Spring Break in Utah

02 April 2023

Spring Break was a nice change. We stayed with Mom and Dad Saturday evening to Sunday afternoon. I helped massage Grandma Jean’s swollen feet after she sat in her chair for a bit. We sang some MCO songs to her after church, though it is hard to sing the songs without the other choir parts. Grandpa showed off his cool Bluetti solar battery system. Grandma Jean gave Amelia her cartouche engraved with the Egyptian characters for Jean. Amelia was quite tired after her 3 days of choir fun. She really enjoyed the Matilda play and the Da Vinci museum. After Relief Society I was introduced to a lady from Lisbon! It was fun to throw around some Portuguese and talk about Roosters, lemons, and paralalapipido (cobblestone). We headed to the Eagle Mt Lances for the rest of our break toward late afternoon. Rudy drove Hannah down to play with the cousins for 2 days. Rachel had a UTI and fever, she was heartbroken to stay behind. 

I hardly saw Evelyn for the next 4 days! She and Emmy played and played. I hear they played school, pioneers, tea party, spa, music, and “the game.” She slept at Courtenay’s for two nights then with us for the other two nights. The girls all had a lovely time together. The boys bravely slept in the basement for two nights. They all stuffed their smelly socks in a Mickey Mouse thing to ward off the boogeyman. Phillip was freaked out sleeping down in the basement, Everett Lance’s spooky stories did not help. Phillip had nightmares about the haunted house the YM visited back in October. Evelyn somehow contracted hives that covered her upper torso, we’re still unsure what triggered that reaction. The girls were all tired after not sleeping well Sunday night. Benadryl helped Evelyn settle down. A long Cuckooloca story involving a lonely penguin, shark spit dive helmets, and a world tour left all the girls snoring. 

Amelia got to try on some fun dresses at a modest dress shop called JessaKae. We found a fun dress that could work as an event dress. We also went to DI with Miekka for a fun diversion. Rachel got to come stay with us overnight as she was feeling better after 24 hours on antibiotics. All the girls made a cute pack of cousins. Amelia and Lia organized a session of the game complete with tragic backstories. We had an impromptu clogging performance by the Lance kids. Jacob and Everett danced a really funny, amazing piece together. We also had some gymnastics tricks, some singing, and other fun talents on display. Jana came over after work to pick up her girls. We all went to swim at the Herriman pool with the Nemo slide. Justin stayed behind to watch TV. He enjoyed two trips to Sportsman Warehouse .

Wednesday afternoon we went to the Bean Museum at BYU. The kids earned stamps for completing scavenger hunts around the museum. Josie stuck with me. She loved the giraffes, the elephant, found a dog that looked like Vader, and of course the favorite white Arctic Fox. Our family headed to Midway for an hour of swim time at the crater. I forgot my dive card at home, had no idea where it could be. Sara kindly raided my closet and document keeper, she eventually found it in my tote of personal treasures. Phew. Justin was on the irritated side with me, never knows when to check on what I do and don’t have. It turned out ok, but took the help of Sara. We were all able to swim together.  The kids swam on the surface while Justin and I went SCUBA diving. The Crater is boring. I felt like a goldfish trapped in a round tank. We could descend to 40 feet no farther than the PVC diamond. The only item of interest was a wagon wheel with a fake skull attached at 30 feet deep. I made myself quite dizzy spinning circles upside down, that was an interesting feeling. I mostly worked on buoyancy. Justin got the dry heaves after 25 minutes from the heat and dry tank air. He made it a while longer until the feeling got worse. After we got out he ran down the tunnel to barf outside. Our mouths felt so dry for a long time after. The kids had a fun time swimming inside a crater for the first time. We enjoyed a greasy dinner at Granny’s Drive-In. Justin was still queasy so did not join in dinner. My throat was feeling quite sore, darn it all! 

I worked on my new embroidery project off and on over the week, finally finished it during General Conference. It was a challenging one with sheer fabric, that means the back has to be as neat as the front. Amelia worked on embroidering a pair of shorts. Amelia and Lia woke up with a case of the giggling hyenas! Those two are hilarious. I held a painting class for anyone interested. We tried to paint a Northern Lights scene with an arctic fox. It was a bit challenging for even the best of us. Jacob serenaded us with his banjo, that kids lives, thinks, and dreams music. The adults went out to dinner at a very delicious Indian restaurant. We tried 4 different main dishes and several types of naan. Yum. James declared it Terrible Movie Thursday, where they watch terrible (not terribly bad) movies, like Scooby Doo. Intriguing! 

Friday we headed back home. We stopped by to visit my Great-Aunt Mary Hill. They are moving to a smaller home in Herriman once their current home sells. Mary gave us a tour of their grand home with lots of storage space. She gave us some of her treasures she doesn’t want to move again. I love the swan figure and two Hummel figures she gave us. Evelyn got a pretty china bowl and Josie got an elephant mom and baby. All the kids picked out a rock Uncle Mel polished. We stopped to give mom and dad hugs. Then up to Charity for a very short visit and hugs. She told us all about Mason and his new girlfriend, soon to be fiancée? Jeremy and family met us at the Chik-fil-a in Ogden for lunch. Nothing better than baby hugs and snuggles while eating chicken and fries. Justin was a trooped driving the way back home. He had several restless nights, making us all annoyed when he spent a few hours watching TV on his phone at 2 am. Yes, we were all awake and wanting to jump on him. That reminds me of the fart Phillip ripped after the lights went out. He nearly lost his life we were all dying from the wretched smell. Shiver. We worked fast to empty the van and get it vacuumed. The kids all unpacked and put away their clothes before they could watch the Mandalorian. I went to Walmart with Evelyn and Josie for groceries. We washed the van of yet more road salt from yet more snow, maybe there will be no spring this year, just winter straight to summer?

Saturday was a nice break with 3 conference sessions. The kids helped me finally empty the garden boxes of all the dead vegetation, several months late. Phillip and Evelyn donned pioneer era clothes, so we played the Ingalls family working on the ole homestead. We finished listening to Boxcar Children and The Long Winter plus most of the 2nd Arc Shah book. This is the first time the van TV was not used at all! That was awesome. Conference was magnificent, the first talk was laser focused on making Easter about Christ, balancing Christ with the secular stuff. Elder Holland was sick with COVID so we greatly missed his fire and zeal. There was literally no fire this weekend, all the messages focused on love, Christ, and removing the world from ourselves. No Jesus cleansing the temple! President Nelson spoke Sunday morning about never losing control, treating others with compassion, to thwart Satan be a peacemaker, and the best is yet to come for those who build up others. Justin and Mia cooked up a load of conference crepes in between Sunday sessions. Justin created a new favorite with thinly sliced apples and brown sugar in crepe batter. I felt the spirit several times during talks on being “one” and overcoming tribulations. Seems like we are being told to turn from the madness of the world (seriously the world is ravening mad) and become Zion in our homes and stakes. 

I decided to have my piano students present Classical pieces this recital coming up in May. I want to hold a Disney piano camp over the summer to keep them engaged.