Wild Wild West

We went. We visited. We returned. I have been praising and thanking the Lord for not only blessing us with a safe trip to Utah, but allowing us to have a wonderful time with my grandmother and family. 

As many of you know, my grandfather passed away the morning we were supposed to fly out to Utah last month. It has been hard on everyone, but I would venture to guess that his passing has been most difficult on my grandmother. After almost 67 years of marriage, his absence in her life must seem enormous. Hopefully, Ava, my mom and I were able to lift her spirits while we visited with her this past week. Below, you'll find a picture taken shortly after we arrived at my grandma's house. Ava is very aware of new people, and it generally takes her a while to warm up to strangers. Ava spent a few minutes studying my grandma, but quickly turned on the charm!

Ava and my grandmother spent plenty of time playing together. After being cooped up in the Baby B'Jorn in the airport and confined to my lap on the plane, Ava was ready to spread out on the floor. Ava loved laying on her Boppy Pillow and gazing up at my grandma. Plenty of laughs were shared between the two of them.

I have been very excited about capturing the following picture for quite some time now. This is a 4 generation shot of the Shaw/Smith/Gardner Gang. From left to right: Margo Ann Smith (my mom), Margaret Louise Shaw (my grandma), Melissa Ann Gardner (me... I would hope you know that) and Ava Louise Gardner. Notice that Ava and my grandmother have the same middle name? Yup. That's how important my grandparents are to me. Matt and I decided early on that if we had a girl, she would take my grandmother's middle name. If Ava had been a boy, her name would have been Jack. My late grandfather's name.

This is a great photo. Ava with her Oma and Great-Oma. Boy, Ava loved all of the attention she got on this trip! What am I talking about? She gets a ton of attention no matter where we are. Utah or not.

My cousin Jenny took some time out of her busy schedule to spend the afternoon with us. It was great to catch up with her and hear all about her adventures in substitute teaching. I was thrilled that Ava got to meet her as well!

Take a look at this adorable hat! One of my other cousins, Hillary, made this for Ava. I LOVE it. It may be difficult to see in this picture, but the hat has braids coming off of the ear flaps. Too cute. I am a sucker for homemade gifts and this one is in my top 5 favorites!

I have lived in Utah twice. I was born there and lived in Kaysville, Utah until I was 5. My family and I moved around the country a few times and then returned to Kaysville when I was in middle school. It tugs on my heartstrings every time I return to The Beehive State. Let me share with you some of the things I miss most about my former stomping grounds.

#1-My family. It is hard being on the other side of the country from family. Most of my husband's family lives right here in Greensboro. I love the tight-knit relationships everyone in his family has with each other. I consider myself blessed that I have married into a family that not only has great relationships with one another, but that live relatively close to each other. It is a difficult thing to know that I can't just hop in a car and drive over to visit my family. Below is a picture of some of my mom's family. Left to right: Aunt Gwen, Cousin Jenny, Mom, Uncle Scott, Aunt Lynn, Uncle Mike (holding Ava) and my grandma in the foreground. This picture is missing one uncle and 7 cousins.

#2- Mountains. I know I live just a few hours away from what many people call "The Appalachian Mountains." I prefer to call them "The Appalachian Hills." You may understand why after seeing this next picture. If you've seen The Rocky Mountains in person, you'll know that this picture doesn't even come close to doing them justice. This particular shot captures the Wasatch Mountains. I used to live just at the bottom of these bad boys. I miss them. I could stare at their beauty all day long. These mountains give everything from the world's best skiing to the world's most amazing sunsets. I find myself getting chills when looking at the mountains... God's power and majesty are overwhelming!

#3- Fry Sauce. No, it's not ketchup, it's Fry Sauce. This glorious concoction is served at any eating establishment where french fries can be found. My middle school used to have bottles of Fry Sauce at the tables instead of ketchup. What is Fry Sauce, you may ask? Imagine being able to dip your french fry into a slice of heaven... That's Fry Sauce, my friend. I made sure to get Fry Sauce every chance I had while out in Utah. Arctic Circle (where this particular batch is from), has the best!

Let me show you what my husband thinks of Fry Sauce.

Ha ha ha! That picture was taken in December of 2008. What can I say? The boy's not from Utah. He doesn't appreciate Fry Sauce Goodness. Matter of fact, I sent him the Arctic Circle picture on my phone while I was gone. His response was, "Since when did Arctic Circle start serving little cups of vomit?" 

#4- Raspberry Filled Donuts. Do you have a food that takes you back to your childhood when you eat it? This is it for me. These donuts take me back to picnics in the park with my mom. Honestly, they're not the world's best donuts... It's more of a sentimental thing for me. For whatever reason, Hostess only ships these donuts to grocery stores in Utah. I have never found them in any of the other states I've lived in. My trips to Utah are never complete until I get my box of Raspberry Filled Hostess Donuts.

Our time in Utah was great. The trip went by very quickly. As much as I hated to leave my grandma, Ava and I were ready to get back home. Ava was such a trooper on this trip. She had to deal with Daylight Savings Time, a 2 hour time change and a full day of traveling all within a 24 hour period. She slept like a champ on the airplane (Thank you, Lord) and melted everyone's hearts in Utah. I wanted to give the girl every possible chance to stretch her legs on our way home. Here she is lounging in the Chicago airport. We were just 2 hours from being reunited with the best dad in the world!