Our trip to Utah!

The week before Christmas, we had the opportunity to fly to Utah for 6 days. Ben's grandmother turned 100 on December 20th, and the family had planned a big party in her honor on the 19th. As 6 of Ben's 7 siblings were going to be there for the event, we decided that not only would it be a great opportunity to celebrate grandma becoming a centenarian, but also for me to meet some of Ben's family that I had never met! We flew out very early on Wednesday the 16th from Atlanta, but with a connecting flight in Phoenix, it felt like the longest airplane ride of my life. (Pregnancy and airplanes don't mix very well, I've decided.) Plus we were flying with Ben's sister and her 4 children, ages 8, 5, 3 and 2 months. (Children and airplanes don't mix very well either.) Nevertheless, despite a few spilled drinks and trying to get the 3-year-old not to kick the seat in front of her more than once every 20 seconds or so, we finally made it to Salt Lake where it was ... not as chilly as I was expecting! Or maybe that's because I am expecting ... hmmm ... Very luckily, although I was 5 months pregnant, my big winter coat still fit me! I don't get a chance to wear that coat very often, so it was nice to be able to use it.

While in Utah, we stayed with Ben's brother Nathan and his family in Highland. Their oldest daughter gave up her queen-sized bed and bedroom for us, which we were very grateful for. We had a very good time getting to know Nathan's family, and playing Ticket to Ride with them, which we immediately purchased with some Christmas money upon our return to Georgia! We also saw Avatar with Nathan, and made waffles for everyone for breakfast. They were so impressed with the waffles that they sent us back home with a Belgian waffle maker. We were also able to catch up with some old friends (although we didn't have time for everyone), and we were able to go to the temple which was a HUGE blessing. With the Atlanta temple being closed for extensive renovations, we are now 4 hours from a temple which is difficult for this pregnant lady. Being able to attend the temple was a wonderful, wonderful experience. Aside from the birthday party, it was definitely the highlight of our trip.

The birthday party on Saturday was really neat. I got to meet some of my mother-in-law's siblings, and distant cousins and such. Ben's sister Michelle put together about a 16-foot timeline of grandma's life, complete with pictures and world events for comparison. Ben couldn't imagine what women did before the invention of the bra in 1913. The timeline was really amazing to look at. It took several hours of preparation, and then a couple of more hours to assemble before the party.



There were quite a few people at the party, which was held at grandma's ward building. It was pretty informal, mostly just eating and a small program where people were able to tell stories about grandma. We were able to get our picture taken with grandma, which if I can find it ... aha!



Our flight back on Monday was MUCH faster than the flight out. We flew via Denver, but our flight from Salt Lake was delayed so we had to run (or try to) once we got to Denver in order to make our connecting flight. When we got to our gate, who should we see but Ben's uncle and cousin waiting for the same flight! They had left on an earlier flight but still were scheduled to be on our flight, and on top of that, they had been assigned seats in the same row. What a coincidence! I had a good time chatting with Ben's cousin, who lives with her husband and 3 boys about an hour away from us.

All in all, we feel very blessed that we were able to make this trip. With a baby on the way, I'm not sure when we'll be able to make a trip like this again, much less be able to get together with so many of Ben's siblings and nieces and nephews. It really is true that the most important things in life are the members of your family. I'm so glad that we were able to spend some time forging lasting relationships with Ben's family.