A Happy Place

( i don't get why these pictures are so small, but i can't figure out the problem. sometimes technology is both cool and maddening)

A couple of weeks ago we got back from our every other year Utah trip.

I have to say that I always look forward to it.

And my kids love to go. And I especially love that they get the opportunity to build relationships with some of the dearest people that I know.

When I was 8 our family moved away from Utah. It was such a sad day!

Growing up my cousins were my best friends. We saw my grandparents, aunts and uncles on a regular basis. I have the best memories of camping, boating, water skiing, family dinners, and the list goes on. To move away from that was scary.

It has always been bittersweet to me that we were the ones that moved away.

While I love the memories that I have from moving to new cities as a youth ( and I do have some GREAT memories!)  and the yearly trips we would make to Utah to reunite with our loved ones, it has always made me feel sad that we missed out on so many fun family activities.

So, when I got married and started my own family it became very important for me that they became part of the Utah tradition.

And since my husband is so wonderful and supportive we have been traveling to Utah every other year for most of the 14 years we have been married.

I love it!

It's so much fun to watch my kids play with their second cousins and bond with their great uncles and aunts. And it's absolutely precious to watch my grandparents love on my kids.

While we were there this year we took the opportunity to do some things we had never done before.

One day we drove into Spanish Fork and went on a hike through the canyon to some beautiful hot springs. The kids were champs ( but not without some complaining!) and we made it to the top after an hour and a half. It was well worth the hike and I would recommend it to anyone. We had been told that we might see some naked peoples, but lucky for us we just saw some dudes in speedos and one grandpa-ish guy in his tighty whities ,eating raw Ramen noodles, while wearing a cowboy hat. Is that image ingrained? I should have taken a picture! We had instructed the kids on where and where not to look if the first mentioned scenario came to pass and were grateful when we could just relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

After the hike we were not in the mood for any heavy foods so we ended up driving to Provo and getting ice cream from The Creamery on Ninth for dinner. I think we won the cool parents award that night. But don't worry, it didn't last long. And can I just say that that ice cream was the best I have ever tasted? It was. For sure.

My sister had been watching some T.V. show awhile back that featured Hatch Family Chocolates out of Salt Lake City. So after we walked around Temple Square one day we decided to find it, and find it we did. Supposedly the Hatch family is a family of little people, so we were hoping that we would see some of them. But they were not there. Matt really wanted a chocolate dipped pretzel stick but freaked out when they told him it would cost 7.00, so we all settled for an ice cream cone. Some lady that heard Matt gasp at the cost of the pretzel made some snide comment that he shouldn't worry about the cost because it would taste like heaven. She kind of reminded me of the devil. We would never go there again, but the ice cream was great while it lasted, and now we have a funny memory to laugh about. And I assured Matt that I would dip him a pretzel stick when we got home and it too would taste like heaven. I need to get on that.

On our last day in Utah we spent the day at Cherry Hills in Kaysville. The Tripp family has been having our family reunion there on the second weekend in August since before I was born. It's such a fun tradition! I have the best memories of playing there as a kid and it's magical to play with my kids on the same water slides and in the same swimming pools that I did when I was their age. Eli and I were standing in line to go on one of the water slides when I had a vivid memory of me standing in that very line with my Dad when I was about 8 years old. It almost made me cry.

We had a fantastic trip.

The kids didn't want to leave.

Ivy fought with all her might.

But, come home we must and come home we did!

And when we started driving next to the Columbia River Gorge I was struck by how beautiful Oregon is and felt a deep sense of gratitude that Oregon is my home.

Then I felt such love for my amazing family. Those in Utah. Those in Oregon. But especially for the sweet little family Matt and I have created together.

And I felt happy.