Now in California

The first week we were in CA, my parents were gone so we got to be 'Mom' and 'Dad' and kind of took charge of the people living in that house (my grandpa, uncle during the week, and little brother). It was a little bit crazy trying to keep Anna from destroying too many things. There were a number of things put up that are normally on the floor.

When we were first there, I was worrying about Anna being too loud. She is the earliest riser, and I with her, so I was worried about her waking people up in the morning. After a little bit of shushing her, I realized there was no point in stressing all week about her being loud. It was now a house with a baby and she wasn't going to be quiet anyway so I stopped trying. It wasn't worth the agravation. As far as I know, it wasn't a problem.

After that week, my parents came back and we lost our room. The only space we could have had was a walled in porch that is all windows both to the outside and inside. Not a great long term solution what with the lack of privacy and all. So we moved into my sister's house about a half an hour away. They do have an extra room with an attached bathroom that is separate from the rest of the house and kids so it is prefect. We were even able to set up Anna's crib in the bathroom so we have a door between us and her at night (a must for us).

So we are here until Jason finds a job and we have somwhere else to go. We are working on figuring out how we fit into their lives and them into ours. So far it has been pretty low-key because three of the kids have been gone and they are all on vacation now (we get to house sit). It should be exciting when they get back.

As nice as it has been to be with my sister (who I get along with) and have cousins for Anna to play with who adore her, I really hope this doesn't last for too long (I know, famous last words). I know that the Lord has a job in mind for us and a place He wants us to be next so that helps keep me from freaking out while we wait and Jason searches. I'm trying really hard not to think of this as an extended vacation and to feel like I live here. We had our church records transfered here and will be getting assignments or callings before too long. That should help. Probably also when the family gets back and we get into a life rhythm. However long it ends up being, it should be nothing if not interesting.

The RV

To get to California from Utah, we were able to drive in an RV. Let me explain. My Grandpa doesn't get around very well. I don't think he ever really has in my lifetime but it has gotten worse recently. He was really nervous about flying to Utah for the trip. So much so that I believe he thought he couldn't go and would just have to stay home. Of course we weren't going to let him do that so my parents rented an RV so they could take their time, Grandpa could sleep and they could get him there. For going home, my parents were going to stay an extra week in Utah and Idaho to visit longer with the kids who live there so that opened up two spaces for Jason and I (and Anna who doesn't take up that much space).

My dad had driven the whole way to Utah so we had to take turns driving back. Jason had us go for about 2-3 hours at a time. That way we could get up and stretch a bit and no one has to go for any really long stretches. I drove the part through Nevada. There was very little traffic (always a possibility around Vegas and with construction) which was very nice. The strange thing about driving it was that the steering was kind of loose. At one point, I was going around a turn and holding the wheel straight. It was also kind of windy which was a bit tricky holding it steady in the lane. All in all, it was not that bad to drive; more like a big van. Another strange thing was that although there was a rearview mirror, it did you no good because it just showed the back of the RV. I hadn't realized how much I use that mirror.

Anna did really well. For the most part we kept her in her carseat for safety but I couple of times, I got her out. I didn't have her walk around because I didn't think she could stay up (it was kind of a bumpy ride) but I held her on my lap and had her color. We also had her walk around as much as possible every time we stopped. At one point, we were in a grocery store parking lot and there was a horse trailer with some horses in it. Jason took her over to let her see them. When it got dark, I put her to sleep in her car seat and put it in the back so it would be dark and she slept the rest of the way.

There was some talk of driving to a KOA, staying the night and finishing the drive on Sunday (it generally takes 13 hours), especially since we didn't get on the road until about noon. When the time came to think about stopping though, no one wanted to. By the time it was dark, the next stop would have been Baker but it was only a few hours more to the coast so why not? Plus, Grandpa especially was getting antsy to get home. Getting in at 3 am seemed like a small price to pay to sleep in your own bed that wasn't bouncing around (as I said, bouncy). So we soldiered on. When we weren't driving, the drivers all had little naps at various times so we were awake and we arrived safely at about 3 (so it took us more like 15 hours, not too surprising). I had called my brother Ben (who couldn't go to the reunion because he had a play and couldn't get the time off) so he could leave the door unlocked and he decided to stay up to welcome us. In a zombie-like state, we unpacked at little as we could to go to sleep and crashed.

Family Time

Editor's Note: I am going to continue to try to catch-up with everything that has been happening for the past month. Unfortunately we had a bit of a camera lapse so the only pictures I have are ones taken from other people and most of those I don't have yet. (If you have a picture of my family taken at Aspen Grove, please email it to me!) I do have some so I will tell all about it as best I can.

Jason and my oldest nephew Christopher playing shuffleboard

After a couple of days in Utah just hanging out, the festivities began. On Wednesday we went down to a camp owned by the BYU Alumni Association called Aspen Grove. It's in the mountains near Sundance Ski Resort (owned by Robert Redford, not where they have the film festival) and is the best place ever to have a family reunion. This is our third time there thanks to my Grandpa (my mom's dad). They have cabins, a cafeteria that feeds us (pretty good food too), age appropriate classes for the kids including a place for babies, crafts, a ropes course, a fishing pond, organized tournaments for things like volley ball and badminton and plenty of time and places to just sit and chat.

My mom painting a figure of a dragon while my aunt Marilyn and uncle Marty watch.

This is the first time I had a baby and it was kind of a strange experience. After breakfast and lunch I jut dropped her off to play with other kids her age while I did whatever I wanted. Then before lunch and dinner I picked her up again. We both were able to enjoy ourselves doing our own thing. It was nice but strange to be without Anna for that long. I don't know how working mothers do it because I was ready to pick her up when it was time.

The first day, after people generally got there, (but some were still arriving) they had a bunch of games in the field. Our family is so big that it's hard to have us all on one team. It kind of turned into the kids doing the stuff and the parents following them around and talking. That night there was a thing in the little ampitheater where they had all the kids' classes do a cheer then the counselors did a bunch of really goofy skits (very similar to scout skits).

My nephew Dallin dancing.

After that, they played music and a bunch of kids from our family along with a few from other families went up on the stage and danced. It was so funny to watch them dance but the best part was my sister Emily (sorry Em). She was standing in the audience part and dancing right along with the kids. She is pregnant too so between her belly, her ability to groove and the fact that she was being a little bit silly for the kids (I hope) it was really funny to watch her dance.

Emily, me, Hilary and Marrisse beading.

Our first full day there, I spent the morning in the craft hut with a few sisters. They were making beaded necklaces. At first I wasn't going to make anything and was just finding beads but then I was sucked in and ended up making a pair of earrings. That afternoon I played frisbee golf with Jason and some brothers. I got creamed but it was fun. That night my mom reserved one of the rooms in the lodge and we all just got together and chatted. The reunion was all of my cousins on my mom's side and there are some people that we only seem to see at Aspen Grove.

Then my grandpa got all the kids gathered around him and they sang a song called 'Twoooooo Bluuuuue Pigeons' followed by all of us singing 'You've Got to Accentuate the Positive'.

Jason, me, Emily, Jen and Uche hiking to the falls.

The next day we decided to go for a hike to some water falls. We started by driving down to Sundance and taking the ski lift up the mountain. When there is no snow, a ski lift is dang far off the ground but the view is beautiful. Once at the top, we went a mile and a half to the falls. Crossing roaring rapids to get there.

Kristen then Emily crossing the "raging river of death" (Emperor's New Groove) with help from Josh, Dave and Jen.

Once we arrived, we enjoyed the falls for a little bit but by then we started to worry about not getting back in time to pick up our kids. So we called some people who were back at camp to pick them up, sent two guys to run down the mountain to try to get there sooner and and hurried back. Good thing we hurried too because it started to rain then hail on us. Fortunately it didn't do that for too long but we were still quite wet. We got back to camp in the last fifteen minutes of lunch (fortunately they don't kick you out early) and just in time for a real deluge. That afternoon was spent indoors, mostly in the game room with the pool tables, fusball, air hocky, and ping pong (I'm telling you this place had it all). That night after a closing program and I didn't pay too much attention to (what can I say, Anna wasn't in it) came the family dance. Anna and I like to dance together so this was a lot of fun even if she was really tired. It was also fun to watch other people and their kids dance. Emily wasn't feeling it this time but my cousin Teri and her husband really stepped up for the entertainment. At one point, she was on his shoulders and shimmying.

My grandpa with his four kids: Marily, Judy (my mom), Michael and Ron.

The next morning it was time to clean up and leave. Once we were all checked out, we hung around and just kept talking. We all took pictures with Grandpa in our families. For some reason, none of the the other family reunions stayed, just ours but none of us wanted to leave. After a couple of hours, we decided that we couldn't drag it out anymore and got into our RV and drove off into the sunset.

Hanging Around

One reason we got to Utah when we did was so we could spend a few days and visit where we used to live. So on Monday, we drove down to Salt Lake to get all nostalgic and eat at all of our favorite places that they don't have in the east. We went to this cute little burger joint called Shivers for lunch. The burgers are really only so-so, I quite like the fries but it's the shakes that get you going back. They have a ton of flavors and are the kind of shakes that are more like cups of soft ice cream and they serve it with a spoon (not really my kind of shake, I do like to be able to use a straw, but still yummy). Mine was German Chocolate: chocolate ice cream with coconut and chopped nuts. So good! We were meeting up with my brother to see his office (designed by some locally well-known architects and LEED Platinum rated, I think, so we had to go see it) so we brought him the food and we ate in a conference room.

The office was pretty cool. Apparently a lot of people take tours through there (it is one of only two LEED Platinum rated spaces in the greater Salt Lake area) so people didn't really think twice to have us going around. After looking and talking, we let Aaron get back to all the work he had to do and went in search of some sunglasses for Jason.

A little while ago, Jason finally admitted that his eyesight was bad enough that he couldn't drive without his glasses anymore. Of course with that bright Utah sun, he couldn't drive without sunglasses. So, we went in search of the kind the clip onto glasses. Finally, by the third store and after driving all the way down to Sandy (over half-way down the valley) we found some that fit his glasses. (And this wasn't just him being picky, the second store didn't have any that fit, they were either too big or too small. Naturally he would have the awkward sized glasses.) Then, since we were down there anyway, we went and closed an old bank account. So Monday was a day for running errands.

On Tuesday, we were able to have a little bit more fun. We had lunch with a couple of people that Jason went to school with for his Undergrad. They got their Masters last year (it's a two year program) and are working for area firms. We met them at Cafe Rio (best pulled pork salad ever!) and got caught up while I ate an obscene amount (my whole salad for those of you who know). It was fun talking to them.

Then we went up to the University of Utah and walked around. I was blinded by all the red in the bookstore. Then again by the sun off the big concrete plaza by the library. Since we left, they had re-done the library to be better in the event of an earthquake. Now there are a ton of windows and it's all bright inside. After that, it was off to the architecture building. It was mostly empty (being summer and all) but we did run into one of Jason's old teachers. She was the one that kind of encouraged Jason to go to Penn and that it should be his first choice. So we had fun talking to her and telling her what we have been up to. Anna even said her name (Mimi) which was fun.

For nostalgia's sake, we then drove around our old neighborhood a little bit before going back to the Smalley's house. It was so strange to be back there. It was all familiar, not much had changed, but seemed so long ago. It was also really weird to think that we didn't have Anna when we lived there. What did I do with myself? I especially felt it when we went to the library (not previously mentioned but we quickly stopped by while looking for the sunglasses on Monday). It was strange to think that all the times I went there, I wasn't pulling her out of the car seat and taking the elevator up, I would just get out and run up the stairs. Strange.

While all of this was going on, we were also spending time with family. On Sunday night, we had dinner with Aaron and Marrisse. We hadn't seen them in person since we left Utah and neither of us had seen the other's baby in person. It was a fun and relaxing evening. Then on Monday, Megan arrived with her 4 kids with Josh coming on Tuesday night. Not to mention, visiting with Emily and Troy and their kids. All of this was just a precursor to the big family reunion that started on Wednesday.

Safely in Utah

We have officially moved out of Philadelphia. I don't think it's really sunk in yet seeing as we are kind of on vacation and don't know where we are going after this. We've had kind of a crazy last few days. After planning and packing, we were ready to move out on Friday. We had some guys from church come to help us and a friend watched Anna. In about two hours, we got everything out of our place and into the moving truck.



After a little bit of a break and a few errands we went to the storage unit. We had decided to put all of our stuff into storage until we have a better destination. One of our friends had come to help us move in the morning but we asked him to come back later so we could have help with getting things into the storage unit also. He was so helpful. He was all about strategy to make sure everything fit (and it did). The storage place we used had it all indoors. You drive your car into their area and they have big carts/dolly things to wheel your stuff to the actual unit. I learned that I'm not very good at putting things together. A couple of times, I tried to put stuff on one of the carts. When Jason got back to it, he pointed out that it looked precarious. I stepped back and let them make it more stable.



That night, some friends of mine were going out to dessert and didn't mind that I was sweaty and had no make-up on. It was so fun to have one last night with some of my friends talking, eating brownie sundaes (almost all of us got one) and window shopping. We were all reluctant to go and ended up talking in the car until after 10. Then I joined Jason and a sleeping Anna at another friends' house where we spent the night (seeing as our place was empty). They were watching 13 Days when I got there and by the time it was over, it was almost 1 am! Apparently we were too tired to go to bed.



The next morning, we went back and cleaned before getting on the airplane to fly to Utah. The flight went uneventfully and we even arrived to Denver (our layover) a half hour early. Unfortunately, the next flight to Salt Lake was about a half hour late so we had a long time in that airport. By this time, Anna was pretty tired and wiggly. So much so that she was out before the back wheels were off the ground and slept the whole flight. I had a lovely, relaxing flight that was really over too soon.



Now we are staying with my sister Emily and her family in their big, beautiful house. They have a kitten and Anna is enamored. Fortunately, Emily has a three year old so the kitty is very patient with being followed, poked and pulled. Maybe some day we will be able to have one too.

Funny Anna

I don't have a video of this yet but I hope to soon. Anna has started a new kind of dancing. She sits in her seat and wiggles her shoulders back and forth. It looks a lot like she is trying to shimmy. Naturally I have no idea where she got this from. It is hilarious!

Moving Tips

Personal packing tip: Put masking tape on the blades of knives to 'prevent him from hurting himself, and others' (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels).