Utah

Once we were home from Seattle we got to relax for a whole day! If you recall from my last post, we came home on a Saturday. So, that Saturday night was spent doing laundry, cleaning cat boxes, etc. (Sounds fun, doesn't it)? On that Sunday, we headed south towards Medford for a Joe Cocker/Steve Miller concert:

We raced home after the concert Sunday night and made all of the final preparations necessary to leave Monday morning for Utah. We went to Utah via Portland this time because we had to drop Ryan off at the airport. We made it to Ontario Monday night, and drove the rest of the way to Utah on Tuesday. My parents had just moved into their new home in Syracuse. Actually, they are still moving into their home. We arrived at the worst possible time for them to have company, but if we hadn't gone when we did, we would not have made it to Utah at all. I like to think we helped more than we hindered their move. We made several trips to SLC to help load up the cars to take remaining possessions to Syracuse. We also helped assemble furniture and unpack a few random boxes.

The four of us did manage to sneak away for a day (Mom's birthday) to Bear Lake. Mark had never seen this area of Utah before, and he was significantly impressed. We drove around the lake, had some famous Bear Lake raspberry milkshakes and then drove across the border into Idaho. My great, great, great grandfather, Charles C. Rich, founded the Bear Lake area, and the Tabernacle in Paris, ID. had an interesting tour and a monument of Charles C. Rich on its grounds. You can find out more about this area at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris,_Idaho

We also sneaked away for an evening in Salt Lake City. We rode the new Frontrunner train in, and then took Trax to The Gateway Center for some shopping and eating.

My favorite day in Utah, however, was the family gathering we had on Sunday. I know it was not convenient for my parents to host since the house was not put together, but everyone managed just fine. My grandpa, aunt, and uncle came down from Brigham City, and my cousin, his wife, grandma, and Don came up from Salt Lake. I love family get-togethers, and this one was particularly special for me because Mark met my grandpa, Don, and grandma for the first time. The meal Mom prepared was delicious (we are still talking about it, Mom) and the company was great. It had actually been a few years since I had seen various grandparents, and I had a wonderful visit with everybody there.
On Monday morning, Mark and I heading home. We made the 13.5 hour drive in one day. The most bizarre occurrence happened on our way home, however. We were driving near Diamond Lake and approximately for a 10 mile stretch of road, we were assaulted by thousands of butterflies, of the Monarch variety. Literally, butterflies were everywhere. They were hitting the car like raindrops, but they sounded like hail. Dead butterflies littered the highway. Their corpses looked like gravel scattered across the paved road. It was an awful experience. We murdered hundreds of them just by driving. At one point, we stopped the car to get out and watch them. We were standing in the midst of a butterfly migration. If only they flew more than 3 feet above the road, more of them could have lived.
Anyhow, we made it back, have been preparing for the floor removal/replacement, and mentally preparing for the journey back into our classrooms. Tomorrow, we are escaping to the southern most Oregon coast for relaxation and a respite from our 100 degree heat.
Stay tuned....