We followed if for a long time as we drove and to me it seemed like a glowing symbol of the light that was waiting for Max up there…or maybe the light he’s ready to share. Yes, it’s just a mountain, but it was a beautiful way to light up our drive.
I love road trips. Love that we had our own little FHE en route with Sister Eubank’s BYU devotional talk as our “lesson” (I talked about that back HERE).
I also listened to some finance podcasts with Dave and Max and I kept Dave company (or made him bored to tears 🙂 by telling him all about Where the Wind Leads (the book club book I talked about back HERE…SO much to think about)…which led to some other good topics.
Rolled into town late, unpacked Max at his new apartment, and met his new roommates. He was pretty excited to start work the next day.
My niece happens to live in the same apartment complex so it was fun to visit her for a little bit too. She hadn’t seen Max since he got home:
Max, of course, would have been just fine to head up to Utah on his own, but since it was spring break we figured it would be a good time to catch up with so much family up there.
And we sure made good on that plan!
We met almost all of the cousins who live up there (aside from Allie who we saw the night before) and took them to lunch, along with Dave’s sister Carol Lynn.
Then we had to try this “Chip” place people had been talking about.
…because cookies….
We got to go check out my brother’s new office where Max is working full time until Spring semester starts.
Loved hearing all the plans they have as they build their company (they are building software to help kids learn English internationally), and loved getting to see some of the ins and outs of what they’ve come up with. This brother Noah of mine is pretty dynamite I have to say….and his wife and family too.
It was fun to meet this guy Max was replacing as the intern there since he’s heading back to Dartmouth:
…and to make the connection that he is really good friends with our good friends.
We got to go with Noah and Kristi to get sushi for dinner and I’m telling you what, I am drooling about this sushi place ever since!
This particular roll was served on fire (see that fire around it?) and it was so so good!
That night Dave’s sister Julie hosted us all (our family along with Dave’s brother’s family) at her house, kind of a tradition that we try to do every year. We all skied the next day.
Dave and I ended up having a pretty good ski date since Julie was skiing with her littles and our kids took off with their cousins.
No matter how much that guy teaches me about skiing I don’t seem to make any leaps and bounds of progress, but I loved that he stayed back and skied those slushy slopes with me. We even hit a couple black diamonds which made me feel like a skiing star. Ha!
And it was such a gorgeous day!
Lucy, ever since her ski lesson a couple years ago, has vowed to never ski again, so we took turns hanging with her in the lodge where she kept herself delightfully busy.
Love how much she loves Yatzee…following in the footsteps of my Grandma who we used to play endless Yatzee with.
That night Max came up to meet us after work…and see these kids who grew so much while he was gone:
I got to meet up with my high school friends one morning for breakfast.
Missing a few, but so great to catch up with those ladies I love so much!
There was still snow at my parent’s house, and Claire eeked out a mini snowman there:
One night all the adults (including the two adult grandkids) met up for Indian food squeezing around a stone octagonal table in a nearly-empty restaurant, and talked deep and also laughed until our cheeks hurt.
I still can’t believe I have three siblings living in Utah now. Loved that we got to spend time with each one. As we sat there around that table I was so filled with gratitude that Max will have them around him to buoy him up as he makes this adjustment…so grateful (and also somehow a little guilty) that I get them… they have buoyed ME up so many times in my life. How did I get so lucky?
Hung out at Saydi’s new house a little while we were up there.
Doesn’t this look like a cozy nook?
Went on a walk to check out Peter’s school:
…and basked in cousin love.
…a little scary to drive through it to take Dave to the airport though…there were overturned trucks and all kinds of hold-ups.
Saydi and I headed on a snow hike…
…led by her dog:
There’s nothing like soaking up beauty with one of my sisters.
One more dinner together…this time for Peter’s birthday:
Too bad he wasn’t very excited about it. Ha!
We headed back down to Provo for our last night, soaked up that boy of ours one last time before we left.
And then we drove, drove, drove…this time without Dave who was working back at home.
This is really a real picture Grace took as we drove:
I think it’s so pretty.
En route home Grace’s friend called to tell her she had one extra ticket for a concert she had been dying to see. We did some quick calculations…of time and money. Could we make it back in time? (yes, just in the nick of it though!) and could she afford it? (Luckily she had just done some serious babysitting and had some good money saved up).
So ahead we went, blue skies turning orange, then pink, and we followed that cotton candy sky until we made it to drop off Grace.
…and Claire, Lu and I headed on home. HOME!
A home back down to just Dave with his girls again.
We miss Max, but I will say it’s pretty awesome that we can pick up the phone and FaceTime any time we want!
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In other news…I just have to say real quick, that my sister Saren, who is the co-founder of Power of Moms, and the founder of a new company called Power of Families, has released an amazing National Parks Guide just in time for summer.
She and her family have traveled so many of these parks and she has so much useful information for other families planning to visit.
This National Parks guide is FREE until Monday, so I just wanted to stick it in here so you can go get yours! Go check it out HERE.
What a fun way to spend spring break – surrounded by so much family! xo