cliffs. They exchanged glances......Well, at least I'm glad I wasn't there to see it :-) I lectured them "sternly" about risks, and said if someone "dares" you to do something, don't do it! Dennis smiled and said, "I don't think Brandon and Reagan have to be DARED to do anything!"

And so from the shadow of the everlasting hills, and with one cute spit-bubble added for good measure, we say good-bye til next year to the North Carolina Sweats!