Utah Road Trip

A few months before spring break Paul and I talked about a road trip to California and Utah, but eventually decided against it because we didn't think it was enough time to cover all the ground we wanted to.  Unfortunately, my 39 year old cousin, Matt, passed away unexpectedly and his memorial service was scheduled for the Friday of spring break in Utah.  We decided that was where we needed to be so an abbreviated road trip was back on.  Paul made a wonderful plexiglass barrier to place between Darcy and Bree so neither could invade the other's "bubble" and we were off!

 

Our first stop was Bryce Canyon, one of my favorite National Parks.  Paul and I had been there together 14 years ago and couldn't wait to go back.  We got there early enough in the afternoon to get some hiking done before the bad weather caught up to us.  There was a prediction of snow so we took a hike into the canyon among the hoodoos and orange rock formations.  It was so beautiful!  We didn't hike quite as much as we wanted to but thought we could get more in the next morning.  We were able to take a hike the next day along a snowy trail on the rim of the canyon and we drove to the highest point in the park (9,000+ feet) and caught all the look-outs on the way down.  We went back to the Inn to catch a late lunch (so we didn't have to pay dinner prices) to celebrate Paul's upcoming 40th birthday and it started to snow.  Since it was near blizzard conditions we couldn't get back up into the park so we decided to run across the parking lot in our swimming suits in the freezing, driving, snow to the indoor pool instead.  It was a fun adventure!  The next morning we went back to Bryce to see it in all its snow-covered gorgeousness.  It was 22 degrees and FREEZING but so, so beautiful!  Still one of my favorite parks.

Later that day we drove Utah Highway 12 on our way to Capitol Reef National Park, which neither Paul nor I had been to yet.  That highway was beautiful, long, time consuming, and scary.  I highly recommend it!  It takes you through the north side of Grande Staircase Escalante which was just as beautiful as the southern end that we experienced on our 2013 road trip.  Utah is a beautiful place.

While on the drive we saw this cute old couple on the side of the road enjoying the scenery.  I want to be this old couple.

 

Capitol Reef National Park turned out to be a great spot.  You don't hear nearly as much about it as the other 4 Utah parks, but it deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence.  We had a great time there that afternoon, taking some hikes, jumping on rocks, and getting dizzy looking down into huge ravines they graciously allow you to walk right to the very edge of if you are daring enough to trust the rusty little railings to keep you from falling to your death.  We did, but it was iffy and I'm usually not afraid of heights.  It was beautiful.  We spent the afternoon in that park and then stayed at Green River for the night.

The next day we spent at Arches, another one of my favorite parks.  We took Drew there when she was about 18 months old but the other kids hadn't been there before.  We took a lot more hikes to various arches and it was all just so beautiful.  Unfortunately we saved the hike to Delicate Arch, the most famous arch in the park, for last.  It was another long hike up a sheer rock face so we voted on attempting it.  Unfortunately when you have a family of 6 there is the potential for ties, and that's what we had.  So we all compromised and took the wussy, half as long trail, which didn't put us right at the arch but I guess we were close enough.  I guess. We still had a great time in the park, except for the fact they only had pit toilets, which were very well maintained I might add, but the girls refused to use them so maybe that played into their decision to vote down another long hike.  We made a pit stop at the visitors center again as we left the park and headed to Orem for the night.  Another great park!

Friday morning we drove around the area temple gazing and we came to find out that Alloa was in Orem visiting Megan and Korrin so we hooked up at Cafe Rio (YUM!) for lunch.

We also met up with Samantha in Salt Lake to visit Temple Square.  She was on her own and in town for the memorial too.  We then went to Matt's memorial service in Orem.  Matt was a few years younger than me but one of my favorite cousins.  Every summer either my family would drive to Utah or his would drive to Corvallis for a week long visit.  We always had the best time, we had 6 kids, they had 6 kids, and we all matched up pretty well.  Oh how the tears would flow the night before we had to part ways for another long year! Oh how we love our Johnson cousins!  So when we heard Matt passed away it was a no-brainer to be at his service.   He was a great guy, and judging by the many, many people in attendance, I'm not the only one who thought so.  It is unfortunate that the last time I was in Utah visiting my cousins was in 2012 for Aunt Debbie's funeral.  Samantha joined my family in staying at Andy's home (comparable in age to Sam) and getting to know his family better.  They are great people too, of course!  We had a lot of fun with them and no one was in a hurry to leave for home the next morning.  We made it to Pendleton that night and made a stop at Mutnomah Falls on the way home.  Another beautiful place in our own state.  As that day happened to be Easter, we were hoping the Easter Bunny was able to figure out where to drop off the loot the kids hoped he had.  They were pleasantly surprised to find full baskets waiting for them on the coffee table as they walked in the door at home.  What a great bunny!  We actually colored eggs a couple weeks before Easter so we could get them eaten before we left, and no one seemed too upset that there was no egg hunt.  I have some great kids.  It was a wonderful trip full of natural beauty and family togetherness, without any car troubles or stolen purses.  We could hardly believe our luck! Unfortunately the driving factor was the death of Matt, and he will be greatly missed.  I'm so glad we were able to be at his service and I'm grateful to Paul for making it happen.  Once again we were able to see this amazing country we have been blessed to live in and I'm already anxious for the next adventure!

6, 40(!), and 12

 My baby turned 6 in January.  Hard to believe everyone around here is getting so old!  You couldn't pay me to go back to baby days though.  Maybe a 4 year old.  So this cutie is 6, almost finished with her first year of school, and still as sweet and spicy as she was the day she was born.  I pretty much never know what I'm going to get when Bree walks in the door from school.  She could be full of info on her day, totally silent, crying, screaming like a banshee, or looking for a good, long cuddle from mom.  She keeps me on my toes.  She is definitely my most girly girl but she isn't afraid to get sweaty and dirty.  She loves to play legos and collect stuffed animals.  She has a love/hate relationship with Darcy but couldn't live without her.  She enjoys her "peace and quiet" and alone time just like her mom.  She is the most outgoing of all my kids but can still get shy if the situation is right, or wrong.  Bree had me try my hand at a Hello Kitty cake this year.  Eh, it was alright.  She appreciated it so it was worth it.  She got a pair of fancy boots that she has lived in since.  Also some legos, Shopkins, and Beados.  I sure do love this precious little person.

Paul turned 40 in March!  I don't feel like such a cougar now since we are both in the same decade.  I didn't notice him having any mid-life crisis per say, but he did buy a chainsaw for the first time in his life and proceeded to knock down a couple of trees in our front yard.  What an amazing guy Paul is.  His steady head is exactly what our family needs when my not-so-steady head starts getting out of control.  He is our rock.  He is an amazing provider and seriously my hero for putting up with me.  I asked him what was on his bucket list, since it always seems like I get to choose our adventures based on my wants, and he said he doesn't really have one, its all about the journeys.  We are so lucky to have Paul!

Miss Drew turned 12 in April!  Like I said, we're all getting so old!  I love this big girl!  It is so fun to watch her grow up.  She is such a blessing to our family.  She inherited Paul's steady head and she has calmed me on quite a few occasions.  She is a great example to me of drive, determination, and perseverance.  I see great things in her future.  And thankfully we can still stand each other.  I dread the day she no longer wants to talk to me and thinks I'm an idiot.  Oh my sweet Drewsy!  She finally got her phone this year.  I think that's how we lost her.  All of a sudden she has tons of friends, has late night movie parties on Fridays with some great friends, and is a total pre-teen in many ways.  I have to say I love that she has a phone so we can text nonsense to each other and have emoji wars.  This kid inspires me to be a better mom so I can keep pushing her to reach her potential.  What an amazing spirit we have been blessed with to raise.  Thanks Drew, for being the awesome young woman you are!  And oh yah, since she's 12, she is no longer in Primary at church.  She now attends Young Women's and mutual every Wednesday night.  What a fun age to be!

Basketball!

Just as a side note, we had one snow event this season.  Of course it was the day before we were supposed to head back to school from winter break so we missed that Monday.  Would have been great except the district has now decided we need to make up that one missed day.  School doesn't get out till June 17th!

Basketball was tons of fun this year!  I coached Darcy's 1/2 team which was made up of both boys and girls so there would be lots of teams to play.  I thought it might cause problems with passing the ball to the girls but I never had to address the issue with my team.  They were great.  Fun kids to work with.  We ended the season with as many wins as losses, but who's counting?  Drew was my manager/assistant coach so she kept track for me.  Darcy had so much fun that she told me after the season that she never wants to stop playing basketball.  That's my girl!  She played tenacious defense and made more than one little person mad at her.  Oh well!  She's getting tall for her age so she was able to get in there and battle with just about everyone.  Next year she gets to play on the full court with regulation basketball and hoop heights.  She is totally ready.  I love to watch Darcy play and I'm thankful I was able to be her coach again this season.   Paul and Bree were awesome again getting everyone where they needed to be for the games.  At times we would have to split up to watch games in different gyms at the same time but we managed.

 

 Mason was mostly a post player this year but was actually the point guard in one game.  I LOVE to watch him play.  He is such a smart player on defense.  He just gets where he is supposed to be on the court and its fun to watch him.  His team only won 1 game all season and it happened to be on the last day.  It also happened to be his break-out game.  He scored 12 of his team's 16 points!   I even got to see that game!  It was a tough season, always losing, but man I admired his attitude.  He went out there and worked hard every single game, no matter the score.  I totally admire his work ethic and attitude.  I don't think basketball is his favorite sport but he is pretty good and I hope he gives it a chance.    

 Drew played her last season of Rec ball.  Sigh!  Next year she will be in middle school and traveling to games.  She had a great season too!  Her team only lost 1 game.  I stopped keeping track of her points after the first game.  I couldn't count that high!  She is the point guard and faster than most girls out there so she had countless lay-ins because she actually knows how to shoot them right and use the backboard.  Go Drew!  I was not involved in coaching her this year, which was weird, but she had a good coach and learned quite a bit this year.  Her good friend who is very tall played on the same team so it was fun to watch Drew feed her underneath for lay-in after lay-in.  They were an unstoppable duo!  They will be fun to watch in the future.  Drew plans to play basketball at Oregon State.  We'll see.   I'd like to say it gets easier with her on a travel team next year but Bree will be able to play so that means trying to juggle 4 kids' game and practice schedules.  Only for basketball!

Holidays 2015

 Thanksgiving was spent with my side of the family this year.  There are 22 grandkids so there are always plenty of cousins to play with when we get together.  It was quite a drastic turn around for us because we got home from sunny, summer-like Florida a week before Thanksgiving.  The timing was kind of weird but I'm always ready for some turkey and mashed potatoes.  We hung out and played games and headed home the next day so we could get our Christmas tree!

 

 We went to the spot we've gotten our tree for the last three years but the trees were massive and there weren't many left to chose from.  We'll have to find a new place next year.  We planned on going smaller than last year, and we thought we did, until we tried to haul it up the hill and onto the top of our car.  It was a monster.  I don't know how Paul ever got us home safely because it was very difficult to see out the front windshield.  We got lost of looks and points and laughs on the highway heading home.  It does look pretty ridiculous on the car, but lots of fun!

 This is how it looks staged in the living room.  Usually Paul will squat and push the tree up with his back while I have a 2x4 I use to push it at the top.  This time around the tree was too darn heavy and tall that neither one of us could push it far enough up to get it to stand.  We ended up calling in reinforcements to help.  Oh the shame!  I think the tree was around 20 feet.  We had to cut the top off because it was scraping our vaulted ceiling.

 

 One evening not long after we put the tree up, Mason and I watched it slide down the wall where, thankfully, it stopped on its own.  Drew was sitting on the couch at the time and would have been crushed if it hadn't stopped.  Scary!  So, along with bolting the stand into the floor as per normal, Paul also put eye hooks on the wall and strung car tie-downs from the wall to around the tree.  As stable as it was after that, it still scared me that we might lose it.  If it fell again it would have been chopped into fire wood and no more Christmas tree!  We will definitely go smaller in 2016!  I think.

Also during the season, Drew had her first band concert!  Hot Cross Buns . . . It was awesome!  Bree was just about as excited as Drew was!

 
 Christmas morning was at home, like usual.  The night before we did our Christmas program and had 2 piano accompaniments (Mason and Darcy, who started lessons in the fall) and a clarinet to add a little flavor to our off-key singing.  The Ericksons are not blessed with singing talent.  We had some excited kids, as usual.  6 am comes early.  I hope they sleep in a little later as teen-agers but I'm not counting on it.  Bree got a Lego Cinderella Castle set to remind her of Disney World.  Darcy got her Little Live Pets stuff which she had been coveting for months.  They worked for about an hour and haven't been played with since.  Shopkins don't do anything but they are all the rage at our house right now so she was thrilled to add to her collection.  Mason got a huge new Nerf gun to shoot his sisters with, and an OSU football jersey.  Drew was hard to shop for.  She ended up with lots of new books and a Chudley Cannons t-shirt that only a true Harry Potter fan could appreciate.  I got Paul a drone with a camera on it and its pretty fun to have a bird's-eye view of our property. 



 

Later that day we went to Paul's sister Carmen's house for more Christmas fun.  There are also 22 cousins on this side so lots of kids to play with wherever we end up for the holidays.  We had a fun ornament exchange and a delicious dinner.  Always a good time at Aunt Carmen's!

New Year's Eve we spent at my sister Candace's new place in Dallas, OR.  Its never been my favorite holiday and this year was no different.  After filling up on a bunch of junk, I proceeded to throw it all up and was sick all night and the next day.  Luckily no one else got sick.  I guess I took one for the team.  We had lots of fun with cousins again.  Mason had his first taste of our old family recipe for slush.  It has orange juice concentrate, bananas, sugar, and lemonade all mixed together and frozen.  Then you scoop out some of it and mix it with 7-up in your cup.  Its good but it pretty much eats away your moth if you drink too much.  Good stuff!


So 2015 came to an end and I will say it was a pretty darn good year.  We had so many fun adventures and different kinds of entertainment to experience.  We truly were blessed this year.  And as a follow up on the whole identity theft fiasco, the bank returned the money stolen out of our checking account.  Even though it was not the most pleasant of experiences to fight through, there was no lasting harm done.  Knock on wood.