Trip to Utah - April 2011

All I can say is my trip to visit my kiddos was FANTASTIC!!! Which it could have been longer, but I will take what I can get.

Once we got to Provo about 12:00 noon we checked into our Hotel (which is another funny story for another day, but lets just say I use the word motel room very loosely! lol!) then I was taken to Allison and John's apartment where I met up with Allison. I switched to her car and then we went to pick up John from his final as he was done and I asked where they wanted to have lunch and John picked McDonald's - of all the fast food joints - so funny that, that is his favorite. Then we took John to work and headed to Sandy, Utah where we were scheduled to meet the tailor that is going to do the alterations on Allison's bridesmaids dress for her best friends wedding this summer. Our ultimate destination was to the Hospital that Anne Marie works at to see her and to have dinner with her and meet all the people she works with!


My girls in the hospital's cafeteria - I have to say, some of the best food I've had in a hospital cafeteria.


Making our rounds to meet Anne Marie's boss and co-workers. I love this picture of the three of us! The only thing that would have made it better is if Aileen could have been in it too.

After our visit with Anne Marie and me giving Anne Marie her gifts, Allison and I headed back to Provo. Allison let me relax in her apartment while she went to pick up John from work and picked up pies from "The Village Inn"! Oh, my goodness I had forgotten what good pies tasted like. We got French silk and Banana cream and they were so good. they lasted us the whole week anytime we were playing cards, or breakfast, or whatever was needed. he-he!

We did play cards that night and ate some pie until the wee hours of the morning. Then they took me back to my motel and I watched their eyes get huge as they saw where I was staying and had a good laugh when they asked if the numbers to my room were really written on in magic marker!!! Yes they were!!!


The next morning Allison and I drove up to Salt Lake again to see Anne Marie before she had to go into work. We went shopping at the Book store (which is Anne Marie's favorite place to shop) and then went to "Cheese Cake Factory" for a scrumptious lunch!

After which we headed back to Provo to pick up John and give him his gift from me.......


The "Hunger Games" books! I knew that any guy who loved the television show "24" where people have to cut off their own arms with an ax to free themselves from a bomb, would love the books "The Hunger Games". He had actually heard of the books and was excited now that his finals were done to get to read them. He had them finished before the next week was done!!!


Allison, John and I all went to see my niece Shelley and her husband Sean, as she had just had a baby a few months ago and I had a baby gift for Mack!


Of course my outfit was too big for right now but we had fun trying on the hat I got to go with it anyway! he is soooooo cute!!! I love being a great aunt.


The bonus was that Sandi and her cute kiddos were there too! So I got to see several of my great nieces and nephews, as well as two of my beautiful nieces. And they are beautiful inside and out. And it was fun for the cousins to be together again (Sandi, Shelley, and Allison).

Love this picture of John and Mack! I think he will be good at this when the time comes!!!

Allison with sweet Macy! (who, by the way, would have nothing to do with me!!!)


Picture of everyone on the trampoline!

Sandi, Amelia, Shelley, Macy, Ty, Brady, Allison, and John.

Thursday night Allison and I went shopping to get her gifts and then we picked up John from Work and ordered Chinese and settled in to enjoy the movie "Salt" which surprisingly I liked very much! I'm not a big Angelina Jolie fan, but this was a good movie. John's sister Jessica was up in Salt Lake and headed back to Provo, so John called her and asked if she would mind picking up Anne Marie and bringing her down to be with us....so that was an unexpected surprise to get to see Anne Marie one more time.

Friday morning John picked me up at the motel after dropping Allison off to work and we went back to their apartment to wake up Anne Marie so we could play more cards! Which we did and even though I did not win, my claim to fame this visit is that I caught John with a hand full of cards twice!!! John always wins so that is really something if he gets caught! We then took Anne Marie back up to Salt Lake so she could go to work.

When back in Provo, we picked up Allison and went to this new place that they have been dying for me to try - "J-Dawgs" and it was really good. In fact it was graduation day and the line was down the street but worth the wait. I kind of laughed and thought....You've just graduated College and this is where you want to go to dinner.....until I tasted it and then I agreed, couldn't get much better than that!

John got to pick the movie we went to so he picked Rio in 3-D. It was a lot of fun and the colors and music were so bright we all decided that Aileen would probably like it and that I should take her to it when I got back to Ft. Worth.

I took a nap and then MaryAnn and Jessica came and picked me up that night and we drove through the night to Colorado Springs, Co, so that MaryAnn could attend the funeral of her Uncle. I slept through the funeral at the house, kind of the house sitter....and then we drove the rest of the way home during the night once again and got home Easter Morning at 5:30 am.

It was indeed a whirlwind of activity and a very quick trip. But so glad I was able to go and see everyone that I miss and love and pray for so very much! I love my family! They are the greatest children anyone could ask for!

Thanks, Anne Marie, Allison, and John!