Running to Utah Non-Stop, Almost

Our family reunion wasn't large by any means, but it was so important and so sweet. There is nothing  that fills me with more joy than see my mother-in-law so excited and happy. We asked my mother to come with us and of course, my Marnie and her family wanted to come and visit, also.

My mother got to visit her brother in St. George and they were able to travel all around the large valley and explore so many of the places my Uncle Terry and Aunt Eileen love, in beautiful St. George. I also had a great visit with one of my favorite cousins, Wes Wellman and his darling wife, Delores. They live right on the edge of St. George in Washington. What a view!

This journey right-back to Utah again was literally, "spur-of-the-moment" I hadn't completely unpacked. Steve's mother really wanted to see her closest sibling and Steve had first cousins that would be there that he had never met and some he hadn't seen in over 35 years. We had to go. The plus in all this was that even my children from came "outta' the deep snow" up in Sevier and Sanpete county to come down and see us all.

It was just as if we just dropped everything and took-off pretty late in the morning and did a straight-shot to St. George. I felt like a pioneer and it was a bit rough. I'm not complaining! We were on vacation! Even if it was only three days. St. George seems big but we stayed at the Best Western Inn Coral Hills, oh it is wonderful and brand-new remodeled and right on St. George Blvd. old town. I wanted to walk around. But we took my mom out to Hurricane to the motel to check-in and then right over the freeway and to this "gorging palace" called the Chuck-a-Rama. I've never been there, but I can tell you it was good, but confusing. Food piled everywhere. We ate and went to bed. I think I just had laid my head on the pillow and "H-E-L-L-O! Get-up, get dressed and go find another place to gorge ourselves. We didn't have far to go because we ended-up not having time to go back to our room to dress-up for the party. It was already time to eat at the gathering and was one block down from Chuck-a-Rama. The place was for wedding receptions and wasn't too shabby! I'm sorry...it was just plain fancy!

70th Anniversary Mr. & Mrs. Boyd Patten

Dune Patten Lazenby & her Brother Boyd (90 yrs. old)

My Daughter Larin and baby Finlee with Great Uncle Boyd

My Daughter Marnie and my Grand daughter, Adree

Grandson's Best Friends: Dallin & Dean

We attended the dinner and then went to the club-house and again, there was a big feast. My grand children that were with us were either possessed by "cabin fever" or lack of movement from being "straight-jacketed" in their car seats for hours and hours. Energy was bursting forth in their young bodies and with the sunshine and beautiful day they went out to the parking lot and started an impromptu "conga line" without music. I don't know if they even have ever saw a "conga line" maybe it was "run-like-a-train" game. Oh, Pressie just told me it was, "Choo-choo Train." My husband had my new camera and went really nuts with all the pictures. I posted an YouTube video with all the pictures for my children. I really should have been there to yell at him ... like he said to me, "take your finger off the button!" I had way, way too many pictures. Our camera shows we never tire of them.

Then, something caught my grand children's eyes. "low and behold" there was a St. George Senior Center "water feature" I will bet to say, none of the children would guess, even the oldest, that all the water was there for swimming and wading. We don't have those in Ventura County much. I don't know where one is...but we are located by the ocean, and it's for swimming. We also have a crick in the backyard by our Jurassic Park and just down the bank.

Oh, and a senior bridge is here for jumping off in the water! Didn't have to blink twice and those little kids were in it! Ducks, bugs, and miscellaneous worms are no matter. The grand kids from Salina in thigh-high snow also thought 50 degrees warm was no biggie. That's dang warm. Yep, you guessed it. There's still snow in the shady places in St. George did anyone see that? No.

Next stop for Steve and I, and all the gang, was to meet my cousin Wes and Delores for dinner at the Golden Corral. Great Food and a "way" different atmosphere. But, again...I have never seen a spread like that before, ever. What is it with all these buffets? Is it a Mormon thing? It should be called the "Golden Feed Bin" or "The Load It Up Corral" hahahah...St. George is a "Feed Lot" for humans!

My grandchildren were all wet and dirty, so they didn't get to go to dinner and went to clean-up at the motel room. We said our good-byes and the Utah group went back home. Too soon for me.

Yes, we did manage a Cracker-Barrel stop. Wow! Shopping and eating combined. Great draw. I really love that place.

Wes and Delores invited us to their Senior Branch close to St. George, but I think in Washington City and also at a new chapel. We went to church just before we left for home on Sunday. It was wonderful to visit another ward and be with them.

My mother and my Uncle Terry and Aunt Eileen were right in the parking lot of "Chuck-a-Lot" and we did know where that was. We sure weren't hungry and my mom hadn't had breakfast either. It was just a fast-dash home again. We were already starting out late at 12:30 pm. We took just a few pictures and it was off for another "Vanishing Point" run across the desert.

Uncle Terry & Aunt Eileen O'Connor

Mom and Uncle Terry, her Younger Brother

Eileen and I in The Parkin' Lot

Picture by: Fran Golden

I didn't get enough of St. Geroge. The sunsets and sunrises were amzing with an explostion of color We have a somewhat, 'pink-moment' at home, but here... the whole sky was a kaleidoscope. The whole world was breath-taking. Our jaws dropped and I had to get a photo off the Internet when I was doing this post because we were so awe-struck at the sky, we didn't even take-out the camera. I can't believe we didn't take pictures of all of the sunrises and sunsets.

I want to see the history of St. George, attend the beautiful temple, and know about the settlers and how they found this lovely place. I want to discover the surrounding area, like my aunt and uncle have done, and I'm jealous of their exploration of Pine Valley. I want to shop! I didn't say buy. Our house has this saying about the difference between shopping and buying. My husband will let me shop my heart-out if he can stay in the car. Shopping was always meant to mean "looking at" not even coveting...just looking. I sure don't want to eat, I've done a lot of that. I'm going to say it, just say it...I want to buy! I want to go to Harmon's. Mom and I want some old-fashioned candy. Walnettos and some little Scotty Dog Licorice. Yummm. So, this is on my list, stuff I need, and I'm writing it in my blog so I can say, "I wrote it down"  "This isn't shopping, Steve" "See, it's right here on my list" "Candy!"   (just a note...I lost weight on this trip. I ate like crazy, didn't move except to sit down from one place to another. hummm) Food for Thought!