Trip to Utah

Last year I told Ben that I really needed a trip home before the baby was born. We bought tickets for February since Ben would have accrued some time off by then, but we wouldn't have to pay for a plane ticket for Nayeli.

Thus a few weeks ago we boarded a plane back to Utah. Ben stayed only four days while I stayed a whole week. The trip was so great- just what I needed to recharge my batteries and reconnect with family.

Watching the planes with Dad at PDX

Relishing in all the toys at Opa and Grandma Rita's house

We spent the first two days with my family in Provo (I'm ashamed to say that I didn't get any pictures of us with my family. Boo). Wednesday night we did dinner at my parent's and Laura and Christina came up with their families. Thursday morning my mom watched Nayeli while we went to do a session at the Provo Temple. It will always be sentimental to us since we were married there. In the afternoon we visited some of our old friends from the Provo 6th ward. It was great to see some of the people who we loved so dearly and worked so closely with. Then that night we did dinner at my parent's house again with Laura and Tina's families.

Friday Ben got to go skiing at Snowbasin with his dad and brother Sammy. They had a riot, like always.

While Ben was skiing, I bought cupcakes at Sweet Tooth Fairy (divine) and had lunch with my friend Jessica. I then drove to Bountiful to see my father's mother- my Nana. She is 97 and still lives alone and independent. It is hard to see her age but I know death will be a welcome relief for her. She has been a widow for 27 years and I know can't wait to be reunited with my grandpa.

A picture from a visit in June of 2013. Nayeli has changed so much since then.

Chelsea, Lacie, Nayeli, Lydia, Jace

That night we had dinner with Ben's dad and grandparents at their home in Ogden. Nayeli loved playing with Aunt Chelsea and all the cousins while we had a great time chatting with all the adults.

Saturday Ben went skiing again (that's what his family does when they get together) but this time at Deer Valley. He's been super spoiled this year- already he's skied four different resorts. I keep telling him that as long as he thinks, "I have the greatest wife ever" every time he boards the lift, I don't mind him going :)

A few of those that came to the shower: Laura, me, my cousin Lorianne, Aunt Margaret, and my cousins Jen and Anna

While Ben skied I drove to my sister Laura's house in Mapleton for a baby shower that my family threw. My sisters Christina, Julia and Laura together with my mom put together a beautiful shower. We had so many cousins come and it was so fun chatting together. It was one of the highlights of my trip.

That night I drove back up to Salt Lake to Ben's mom's house for dinner. They had spent the day skiing at Deer Valley.

I love this picture Ben took with a GoPro he had borrowed.

 Anyway, sfter a delicious dinner prepared by Jane we all went swimming in the pool. Nayeli was in heaven.

Nayeli and Grandma Jane

Sunday we went to church with Jane and Gary and spent the afternoon chatting. Some of Gary's family came for Sunday dinner and it was great to see them, as well as Ben's great-aunt Esther. She was kind enough to drive him to the airport that night when his flight left at 10pm. I may have cried when he left. Seriously, you can chalk it up to pregnancy hormones, but he's my other half and I hate being apart from him.

Monday morning Nayeli got to go swimming with Grandma Jane again, which she of course was thrilled about. I later drove back to my parent's house for the last few days of the trip. Being there is such a breath of fresh air. They built it more than forty years ago and raised all seven of their children within it's walls. Each time I walk through the door I think of the Miranda Lambert song, "The House That Built Me". It'll always be home to me.

I apologize for the nostalgia. Monday night my mom and dad took me to dinner at Kneader's, one of my favorite restaurants. I offered to drive so we wouldn't have to transfer Nayeli's carseat, but soon regretted it as they began to give me directions to the restaurant. I had to remind them that I had only been gone for six months and prior to that I had lived in Provo for 26 years. In their defense, I wasn't driving the way they drive there, so they felt they needed to intervene :)

Tuesday Ben's mom met me at Wal-mart in Orem so she could watch Nayeli while I got my haircut. Nayeli loved getting spoiled by Grandma Jane and still refers to "Jane, store" whenever she wants something. After, we had lunch with Gary's daughter-in-law Michelle at Jason's Deli. It was a great time to get to chat together. Plus, they have free ice cream, which Nayeli proudly paraded around on her white shirt the rest of the day.

That night my family had dinner together again and then I bid them all farewell. My high school friends and I had planned to get together for dessert, but each had to cancel due to various reasons. The only one still able to see me was my friend Ryan. She drove up to my parent's house, just like old days, and we chatted until about 1am. It was wonderful to catch up... we hadn't seen each other since before Nayeli was born. It's funny how those who you love will always be those you love, even if you don't see them often.

The next morning I packed up our bags, drove to Jane's, then she dropped us off at the airport. I paid the $3 to curbside check our bags (worth every penny), ate lunch at Cafe Rio one more time (I couldn't resist), then boarded the plane. 

Considering that I was 32 weeks pregnant with a toddler on my lap, the flight was fairly uneventful. That was mostly thanks to the mass of activities, games, puppets, and treats that I had packed. I also told myself that anything that fell on the floor, stayed on the floor until we landed. That rule came in handy when Nayeli dropped an entire pack of flashcards onto the ground mid-flight. Nothing that a sucker can't fix, right?

The most eventful moment came when I saw the flight attendants at the front of plane handing out drinks and told Nayeli they would bring her a drink. She then proceeded to yell for a "yummy soda" for the next 15 minutes until they arrived at our aisle, 20 or so rows back. Luckily, a few people later mentioned to me that they thought it was "really cute".

Ben left work early to pick us up and we merrily drove home. It's funny, when you juxtapose it with a trip to Utah, Oregon doesn't totally feel like home yet. However it's where we're supposed to be for the time being. And although that doesn't make it Utah, it makes it enough.