Back to Eden

Even before Julia returned from her mission, we were so excited at the prospect of having the entire family together and on one continent that we decided to book a little family trip before Elisabeth headed to Germany on June 9th. We accordingly booked an Airbnb stay at a trampoline gym in Salina, UT over Memorial Day weekend before Elisabeth flew out and Julia was too engrossed in her studies to leave.

Miriam was so excited she helped pack the bags immediately. Actually Elisabeth's start date was moved up to May 21st (before Memorial Day weekend for anyone checking their 2025 calendar ages and ages hence) and so the purpose was defeated. Lia accordingly looked for a substitute getaway. What she found was Paradise. Or at least Eden. As in Eden, Utah, a few miles outside of Ogden, UT. The greatest item on offer was a hot tub, which Gabriel immediately started dreaming of, singing of, speaking of, and talking non-stop about. Did we mention that Gabriel was excited for the hot tub? Well, he was.

Monday we had an entire family home evening lesson on the joys of Wholesome Recreational Activities and how WRAs are an integral part of a Happy Family Life per the Proclamation on the Family, but WRAs are only part of an HFL if everyone DTP (does their part). Proof that out of all the teachers that have ever lived, Justin is one of the best: even though we left Thursday evening far later than we intended, no one complained. Even though everyone had to make great sacrifices to make this trip happen, no one mentioned their slighted instrument lessons, missed soccer games, delinquent classes, dropped work calls, or missed end-of-year parties. People brought their homework and did it during down times. No one fought over places in the car or music choices or any food items. Everyone helped pack up and pack out. There was zero room for improvement on this trip.

(Abdiel catching a snake while working with a neighbor and Justin after we returned)

(Visiting David O. McKay's home in Huntsville, UT)

(Enjoying the impressively well-appointed library provided by the condo owners. Katharine finished Boys in the Boat a second time during our short sojourn, and Justin got hooked on The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.)

(Justin, Lia, Elisabeth, Abdiel, Gwyn, Gabriel, and Miriam stopped by Eden Park Friday afternoon. The local Scout troop was hosting all sorts of festivities, including a climbing wall, a larger-than-life Rubber Ducky, Cornhole, Archery, and--best of all--frozen bananas. Lia, especially, loves stumbling upon good old hometown fun, so she was delighted.)

(Friday morning Justin and the big kids went to the temple to do baptisms while Lia and the little kids checked out the Dinosaur Park. Afterward Justin snagged some amazing pastries from an Italian bakery called Sapori's and then we had a picnic on what we thought was Tabernacle Park because it was so labeled on our Google Maps. When we were mostly done anyway, we were informed by someone in authority that picnics on temple grounds are prohibited. Oops!)

Well, maybe just the teensiest, tinesiest room for improvement. Deciding to assuage our bruised egos back home at the hot tub after getting kicked out of our picnic, we went home instead of on a hike and donned our Swimsuit Best. We skipped and scamped over to the hot tub. Gabriel put his big toe in and began howling in pain. He howled in protest. He howled in injustice. He howled only because he had started howling, and he did not stop howling until a solid hour later when he had been tucked into his bed and wrapped in his blanket by a very patient but beleaguered father while everyone else stayed at the hot tub. 

No one stayed long at the hot tub, but between winter and the altitude, it was long enough for everyone to get burned from a different source than Gabriel had been. Some played Bananagrams and other games while Gabriel slept, some went on nature walks and collected wildflower bouquets, some headed to Rectangle Reservoir (self-named) to bleed their hearts over ducks and geese and swans. And maybe a California Condor or two, which seem to pop up with as much regularity as peanuts in our garden.

When Gabriel awakened, the crew above-mentioned headed to Eden Park and stumbled upon the carnival. We then had a delicious grilled cheese, tomato soup, and smoothie dinner followed by a viewing of Prince Caspian. 

Saturday morning saw a repeat of Friday mornings descent upon the clubhouse where people variously played the piano, made good use of the weight room, ping-ponged to the tune of A and D (Abdiel literally could identify the tones the paddles were registering, or at least that they were a fourth apart from each other), and once again hot tubbed. Gabriel was once again in despair about the temperature. We met an interesting local who shared that he had been shot by his crazy sister with a .22 rifle which explained the various scars on his body. He was glad, given his family, that he only had one sibling; he was sure, given ours, that we must not have anyone so unstable among us. 

Everyone helped pack up and check out by 11 at which point we headed to Wheeler Creek trailhead. Miriam fell asleep in the interim, so Justin sat in the car with her while the rest of us hiked for 30 minutes in one direction and then turned back. The return trip took less time, but it was enough for Justin to get Miriam all packed up in the baby backpack and only up the trail a few feet before the rest of us met him. We then got duped into buying some overpriced truffles at a place that claims to be a sweet and soda shop but is actually the brick and mortar for an online home decor store, but loved the food and set-up at Ogden Pizza where we played Do You Really Know Your Family? while we waited for our order. 

Well fed, we stopped by President David O. McKay's perfectly lovely home in Huntsville, UT before performing a reader's theater about a Princess Mouse, a folktale from Finland, and listening to a little bit of music on the way home. Everyone helped unload the car and we managed to begin a fast on whatever was left in the fridge. Justin and Abdiel helped Jeff Campbell with his Saturday project.

Today featured an absolutely heavenly hour of Julia, Elisabeth, Katharine, and Gwyn playing their instruments together for Rosie Sargeant, our dear friend who will be moving to an assisted living center in Layton, Utah this week. Rosie's granddaughter, Delia, stopped by for a surprise visit just at that time and so lent her gorgeous singing voice to the music, off-setting Lia's less lovely warbles. Justin was the man of the hour, of course, hauling harps through the rain both there and back. 

In other news of the week, Julia began Spring term classes; Justin taught a session of Women's Conference on Defending Our Divinely Inspired Constitution in the Home (which Lia and four friends got to attend because Julia supplied babysitting); and Justin also appeared on the D&C Sections 41-44 episode of the BYUtv show Come, Follow Up. Tuesday evening Justin and Lia attended the President's Dinner on campus (which Lia got to attend because Elisabeth provided babysitting) and Justin was stopped by a stranger on the way out, "Hey! Didn't I just see you on Come, Follow Up?!" It's so fun to be famous.