Thursday, June 23, 2011

Salt Lake City Family Visit

Been in Salt Lake City for a little over a week and have been enjoying the family time. Jared and Krista have lived here for fifteen years and we have been promising to visit them for that long...Has been fantastic to see these guys. The kids have asked if we can move a little closer... hmmm, not quite sure where that would be... I think we may just have to make more effort to get here a little sooner next time. We are already planning to come back next time in winter to do some skiing and have Christmas with these guys.

I have spent my time shopping... shopping... and shopping... mainly stuff for the kids, although I have managed to score myself a few pairs of shoes and a really sweet dress. I hope the dress will keep me motivated to stop eating every new taste sensation that crosses my path! Krista and Jared have made some excellent meals at home, I love Mexican and I don't think Amigos will ever live up the taste of Rea Mexican.

The Rea family here have survived a few dramas over the last couple of days, including the basement flooding and car problems. Jared has been working on the car for a couple of days now and Krista has promised if we do not make it to Yellowstone tomorrow she is going to become a single woman:) The basement has carpet pulled up everywhere with huge fans blowing to dry it out. The upstairs is housing all the extra bodies that were sleeping downstairs. Poor Krista!

Last night we took off to the Mountains and bathed in the hot springs of the Weber River. It was fantastic to lay in those hot pools looking up at the snow capped mountains and watch the sun go down... It was so relaxing, no one wanted to leave.

Today the kids and I went to the Hill Aerospace museum, there was a huge collection of aircrafts. Wilson wanted his picture taken in front of just about every plane. There was so many kids there, drove me a little crazy. Met a woman on the front desk who was going to Australia this year and was so excited to meet an Aussie!!

I was really impressed with a young guy I met who had a snow cone shack out the front of the museum. I got to talking with him and he told me he was eighteen and had just purchased his second shack and was paying for himself to go to Business college. He explained to me that his mother had him when she was very young and there never seemed to be enough money for anything. He learnt to work hard from a young age and bought his first car when he was twelve. Such an entrepreneur, it was great talking to him. The boys loved hearing his story.

Adam, Ethan, Angus, Seth and some friends have all gone paint balling tonight. I have taken the advice of my uni friend Georgia and decided to stay home. Black and blue all over didn't sound like my idea of fun.

We head North tomorrow for a few days to stay in the family cabin at Yellowstone. We are looking forward to a road trip and different scenery.

Okay... highlights so far...

- I got an upgrade with Virgin on my flight over here, turned out better than I thought. Plenty of leg room, my book and a nice chatty neighbour.

- Temple Square. Wilson got kinda bored so we ended up playing a game with his Lego Jack Sparrow... each pic we took had to have a 'Where's Jack Sparrow?'... just wait for the photo of the first vision, Joseph Smith with Jack Sparrow!!

- Real Estate runs, looking at lush properties and checking out display homes. I found a home that I loved, I think it was a 50's or 60's era, set high on the hill overlooking Salt Lake City.

- Met this guy who told me about a piano bar in town called 'Tavernacle', I am still laughing to myself about that... don't think we will get there:(

- My niece's Pageant, she won 2nd in attendance. If it was judged by her performance on the night only, there is no doubt she would have won. She did an amazing job of 'My new philosophy', from the musical 'You're a good man Charlie Brown'. She is a born performer.

- Risk... the boys have stayed up late most nights playing the board game with the cousins.

- Wilson... has spent so much time drawing. Krista is an artist and used to teach art at a local elementary school. Wilson has loved the one on one time with Aunty Krista as she has helped him develop his talent. They disappeared together the other night, just the two of them (at Wilson's request), to the library to borrow some drawing books to take with us to the cabin. He has been happy to miss some of our day trips so he can just stay home and draw.

- How could I forget... the warm weather!! It is so good to be warm.

That's it... more adventures to come!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Never too late to post

I have not been on here for ages... you know, life takes over and there has not really been anything exciting to talk about.. until now...

Adam and the kids arrived in Salt Lake City about six hours ago. I just got off skype and Adam explained the details of their flight... not too bad, until Wilson started throwing up in the plane, all over Adam and down into his own track pants. Luckily,this happened at the end of the flight, on US soil and right before going through customs. Adam said Wilson was laying all over the ground in the lines and continually filling vomit bags. Somebody must have felt sorry for them and Wilson achieved hero status with the family when they were ushered to the front of the lines, straight through customs!

I am finding this absolutely hilarious, because I am still in OZ... I have a couple of exams to finish before I can leave and alas, will be flying solo!! SOLO... this means I can chat to the person next to me, read a book, wander around and not be responsible for anyone else for the entire flight... how did it work out this wonderfully for me??... careful planning and of course, it was in Adams best interest to spend as much time with the family as possible:) I have the next few day to prepare vigorously for my exam, of course that will need to be broken up with a few breaks... movies, dinner, cafes. Oh, this is great!!

Something else that made me laugh... On the Delta flight from LA to SLC, poor Ethan (my biggest boy) was so tired he fell asleep with his head on the shoulder of the unknown girl sitting next to him... bless his little heart!

It is 9pm over there, Adam and the little kids are about to shower and get into bed. Ethan and Angus have already been out with their cousin Seth to buy BB guns... not sure how we will get those back into the country. My Sister in Law Krista just facebooked me to say the big kids were all out in the yard shooting off these guns. Not sure how the neighbours will react to that...

God Bless America.