A Lil Getaway

We just got back from a trip to Saint George with Scotty’s extended family. 

We left a few days early and spent some time in Brian Head. We stayed two nights at an air bnb (a condo that was really old but still nice enough for what we needed).

Brian Head

We went hiking in Cedar Breaks and ate at a really yummy place called the Burger Barn. It was pricey but so delicious!

Cedar Breaks

It's practically a salad!

Scotty's burger was so loaded (bacon, pulled pork, onion rings, and cole slaw) but so delicious!

The chicken fingers/iPad kids (and Eva's trademark photo face)

We had rented a pontoon at Panguitch Lake for Saturday, but a few days before our reservation the company called us and said they had to cancel due to low water. Scotty was devastated, but then he found a pontoon rental at Navajo Lake and booked there instead. 

When we got to the lake on Saturday afternoon, it was really windy. Scotty went and talked to the people we rented the pontoon from (two guys sitting on a porch smoking and drinking moonshine). They said we could still go out in the wind if we wanted to. I don't know what we thought would happen, but we gave it a whirl. We went out to the pontoon (escorted to the dock by a guy on a four wheeler drinking a beer) and found that it was quite... well... homemade? The benches were made out of 2x4's and the awning was a metal frame with a tin roof - half of which was missing (and while we were out on the lake, a chunk blew off). 

We attempted to drive out a bit, anchor the boat, and do some fishing, but it just didn't work out. It was so windy and miserable, and when we looked around, we realized we were the only people out on the lake. We decided to call it and go back to shore. Four wheeler guy saw us coming and met us there to park the boat, and they were nice and refunded our money. 

Since those plans fell through, we went back to the condo and went swimming and hung our for the rest of the night. 

On Sunday we headed into Cedar City and went to a park. Then we stopped by Walmart to buy Eva some shirts (she claims she packed shirts and someone stole them...) and a treat to take to our friends who just moved to Cedar City a few days prior (imagine moving 3.5 hours away and having us show up unexpectedly - you can't get away from us! You just can't!) We stopped for lunch and then went to the Frontier Homestead State Park Museum (which we've been to before) (horrible name, by the way. Who can remember that? I had to Google it). 

After the museum, we stopped at Maverik for sodas to sip on the way to Saint George. 

But rewind... while we were driving through Cedar City, we passed a really cool, old church a couple of times, and Scotty decided he wanted to peek inside. 

He opened the doors and there was a guy standing right there, and he invited us to come in and look around. Church was in session, so we tippy toed into the back of the chapel during Sunday school. The chapel was really cool (definitely old - the building was built in 1931). The pews were made from local cedar wood, and the rostrum is really unique. The entrance is a split level, so when you walk in, you have to go up or down stairs. The chapel is upstairs and the classrooms are downstairs. In the basement there is an old baptismal font that is no longer in use:

I've never seen anything like that in a church before! It was in a teeny tiny room, and I couldn't help but think that if my kids has been baptized in that room, we wouldn't have been able to fit our immediate family and grandparents in there! (It doesn't help that we have 8 parents!)

The outside of the church is really cool and definitely different from our modern day cookie-cutter buildings. I love old churches, but I can see how our churches nowadays are far more functional, even though they lack personality. Its always been my dream (since reading Wait Till Helen Comes) to live in an old church. If anyone ever needs me to make this church my home, I am willing to do that for the betterment of society.  

Home Sweet Church

On to Saint George...

Nerdy facts: there is a desert garden with an agave plant currently in bloom. Agave plants only bloom every 10-30 years. They can get up to 15 feet tall and can grow a foot a day prior to blooming! Scotty insisted that we go see the agave plant, so that was our first stop upon arriving in Saint George. This is evidence that I am now married to an old man (Mr. Wilson, perhaps?)

We stayed two nights in Saint George and spent time playing games, swimming, and eating delicious food with extended family. Facts about this side of the family: there are 8 families + grandma and grandpa (not all came, but most did). We had 37 people there. It's pure chaos. Very fun but very exhausting and overstimulating. 

And I didn't take a single picture after we saw the agave plant other that these two:

Watching The Music Man

Daisy's weird eating rituals

Everyone was scattered throughout the trip, and we just didn't catch any pictures. They probably would have been motion blurred anyway!

We had a good time, but we had to leave a day early because we had tickets to see Back to the Future the Musical (our Christmas gift to Zoe) (It. Was. Amazing!)

We always love a road trip, and we had a lot of fun. Coming back to real life is bitterweet. I love the comforts of home, but gosh, it's good to get away! 

Sunday Sentiments - Encounters

I always appreciate an Uchtdorf talk. In April's General Conference, he gave an address titled, "Encounter at the Empty Tomb."

After Christ's death, a small group of women came to His tomb and found Him missing. President Uchtdorf stated:

I have tried to imagine the depth of their grief. 

I can't. 

I have tried to imagine their heartache, helplessness, and hopelessness. 

I can't.

I've been taught my whole life about Christ's death and why it happened. I haven't fully understood the depth or magnitude of the sacrifice, but I've always had the knowledge of its occurrence and its outcome. For me, Christ's death has always been part of a story I've known the ending to. I never had to experience His death without knowing He was resurrected.

The women who found the tomb empty - Mary, Mary, Salome, and Joanna - had to experience Christ's death without knowing what would happen next. Fortunately that time of not knowing was short, and they were able to witness the beautiful miracle of Christ's resurrection. 

But still, there was a space of time where they had to face the unknown. I'm sure that in addition to immense grief, they had questions - deep, hard questions. I'm sure they felt overwhelming fear. 

But then, the miracle. 

President Uchtdorf said, "Early on that Sunday morning... a small group of friends who, despite grief, fear, and unanswered questions, encountered the empty tomb and learned for themselves the glorious truth of His Resurrection... these few women became the world's first witnesses of the single greatest event in the history of this world. "

I try to imagine how it would feel to witness Christ's death followed by His resurrection. 

Tremendous relief. 

Unfathomable awe. 

President Uchtdorf notes that, although we were not there on that Easter morning, we can still figuratively “encounter the tomb.” He asks, “What have we seen, felt, or experienced?” He encourages us to become witnesses of Jesus Christ and let our testimonies of Him make a difference in our lives. 

I hope to experience tremendous relief and unfathomable awe someday when I see my Savior face to face. In the meantime, I look for traces of Him everywhere, and I try to recognize my own “encounters” with Jesus. I haven’t yet seen, but I have felt. 

Conversations While Hiking (and such)

“This is boring. I’d rather be on a hike.”

-Daisy regarding the Human History Museum

—————

Daisy: I wonder how these rocks were formed.

Scotty: Read the placard, and it will tell you.

Daisy: It’s summer break. I don’t read.

—————

“Don’t fall! I can’t afford another mom!”

-Zoe

—————

“I just saved you 8 days of walking!”

-Daisy to a beetle after she carried it down the trail and placed it on a rock

—————

“You don’t need no fish to play fishing. Animal Crossing taught me that.”

-Daisy

—————

Me: Did you know that you should never carve in trees?

Eva: Yes.

Me: Okay, good. I wasn’t sure if Dad and I had ever taught you that.

Eva: You didn’t teach me that. I just know it from looking at trees.

—————

“When I’m tired, I get lots of energy.”

-Daisy, who always contradicts herself 

—————

Daisy: YOLO, Dad!

Scotty: I forgot what that means.

Eva: You forgot what FROYO means?

Scotty: No, not FROYO, FROMO!

Daisy: Dad, you’re mixing up YOLO and FOMO.

Scotty: What the heck is FOMO?

—————

“If I can catch men with my hands, I can catch fish with my hands.”

-Daisy

—————

“Eva, do a nice face, please.”

“EVA! Please do a nice face.”

“A nice face!”

“EVA!!”

Things The Kids Say: Episode 41

 “It takes a really long time to get someone pregnant.”

-Eva

—————

“I live with a man with big nostrils.”

-Zoe

Zoe and Daisy playing in the rain last weekend

—————

“I really want an orange, but I’m too lazy to peel one, so I’m just going to look at one and think about what it tastes like.”

-Eva

—————

Me: This breakfast sandwich is killer.

Zoe: Is that even a word anymore?

—————

“Did you know that Frankenstein isn’t really named Frankenstein? Frankenstein is the guy that looks like Albert Einstein that made Frankenstein.”

-Eva

Eva wrapped in a Christmas quilt on the first day of summer break (we had a storm and it was pretty cold)

—————

“Would you like me to yodel you to sleep?”

-Eva

—————

“I haven’t seen a tater tot in almost a year!”

-Nicky

Nicky’s last day in Antigua

Welcome Summer

Things we’ve done since school got out: 

Had a root beer float party

Had a weenie roast

Went to church

Went to a birthday party

Did sidewalk chalk (multiple times)

Rode bikes (multiple times)

Went to the park (multiple times)

Went to a movie

Played board games (multiple times)

Went to Hobby Lobby

Did crafts (with supplies from Hobby Lobby)

Played in sprinklers

Watched lots and lots of TV

Ate pizza

Went to Grandmas’ houses (multiple times)

Played on an inflatable slide

Played hands up stands up

Went to work

Talked to Nicky on the phone

Started tumbling classes

Did chores (multiple times)

Went to the garden center

Went grocery shopping

Went thrift shopping (Daisy found a prom dress)

—————

I feel like I’ve lived 1,000 lives since Friday.

Only 70 days left.

Currently (June 2026 Edition)

Reading:

I have an actual hard copy of this book from the library, and I have to admit, it's difficult to pick it up and read it. I used to be so anti-e-reader, and now that's the only way I like to read because my book is always in my pocket. 

Singing: “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye

Buying: new life jackets for the fam.

Eating: Honey Nut Cheerios and chips & salsa (I do not recommend this combination based on the afterburps).

Watching:

I haven't started watching this yet, but it's next on my list. 

Dreading: sleeping. I don't like sleeping because every night is a gamble - will I actually get any sleep, or will I wake up in a perimenopausal episode (or from neuropathy pain or from a child with a bloody nose...) and fall back asleep twenty minutes before I have to get up for the day?

Annoyed by: sounds I'm not in control of. 

Listening to:

As with my latest TV show, I haven't yet started this one, but it's next on the list.

Procrastinating: weeding. I was doing so good keeping up on the weeds in the garden, and then I went outside the other day and BAM! A bazillion tiny weeds had surfaced! And I think if I let them grow a wee bit they will be easier to grip and pull out of the ground. But those could be famous last words.

Playing:

Sad about: social situations I've observed with my children. The friendships that have crumbled lately, the parties they weren't invited to, the moments they seem lost or depressed, the interactions they are left out of. 

Eating: hot dogs. We had a weenie roast over the weekend, and we have a few leftover hot dogs that need to be eaten. 

Craving: a binge-worthy TV show on a cold, rainy day. 

Suffering from: weird hair. The front sections of my hair are shorter than the rest of my hair, and the right side is an inch shorter than the left. 

Feeling: neutral. I'm not particularly happy nor unhappy. I'm just neutral. 

Looking forward to: watching our garden grow this summer. What successes will we have? (And what failures... insert sad face). We should be picking peas soon!

Buying: 

I added the Simpsons to my Little People collection.

Laughing about: a poor, little child using our bathroom the other day and bumping the bidet and getting a terrible surprise! It was sad and hilarious. And she was quite soaked.

Grateful for: our recent rainstorm.

Sunday Sentiments - Looking for Lagniappes

Last week I was able to listen to one of Nicky's former companions report on his mission from Oregon (what a fun perk of technology!) The program included a talk from a young woman who was leaving on her mission to Louisiana. Ironically, she lived in Louisiana as a child, so she would be returning to her former home to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ... but in Spanish!

I loved this sister's talk! I learned something kind of fun from her. In Louisiana (and nearby regions) there is a commonly used creole word - lagniappe (LAN-yap) - which means "a little something extra." It is used to describe a small gift or bonus, usually given at a time of purchase.

As we strive to obey the commandments and follow our Savior, I believe we are frequently sprinkled with "a little something extra." Lagniappes from the Lord, if you will. A lagniappe is offered by the vendor - it isn't usually requested. Likewise, there are blessings we pray for and desperately need, but then there are the ones we don't ask for. They are delightful, little surprises we don't expect! Indeed, "a little something extra." 

I've written before about my testimony of tithing. I can't explain it logically, but tithing just... works. Somehow it brings forth the lagniappes. I've also had similar experiences with some Church assignments. As I have given my best efforts to various Church callings, I've received lagniappes like multiplied talents and sacred experiences. 

Now that I have a word for it, I'll be looking for more lagniappes from the Lord - those little surprise blessings. something extra I didn’t even know I needed! I only hope I don't have to continue trying to spell it. 

Actual footage of me discovering another lagniappe