Back to Our Utah Vacay

Utah Day #2

I now return to my posting about Utah...after a short update on Ty.

(Tyler is doing well and has had a fantastic recovery. He never actually felt bad before he had his procedure and didn't feel much different after...except for a bit of an energy increase. He just had his first cardiac rehab session and was given the clear to exercise and the initial tests on how his heart was reacting to moderate exercise looked completely normal. Whew. We are so blessed that he didn't actually have a heart attack. There are so many restrictions on people who are also recovering from that and the addition of the stent. Tyler really doesn't have any restrictions at all besides moderate exercise for the first four weeks after his procedure. He has been doing great. Me? I have had a few breakdowns just thinking about the "What ifs?" But, all in all, we are hanging in there.)

Now back to that trip:

Day Two:

We got up and headed to Lindon to meet these girls (and cute Ethan) for breakfast at Kneaders. Again, I will express my love for that place. So good. The company was even better. My awesome friend Shannon and her kids moved from Spokane to Utah in June and we have missed them dearly!!

Jessica and Reilly

Bryn was pretty thrilled to hang out with her buddy Ethan too.

It was fun to catch up and hear how things are going in Utah. We are so glad that is has been a pretty smooth transition for them. Still though... WE MISS THEM ALOT!!

After our fabulous breakfast, we drove to Alpine to attend a family reunion for Tyler's Kofford side of the family. For my kids, this was like they had landed on an alien planet. They have never gone to (at least that the older ones remember) a big ol' Mormon family reunion. They have missed out and have the croquet skills to prove it!! Our kids just didn't "get it". It was hilarious. It is something they have missed out on living in WA. My family gets together but we all just gather at the lake for certain events...the last one being my Grandma's 90th Birthday. We don't do a tradition family reunion. My dad's side of the family, I think, still gathers but since my grandparents passed away I haven't attended one. I do remember going with them as a kid and being introduced to all the ancient great-aunts and uncles and hearing family stories etc. I thought they were great! I particularly liked the family auction and loved bidding for the dilly beans!! Delish.

When we got there we had to put on name tags and write whose family we were...Verl's. (Verl was my mother-in-law's father) The teenagers instantly balked at the idea of wearing a name tag and asked very loudly "Who's Verl?" Awesome. (They have family history books put together by my mother-in-law...they have heard stories about him from both she and Tyler...but they chose this particular moment to have loud selective memory) Humiliating. There were antiques and things that certain ancestors had made and lots of pictures. There was a treasure hunt for the little kids with family history facts and candy. There was a taped interview with the last remaining sibling of their great-grandpa Verl. They thought it was all "weird" and "corny". Yes! But that is the beauty of family reunions!! Reilly said, "So we're just supposed to sit here and eat an awkward lunch with random family members we don't even know?" YES! Now you're getting it!! They couldn't even be swayed by a tempting potluck...hey...there's always something interesting served up. Nope. They were particularly put off because the main entree was pulled pork and the guy that was hosting made a joke about vegetarians and how if there were any vegetarians in the crowd they had the stuff to make PB&Js. Hardy Har Har. The kids were not amused. But it's not a family reunion unless you are somewhat offended by someone or even multiple someones!! I was SO EXCITED to see the ginormous cooler labeled "Rootbeer". It has been over 13 years since I have tasted that sweet homemade nectar. Is there anything better than homemade rootbeer served up icy cold? No. I had multiple glasses and had my own sugar buzz going for the afternoon. Turns out none of our kids like rootbeer. Seriously? More for me. Weirdos...they would never have survived growing up in the 70s and 80s.

The saving grace was that Tyler's family was there. Particularly his brother Brett and his wife Marissa. Tyler's mom swooped in and took the older kids under her wing and regaled them with family history while the rest of us were able to chat and enjoy ourselves. The little girls...Bryn and our niece Liv.. ran wild with Ailey in hot pursuit trying to keep them under control. It was about 500 degrees that day. It was roasting hot!! The family reunion was held at a park under one of several pavilions. When you say "park" to me I envision shady trees and lush green grass. Clearly we have been living in the NW too long. This park had no shade whatsoever...none...zilch...nada. Guess which parents didn't come prepared for their kids developing potential heatstroke. Oh yeah. No sun screen, no hats, no shade structures...no nothing. Luckily my sister-in-law was prepared and kept her nieces and nephew from getting fried. Thank goodness this park had a splash pad and Marissa and I quickly excused ourselves from the reunion and headed over as fast as we could go. Little Liv was prepared with a swimsuit and towel. The Johnsons were not. Who knew there was a splash pad...but I guess if there aren't any trees you definitely need one. I just had our girls get their clothes wet and drip dry...we're classy like that.

Before getting wet...look at poor Ailey and Bryn's faces. We are unaccustomed to such heat and direct rays from the sun. Poor Pacific Northwesterners. Liv, on the other hand, is cool as a cucumber...little desert dweller.

The kids had a great time!! Bryn and Liv ADORE each other and ran into each other's arms upon seeing one another. Ailey is a little mother and loved fussing over them and watching out for them. She was a great helper!! Marissa and I found some shade under a mini-pavilion and settled in for a good chat. Finally a breeze blew and I settled back to enjoy the gorgeous mountain views. Alpine is a beautiful place. It was delightful. Eventually Brett and Tyler joined us on the far side of the park. We were proud of them for lasting as long as they did at the ol' reunion.  It was so fun to hang out together, laugh, and watch our children play together. Eventually Reilly and Kameron were able to extricate themselves and joined us saying, "Some guy is singing a song that I'm pretty sure couldn't be sung in the state of Washington." I think it was some kind of mountain man song that was not...shall we say... politically correct. We also missed out on the ventriloquist...bummer. Once the whole gang joined us we had our own little Johnson Family Reunion and loved every minute. Tyler's Mom was happy too because she finally had someone show up at the reunion,   the kids got to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa, the cousins got to play, our kids got an education in family reunions, and it all worked out well in the end.

Liv and Bryn demanded that Ailey do a "photoshoot" for them on my phone and she was only too happy to oblige!! Enjoy!

There are about 20 more but I think you get the idea! These two girls crack me up!! It is never fun to say good-bye. It's hard living so far away but it was great to see them and spend the day together.

The Johnson brothers and their offspring. Marissa and I were at this event even though there is no photographic evidence in existence. :)

After that we had to hurry back to our hotel to get showered and all dolled up to attend...THE ACTUAL HIGH SCHOOL REUNION.

Tyler's actual high school reunion was held at Thanksgiving Point. It turned out to be a really nice and fun event. Tyler had a great time and it was fun to see him laughing and chatting with his classmates. At one point I saw him getting enthusiastically hugged by two girls and chatting for quite a long time with them. When he returned to where I was I asked him, "Who were they?" He replied. "I have no idea." Ha ha!! Pretty funny. He did eventually recall who they were and they turned out to be good friends of his...even more hilarious.

Tyler and his high school buddies: Nate, Kevin, Matt, and Darren (who wasn't there the night before) Missing is their good friend, Joel, who wasn't able to attend.

We had a fun time too!!

The food was great! They had a really nice program. Their class had invited several faculty members to speak and that was my favorite part. Most of them had just had/or were going to be attending their 50th high school reunion and they gave some really neat talks full of advice about what they wished they would have known/or done when they were Tyler's age and in that stage of life. It was really cool. Some got right up and bore their testimonies...one even about the plan of salvation. It was weird...but I liked it. The whole night was full of heart and I loved seeing how much this MVHS class of 1989 really loves and cherishes one another. I think that is pretty rare. My SME class of 1990 is DEFINITELY not like that!! It's a pretty special thing. I met some great people and enjoyed reconnecting with those that I did know and have come to love and cherish myself.

It was a great night of friends, laughter, memories and genuinely celebrating one another...and the 80s!! Seriously? Was there a better decade? Good movies...good music...awesome fashion. It was a pretty RAD time!!

Speaking of rad...we took a few more selfies too.

Again...saying goodbye is never easy. Especially to these guys. We enjoyed each and every moment with these two amazing friends. Love them!!

Leaving the party... in the time it took to snap this picture...I got not one...not two...but five mosquito bites. No joke. Then it was time for Tyler to pay up...in frozen custard that is...I was promised custard and I did collect and it was delicious. Why is there no custard in Spokane?! How can you eat boring old ice cream after you have had custard? Not. Possible.

Another wonderful day was had by all!!

To Be Continued...