At last

Eli gets to join his brother at school!

Backpacks on

Snacks, lunches, water bottles in hand

Smiles ready 

Um, sort of. . .

(if you can call this a smile)

Little sister not wanting to be ignored

And we're off

One last nose-pick before the big day

p.s. He said he was going to try really hard not to pick his boogers at school.

Worthy goal, I think.

Kindergartner and third-grader

"Back in the saddle (stroller) again"

That's our Eli, ready to go, without one look back at me

Finding his desk, game face on

A quick story before all the parents leave

Look who took a liking to the kindergarten desks

Utah Valley's turn

My brother Justin and his wife, Andrea, built a gorgeous home in Lehi last year.  They generously, and on almost a moment's notice, offered to let us stay there with them.  They have three of the cutest boys you've ever seen, and considering how close in age they are to our kids, the gang can have some serious fun together.  What is it about cousin love that just makes me all warm and fuzzy inside?  Just and Ang = super fun, too, so we grown-ups loved getting to hang out and laugh with each other just as much as the munchkins did.

Here's a few shots of all the boys living it up in the basement:
(Boys + Basements = Beautiful peace for moms upstairs)
Jealous, jealous, jealous

Andrea and I:

We had to pay at least a little homage to our alma mater, so we spent one day in Provo that started at the stadium.  Big surprise there, right?  Our family's priorities are super transparent, I know.

The classic Brigham shot, minus my Michael Jackson dance move.

(p.s. Aren't you impressed with how my pink shirt and purple shoes match the flowers?)

Some serious sensory memories with this next home away from home.  The smell of books, the sound of nothing but pages turning, and the sight of bookshelves and study desks transported me to the mid-nineties in about ten seconds.  It's pretty crazy to think how much time I spent in this library. 

Shhhh!  This is one very serious study group. 

It made for one long and whiny walk--"It's soooo hot, I can't take it"--but I still insisted we trek to the far side of campus to see my favorite place, the Maeser Building.  I had quite a few classes here my freshman year and loved studying in the reading rooms just about anytime. 

Boy, does this lecture hall and podium bring back memories.  I had such a crush on Professor What's-his-name, who wore tweed jackets and oxford shoes and made me swoon as he pontificated about Goethe and the Sturm and Drang movement in Germanic literature.  *sigh*

Although he's cute, Eli's just not the same as Professor What's-his-name.

Then we headed down the hill to the athletic buildings and other sports complexes. 

Bennett found a couple spots he hopes to frequent someday:

Recognize this one?  Let's zoom in on those letters a bit.

The new (to us), indoor practice facility struck his fancy, too.

They even had soccer camps going on at the time.

There's a whole lot of new going on near the RB, and this trophy building earned top honors for sports-loving Stephen.  I think he wished we had started rather than ended our day here.

First basketball:

Then football:



I must admit, it's pretty cool seeing a Heisman in person

One very happy camper:



After a stop at the creamery to meet up with some CA friends, we headed over to visit two of my favorite former students, who by happy chance ended up marrying each other.  Nothing could be better than seeing two kids you loved as students now happy and in love with each other as adults.  Catching up with Adam and Becky made for a perfect ending to the trip.  They're both bright, talented go-getters, who make the most of life and still have a knack for making me laugh.  I could have stayed there for hours with them.

Talking

More talking



Good times with the Olsens



Somebody else who didn't mind hanging at a park all evening

Stephen had to be back to work by Wednesday, which gave us precisely one day to get from Utah to California.  Driving straight through, baby.  On Pioneer Day, no less!  Ha.  Up at the crack of dawn and hitting the road early shmerly did have one surprising benefit: two double rainbows that we could see in their entirety, from one side all the way to the other.  We took it as a lucky sign for travelers and pushed on through the deserts of Utah and Nevada.  I drove the first stretch for six hours straight and thought my legs were going to snap in half by the time we finally stopped for gas and I got out of the car to walk.



The boys asked if we could follow it to the pot of gold



We told them California = the prize at the end of their road trip rainbow

And it was.  After being in that killer dry heat for almost a week, the "low-seventies with a light ocean breeze" weather we came back to felt magically delicious.  We were happy to be home, even though we had such a great time in ID and UT with so many people we love.

Amigos de SLC, continued

Next up: Nanon (a.k.a. Naners, Queenie)

Nanon and I roomed together in a house with three other gals.

The Jam Shack we called it.

Some of my favorite Provo memories come from that house and those roommates.

I had just graduated from the Y and started teaching.

Nanon, a roomie I'd just met, was incredibly supportive.

She helped me grade papers, put up with my narcolepsy, cooked me comfort food,

listened to my constant relationship woes, and made me laugh in much-needed moments.





Salt Lake Valley Visit #3 = Rose

No pictures.  Sorry.

Stephen wasn't there to tear me away from chatting and remind me to document.

Rose and I were mission companions in Guatemala

and fast friends that lasted well beyond.

We had some good times in Utah.

She lived in Cedar City while I went to school in Provo,

until she later moved north and then we got to hang out even more.

I love this girl, but she's hard to describe.

You just have to meet her.

And laugh with her.

And drive with her.

And watch her fearlessly throw rocks at Guatemalan men and dogs.

Anyway, we took our kids--she has the cutest son, Benson--to Jordan River Parkway

to play and feed ducks and throw rocks to their hearts' content.



The youngest-looking, old friend I have: Jenny

Jenny and I met in London.

Both Humanities majors, we studied abroad with a bunch of other BYU kids.

She, Heidi, and I, became London besties,

despite the fact that we're about as different as three friends can get.

Jenny is a talented artist, a devoted aunt/sister/hija, and a thoughtful friend.

Jenny suggested we meet at Red Butte Gardens.

Yes, ma'am. 

As long as I lived in Utah,

and even drove past this place on my way to institute classes at the U,

I never actually went there.

I coudn't wait to finally check it out,

especially with my landscape architect friend and my gardening hubby.

Not-quite-so-old friends living in a new place: the Schlegels

Scott and Alisa are friends we made here in Cali, who now live in Utah.

They have three boys whom our boys used to play with nearly every day.

Alisa and I hung out together a lot.

We have missed them,

which means we couldn't pass up a chance to visit,

and our kids couldn't have been more excited to finally visit someone THEY know.

We went out to dinner, then chillaxed in their humble home.

Ha ha.

Stephen must have really liked their movie theater room,

because it's the only picture he took.

Driving home from their place that night, we saw about six different firework shows between Bountiful and Lehi.  Awesome sight.  The kids ate it up, but didn't quite get the whole Pioneer Day concept, try as we did to explain it.  Sometimes we forget that they've never lived in Utah.

Stephen's turn to visit old friends: The Escobars

This is a family he's known nearly his whole life. 

Br. Escobar faithfully hometaught Stephen's family for years and years,

and played a big part in Stephen's decision to serve a mission

and stay faithful to the church.

They moved to Sandy five or six years ago.

I couldn't believe how sweet they were to make us dinner

when their entire kitchen was under construction.

The kids ran around their big backyard and heard lots of stories about their daddy,

while Stephen and I were treated to an art show of Br. Escobar's paintings.

So talented.

Making the Rounds

We decided to piggyback our Idaho trip with a visit to Utah. 

Talk about fun catching up with old friends.

Shall we start with the oldest of my old friends?

Wait, that came out wrong. 

SHE's not old. 

Our friendship is old.  In the best way.

Annie and I go back thirty-five years. 

We grew up in Seattle together and have a huge bank of shared memories.

Being with her = so familiar and wonderful.

She has a beautiful family.

She has a beautiful home.

She makes beautiful food.

Not pictured but also with us was another Seattle friend, Juliann.

We all grew up together,

we all lived together as roommates at one time or another,

so you can imagine how much fun we had catching up with each other.

Glorious day with old friends.

Our girls (that's Jul's Lucy on the left, my Millie on the right, and Annie's Quinn below) had fun together, too!

Sprinklers, trampolenes, basement gaming, upstairs play room.

These Utah houses just kill me.

The kids loved it.

We loved it.