Sojourn to Utah: December 2022-January 2023

Dan is in his fourth year of medical school and once his away rotations were over with he finally had some free time! It has been glorious! This also means we were able to spend three weeks in Utah over the holidays. Hayley and Evelyn did miss a 2.5 days of school but it was worth it ha.

December 16 & 17
We checked Hayley out of school a little early so that we could get on the road. I drove us to Albuquerque, like I usually do, and then drove us on to Kaysville through the night. The girls did awesome. They're truly the best little road trippers. Even Paige with being newly potty trained did great. We got there around 4:30 AM and went back to bed for a few hours.
The girls were up and at 'em around 8:00 and super excited to be at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We spent the day playing and unpacking. They were thrilled to play in the snow, we did have to improvise with their attire a little but it worked. They were tired and a little grumpy so we put them to bed early.

December 18
We were able to go to sweet little Paxton's baby blessing today. It was nice of Peter & Brittany to plan it while we were in town.
We had dinner at Paul and Becky's with Peter and Brittany and their family. Always good to spend time with them and let the girls play with their cousins. 

Evelyn wrapped up this little doll and put it under the tree before we left Paul and Becky's. She can be such a little sweetheart.

December 20
Dan went snowboarding today and had a good time in the mountains.
The girls and I did our annual Fotofly photos, and my mom came in clutch with helping again. I had the idea of doing some milk and cookie ones but Paige wasn't too cooperative so they didn't turn out as well as I wanted. I still love them and this tradition!

The girls did some painting crafts with Grandma after pictures. Dan went to dinner with his former track co coaches and I went to some HIGH Fitness classes. My dear friend Amber had her birthday yesterday so I went to her class to celebrate and then on to Jenna, Kelli, and Jezz's class with a gift exchange after. 

December 21

I went to Kelly and Darci's HIGH Fitness class this morning and Kelly did some Surge Strength after. It was good to see them again, love them both! Their class was fun and it's nice to be a participant sometimes. 

We met up with Haywards (Paul, Becky, Peter, Brittany, and their kids) at Robintino's for dinner. Becky had the girls pick a present out for their cousins at Five Below after dinner.

December 22

We went to dinner with Dan's cousins at Orlando's tonight. It was fun to catch up with them and enjoy some delicious Mexican food. 

December 23

Sweet little Paiger started getting sick a day or so ago and today was her worst day. We are pretty sure she had a bad case of croup. We didn't end up going to instacare (even though I called several of them) because none can take out of state Medicaid. The ER does but thankfully we didn't end up there, even though I'll admit there were a couple times I was considering taking her. Her breathing was super wheezy and she struggled sometimes. Thankfully she got better within a week.

December 24

I got to do my annual HIGH Fitness class with my Utah gal pal instructors this morning. Oh it's one of my favorite classes and I just love how we can all come together and teach.

The girls did another little craft with Grandma before we went to Hayward's. We spent the afternoon/evening over at their house doing Christmas with them. It was fun and we were all spoiled, per usual.

December 25

We got up and immediately got ready for church. My parent's church is at 8:30. It was a wonderful Sacrament Meeting and my Mom did a great job conducting the music. We did presents when we got back home because the girls couldn't wait any longer. No toys this year, thank goodness, so some clothes and a few girly things (bath bombs, nail stuff). Mike and Nikkole came over with the boys after their church and the kids all played. We had some delicious dinner and just hung out the rest of the evening. 
Matt and Andrea didn't come up like they had originally planned to because they were getting over some sicknesses. It was a bummer.

December 26

We had my Mom's family's Christmas party up in Logan this afternoon. We did lunch and some games. It was nice to see some of my family that I haven't seen in a while. The girls had fun playing with my cousin's kids too. We hit up Gossner afterwards for some milk (Paige loves their cookies n cream milk and calls it "cookie milk"). 

The girls made oreo houses.

December 27

I told the girls we could do a "spa day" with the Christmas stuff I got them so we did that today because no surprise they had been begging to basically since they opened them. It was fun to see them enjoy getting their nails done (although they didn't last too long but I didn't expect stick on plastic ones to) and relax with the masks on their faces while my Mom rubbed their feet. We played some spa music in the background too.
I went to lunch with my former companion, now BF Ashley at Zupas. She's nice to always go there with me since we don't have one in Lubbock. It was great to see her and catch up, as it always is!
I did another HIGH class that night and got to teach with Kelli and Devanie.

December 28

I went to breakfast with my friend Amber at Kneaders, it's our tradition when I'm visiting. I love catching up with her and just being around her. She is a light and I am grateful for her friendship!

I had a photoshoot in the afternoon with my friend Amanda. I took some HIGH Yo photos for her and it was a blast. Dan took some of me since I had the studio for an hour and Amanda's session was only a half hour.
Then we met up with Becky in the evening to go to dinner at Noodles & Company and then the zoo. We only saw two animals (a monkey and an eagle) because it was so cold the rest were hiding, but it was fun to enjoy all the lights and the girls were enjoying themselves and that's what matters. It was cold but walking around helped and we weren't there terribly long. 

December 29

My Mom and I got our teeth whitened this morning at We Whiten. I thought my teeth were already pretty white but after we were done I was happy we did it.
We went swimming at Surf 'N Swim in the late afternoon/early evening. The girls had been asking to go back there again. My Mom joined us and we had lots of fun. Paige started getting cold after about an hour so I got her changed and then once we were done the other girls were ready to go too. 

December 30

The girls got to play with their cousins, Luke and Todd, today. We went on an evening walk with them in Farmington at this park that had lights for a cute girl who had passed away. It was raining but we had umbrellas and enjoyed being outside despite the cold.

December 31

Dan went and visited a former coworker he worked with at Weber State and then when he was back we went on our date to Crown Burger and the Jazz game. It was a great way to spend New Year's Eve. I love that we get to relive our first date every December. It's the best!

January 1

We went to our old ward today with Paul and Becky (since it's their ward now). It was fun to see some more old faces. Matt and Andrea made their way up finally since they were feeling better, yay! We had fun hanging out with them.

Paiger enjoying some snuggles with Andrea.

January 2

Dan went snowboarding with Peter today. We had dinner at the Haywards tonight and then went over to the Isom's to say goodbye (only temporary I hope) since they are moving. It was very bittersweet. It was a huge blessing to be able to grow up next door to them and even my kids are sad that they're moving.

January 3

Dan spent another day on the slopes. We both went to the Jazz game but he went with Paul and Peter and I went with my Mom, Mike, and Nikkole and we got spoiled in the Toyota Club. I have not been living my best life. I am hoping that we can be members of that club when this medical journey is all said and done ha. The dinner, dessert, and snacks were just as amazing as our seats. It was a great game! Loved it and the company.
Becky was kind enough to let the girls sleep over since both of us went to the game. The girls loved it, as always!

Funnel fries and a flavored soda to wash down my tri tip, mashed potatoes, and pizza.

January 4

I got my haircut and colored by the fabulous Kristie this morning. I love catching up with her and getting fresh hair.
We made it to the ice castles today! That had been on our list our entire trip and between sick kids and the weather, it was finally able to come to fruition. We met Mike, Nikkole, Matt, Andrea, and all my nephews there around 5:00. It was the perfect time to go because we were able to see it while it was still light outside but then also after dark with all the glowing lights. The kids had a blast! It was cold but since we were moving around a lot that helped. (And thank you to Aunt Brittany for letting us use her girls' snow stuff so they could stay warm and dry!)

January 5

Dan got his haircut in Bountiful so while he was doing that Grandma treated the girls and me to a trip to Five Below. Once we finished there we went to Grand Trunk so my Mom could drop off some presents she had for her former coworkers. We picked Dan up when he was done and made one more trip to Costco for gas and food. I had to stock up on G2G Bars ha.

January 6

I spent almost all of the day doing laundry and packing up suitcases. It took longer than usual because the girls' things were all over the house that I needed to find to pack up. The girls played outside in the snow with Grandpa and built some snowmen.

We had takeout from The Mandarin for dinner at Hayward's with Peter and Brittany, their kids, and Becky (Paul was at the temple). The girls got to play with their cousins one more time and then we said goodbye to them.

January 7

My awesome friend Jen that I've met through HIGH Fitness invited me to teach her class with her this morning. It was a blast! I wish I could bottle them all up and take them back home with me ha.

Once I got back home I showered and we finished loading up all our stuff. We said (what we thought ha) was our goodbyes, including Grandma's traditional silly string fight, and headed to Hayward's to say goodbye to Paul. We realized we had forgotten some things so my Mom met us at Mike and Nikkole's to give it to us and we had the girls say goodbye to them and their cousins. We forgot our Nintendo Switch so we had to stop back my parent's anyway to grab that and then we were finally on the road around 11:30.

We stopped at Cafe Rio in Bountiful to grab our dinner for later. I drove us to Spanish Fork where we got gas at Costco, had lunch at Chick-Fil-A, and then were back on the road. We ended up eating dinner in Monticello like we usually do and then Dan drove us the rest of the way home. We got back home around 4:30 AM and slept as long as we could before we had to get up for church.

Trips home are always good for my heart and soul! I am grateful for any time spent with family and the opportunities to catch up with old (and new) friends.