Spring Break Recap

I'm having a really hard time getting going this morning, so I figured now would be a great time to recap last week since we actually left the great state of Texas for the first time as marrieds, to venture up to Utah to visit family, friends and get away for a week.

For those of you who aren't aware of the bizarre Lindsey Family mode of traveling, let's just say, that to normal people we are maniacs. We get in the car, and we don't stop driving until we get there. Most people make the trip to Utah from Texas in about two days, and they might stop somewhere in New Mexico. We did it in 19 hours. Yup, My father has created traveling-we-better-be-making-good-time monsters.

After passing out on Tuesday night, on Wednesday, I got to catch up with my best friend Wendy and see her baby, Naomi (aka The Nomester), who is SO CUTE. I also got to eat my favorite salad with Wendy at Bajio which was like a weekly ritual for us when we were roommates! I so wish we lived closer so that I could help her out with The Nomester, and obsessively watch TV on DVD with Wendy (like we did when we were roommates), and help her take down the aisles at Nords with her stroller. Hey Wendy, does Iowa have a Nords? How far of a car drive is Texas to Iowa??

I also finally got my haircut-- I have this thing where I'm really untrustworthy of hairstylists, and I really haven't found someone I love here in Austin-- so I went up to Salt Lake and had my old roommate Mini (Vanessa) cut my hair. She did a FABULOUS job! I promise, I'm going to get it styled all nice and purdy, and take a picture. And then, if you live in Utah, or like me are just visiting, and you're in dire need of a cut, you will know where to go!

My grandfather is a coach for the capstone engineering project(s) down at BYU, so one morning, at the crack of dawn, we went with him to check out the projects he was working on with the students. That was fun to see-- I never knew what was inside those weird mini-aircraft hangers just south of the Wilk. Turns out they're some kind of Hut (I think of grass leaves when you say Hut, but you know aluminum siding works too) and they house all the top secret stuff the engineering kids work on. Just FYI, if you go in there to look at their stuff, they will stop everything they're doing to stare at the people from the outside world. It's not awkward at all.

After that, I got to drive Arthur around Provo and show him all the places I lived and tell him about the wards I was in, and what things were my favorite about what places. Surprisingly, he really liked Provo-- especially the old houses that are South of Campus. I know they're dumps to live in, but I think if I was stuck in Provo, maybe we'd try to make an effort to live in a historic home instead.

I also got to meet one of Arthur's old mission companions, Johnson (who on the mission was paired with an elder with the last name Ovary. Yup. Elder Johnson and Elder Ovary. Seriously.) He was HILARIOUS! We had a blast watching the BYU game with him, you know the one where they won? Johnson lives in Lindon, and in an 100 year old farmhouse! It was so cool!

After that we decided we wanted to go see Temple Square and started to head up there with my brothers but we ran into some nasty weather on the way, so we ended up taking a drive instead. We went up to Snowbird, turned around, saw the Draper Temple (which is TINY!) and the ridiculous ostentatious houses next to it, and then took the new road over the mountain, into the backside of Alpine. It was fun.

And you know what's really lame about all of what I just wrote? I didn't take pictures of any of it! I'm TERRIBLE about getting out a camera and just photographing the here and now-- it's a goal of mine to actually have photos to put in a scrapbook in the next year or so! About this point in the trip, Harrison started bugging me to get out my camera and start taking pictures. So, now you can see some of the things we did:

Thursday afternoon after our drive, we stopped at my aunt's to borrow some movies. One of the highlights was definitley getting to see the baby of the family-- he was very little and not even walking when I left Utah. Luke is my aunt's 2nd son, and he totally knows how to work a crowd. He's got more personality in his pinkie then most people EVER have. Here, Harrison got to be the chosen one to read to Luke.

Reading is one of his big things right now. Even if it's just identifying the animals in the pictures.

On Friday, I got to meet up with Adis and help her dress a set at the LDS Motion Picture Studio, before we grabbed lunch with our mutual friend Whitney, and went and saw The Bounty Hunter together. Just after I graduated, I spent about 4 months making student films (for free...) as a costume designer. On one film, Whitney was my director, and on the others, Whitney and Adis and I (and a few others) were the lowly Art Department. Needless to say, we really bonded with all the long hours, and I seriously miss these girls. Even if it's catching the early bird show of the day and sitting towards the back and gabbing about what's going on in the film department-- what I wouldn't KILL for that here in Austin! And of course, I totally forgot to take pictures.

I left 2/3 of the way during The Bounty Hunter (I'm kind of curious as to how it ends-- I think I can guess- but we were just moving into the transition between the 2nd and 3rd acts when I left) to meet up with my brothers and husband before we hightailed it to Draper, and met with my cousin Jeremy. Jeremy is also known in the entertainment business by his stage name, Tenacious J, on a little program called Nitro Circus. I'm joking about the little. Nitro Circus was one of MTV's most popular shows in the past 2 years, and they're currently gearing up to make a feature length film. So it was AWESOME to get to sit down with Jeremy and ask him questions about what it's like to produce for television, and have him show us around his office, where they do a lot of the "thinking" (or not thinking depending on your view) of what goes into the show, see some cool editing, and the shop where they keep a lot of the fun toys. (Motorcycles) Again, LAME ME, forgot to take pictures.

After saying bye to Jeremy, we went up to see Temple Square. Arthur had never been. In fact, minus the 3 weeks he spent in the MTC, this was Arthur's first trip to Utah.

This is us inside the conference center. Notice our matching eye wear. Yes, mine are crooked. Don't we look cute and related?

Despite having been to the conference center many times, I had never been up to the roof before, and I was really excited to get up there. The view is excellent and the free-form gardens are cool, I just wish it was a little warmer the day we went.

                                     

This is a mural up on the roof. It's made of black marble and the images have been sandblasted on. The story about how it came about is really cool-- years before the conference center was made, a woman in the church's publication department was asked to make a mural of images composed of members of the church from all different time periods, races, nationalities, etc. She made the mural, and never heard about what it was used for again, and was shocked to find it as a large art piece on top of the roof of the conference center when she took a tour! What's really cool is that the image makes a V in the center, and you can stand and see your reflection joined with the mural. You can barely see us in the picture above. We're the dark shadows in the reflection of the fountain. The caption reads:

" And this gospel shall be preached unto every nation, and kindred, and tongue and people."

So, in this mural, you can literally see yourself as part of the members of those who have received the blessings of the gospel across time and across the world. Awesome huh?

After Temple Square we went back to our grandparent's house to have a family dinner, and an early birthday celebration for Moi.

                                   

                                            

                                 

The best part of the trip was definitely hanging out with family members we really don't get to see that often.

                                            

Also, I got one of the best birthday singing experiences ever. Little Luke has a hard time discerning that birthdays only happen once a year-- so every birthday is his birthday. Here in this picture we started singing Happy Birthday, and he began to cover his eyes with embarrassment.

                          

And here, we're blowing out the candles together! I totally don't mind sharing my birthday like this!

                                  

Finally, on Saturday morning, while I packed and got ready and prepared for our trip home, the boys went Snow Shoeing in American Fork Canyon with Uncle Scott. 

                                  

Can't you feel the love between brother and brother-in-law?

                                              

Hello Mr. Optimistic.

                                                   

Looking too cool for words.

                                               

Ruggedly Handsome. And squinting.

                                    

On the mountain!

And that was our trip. It was SO nice to get away from the day in and day out hum drum. Truly, I wish we had a little more time than what we had. There were so many people I wanted to see and hang out with that I just didn't get a chance to call or say hello-- there weren't enough hours in the day! Maybe this summer. Arthur and I are thinking about taking a trip out west to LA, anyway, so maybe we'll make it a grand tour.