Utah...the good and the bad

Who would live in a house so grand, you might ask?

Or how about this one:

We couldn't even get the whole thing in the picture, it was so huge.  (our 2005 minivan with the missing hubcap and the taped together glove compartment just didn't look quite at home in this neighborhood.)

Now, whose house is this?

Ughh, yeah...this is why I cringe every time I go up to the Draper, Utah temple.  The Lord's house is dwarfed compared to the opulence of the houses around it.  I hate to boycott a temple, but ever since I first drove near this one, I was so offended.  The temple is the great equalizer.  Why must we drive through symbols of worldliness and vanity to get there? It's embarrassing.  Don't get me wrong, I love capitalism and I want people to make as much money as they can.  I just wish that the temple didn't have to be surrounded by homes that were clearly built to outdo their neighbors.  There's something that just feels wrong about that.

In every other way, I love visiting Utah.  Here are a few reasons why:

Dairy Keen

We LOVE this little fast food restaurant.  It's located in my parent's hometown of Heber and it has the BEST milkshakes.  Ice cream in general is a BIG deal in Utah...which makes Utah awesome!

With all of the hundreds of flavor combinations she could have picked, Lydia chooses chocolate.  Just plain chocolate.  Silly, simple girl!

The pool in Kamus, Utah

This pool is a hidden gem.  My kids must make the trip there at least once each time we're in Utah.  It has a slide, lazy river, diving boards and a play structure in the center.  Best of all, it's never crowded!

We always bring Grandma's inflatable toys with us.  They are supposed to be used for babies (and have been for years) but now that the kids are older, they still play on them.  (this is cousin Julia)

The views:

Lydia kept saying, "Mom, the mountains look like cartoons.(not sure what she meant by that)  They are so close!"  She couldn't get enough of the towering mountains.  This is Mt. Timpanogos.  It's my favorite and just stunning from my parent's backyard in Heber.

The family:

This is Uncle Todd.  Yes, he and his wife, Kailee are the kids favorite people.  Here, they are decorating Easter cookies...Todd's favorite activity.  

Aunt Kailee took the kids down to the fishing pond on our last day.  Whenever we didn't know where Aunt Kailee was, we just had to look for the kids because we knew she would be underneath a pile of them.  THEY LOVE HER!

  

One night, Grandpa helped the kids make Smores.  Yes, it was barely 40 degrees, but the kids loved it anyway!  Their grandparents are so important to them!

It doesn't matter how many years go by, whenever the cousins get together, it's like no time has passed.  Grandpa gave them each a Dilly Bar...which has become a tradition and they all ate them together out on the trampoline.

We also made a visit or two to the Westover family.  We loved spending an evening eating pizza, singing and laughing with them.  We also got to attend cousin Jordans' farewell and we took the college cousins out to lunch down at BYU.

Cousin Truett has been Lydia's favorite since she was a baby.  Nothing has changed.

The food:

My mom is seriously the best cook that I know.  She spoiled us with amazing dinners, and breakfasts.  This was our pre-Easter dinner on Saturday afternoon.  For Easter Sunday, she made tri-tip steak with Bearnaise sauce and crab.  Seriously?  How is one supposed to diet here? She's incredible.

The history:

The history of Utah is so interesting.  We of course learned a lot at temple square but perhaps the most enjoyable history lesson was our Saturday afternoon road rally through the streets of Heber.

Three teams set out on a scavenger hunt for information.  Our team lost badly but it was so much fun anyway!

So, a great trip, a great state, a great family....our spring break was just great!  I am sad that we probably won't make this journey for a few years now that my parents will be in Russia.   We will miss it but it will make our next reunion all the more sweet.