Revisiting

A new month in an old year... I've let this space go, but this week in one of my university classes, we are talking about blogging. For the sake of academics, I've stretched my stiff and neglected blogging muscles, and here I am. 

 To catch you up on the last two years, my epic, planned road trip in 2018 ended wonderfully and dramatically with cold-weather camping, Carlsbad Caverns NP, and driving all the way across Texas in I-10. I saw family in Mississippi for Thanksgiving, met up with Eric, and got to stop at Smoky Mountains NP before arriving home at the very end of November. Since then, I did other road trips in 2019 and welcomed three new grandchildren into the family--two boys born a week apart in early spring 2019 and a girl born in October. She just celebrated her first birthday. In the middle of that, Evan got married in June 2019. 

Here's the family, except for Vivi, the youngest babe. She's just a bump in this pic. 

Since then, life had been moving along in a fairly routine and calm way. Until March 12, 2020. On that day, the world started shutting down and people started staying home to try and control the spread of a new contagious disease--2019 novel coronavirus, or COVID 19 for short. 

And now it's near the end of 2020--we are 7 months into what is now officially a pandemic, are 2 days from an important election, and it's been a wild ride. We had another young person live with us for a while and we locked down with her as COVID 19 changed all of our lives. We also combined our household with our dear next-door neighbors. So, while other families were feeling quiet isolation, we grew our adoptive tribe and have kept very busy during this whole, strange time. 

Our COVID crew on Mother's Day

In August, our lovely houseguest moved out, and Sam and Madison came to stay while they move from Mississippi to Baltimore. They've bought a house and will settle soon, but we've had a peaceful, lovely time living here together. Having the energy of granddaughters in the house has been absolutely delightful. 

Madison, Vivi, and Lydia with me (Grammy)

So, all is well. I'm grateful to be busy. And I haven't even mentioned work or the fact that I'm back in school. And how Corinne has moved back. And so many other stories. Who knows, maybe I'll take up writing here again and try to catch up. 

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A Ridiculous Road Trip Part 6: All the Arizona Times

The Wedding: 

When my nephew announced his wedding date, I was immediately excited that I would be there, with my photo gear, and could offer to help with photography. When my kids started letting me know they would be coming to the wedding, I got even more excited! Then, when Eric noticed that he would be in San Jose, CA on business just a couple of days before the wedding, he arranged his travel to have a 2 day stop in Phoenix on the way home! Bam! So, in addition to the fun of seeing so many of my extended family at the celebrations, we had a significant portion of our own kids together. So fun. A huge highlight was seeing my nephew Josh, who is just back from his mission for our church. It was just so delightfully good to catch up with him a little bit.

The weather in Phoenix in October is often exquisite. Perfection comes to mind. In planning for the wedding, I was expecting to take gorgeous, backlit photos in beautiful desert locales. Not so much. We had a mostly rainy weekend, with the day of the wedding distinguished by persistent heavy downpours. We were able to get plenty of nice photos on the covered porch of the temple, and we attempted a few shots on the grounds with umbrellas, but it was just too much for the couple. They were feeling wet and bedraggled and we gave up after about 20 minutes. Fortunately, they are adorable, so we were still able to get some sweet moments captured. And they will always remember their crazy-wet wedding day.

The reception was indoors and wow, was it gorgeous. Really beautiful decorations and wonderful food. My sister did such a good job, and in the days preceding, it was really fun to all come together and help with the set-up.

We did not get any exciting group shots of my people while gathered together, but it's all there in my mind--so many good memories.

That moment when you wonder
 if the water might actually
make it inside of your rental house. 

I set my nephew loose with my phone and he got some fun pics that show the
decorations at the wedding. 

Thank goodness for the porch of the temple. 

And clear umbrellas. 

Mexico

This was another ingredient in the evolution of this roadtrip. Work in LA. An invitation to Mexico with my sister just a couple of weeks before that. Nephew's wedding. Etc. And so just after the wedding, we loaded up and went back to Puerto Penasco, aka Rocky Point. The lovely beaches, relaxed atmosphere of RV living, and the routines and systems my sister and her family have created all combined for a now-familiar feeling long weekend of sun, sand, laughter and time with kids. There were no events to write about, mostly just this feeling of being grateful to be there, grateful to hold my little niece and watch her run, grateful I was there to exult in the bucket of feisty crabs and marvel at the rise and fall of the tide.

Everyday Times

I love hanging out with my parents. We celebrated my dad's birthday on the 17th. Breakfast at First Watch, a restaurant I'd never heard of but just discovered there are multiple of in Maryland. Now I will go back and remember this fun meal. I watched kids and made dinners. I got to see concerts, which gives me a thrill, because it's exactly that everyday kind of support that I long to give my extended family--to be there for all the things. I loved seeing my niece perform.  My mom and sister and I went to see the original Twilight movie and had so much fun. I took my beloved walks in the desert. Arizona is like home, so there are not so much adventures there, as comfortable days of just being myself. I'm so grateful to feel like I know my distant family, rather than having to be re-introduced every time I see them.

Connecting with Friends

I got to see Jessica, a talented knitting designer I met at a designers dinner at an industry trade show. I've done photography for her and come to admire her cozy home life and courageous way of living her dreams. 

In addition, I met up with Jeff and Linda at the temple one day. That was dreamy, especially since we got to have fabulous Mexican food after lunch. I am so grateful for our friendship of many years and the very special place they have in my life. It really won't matter if we ever live on the same street again, we will always be neighbors at heart.

A Day with Beth and Dan

My last Saturday in AZ, I took another opportunity to be the family photographer. I'm not nearby to be useful to my beautiful nieces and nephews in many ways, but I can take photos. This niece has allowed me to take photos before to celebrate special times, and this was a real treat--she and her love just got engaged. We drove up to Flagstaff and had an absolutely delightful day taking photos to celebrate. We had perfect light in groves of aspen trees. We walked around her beloved Northern Arizona University campus. We chatted, had an amazing dinner, and headed back down south. It was such a good day.

And off to California...

Then it was time to get ready to head to California...one of the prime motivators of this entire trip. If you give a Kellie a trip to SoCal, she's going to want to stop in Arizona. And if you give a Kellie a stop in Arizona, she's going to want a trip to Utah, yada...yada...

As always, I didn't love leaving Arizona, but I was so grateful for the days I got to spend there.

 

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A Ridiculous Road Trip Part 5: UT to AZ

Ah Utah. It's good to be here. I love your mountains and the feeling you give me of being home.

This time I came in through nighttime thunderstorms, driving from Rexburg to Logan.

The view from the park down the street from Corinne's new place. 

 The days in Logan meant seeing Corinne's new life in her beautiful home, tucked right into the side of a mountain. There were hugs from people I love, and chances to have yet another adventure with her. I saw my lovely friend Charlotte (why didn't we get a pic??) and caught a before-and-after movie glimpse of Deb and Julia!

I love seeing this guy and his brothers in their new
natural habitat

Our adventure day was spent in at Golden Spike National Historic Site and the Spiral Jetty. We had an absolutely perfect day, so perfect in fact, the skies and landscapes looked surreal. We learned about the transcontinental railroad and about the process of building a railroad across the land. We hiked along the line; going past and through cuts, fills, and other remnants of this historic work. Later we explored a huge public art installation called the Spiral Jetty that juts out from the shore of the Great Salt Lake. It used to appear and disappear based on water levels, but now, as the lake has shrunk, the jetty is visible pretty much all the time. You can even see it in the satellite view on your navigation app.

The Union Pacific and the Central Pacific came together here! Or hereabouts. 

Park Sign Selfie! I love adventures with this one. 

This was such a good visit. I would definitely go back for more hiking under these amazing skies. 

Did you know there's an arch in Northern Utah? I sure didn't. It's called Chinese Arch, and has become a natural monument to the many workers who came from China to work on the railroad. 

Trail Selfie!

After a drive along a 17-mile long gravel road, we made it to the Spiral Jetty. It's huge. There are teeny tiny people standing near the jetty to give some scale. There in the distance, probably a quarter of a mile away, is the lake. 

A Salty Lakeside Selfie!

The light and reflections were so beautiful and surreal. 

We saw white salt, pink salt, brine shrimp, and more. It was an otherworldly place with so much space to walk around and dream. I would go back here in a heartbeat. 

And really, at the end of a day like this, where else could we possibly have dinner but here? 

After dinner, we stopped for ice cream in Brigham City and I got a driveby glimpse of the temple there. I love how it is an homage to older temples, but has a clean, modern look. 

Back in Logan, I got a few drive-by glimpses of the beautiful, old temple there. It's so unique and lovely. 

The weekend happened to be our twice-yearly church conference, which originates in Salt Lake City, but is broadcast all around the world by television and internet. There are five 2-hour sessions throughout the weekend, each with talks and music intended to strengthen faith, instruct the church, announce policies, and feel all the feelings of hearing and seeing leaders we respect and revere.

Saturday evening, Corinne and I made a plan to go to Salt Lake City to try and attend the women's session in person at the Conference Center. I had a ticket, but we were going to try and get Sheely and Corinne in through the standby line. No deal. There were actual thousands of people in the standby line. I gave my ticket away to someone else, we picked up Sheely and had a quiet viewing in a building on campus at the UofU. Afterward we feasted at Red Robin and then headed home. Sunday morning was our traditional Conference Brunch, which had developed into a much-looked-forward-to tradition in Maryland. It was pretty epic.

And this is before the frosting. I do love a good cinnamon roll. I may not be a master baker, but I can come up with a reliable pan of cinnamon rolls. 

That is a happy Brunch Face. 

Part of the magic of this week in Logan was just being part of the usual things. There weren't a ton of super-special moments, but it was special to me to be present for the sacred ordinary times of life. I love that. 

Conference Bingo? Oh yes. 

I kinda hated leaving this crew, but I know that I will be back and that we don't have to live a half mile apart to still be important in each other's lives. 

When I arrived at Jeff's house, there was a big, happy gathering of my kids and Ashlyn's sisters plus friends. I loved seeing everyone together. My favorite memory is of my oldest granddaughter running out the door of her house to greet me as I pulled up to park. That was sweet.

My brief days in Utah County included some painting, some shopping, some good eating, and lots of snuggles and playtime with the grandgirls.

At Sun River Gardens with Ashlyn and the girls. Their decorations were awesome!

I love taking this one to the park. 

My clever boy bagged his first duck. He was excited about it, and I was proud of him. He cooked up the breast and wings and it was delicious. Rich and unique. I liked hearing how he honors the animals he takes with a prayer of gratitude He respects them and does not take them for granted. 

On Thursday, Oct. 11th I packed up the Mini and headed down to another familiar place I love, Arizona. On the way down I drove through pine-filled valleys, rain, snow and desert. These drives just fill my soul. Me, the sky and the road, listening to books or music, or maybe a podcast, and nothing in my way--ahh. Here are some views of the road in Utah as I approach the border.

I stopped at the visitor's center for the Glen Canyon Dam Recreational Area to stamp my NPS Passport, then headed down the road a couple miles to Horseshoe Bend, the iconic 270 degree curve in the Colorado River that is glorious prelude to the Grand Canyon. The red rocks, 1000 foot cliffs and the river reflecting the sky create an image so strikingly beautiful. I always think about what it must have been like for ancient people to come upon such a scene for the first time.

I heart Horseshoe Bend

It's very crowded there, nearly Grand Canyon or Yellowstone-level crowded, but there was still plenty of room to get to that crazy edge for the famous photo. I did not much like being at that edge, but hey, a photographer's gotta do what a photographer's gotta do.

For scale, there are humans camping there on the riverbank. One feels the full 1000 foot drop when standing on the edge. 

I made it in good time to our rental house in Mesa, and had a night to myself to get ready for the wedding weekend of my nephew.

And the Mini and I are in Arizona. 

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