Our trip to Idaho was such a blast. I have so many great pictures it's hard to choose which ones to post. Things got off to a rocky start. Our flight was late coming in which delayed us. This caused us to miss our connecting flight in Denver. The next flight to SLC was 10 hours later than our original flight. Luckily I have family in Denver that rescued us for a few hours. Eventually we made it to SLC and picked up our car. We drove to Sugar City and pulled in just after 12:30 Wednesday morning. Whew, it was rough but we were glad to be there. A couple of hours and a Jamba Juice later, Doug McBride took our family pictures. He did an excellent job and we loved being a family again. Here are some of the pics we snapped in between the professional photos.
Thursday we spent at the Tautphaus Park Zoo with the Gallup's, Meikle's, and Niederer's. Natalie made the boys tie-dye shirts and the girls bandanna's. We grabbed a bite to eat and shopped until we dropped. We ended the night with dinner at Johnny Carino's yum! I can still taste the Italian Nachos and Chicken Scallopini.
Friday we spent time at my Grandma's house and farm. The kids couldn't get enough of the livestock, tractors, and toys. Gavin has decided he wants to be a full time cowboy and live in Idaho. After fun in the sun we hit Heritage Park for the 1st part of my 10yr. reunion. I know, I know... I'm getting old. It was fun catching up with old friends and letting the kids run wild. We couldn't forget our Sugar City tradition of picking out penny candies at Schofields.
Saturday we stopped at Cal Ranch and picked out a hat for Gavin. He felt right at home. For lunch we went to Olive Garden. Oh, how we have missed good Italian food. My Mom, her fiance' Gary, and Denae joined us as we scarfed down our pasta. We ran to Vickers and picked out boots for Reagan and Gavin. Gotta have all the gear right? Next we cruised home where the kids were dropped off with Grandpa to learn about milking cows.
Jon and I (and Addie) went to the 2nd part of my reunion. We had dinner, watched a slide show, and enjoyed catching up.
Sunday my Dad blessed Denae's baby. What a day. After a great blessing my Dad shared his testimony. He is such a wonderful person. I am lucky to have him in my life and to be blessed with the knowledge that no matter what, he loves me and my children. He has had difficult trials but still continues to be focused and driven to do what is right. Most of our family attended the blessing. It was a moment I will cherish forever. After Sacrament meeting we attended a luncheon at my Dad's. Several extended family members and friends joined us.
This was a difficult day. I knew we would be heading home for Alaska in the morning. I tried to fight back tears as we packed. I knew it would be a long time before I would be with my family again. The next morning we loaded up our things. My Dad offered a prayer and we gave tear filled goodbyes. Our trip was too short, but definitely worth it. I love my family and can't wait to see them again.
