Wonderful Weekend

What a busy, fun weekend!

It basically started on Thursay evening. After Jason helped my Grandpa Tew with some typing, we headed to Holladay for Kylee Fotheringham's wedding reception. She was one of my young women in our Granger ward back in our first few years of marriage. It was so much fun to see her and her family - and a few others from the old ward. I don't think we had seen any of them since before McKinley was born. I'm so glad Kylee & I reconnected on Facebook! It was at her uncle's house in Holladay - gorgeous! The backyard was amazing. I felt like I was in the Northwest instead of Utah - so much vegetation - so many mature trees. Besides how beautiful it was, the reception was just plain fun! Live music, a photo booth (we got to keep a copy and put a copy in their book), and a Letherby's ice cream bar! They even had a playground (in the backyard) next door! It was a perfect night & we had a great time.

Friday morning, it was off to the temple with my grandma, mom & sisters. Holy Moley - it was BUSY! We waited an hour to do initiatory. I was famished by the time we were done, but glad we stuck around to do them. We went to Madeline's afterwards & were treated by grandma & mom to some delicious lunch. As always, I love being around & visiting with those amazing women & feel honored to call them my family!

Friday evening, we grabbed some pizza and headed up to the ward campout. It was just above Woodland. We arrived about 7pm & stayed for about 2 hours (no - we didn't stay overnight. Sorry, people, but at about 7 months pregnant, tenting it is just no fun for me anymore). It was fun to see everyone outside of a church setting and just enjoying the outdoors. The guys (Jason & Bryan) built a blazing fire & we all had a good time visiting & watching the kids run around.

After the "campout" we headed over to Heber. Our friends, the Hoffman's, graciously let us stay with them Friday night. They have a beautiful home & it was so great to visit with them. They are incredible people and their girls are so precious. We are thankful to know them! I made some french toast on Saturday morning & we visited for a bit longer & then we were off again to...

Vernal! We haven't been there for over 2 years - I was pregnant with Ireland the last time we were there. Jason's mom's side of the family is there & it was great to go over & visit with Grandma Stewart. I especially wanted to get a picture of McKinley & "GG Stewart," since she is one of the grandma's McKinley Lou is named after. She wasn't entirely "with it" the entire time, but was very sweet and gentle and loving. We captured a precious video of her & McKinley talking & then she started singing a cute song to her. So sweet. After that, we went next door & visited with Jason's Aunt Kris, cousin Jenifer and Daniel's wife. It was good to see them & their beautiful babies - Joey and Mariah.

That evening, we had the privilege (and I do mean privilege) of staying with the Hatch's - just above Vernal in Dry Fork Canyon. Jason's mom is good friends with Carol and Doug and they were so sweet to let us stay with them. They lived in a cabin that they had renovated and added on to and it was just beautiful! Also, they had horses and dogs and constant hummingbirds, so the girls were in heaven. They were just wonderful hosts and provided a delicious dinner and great conversation. We also got to visit with their son, Jason, and he and Carol and Doug were so cute with the girls. The next morning (Sunday), Jason fixed his pancakes while Carol whipped up some bacon & eggs & we had a yummy breakfast. After that, they let the girls ride the horses and praised their riding. I truly do wish we had access to horses. They love to ride them. After that, we got to go up and see the historical Massey Ranch. Carol's side of the family has a ranch that was homesteaded in the 20's/30's and it's stayed in the family ever since. It was fun to go up and see it. Thanks, Hatch's, for making us feel a part of the family!!

Afterwards, we headed back to visit with Grandma Stewart for a little bit and we also got to see Ryan, Judy, and their kids as well as Aunt Lynette. It was great to visit with them. We need to be better about making it to Vernal more often! We left about 4pm and had a nice drive home. Thanks everyone for your hospitality and a great weekend!