We left Marquette last Sunday at 6:30 (never again) and arrived in SLC by 1pm. Darrel was there to meet us and he drove us down to Springville to the Mellors. Unfortunantly Brenda happened to be flying in that evening from Seattle (she was visiting Jake's other sister Laura) and we missed her by just an hour or two. It was great to see Neldon (a little frazzled) and the boys and the nice warm dinner they had waiting for us was great too. That evening we went down to Payson for ice cream at Grandma's and got to see a majority of the extended Marvin family. It is amazing how much has changed in just 6mo! Rorie had a ton of fun playing with all of her cousins, but by 7:30 we were pretty much beat. By 8:30 we were all sound asleep at Jake's parents house in Levan
Monday was our one relaxing day. We spent all morning and afternoon in Levan, talking and catching up. That night we left Rorie for a little one on one time with Gma and Gpa and went to Nephi to see Jake's sisters Mia and Andrea in their school play. It was callled Once Upon A Mattress and it was a re-make of the story the Princess and the Pea. We were a little shocked at the slightly racy storyline, but it was a hoot to watch Andrea being chased across stage by a rowdy King.
Tuesday my best friend Nen and her two kids, Rilyn and JT came down to spend the day with me. Jake entertained Rorie and Rilyn with pony rides while Nen and I caught up and I enjoyed meeting JT for the first time. It was wonderful to see them and JT was a riot! Such a happy bubbly little baby.
Around 4 we headed up to Springville to have Rorie's 18mo portraits taken with her cousin Dallin. We met at the studio and I finally got to see Brenda! She looked great with her little baby bump, if not a little frazzled toting all three of her boys. The pictures went ok, but we were a little let down. Rorie and Dallin have taken wonderful pictures in the past, and these ones were just not up to par. They were both cranky and didn't want to cooperate, but we still managed to get a few cute pics (I will get them up as soon as I can).
Wednesday was our busiest day by far. We started the morning with Sterling Marvins funeral. It was a very sad day but the speakers were wonderful and the over all spirit was uplifting. It is always hard to bury someone who should have had so much life left, but it seemed that the family was relieved to know that he was home and in a much better place. After the funeral Jake left with Bethany for some equestrian therapy will Brenda and I headed out for some retail therapy. We came home at three to relieve the babysitter and then Rorie and I headed out to meet up with our old play group. Melissa Davis, Terren Pyeatte and I met when I first moved to Springville. We were all first time mothers with young infants and we became fast friends. Our play group and their friendship really made Springville feel like home to me. It was great to see them and to get our babies together again. We got to catch up while the babies fought (I mean played) with each other. At 5 we left the kids with their dads and headed out to dinner. It was a wonderful evening! My last stop that night was at Nen and Tommy's new apartment. It was nice to have a little more time with Nen and to get to see Tommy as well. We talked a lot about his first semester of law school and their transition from a house to a student apartment as well as from one kid to two. They certainly have had a very busy 6mo!
Thursday we headed back to Levan for Thanksgiving dinner. It was held at the Levan chapel. We had so many people that the cultural hall was the only place that could accomodate us! It is times like those that really point out the vast differences between Jake's family and mine. Dinner was delicious and filling and by the time we got back to Jake's parents house I was ready for a nap. Jake's cousins all came down from trap shooting and four wheeler rides, and the kids got to work off their turkey and mashed potatoes on the trampoline. By the time everyone left we were all ready for bed, but we stayed up to savor our last few hours with the Kenison's.
Friday morning we set out for the airport at 5:30 (seriously WHO made these reservations?!) and we were a little worried that Rorie and Jake were coming down with the flu. We had to stop 4 times (two times on the side of the freeway) so that they could throw up. Luckily they both seemed better by the time we got to the airport and we just chalked it up to too much food and too little sleep.
Our trip home was long to say the least, but after only a few minor glitches (thank you very much American Airlines) we made it back to Marquette safe and sound.
We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy the rest of your Holiday Season!
Love,
The Kenison
