July 24, we were briefly in Utah Valley. I met up with Kathie for a last minute hike in the canyon, catching up briefly but feeling like it was not enough time.
We then visited with Grandma and Grandpa Nufer. Grandma has such a sharp memory, and we compared notes on books, discussed the isolation of COVID, and learned more about their time abroad.
We hopped over for lunch with Emily and Matthew at Kneaders, and had them all to ourselves for an hour. Kneaders also brought up all kinds of memories from college and our early marriage life.
Love her, love her, love her.
Meanwhile, our kids were having the time of their lives at Cory and Kristen's annual block party. This neighborhood knows how to roll out the red carpet for kids--bounce houses, 9-square, a dunking booth, water slides, food stands, and a bicycle parade. Kristen organizes the whole thing every year and it is both impressive and overwhelming to walk down their street and try not to compare.
We made our way down to Cove Fort late that afternoon to see Mom and Dad Edwards, who are serving as mission presidents at the historical site in southern Utah. At this point, Owen was a pro at napping in the car and Zachary was on book #3 on my phone. (I barely saw my phone the entire trip and that is what Zachary should be using as ammo for getting a phone rather than the "everyone has one" line.)
Owen was so excited to swing in their backyard and hang with "Cory Cory" while he prepped for their neighborhood BBQ that night.
Mom and Dad gave us a brief peek at the fort before dinner.
It was gorgeous lighting and temperature that night and so nice to be with Mom and Dad in person. Finally.
So fun to see Mom and Dad in their element.
The kids were given a pioneer toy to try.
The kids liked the telegraph machine that made sounds and movements.
We had a tasty dinner and watched some Olympics that night.
I love tiny branches of the church and the intimacy of worship in such a different setting. We were also there while Mom and Dad both gave lessons in Sunday School.
Dad took us out on their 4-wheelers, showing us the landscape and looking for wild turkeys or maybe even a snake (we didn't spot either on this little outing). Later that day, Dad sent a picture of a giant tarantula from the shed.
The next morning, the alarm went off way too early to meet up for a morning jog in the suffocating heat. Happy-Birthday-to-Kristen run/sweat.
The next three days were filled with jet skis, surf, tubing, and lots of boat time.
So proud of this girl for popping right up and charging! She was a little anxious about proving herself and her surf merit to her cousins and did a great job.
Years ago, we went out on a boat with the Ritchies and Zachary was spooked by the lake water and unfamiliarity of his surroundings. He has felt tormented, assuming his cousins only think of that event when his name comes up. He was all kinds of nerves about proving himself. Initially, he had a hard time getting up and he told the Ritchies he wanted to pop up from his belly. They didn't think he could but the very first go, he popped right up and surfed with his natural swagger.
We did an adult surf after watching the kids all surf that day, and laughed hysterically together at provacative moments between Paul and Ang during our dance party.
Tanner showed off with Owen, popping him up on his shoulders and later reaching into the wake to grab him after a fall and put him right back on the board.
Brady proved that he is more athletic than me. Looking good on that board, baby.
Paul let Owen drive. Owen said, "I got this. I know how to drive my Jeep."
Every day, Diane sent us photos of Roxy girl. It was a relief to know Roxy was loved and cared for as we left her for the first time.
The first night sported a spectacular sunset.
Day 2, we crammed in turns behind the boat. I was pretty unsuccessful on the adult surf night (I could NOT find the wave, and then realized it was just small and not what I was expecting), so felt redeemed by the Tuesday surf.
Wednesday, we all volunteered to get up at 5:30am (5:30am!) to head to a remote canyon and Rainbow Bridge. We assumed it would take 2 hours to get there and were pleasantly surprised to arrive 45 min ahead of schedule. It was easily my favorite day of the trip. We explored deep crevasas, stopped the boat and hiked into the slots, and found areas where the water was 300 and 400 feet deep.
We stopped for lunch mid-afternoon and played watermelon football, the very best water game ever invented. I have never been in a football game where I felt evenly matched to the boys, and it was pretty close with life jackets and the awkward watermelon. We laughed, maybe scratched (I promise not on purpose), and did plenty of dunking. Kristen was our MVP and Parker's state champ swimming skills helped!
We had diving competitions off the boat and found cliffs for jumping.
Another hilarious moment: watching Scott get towed on his paddle board by a wave runner. He looked like he was about to get cremated in a period movie.
Owen was the master of sleeping in the car, and on the boat. Every afternoon, he slept for hours through the loud music, then stayed up with the rest of us until midnight.
These bros kind of look alike:
Thursday, we found a beach and jet skied, surfed, and wake boarded before the early evening storm came in. It was also our 20 year anniversary, and we celebrated by watching a video montage of our years together.
Scott and Brynn:
Owen received so much love on this trip. I love older cousins. I never had them and I hope I was a good older cousin to my manymanymany younger cousins.
Last night on the boat. Goodbye Powell, thank you for giving us an adventure despite record low water levels.
Brady's Thursday night disaster--going down a water slide face first, with a lifejacket, on a not-terribly-slippery slide. He was caught mid-slide and chipped his beautiful front teeth. Everyone reacted with horror and he raced inside to see how awful it looked, then felt intensely relieved when he saw the damage. It was a good laugh after we knew he was ok, except for me. I could not stop crying. I would love that man without any teeth but he's had a tough year and I wish I chipped my teeth instead.
To his parents' credit, they did not even notice when we got back to Cove Fort.
Another Owen one-liner: After hours in the car, suddenly pipes up and exclaims, "Dad! We forgot Zac!" Zachary stayed behind with cousins since he is vaccinated and did not need to be tested.
Our last day in Utah was spent with Emily's family and Janece for a big family dinner. We finally toured their new house addition.
Last photo of Blake with his "chuther" for two years. I remember Cory and Kristen telling us to move closer because time was passing quickly and soon Blake would be leaving home. Here we are:
I will remember this as the vacation I did not really want to take that turned out to be the best breather and family time, and one that reignited relationships and my travel bug.
