Spring Break 2015, Our Southern States Tour

Spring Break was spent down South this year! We had some places to visit we wanted to check off our lists. Once we started the planning to see those sights, Del decided it would be a good idea to stop in Atlanta where Patient's Choice has an office. The idea of stopping at as many BBQ joints as we could somehow got introduced into the plan as well. The trip kind of grew into a multi stop, large intake of Southern food, road trip.
I forgot my nice camera. That is becoming the norm more and more these days. I will come back and edit this a little as I pull pictures off Del's phone when I get a chance. All of the Biltmore Tulip Garden photos are on his phone.

All it took was one three hour drive to The Dells in Wisconsin,  with the baby and three kids in the back row together, and we changed our plans to fly to Atlanta, have a short road trip, and fly home from Nashville.
Life was so busy in the weeks leading up to our trip, we did not have a lot of time to think about the toll this might take on us! The night before we left for the airport, we looked at each other and wondered aloud if we had lost our minds!
All ended up well however. We had highs and lows on this vacation, of course, but overall, we had a great time. We are grateful for all we were able to see and do!

The picture above was our first stop of the trip! Del's favorite place to eat some really good Southern BBQ in Atlanta. Community BBQ. We headed there straight from the airport. It really was good. It set the stage for our BBQ tour! The drive was also gorgeous! The neighborhoods with old, beautiful homes, set up on green rolling hills could keep me gawking for days! A visit to Atlanta just to see homes and architecture could keep me entertained for days!

Del set up a visit to the Georgia Aquarium for all of his Atlanta team and their families. We all met with our stollers and kids in tow in the morning.

I really enjoyed meeting some of the people whose names I hear regularly, but have never actually seen. Meeting their spouses and children was even more fun! We wish that everyone had been able to make it, or stay for our picture. Next time we will get them all!

We had to stop to get a famous hot dog at The Varsity! I was able to meet more reps here who were only able to make it for lunch. The kids thought the whole concept of the restaurant was so fun, and quickly claimed desks as their seating selection.

 We can trash a hotel room in a hurry without even trying! People love to stare at us in the lobby, probably wondering if 47 people are staying in one room.

Del and I were not excited about the Coke Factory, but the kids were. So many people had mentioned the tour and the soda tasting room to our children, we just went with it. They were so excited to meet the polar bear, and  get their fill of all different kinds of soda pops. They all drank way too much. They all felt sick after. They all needed repeated bathroom stops. As you leave the factory you are given a glass bottle of Coke. We ended up lugging those things through four states on the trip because the kids would protest the idea of throwing them away, and Del and I were never ready to let them drink more Coke! We finally let them drink them before our last leg of travel.

Centennial Park, Atlanta.

Lydie and her sweet tummy at The Varsity.

Atlanta, at night.

We to get a donut at Revolution Donuts, where we were openly stared at by all the hipsters the entire time we ate. I guess five kids isn't the norm in the young, single, professional parts of the Decatur neighborhood.
We hiked Stone Mountain. That is a really great family hike. The kids ran the entire way up the mountain. One mile up, one down. We had great weather. It was a busy day on the mountain. It is a popular hike, and I see why.
The kids at the top with Atlanta in the distance.

Lydie loves riding in the carrier on our hikes. She has been so, so good the whole time every time we hiked since having her. In the Smokies, she was a happy hiker, but not a happy car rider. Once back in the car, she screamed the entire drive back down the mountain.

We drove up to Asheville, North Carolina for our next stop. Our neighbors told us they always stay at a specific Hilton as they drive through Asheville. They go South a lot on school breaks. We looked into it, and they had rooms available, so we booked it. Low and behold, we happened to be there the exact same night our neighbors were driving through! We met at the pool for a little catch up before we headed North West, and they headed South.
The craziest part is that as we got to Chicago, and we were driving home from the airport on the tollway, we looked over and these same neighbors were driving next to us! They were just arriving home from their vacation as well! They can't shake us! We will miss them when we move! They are the best of the best!

Del was determined to have us try grits. We stopped at Waffle House before church. Fancy dining right there! Sorry for the bad pic Del.
Sunday had a couple of lows. As a couple of the kids got out of the car in the Waffle House parking lot, they stepped right into vomit on the ground in the parking lot.
Luckily I was equipped with wipes and disinfectant products. It was gross. A definite low, but it could have been worse.
The employees at Waffle House were one of the highs of the day. They got a kick out of us, and they were full of hospitality and stories of raising their families.

Church the the Asheville ward. A very cute, nice young sister took our picture for us. This is just before I dropped my phone while passing Lydie to Del in the parking lot, and shattered the screen. Boo.

We set the day aside for time at Biltmore Estate. I have wanted to see this home for years. The largest private home in America. It is amazing. The technology used to build this house in the late 1800's is unbelievable! It has an indoor pool, and a bowling ally! This is before chlorine use guys! It also has an elevator! The original still runs, and we rode it to get our stroller from floor to floor.

The detail of this home make it clear that it needs to be preserved. It is impossible to describe the thought and ingenuity that went into the building of this home! Everywhere you turn, every corner and object has a story behind it! The house goes on and on! Hallways, and staircases that lead to room after room! The standard home tour only takes you through the main family quarters, the servants quarters, and kitchen and wash areas. There are more extensive tours of other parts of the house available as well.
Del and I paid for the automated tour for ourselves, and for the kid's tour narrated by the family dog for our children. I knew that if I did not have them engaged as much as possible, I would not be able to enjoy our visit. The kids tour was a huge hit, and all of them were so into it! They made sure to wait for each other before pushing the buttons that would lead them to the next part of the tour so that none would be ahead of the others. It saved us! Lydie also slept the whole time and I could not be more grateful!

The Vanderbilt family runs the business of opening the home to tours, the nearby village for visitors to stop to eat and play, and many other side businesses to keep the funds coming in.
Georgia and I made a quick stop in the family museum at the nearby Antler Village. The other kids stayed at the playground and petting zoo area. There is a lot of family memorabilia that can be viewed up close inside. The blown up family tree spells out the members of the family and just where all the fortune was made, and how it was divided.  One of the remaining Vanderbilt heirs alive today is Anderson Cooper, the television host and reporter. I find the family history fascinating, and have enjoyed learning more about the Vanderbilts and their fortune since the Biltmore visit.

I am sure that right now this awning is filled in with the greenery that shades this patio area. So pretty!

The gardens were just amazing! They go on and on, full of beautiful detail, just like the home.

Del and Lydie should totally have posed in a complimentary stance with the statue. Next time.

The greenhouse was magical!

This is the window of the room in the home where all the babies were born. A light filled room.

Again, I need to visit when the awnings are filled in with their greenery!

We made many stops at local BBQ restaurants, dives and holes in the wall. Wherever the reviews said to find good BBQ, Del was on top of it! This place was actually good. After paying around $65 for some unimpressive hotdogs and salads at the Biltmore Estate, we were all hungry for some good Southern food!

The next day we drove up through the Smokies to make our way into Tennessee to our next stop, Pigeon Forge. What a gorgeous drive! I loved seeing this part of the country!

We decided to wind our way up a mountain 24 miles to get to a valley that was once the home of mountain villagers called Cade's Cove. There are many hikes in the mountains surrounding the valley. We chose to do one that is five miles round trip to a water fall.

Many of the original homes, churches and barns remain in Cade's Cove. It is a popular destination. It reminded me of the setting in the book "Christy." I can only imagine that the life these mountain people lived was not easy. They didi live in a beautiful valley however. The cove gradually emptied as people moved down from the mountain to more populated areas, and then eventually all were bought out and made to leave when the Cove was incorporated into the national park.

A cantilever barn that still stands. Very cool! We had never seen one of these. It is also amazing that so much work must have gone into this, and the cabin homes were so basic!

We made it to the waterfall! Now we just had to get them back up out of the canyon to the car!

Cade's Cove.

We saw a black bear on the side of the road on our way back down the mountain. He was causing a traffic jam. Del was very excited about this sighting!

Our initial plan had us spending the day at Dollywood the next day. Lucky us. Dollywood was closed on Tuesday for the Spring. NOT clearly noted on the website or the phone message I might add. I did notice the night before, so at least we didn't show up at the park to face the disappointment. We did go by to purchase our tickets for Wednesday, and many, many others were finding out the hard way as well from what we saw. 

We were pretty flexible in our plans at this point, and the kids wanted to visit the amusement park, so we stole a  half a day from our Nashville plans and hung out in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg Tennessee for the day. We went to a little farm that had animals to feed and horse rides, and mining for gold. They loved that! We hung out at the hotel pool and let the kids swim. Of course our day had to include a stop for blue ice cream. It ended up being nice to slow down and let the kids play.

The next day we hit the ground running bright and early at Dollywood. We told the kids the compromise was we had to leave before the close of the park to get on the road to Nashville that night. I have always like Dolly Parton. I think her story is so interesting, she is funny and entertaining, and just a good sport!
A few years ago, she was scheduled to be on the Oprah show. I wanted to attend a filming of Oprah because it was her last season. When I saw that Dolly was set to be on, I was excited! I wrote a mini essay into the show and a few days later they contacted me to let me know I had tickets! I took my friend Kathy. I ended up getting really sick with an infection the night before and took myself to the E.R. I went to the filming the next day anyway, and I am glad I have that memory. Even if it is a foggy one from being drugged up the entire time. I did see Dolly and Kenny Rogers sing "Islands In the Stream"  together in person, and that is worth the discomfort, right?

Dollywood may the only amusement park that has an adorable chapel to pray in before you ride a roller coaster. Dolly's christian mountain upbringing apparent here!

Lots of mining, water themes going on.

We had a fun day! It was the warmest day of our trip, and the kids had fun hitting as many rides as they could! Del and I both got sick taking the kids on roller coasters, so we came away from the trip realizing that we are turning into old people.

That night we drove across Tennessee to Nashville. I loved Nashville! What a cool fun town! Del and I want to go back alone to be able to go to shows and take in more of the music scene! It was also so pretty! Del has an old friend from his mission who lives in Nashville and owns a home building company. We went to see their new home and have dinner with them, and the drive to their neighborhood was so serene and pretty!

We went to check out the Grand Ole Opry, but we decided not to do a tour because we had such limited time in Nashville. The kids did get a game of checkers on the "porch" however. It took forever, so we may as well have done the tour. 

We did do the tour of the Country Music Hall of fame. It was fun and interesting, but I do wonder if the kids would have enjoyed the Grand Ole Opry tour a bit more. 

I didn't get a picture of Elvis's gold plated Cadillac or grand piano, but those were impressive! The kids loved the movie they had about country music moments on television throughout the years.

We stopped at the Nashville Parthenon. It was SO cold, so we didn't stay long. They were setting up for an even on one side of it. I bet it would be fun to attend something held there! This thing was pretty impressive sitting in the middle of a park! Because Nashville is referred to as the "Athens of the South" the building was erected to exact scale of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. It was was built for the Centennial Exposition in the late 1800's. So glad that my kids got a taste of Greece while in music city! Who knew. Inside there is an art museum with an exact replica of the Parthenos Statue. We did not lay eyes on her this trip.

We stopped for a few minutes at Vanderbilt University. They have a very pretty campus! I liked the vibe in the neighborhood surrounding the university.

I love my kid's poses in this picture. Looks like they are ready to shoot our album cover!

After our whirlwind tour of the South, we were tired and ready to head home. I am so glad we were able to see a new to us, part of the country. I am so glad I am able to take my kids on theses trips. It feels impossible sometimes, and going into it, we know full well we will have moments of complete frustration, especially with a months old baby in tow. The memories are always worth the effort, and this was a really fun family trip!

Our Move To Midway

I decided that a post explaining our upcoming move out of state was a good idea! This post ended up being a lot wordier than I intended. I guess once I started to process this decision through a post, it all came pouring out!

While I was pregnant with Lydie we suddenly had a distinct impression that the time was soon coming that we needed to relocate closer to family. To the state Del and I grew up calling home. Utah.

We have lived in Illinois for 12 years, and during that time moving back never felt right. There have been times that we have both wanted to go, and times that we both saw ourselves in Illinois indefinitely.   When we moved here, we did it with the intention of going back one day. We saw it as a less permanent move back then. But then it became our life, and a good life at that! Our move to our current home a little over three years ago only helped with having a feeling of being settled for a while.
It is funny that after all this time, we both had the strong feeling we needed to proceed with making it happen this year.

Our children are only getting older, and relocating only gets more difficult the older they are. With Del's Dad aging and changing quickly, we felt an urgency to be close to our parents while our kids can know them and their many, many cousins during their childhood years. Life is fragile. The older I get, the more I appreciate that. My amazing Uncle Dave was just killed in a car accident this past weekend in Utah. This sudden painful turn of events only emphasizes our feelings more. Adventure and independence are things I value, but not more than the relationships I have with my family. The fact that the past two Chicago Winters have been nothing short of brutal, and the taxes in Illinois give the checkbook a major walloping every year, certainly played in to the decision as well. There is a reason that Illinois is on the list of states losing population the quickest, and Utah is on the list gaining the quickest!

While we were visiting family in Utah this Summer, we started to look for a lot to purchase. We both knew that ultimately we would build a home to live in, hopefully forever. We spent a large chunk of that trip driving all over Northern Utah. We looked in Draper, Alpine, Highland, Sandy, Kaysville, and Layton. Nothing was standing out to us as the place we would end up, even though I  sure we would be happy in any of those cities.

Del has a friend from his childhood who he has been back in touch with for the past few years. One day they just happened to both find out they shared the same love of the small, charming mountain town of Midway. Del and I have loved the little town for years. It has been a fun spot to get away, and stay in one of the resorts that cater to skiers. My parents love it and told us about their visits before we were familiar with it, and we quickly saw why.

Midway is as I mentioned charming, and quiet. It is in the beautiful Heber Valley about 20 minutes from Park City.  The town is most widely known for a craft fair and arts fair put on annually called "Swiss Days" and for having the only warm water scuba diving destination in the U.S.

I know! Who would think that people would fly from all over to a mountain town in Utah to scuba dive? Midway has many geothermal craters under the ground and the Homestead Crater is the one that provides Scuba certification opportunities, or just a warm dip inside a crater pool!

The town was founded by Swiss immigrants, and their influence can be seen in the architecture of the buildings.  It is a great mix of farm town, and resort town,  with access to amenities in Heber, and what to us does not feel like too long of a drive to both the Salt Lake, Park City and Provo areas. We are used to driving a long time for everything in Illinois. The road systems are not efficient here, and traffic is bad, so it takes us at least 25 minutes to get to any major destination.

Del's friend Tony, mentioned that he and his wife were thinking of moving to Midway and looking for a lot. When we went up to visit them on our Summer trip after they made the move, he showed us the street that they were planning to build on.

 I will admit I was in a bad mood.
 I was very pregnant. I was hot, tired and uncomfortable from being in the car all day driving around to look at land, my kids were cranky and hungry. At that point, I didn't know Tony, or his wife at all, so I was trying to drum up my best social skills on a limited energy tank, and I was just not in the best mind frame.

The street was not even paved all the way yet, but it was right in the heart of town, with a limited number of homes to go in on one acre lots, and standing there in front of the development sign, listening to Tony tell us the details with excitement, I just felt a tingle.

I felt good about Midway.
There is just something about that valley that made us feel like we had found a spot to settle our kids, and help them recover from the drama of a big move.
We owned the lot by the end of the next week!

This is the future view from my kitchen window after we build! Without the garbage piles and hopefully with nice landscaping. Mt. Timpanogas is in the distance. We certainly are trading our full, green Midwest views for mountain views. I appreciate both.

We made the decision to keep moving forward with relocating until it felt wrong. We have prayed about each change as it has come, and asked that doors open along our way that we don't see in the moment.
It has not felt wrong yet, so our moving truck is scheduled to begin our pack the first weeks of June! We went with the full pack service for this move, because we decided that additional cost is the price of my sanity!

We decided when we bought the lot that we needed to keep our plans quiet until right before we listed our home. Del wanted to be sure his company was in a place that he could make the move, and that his employees would hear it on his terms with a complete understanding on all levels, we didn't want our children to feel like there was change looming over them any longer than necessary, and we wanted to have a solid plan.
We finally told them and our families right before we left for Spring Break. We had Family Home Evening and played a match game. A correct match would add a letter to the message. It ended when all the letters spelled out, "We are moving to Utah."
I made the poster in a hurry. It was nothing fancy, but it did the job. I kind of wished I had put more thought into it when I found out that Georgia folded it up and stuffed it in her backpack. She took it to school and whipped it out for the whole class to see the next day! I had no idea until I found it in the backpack later. Our family has no secrets once our talkative children are in the know! I guess I'll share a picture of the poster here since it has been seen all over town!
The kids have had mixed emotions. Ups and downs about the move. I understand because we are all going through that. Overall, they are excited and are being good sports about it. I know that we will have individual moments of struggle and sadness through this process. I just hope overall they respond positively.

Last month, I flew out to find a place for our family to live while we build. We want to take our time with this build. We plan to live in the home long term, so we want it to be the house we want forever. We don't want to find ourselves rushing decisions that should be thought through because we are in a crunch to get in to the new house.
We had planned on renting during the process. Neither of us was excited about renting because it is hard to go back to that after owning, everything available had major drawbacks, and the cost of renting in Midway is very high. Real estate runs a higher cost up there than down in parts of the valleys.

I flew out to look at some options with a real estate agent, but after I landed, my Dad and I went up on our own to look around the day before I was to meet with her. I was discouraged by what I was finding because it can be difficult to house seven people in less than ideal circumstances.

After driving past some of the homes I was set to look at with the agent, my Dad and I found a neighborhood with a nice model home I had not seen listed online. The agent told me the model was already sold but the house behind it would be completed in a month! The home was much higher quality than what I had already seen, and considering the high rent prices, and the fact that Del and I really want to take our time with the build of our our new home, I knew we had to seriously consider buying this home to live in while we build our forever home.

I called Del and gave him a FaceTime tour. We talked about our options with the house, and decided we better put in an offer. So, we bought a house that is being built, to live in while we build a house! Keeping it straight is a little confusing for our children.

Here is a photo that is not wonderful of the front of the house. Heavy on the shadows and orange tones with the sun setting. It is tough to get a good angle when there are both a dumpster and port a potty parked in front of the house. We will have some landscaping to do this Summer! A trade off for living in a new home that does not need updating. I hope I can give it come curb appeal and make it pop a bit! When we move in it will only be my third time at the house, and Del is moving into a house he bought, but has never set foot in!

 We plan to live here comfortably while we build at the pace we feel good about,  and then either sell or rent it out. Right now we are having some of the basement finished to better meet our family's needs, but it should be ready to live in at the start of June! When it comes to the city of Midway and our real estate holdings, we are all in!

The house is much smaller than our current home, but it will be so nice to own while we build instead of renting. It will be fresh and new, and is in a nice neighborhood the kids can play in. With so many of the rentals available, there was a golf course right outside the door. That would be a disaster with my kids wanting to play outside, and me needing them to play outside.

Del will now be back and forth running his business. I am so grateful for the doors that have been opened for us, and the protection we have had in the life of the business. We continue to seek the guidance we need with this change, for our family, and company. With our house still listed for sale, we are continuously praying for that situation to come to a conclusion. We have had very consistent showings for two months, but no offers. I will admit that I am worn out from all the showings. I barely have time to sneak in a laundry folding day because we are constantly getting it ready for another potential buyer! I think our faith is being tested a little, but we are moving forward! We really want to sell this home instead of renting it out. It would not be a great rental for so many reasons.

Here we go! I remember feeling all the same feelings I am having now when we loaded a small truck to move to Illinois! Everything is amplified now because I am worried about five children this time around. It is amazing how fast the years have past, how full of life and opportunity they have been, how many people we have met who have formed perspective and taught us, served us, and loved us. It is hard to believe that we are changing everything in a heartbeat. All we can do is try to be where we need to be, when we need to be there. This feels right, so we are doing it.

We can only hope that our future in Utah ends up being as lovely as the one we have made here. We have a good feeling about it!

Wally Turns 12!

Wally has done all kinds of growing lately! He turned twelve in March.
At church, the age of twelve is a milestone. For girls, it marks their entrance into the Young Women's program. For boys, it means starting with the Young Men's program, officially being considered a Boy Scout, and being ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood. For both boys and girls, it means they can enter our temples and preform baptism by proxy for those who have already died.

As a bit of a explanation, Mormons believe that we are still entitled to revelation directly from God in THIS day. We believe that just as God was involved in the lives of those people in the Bible in ancient times, he is involved in our lives. He loves us and wants us to have all the guidance he offers. He has provided the Bible, for direction, as well as another book full of important truths about Jesus Christ, as a companion to the Bible, the Book of Mormon.

When Joseph Smith was directed by Jesus Christ to re establish his church upon the earth, he was given the power of the priesthood by the laying on of hands. This power is still on Earth today and can be held by worthy men, beginning at the age of 12.

It is the power to serve God. It opens the doors of Heaven to allow Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to heal and comfort our bodies and minds, and give direction and continued revelation to us, as well as preform baptisms, sealings that will last throughout Eternity. The men who hold this priesthood are expected to be humble, clean, worthy servants of the Lord. Abuse of the power in any way makes them unworthy, and ineffectual.

So… it is a big deal to watch your amazing, cute, little boy, given this opportunity to serve the Lord! Wally can now pass the bread and water to the congregation in Sacrament Meeting. He can learn what this responsibility of holding the priesthood means, and grow to be ready to progress in the priesthood as he ages.
I love watching my kids pass these milestones. It is amazing to have healthy, able children that can have these experiences. I love seeing my children face happy times and hard times, and how they handle them. I love knowing that I can pray to Heavenly Father to succeed in helping my kids understand their purpose. I love that we all age, grow and change, and the joy it brings to watch that with your kids!

I have loved the twelve years I have had with my handsome Wally! He is SUCH a good boy! He tries so hard not to let anyone down. He has a sweetness about him that I hope he always keeps. He is a great soul that our family is blessed to have! We love you Wally boy!

Both my parents and Del's were able to come visit over Wally's birthday and be here for his ordination. It is a privilege for my kids to know their grandparents so well. It is a blessing to have those memories. It is amazing that both Del and I have such supportive parents.

My parents wanted to get to the city one more time before we move, so we decided to head down to the Field Museum. We saw the Viking exhibit and it was very interesting! I learned a lot.

Lydie came with us to she could meet Sue the T-Rex. She was not impressed, and instead concentrated on eating her hands.

Me and my Mom.

Christmas 2014

Wowza!
I have got to get our Christmas update on my blog! I have been trying to gather all the pictures from all the different cameras and phones in our lives for this post. That has only made me delay putting posting, so I am going to post what I have and edit later as I find them! I am really slipping with my blogging efficiency, but if you care to, check in every so often, because I am determined to keep things as up to date as I can!
Before leaving for our trip to Utah for Christmas, we had to make our stop at the bank to see the bank Santa. He is the best Santa!

The kids all look like they are getting so tall in the Santa photos!

Lydie had her first Santa visit this year!

Georgia getting into the Holly Jolly spirit before church.

We had to be calculated with Christmas gifts. We flew to Utah and planned to do all the gifts there. We knew we would have to mail a box of gifts home, but when the kids asked for these giant stuffed animals, I knew we needed to amend our plan a little. Santa came a bit early to deliver the stuffed animals, and left a note explaining that they wouldn't fit in the suitcases. Georgia, Walker and Lydie were thrilled!

Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa Rinquests house always brings lot of matching jammie photos with cousins! This is one beautiful group of girls! It will be so much fun to watch them all grow up and see what amazing things they do in life!

We were home for a white Christmas! It was fun to let our families meet Lydie!

Georgia's first Christmas with a sister!

Speaking of sisters… I have a few myself! Sisters are the best! Blurry photos, not so much.

We got 40 tickets to the Jazz game for our families for the second year in a row. It is always so fun to have everyone cheer them on together! This year my sister's husband, Christopher, who is a SLC police officer, knew the officer doing security on the floor. He got us in to snap a few photos down on the wood during warm up at the half! So fun!

Del and I snuck away for a night to Midway. We wanted to check in on the land we bought to build a home there over the Summer. More on our upcoming move to Utah to  come in a later post!

We stayed at the Homestead which will be just behind our neighborhood. With our sidekick, Lydie.

After my Grandma Clark's viewing we stopped in down the street at Leatherby's for some ice cream. This is an old high school hang out for me and Del. It is one of the first places we did a little flirting after a foot ball game. I remember I put together a surprise gathering for my sister Emily who was a Senior with Del. I brought a cake and he offered to carry it to the car for me since most of it did not get eaten. We were both distracted by our flirtations, and he left it sitting on the counter in the restaurant. The next day he went back to see if they kept it, but they had thrown it away. I think he brought a cake over to our house to apologize, but I am not sure. Oops! Ha!  A little harmless flirting in a ice cream shop can lead to a family of five children! Georgia was thrilled with the Sunday as big as her head!

Because we delayed our flight back home to stay for my Grandma's funeral, we ended up having some unscheduled days. One of Del's friends from high school hosts a Polar Bear Plunge to raise charity money every year. He invited Del to participate. This is one of those "Bucket List" type events. I hate the phrase, "Bucket List," but you know what I mean.

As we pulled up we saw that the fire department was cutting a big hole in the thick ice. The water did not look inviting.
Del took off his shoes and sweatshirt and headed out onto the ice. He said the ice on his bare feet was the worst part. He jumped in and swam like a crazy man in shock to the other side of the hole. What a champ. I think he got his fill of Polar Bear plunging. The event had a great turn out though, so apparently not everyone has.

I hope I follow throughout with my updates as I find pictures! So this post may change from here!

Grandma Clark

We decided that we would go to Utah for Christmas this past year because so much of our family had not met Lydie.
Going ended up being the greatest blessing! My Grandma Clark took a sudden turn in her fight with breast cancer and a broken hip and passed away while we were there. We were able to change our flight home to be there for the funeral. She was really doing so well, and then one day she got sick and started her mind started to slip. My parents came for a visit at Thanksgiving, and there were meetings and plans for her chemo that my Mom was anxious to get home for.  By Christmas, she was not herself. We were able to introduce Lydie to my Grandma just a few days before she died. I was able to see her a couple of times before she passed. Del was able to help give her a Priesthood blessing with my Dad.  He felt very honored to be there for that.

The last thing she said to me was to remember to bring my driver's license. I am not sure where she wanted me to bring it, but it may have been to the airport when we flew home. Or not. I just know that she was concerned about me. And everyone around her. My Mom stayed at night leading up to her passing, and she said that one night my Grandma literally did not stop talking all night long. It was as if she was sorting through her life out loud. My Mom was also there with my aunt and Grandpa Clark as she passed. My Mom said it was a privilege to be there as my Grandma finished her time on this Earth.

My Grandma was one of the most amazing women I have ever known. She was a huge influence on my life. She raised my Mom and helped her become the example she has always been to me. My Grandma was so capable and humble. She was faithful as a disciple of Jesus Christ her entire life. She was so smart. She was quick witted, and knew just what was going on with all of the posterity in her life. The number of children, grandchildren, all their spouses, and great-grandchildren numbers in the hundreds.
Everyone was able to make it into town for the funeral except my Uncle Scott and Aunt Sandy. They are serving a mission for our church for three years in the Philippines, where my uncle is mission president. The day we introduced Lydie to my Grandma, she was difficult to understand. But she did tell me that she had just wanted to live for three more years. She wanted to be there when Scott came home. My cousin Preston, Scott's son, read a talk written by my Uncle Scott at the funeral.

While we visited, my Grandma's childhood friend, Janell called. She is the friend my Grandma named my Mom after. They chatted on the phone for a few minutes and my Grandma seemed to really know who it was. It is a nice memory to have of my Grandma.

I have a wonderful legacy to live up to in my Grandma! I only hope I can live as loving and fulfilled life, full of service as she did! She had a personal relationship with all of her grandkids. She took such good care of my Grandpa, and he is lost without her by his side. Which is so hard to see.  It is strange for all of us to be in a world without my Grandma Clark. She was a foundation in my life. I know that she is watching over all of her kids and grandkids. I just know that she is still a presence and power as we all complete our journey here.
I love you Grandma, and I miss you so much! Thank you for being one of the wonderful, strong, and amazing women in my life!

This is my Grandma's piano filled with pictures of her kids and grandkids. My Dad took this picture the night she passed away.

 My Grandma's viewing. My best friend, Christy came to pay her respects and I wish we had taken a picture together.

I took a picture of Will with my cousin Russ's son, Zach. Will and Zach have such a resemblance! Genes are funny things!

We all placed a rose on Grandma's casket.

Grandpa Clark putting his rose on the casket.

Me with my sisters. I have three really, truly amazing sisters. They are my forever friends, and I love them!

I have posted some of these pictures before in other posts over the years. They are some that I sent to one of my cousins who put together a memory book for my Grandpa.