Back Home Again

Well, we survived our busy (sort of) weekend in New Harmony. It's always nice to go South and visit my parents, but it's also nice to get home and back into the swing of things again. Kennedy had a great time visiting with her Nana and Papa; it's neat to have 4 days where Kennedy gets their undivided attention. Thanks again Mom and Dad for the fun weekend - especially the trip to Golden Corral!!

Talk about a Busy Day

All the boredom of the last couple of snow days disappeared today. The snow was gone and the sun was out so we decided to head South. Even though St. George was only 50 degrees, it was still nicer than the 35 degrees in New Harmony. Along the way to St. George it was time to do some caching. We saw some incredible spots along the trip. We went to some old cemetaries in Silver Reef, Utah that contained some Catholic pioneer tombstones. How's that for diversity?!

After spending a few fun hours in towns like Leeds, Touquerville, Browse, and Silver Reef we made in to St. George. My dad wanted us to meet some of his relatives from Detroit who were visiting for the month. It was a nice visit with Cousin Marilyn and her family. It was a typical Italian family meeting, with big stories and big laughs. It's amazing to me how welcoming Italians are. I've never even met these people, and they treated me like any other family member. Mama mia!

Once the family reunion was over, my dad took us to some fine dining in St. George - Golden Corral! What a spread! Never let it be said that Big Al cuts corners when he plays the host. We could eat anything we wanted - as long as we willing to battle our way to the buffet through all of Washington County's senior eaters. What a mob - I guess we shouldn't have gone to eat at 5pm!

To end our long day we traveled North to Cedar City to visit Doris and Dean (two of my Mom's closest friends). We had a special present to give to Doris on this trip - her very own pink Utah Jazz hat. The pink hat has special signifigance, all proceeds go towards cancer research. Doris has been battling cancer for the past couple of years and her recent batch of chemo has given her a new shorter hairstyle. The pink Jazz hat is a perfect fashion statement. It was fun to visit with Doris and Dean, especially as we watched Toby do laps around the room. Kennedy was captivated by our furry friend - she barked repeatedly so she could talk with Toby. After the visit, we packed Kennedy into the car seat for a final time and arrived back at my parents' house around 10:30pm. What a day!

So, What are you doing on Sunday?

Over the past year and a half I've really enjoyed being a member of the bishopric. That being said, there is one thing I've always hated - scheduling speakers for Sacrament Meeting. I don't have any evidence to support my claim, but I think that most people don't pick up the phone when they see me call on their caller ID. It's like I'm a door-to-door salesman or something. "Boy, do I have a deal for you!"

I've been trying to get speakers for next Sunday for about two weeks and everytime I think I've got it settled, something happens and the speakers back out. Whether it is work, family, or nerves - there's always something to keep people away from the pulpit. Now it's only a few days away and I don't have any speakers scheduled for next week. So, what are you doing on Sunday?

Midnight Run

For the past couple of weeks we've been planning a trip down to my parents' house for President's Day weekend. Of course, everything was conspiring against us leaving early yesterday. I had to teach out in Grantsville all day and got home later than usual. Once I was home, we had to hurry and get ready for Ward Temple Night at the Salt Lake Temple. Anyone who goes to the SL Temple knows that it isn't exactly a quick experience (note - it is always a good experience, I just said it isn't a quick experience. Don't send me hate mail about my feelings on the temple!). We managed to get home a little after 8 pm and decided that we just needed to pack up and head out. Waiting another day would simply have put us behind, so we were out the door by 9 pm.

Driving at night is actually pretty enjoyable with a baby (Kennedy slept almost the entire way down). Of course I shouldn't say that I drove - Tara manned the wheel from Salt Lake to Parowan, but I finished off the last 40 miles, perhaps the most difficult part of the entire journey (at least that's the way I'll tell the story). Anyway, we pulled into New Harmony a little after midnight, a little tired, but glad to start a long weekend.

Cabin Trip

As much as Jared didn't want to, we made the trek again to Utah County on Sunday afternoon. After his BYU blog, I wasn't sure if I could get him to venture into my neck of the woods again. Maybe the only reason was because we were going to the family cabin. He doesn't seem to mind that trip as much. He should have reconsidered marrying a country girl from Mapleton (right in the heart of Utah County) if he was so scared of making the trip south of the point of the mountain every now and then. Anyway, we weren't going to the cabin for anything fun. We went to help the family clean up after the big Christmas party. It's not good to have Christmas decorations up past Valentine's Day, is it? My parents and two sisters helped out and it didn't take too long. We got some good food out of it and the highlight of the evening was Kennedy eating pumpkin pie with Grandma Houtz. She kept saying "mmm" and then "more". As you can see, she enjoyed the pie and the evening with family, as we all did.