Although our family doesn't really need a "reason" to visit our relatives in Utah, 2012 provided us with two very good ones: J.'s nephew's wedding and my sister's baby shower. It was a great way to attend two major family events with just one set of travel plans so we rented a mini-van, packed our bags, and strapped the kids in for the 12 hour trek back to our homeland.
Salt Lake City
First stop was Salt Lake City and the first event on the agenda was planning and executing a baby shower for Strong sister #4 and her baby girl. Check out the fun decor ideas Strong sister #3 came up with:
She used burlap and hydrangeas on the tables. Burlap!! I'd have never in a million years thought of burlap. But of course, it looked fantastic.
She made a fun bunting out of ripped pieces of pastel colored cloth. By the way, that would be my cute, pregnant sister #4 posing in the photo.
The theme of the shower revolved loosely around a bake shop idea, so there were obviously lots of desserts.
And we gave out small jars of homemade Oatmeal Cookie Hand Scrub as favors. (That was Strong sister #1's idea...aka, me.)
We must give props to Mom/Grandma too, who not only banked rolled the event but was also very good at taking directions from me and sister #3 while we prepped the food.
Here's sister #3, the genius behind the invitations and the decor.
Sister #2 graciously took the least fun job of all--clean-up. I'm afraid I didn't manage to snap a photo of her so I'll use the picture of the guests instead (I think she's in there somewhere).
And I would be remiss if I didn't mention Dad/Grandpa who kept watch over the little ones so us ladies could enjoy ourselves.
It was a wonderful evening and I, for one, had a fabulous time both planning and attending. I'm pretty sure the mother-to-be enjoyed herself as well.
Mapleton
The second half of our trip consisted of gathering with the Taylor clan to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of our nephew J. Galli and his fiance Am. Taylor relatives drove/flew in from Georgia, Nebraska, Colorado, and Idaho in order to be there. The first day was spent catching up and playing together.
A. and P. playing with Aunt M.A.
Chatting around the kitchen table Aunt D.
Playing games with cousin E.
Solving the world's problems with Aunt C. and cousin H.
Lunch with the Taylor cousins. Yummy.
Getting food ready for the wedding luncheon. I'm pretty sure Grandma M. and Aunt M.A. did the majority of the prep work. J. and his brother M. supplied their taste-testing services.
Au. shows off her "Danger Baby" tendencies while walking on Grandma M.'s kitchen counter.
The Bride, Groom, and Groom's family (minus the sister who is currently serving an LDS mission in Russia) on the big day.
J. with his siblings and Mom outside the Bountiful Temple.
In our wedding duds at the reception.
Back to Arizona
The week flew by way too fast and before we knew it, we were back on the road heading for home. I've driven that route so many times now that I almost have the map memorized....almost. Okay, so I kind-of made a small wrong turn in southern Utah and all of the sudden, instead of seeing Arizona Highway 89, we started seeing signs for Zion's National Park. Yikes! We didn't have the time or gas to go sight seeing so we turned to Garmin for help and that wonderful piece of gobal positioning technology (which has saved our marriage on more than one occasion) came through for us again. It found a dirt road that led us up and over a small mountain and back onto a highway that eventually took us across the state line.
There's nothing like off-roading in a mini-van full of kids. Yee-haw!
Although the dirt road bypassed Zion's, we still managed to see some magnificent views. We all agree now that getting lost was the best part of the return trip.
