To Provo we Go

Mandy and Bryant graduated from BYU the same week as my mom’s birthday and my Spring Break, so we all made a road trip of it. We drove the 13 hours straight through on Tuesday and the 12.5 or so hours back on Saturday, which was making pretty decent time with two little boys in the car.

Not only did we get to see graduation, but we had so much good food… Café Rio, Leatherby’s, Zupas, Chick-Fil-A in the CougarEat, Kneaders, JCW burgers…

Many thanks to Mom and Dad for not only driving their big vehicle to allow us to all fit in one car, but for getting a room to accommodate all of us. Aiden loved his “magic bed.”

We saw all the temples in the valley, at least from a distance, and we drove past the Provo City Center temple in progress, which was pretty fun to see.

We visited with family friends the Gabrielsons, Kayla and her girls, and Dad’s friend from SL & BYU, Jeff. We saw Stephani & Nora, Dad’s Uncle Doug & Aunt Bonnie, and of course Mandy & Bry and some of his family.

We walked around campus, saw where Mandy worked on the sixth floor of the library, shopped in the bookstore, attended the Sacred Gifts art exhibit at the MOA, and went to the Marriott School graduation.

We even squeezed in a hike up Y mountain. It was my first time, and the view was fantastic, and it was such a perfect day for a hike.

The boys were generally very good little travelers, so I felt very lucky. Taking little kids on long trips can be pretty daunting, but Aiden was a superstar in the car, and Landon wasn’t too tough himself. The kid likes to eat. He sucked on those disintegrating baby biscuits when he got fussy, drank from bottles, and napped in between bouts of amusement. It was fun to be in Provo and reminisce about our college days… that were now so long ago… and to be reminded of how lucky we were to love our college so much, to make good friends, and to have memories that we will treasure forever. It was even more fun to see my little sister graduate with her husband and prepare to make the next step in their lives and move to a new city for a new job. It seems like everyone is moving this year—all of Isaac’s siblings and one of mine. We are not planning to move, so I guess we’re not that cool. Or maybe we just set the trend by moving last year? Speaking of which, we are using our tax refund to replace the two set of French doors on our balcony, and I’m super pumped about the prospect of having doors that are sturdier, better sealed, and generally in better condition. Also, we are planning to paint the house this summer, but picking colors for the outside of a house is terrifying to me. I’m thinking something safe like shades of gray with white trim…