2026 April 1- April 8 Trey Visit

 Wednesday, April 1

Judi and I were so excited to drive to the St George airport to pick up Trey. While we were just about to the airport, Trey sent us a picture looking out his airplane window at the "H" on the Hurricane hill. So Judi and I started looking for his plane and just then it flew right over our car so Judi took a picture of the plane and sent it to Trey. Trey's flight connected in Denver and he had no problem getting to his gate since he's travelled so much in his life. 

Judi was so excited to show Trey Nala, our new puppy so that's what we did first. Nana remembered Trey too which was cool. Trey hadn't eaten all day so we came in and ate some pot roast and watched a Rocket League match. We then went back outside for a couple of minutes and played with the dogs and watched them play with each other and Splash came over to us too. We came back inside and opened up a box of Disneyland 70th cards which was so fun to do with Trey and Judi. After opening the cards, Trey helped me organize them and we got some of the extras for him to have. Trey and Judi then started playing and wrestling around. It was fun to see them having fun together. I then showed Trey some of the new Disney items and he showed me his Pirate poker set, camera, preach my gospel book, and other things I hadn't seen before. We then planned out our day for tomorrow and got ready for bed.

Thursday, April 2

Judi got up for school and left at 7:12 and Trey slept in until 10:30. When he woke up we ate breakfast and then went to St George to find shoes for his mission. We first stopped at Men's Warehouse but both associates were helping other people so we walked around the mall and ended up going to Dillard's where Trey tried on a few shoes and found 2 that he liked so we got them for him. One is a more comfy pair and the other is more of a dressy pair. We stopped at Albertsons and to get gas on the way home. We had some lunch and then brought Nana out to the front with us and started taking apart one of the benches in the front of the house so we could get it in the garbage before the garbage man came. We took a break when Judi was walking down the street and had Nana go run to her like she does. Then Judi helped Trey and I unscrew screws. There were a couple of screws that were stripped so we ended up just getting the chainsaw and cutting it into small pieces. We then went into the backyard and played with the dogs and cats and Trey brought out the football and we played catch with it. He also threw some deep balls to me which was a lot of fun. We then came in and played Texas Holdem' with Trey's new pirates poker set. We then had dinner and watched the Passover scenes from The Chosen. After dinner we took Nana on a walk to the mail and then Judi showed Trey her Minecraft worlds. Trey then showed me the pictures and videos from his campout which were fun to see.  Judi then started writing her book on her computer, writing in her journal, and reading her Wings of Fire book so Trey and I watched a few episodes of Lost and we all went to bed. Also - Judi got student of the month this month in History!!!!!!

Friday, April 3

I woke up before Judi and Trey and went to the bank to renew my CD and withdraw some cash for Trey for his mission. Judi was up when I got back and I read the book that she has been writing - it is really good! Trey woke up and we all ate breakfast and then went outside for a little bit before we had to leave to make it to the movie theater to watch Super Mario Galaxy. Trey and Judi both were excited to see it. We went to the noon showing and it was pretty good. Judi liked it a lot. After the movie we went to Walmart to buy some presents for Shylah for her birthday. When we got home, we had lunch and then went outside. While we were outside, Splash was hunting a lizard in the pit and soon so were Nala and Nana. A couple of times the lizard actually ran up Trey's leg trying to evade the animals! Judi also caught some grasshoppers and fed them to the pets. We then took Nana on a walk to the mail and then came home and played Texas Holdem' and then I started dinner. We had ramen for dinner and watched American Pickers while we ate. After the show I took Judi to Shylah's birthday party and Trey and I watched 2 episodes of Lost. When I went to pick Judi up and could hear her and Shylah screaming having fun in the back yard. When we got home we watched some Donald Duck shorts and had some chips and cheese sauce and then got ready for bed.

Saturday, April 4

We woke up and watched General Conference at 10:00. We then went outside and trained Nala to "sit" and played with all of the pets. Trey also threw some football passes to me and I would run deep routes to catch them. Judi also caught butterflies and grasshoppers and kept them in a cage. We came in and had lunch and then watched the afternoon session of General Conference. After conference we went back outside to play with the pets again. We played outside until it was dinner time. We came in and had chicken and potatoes for dinner and watched a Rocket League match while we ate. After dinner, Judi wanted to catch more butterflies and grasshoppers so Trey and I watched an episode of Lost while she did that. When Judi came in she wanted to watch Survivor so we watched that and then Trey and I watched Lost while Judi had a shower. When she got out she wanted to write in her journal a little so we watched another episode while she did that and then we all went to bed. 

Sunday, April 5

Easter! We woke up to watch General Conference and ate some breakfast during it. After the first session was over, we went outside and played with the pets and then went in and played Texas Holdem'. It was so much fun - I love playing with Trey and Judi. I totally related to Trey today because he kept getting dealt the worst hands (which happened to me the last time we played). I started out doing really well and then Judi got pocket aces twice!! She had all the luck during the second half of our game and ended up winning by a ton! We had lunch and then watched the second session of conference. After it was over we went outside and played monkey in the middle with the frisbee and also all threw the football around. Again, so much fun! We came in and had dinner and watched a Rocket League match and a Minecraft video before going back outside to play with the pets. Judi's mom came to pick her up around 8:10 and then Trey and I came in and watched a few episodes of Lost before we went to bed.

Monday, April 6

I picked up Judi around 10:30 after I did my after easter candy sale shopping. When we came home, Trey was still asleep so we went outside and while we were out there, Trey woke up and we ate breakfast. We then all went outside and played with the pets. We also took both Nana and Nala to the mail which was Nala's first time going on a walk. She did really good. When we got back, Judi wanted to play Palia on the Switch so Trey and I watched Lost. When she was done, we all went outside. Trey threw some routes to me again. I so love doing that with him! Judi wanted to stay outside and catch butterflies for a while longer so Trey and I came back in and watched more episodes of Lost. When Judi came back in, we all played Texas Holdem' which was a lot of fun. I git dinner ready while Trey and Judi emptied the dish washer. We watched Minecraft videos on Youtube while we ate. After dinner we went outside and played with the frisbee until Judi's mom came to pick her up. Trey and I then came in and we finished Lost and then watched the first episode of the new Darth Maul Star Wars series before we went to bed. 

Tuesday, April 7

Trey and I woke up and went to Zion National Park around 10:00AM while Judi was at school. There was a long line of cars waiting to get into the park and no parking places at the visitors center so we ended up driving through the tunnel to the east side of the park and did a couple of small explorations there and got some fun pictures. We ended up getting home just a few minutes before Judi so we ate lunch and then brought Nana out to the front yard with us to meet Judi as she walked home. Judi had some homework to work on so Trey and I went outside to throw the football around. Once again, he threw me some deep passes and I ran and tried to catch them. It was SO MUCH FUN! I'm going to miss that for the next two years. Hopefully I'm in good enough shape to do that more when he gets back. We came in and sat on the couches with Judi as she finished her homework and then we all went to take Nana and Nala on a walk to the mail. After the walk, we came in and played Texas Holdem. It was really close for all three of us today but Trey squeaked out the victory. I then got dinner ready - pasta roni and cheesy noodles. We watched Rocket League while we ate and then went outside to play monkey in the middle with the frisbee. At 7:20pm, Trey and I took Judi to the church for her Young Womens activity which was hiking cinder knoll. Trey and I watched the second episode of the Darth Maul show and then just talked about Star Wars and mission stuff, I really enjoyed just spending time talking with Trey. Judi came home and had a shower so Trey asked if he could watch a little of one of my father/son golf tournaments that I have recorded so we watched it and when Judi got out, she watched the rest of it with us. Trey then had me record a video of "words of wisdom" for him on his camera that he is taking on his mission. I was honored to do that. I sure love that kid! Anyway, then we got ready for bed.

Wednesday, April 8

I got Judi up and off to school about 7:15 and then I tried to go back to bed for a few minutes but just ended up lying in bed. Trey's flight left out of St George at 11:10am so we left the house about 9:20 and headed to the airport. It was fun talking about some of the memories that we made and looking forward to making more when his missionary service is done. When I asked Trey if he was excited or nervous or what his feelings about his mission were he said that more than anything he was sad that basically his childhood was now over and that when he got back, he'd have to start "life." We got to the airport about 9:50 and since Trey checked in online, we just went right to the short security line. We gave each other a big hug and then I watched as he got in the line, went through security, had some friendly conversations with the TSA agents, and then waved at me as he gathered his things and once again as he walked past the glass wall towards his gate. This was such a fun visit even though we couldn't do what we normally do with his toe hurt and my elbow hurt. The most important thing to me is that I think Trey truly felt that I love him and I felt that he loved me. 

Thanksgiving 2025 Nov 15th-30th

 Saturday, November 15

I left to get to the Las Vegas Airport at 4:10AM. Trey's flight left around 11:30. We were both meeting in Minnesota to go to the Vikings game the next day. Trey landed in Denver about the same time I landed in Minnesota and then he arrived in Minnesota around 5:30PM. We got our rental car and headed for the Mall of America to eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp. I made a reservation for 7:00 but we got there early at 6:30 and saw if we could check in early, which they allowed us to, I ordered the Salmon and Shrimp and Trey got the chicken Linguini. Trey tried one of my shrimp too and really liked it. After dinner we shared a dessert - "Gooey bucket of boat trash" which was a chocolate brownie and vanilla ice cream. After eating we walked all the way around all three floors of the mall and even went to the 4th floor to look at it also. Trey got a Vikings blanket - we actually went in the store about 30 seconds before it closed - and then headed to our hotel - the Prime Rate Inn - at 9:00. We got checked into our room (#157) and went to bed.

Sunday, November 16

We woke up early so we could go to Fort Snelling State Park and hike the 3 mile Pike Island Loop trail. It was around 32 degrees in the morning but once we got walking in the sun, we warmed up. It was fun to hike with Trey in Minnesota on a type of trail that we don't normally hike on. We finished the hike in about an hour and a half and then headed for the game. We got to our parking garage in a government parking structure (545 5th Street S) and took the skyway (elevated indoor walk way) to the stadium which was really easy and efficient. It was really cool to see the stadium for the first time when we walked in and I could tell that Trey really thought it was cool. We got in the stadium a little more than an hour before game time and we found our seats which were in section 312, row A, seats 28 and 29. It was a great spot to watch the game from. We then walked around the whole stadium and Trey found a really cool military style Vikings hat that we got him. We also got a pizza to eat and watched Will Reichard kick a few field goals before the game started. The Vikings played pretty bad for the first 3 quarters with JJ McCarthy badly overthrowing or underthrowing the receivers and when he did make a good pass, the receiver dropped it. Still, the Bears played equally as bad and only wad a 16-3 lead going into the 4th quarter. We scored 2 touchdowns to take the lead, the second of which came wiht only 50 seconds left to play. But the Bears had a good kickoff return and made a 45 yard field goal to win the game. It was such a fun experience to have with Trey! When we got back to the car in the parking garage, we noticed that someone had gotten into it and had spread all the contents of Trey's bag all over the front seats. Fortunately nothing had been taken. We were in heavy traffic to the airport but got there about an hour and a half before our plane took off. We sat in the second to last row on the flight to St Louis and had the row to ourselves. We had a 2.5 hour layover there and there were only 30 passengers on our flight to Las Vegas which was really awesome. We watched Rogue One on the second flight. We ended up getting back to our house just before 3:00AM and Trey wanted a bowl of Ramen so I made us some ramen and we went to bed. 

Monday, November 17

We slept in for a while, with Trey waking up a little after 11:00am. We ate breakfast and then looked at the Disney room and went outside to look around and play some catch with the football. We came in and I showed Trey my Minecraft world and watched a couple of episodes of Modern Family until Judi got home from school. Trey and I walked Nana to meet Judi at the mail box on her way home. When we got home, we went to the back yard to feed apples to the sheep on the other side of the fence. We also threw the red ball over the house which was a fun game. We played catch with the football and played a little volleyball too. When we came in, Judi wanted to play the Cantina song on the piano that she has been learning for about 6 months. She did so good and Trey was impressed. We then all played minecraft together and then I started making dinner. We had spanish rice and watched a few Dude Perfect trick shot videos while we ate. We also watched Fox and the Hound while we ate some ice cream and then got ready for bed.  

Tuesday, November 18

I got Judi off to school at 7:15 and then got ready for the day and played some Minecraft while I waited for Trey to wake up. Trey got up around 10:15 and was looking at his Disney pins when I came out of my room. We ate breakfast and then decided to do a couple of hikes at Zion National Park. It was a rainy, overcast day which actually ended up being great because there were no crowds and it was fun to see the waterfalls at Zion National Park. We started out by taking the shuttle to the Weeping Rock trailhead and did that hike. We then took the shuttle back down to the Court of the Patriarchs and did that one too. We thought about also doing Canyon Overlook but decided to save that for our next time since we were running low on time to get home before Judi got home from school. We got home just in time to give Judi a ride for the last 20 yards down our street. Trey and I made hot dogs and Judi got our Minecraft game ready for us to play. We played for a while until I had to take Judi to her mom's house. When I got back, Trey and I watched a couple of episodes of Modern Family and then I heated up some mini pizza's for dinner and made Grandma Judi's chocolate chip cookies. We watched Lost while we ate dinner and finished 6 episodes of it before going to bed.

Wednesday, November 19

Trey woke up around 10:30 today and we ate breakfast and then decided what we were going to do. We decided to hike the Three Falls Hike. It was raining again and we figured that it would be fun to see the waterfalls on the hike. When we got to the trailhead there was a lot of construction going on and we started up what we assumed was the new trail because there was a bunch of fencing up around where we would have normally started the hike. After a while we realized that we were probably on the wrong trail but we decided to continue on and see where it led. First we came to the "H" on the hillside overlooking our town of Hurricane. We decided to keep going because we figured the trail would probably take us to the cliffs above Gould's Wash. We were right and on the way we found a fun small crevasse that Trey explored. We got to the side of Gould's Wash, enough to be able to look down on the 3rd fall which had water flowing down it. It was really pretty especially with the storm clouds rolling in in the distance. We could tell they were headed our way and that they were bringing a lot of rain so that, coupled with wanting to be home when Judi got home from school, helped us decided to turn back. We headed back the way we came but decided to bushwhack our way down a wash to connect back with the trail below. It was slow going down a steep downgrade over a lot of loose talus. It started to rain reasonably hard on us for a while also but we made it back to the car after quite a fun adventure. We got home and unloaded our gear and made some lunch just as Judi got home. Trey was still a little chilled from our hike so he decided to stay inside while Judi and I went out to feed the sheep some apples. We came back in and played some Minecraft for a little while and they we all went outside and threw the frisbee with Nana for a while. We came back in so I could make dinner and Trey and Judi wrestled around in the living room. Judi's loud screams were eardrum shattering but it was fun to hear them having fun. We watched a few episodes of Dude Perfect while we ate hamburgers, french fries, and spanish rice. I then took Judi back to her mom's house since they are leaving for New York in the morning and Trey and I went to Walmart to pick up some ingredients for a recipe that we're going to try out. We got home and Trey called Olivia, his girl friend and showed her our house, and then we watched 3 episodes of Lost before going to bed.  

Thursday, November 20

We woke up early because I had a pickleball tournament to play in. When I first told Trey about it before he came out to Utah, I wasn't planning on playing in it because I didn't really want to take time away from the time I had with Trey and because I didn't know if it would really be interesting to him. But Trey said that he would actually like to watch me play, so I ended up signing up for it. We got to the Little Valley Pickleball Complex at 9:30 and I played until about 1:30PM. My partner, Brian, and I won the gold medal in the 4.5 division (they ended up combining us with the 5.0 division too). It meant so much to me to be able to play in front of Trey. We stopped by Walmart on the way home and then went out to the back yard to throw the football around. I threw some from the pit and Trey would run "go" routes. We then threw a few "post" routes on the lawn. I love doing that with Trey. We also played "disk" with Nana and then came in and watched a couple of episodes of Lost before I made some Pasta Roni for dinner and we watched more episodes while we ate and before we went to bed. 

Friday, November 21

Trey and I woke up early to head out on a long hike. We decided to try the 11.7 mile hike from the Chinle Trail to the Coalpits Wash trailhead. We had to take 2 cars so Trey drove Grandma Judi's car and I drove the Santa Fe. We left Trey's car at the Coalpits Wash trailhead and then drove together to the Chinle Trail where we started our hike at 9:20. It was perfect temperature and we quickly shed our light jackets that we started off with. Because it has rained so much this past week, the trail was muddy and we continuously picked up mud on the botom of our hiking boots which made them a lot heavier and us a lot taller! We found some petrified wood on the trail and had really pretty views of the west side of the Zion National Park mountains. We finished our hike around 2:30 and I stopped to get gas on the way home and met Trey there. We got cleaned up after the hike and then we had pot roast for an early dinner which was so good after a long hike. We watched episodes of Lost while we ate and up until the time we went to pick up Lizi from the St George airport at 11:11pm. Lizi's flight was just a few minutes delayed and we got home and Lizi got unpacked and we all went to bed.

Saturday, November 22

Lizi was the first one up at about 10:00 and we ate breakfast. Trey woke up around 10:30 and we left at 10:45 to go Tour Utah Tech University. Our tour was at 11:30 but no tour guide showed up until about 12:30. We saw the campus and then came home. Lizi and I then went outside for a while and saw the sheep and fed them apples. We also tried some grapes and wen to the front yard to check out where we are going to put Christmas lights. Trey stayed in and hung out on the couch. We then had some lunch and put up the garland over the windows and in the kitchen. Lizi then worked on some homework and Trey and I watched a Lost episode. I then made tuna and noodles for dinner and we watched Ant Man while we ate. After the movie, Trey called Olivia and Lizi had a shower so I watched the BYU football game. Trey then came out and watched the last quarter of the game with me and Lizi read a book for school. After the game, Trey and I watched a couple more episodes of Lost and then we all went to bed. 

Sunday, November 23

Trey woke up first and came out just in time to see the Packers score a touchdown to go ahead 7-3 on the Vikings. We watched the game for a little bit and Lizi came out to eat some breakfast before we headed to church. It was a really nice day so we walked to church. It was fun having Trey with me in Elders Quorum. When we got home, Lizi and I went outside and played disk with Nana and then had such a fun time feeding the sheep which was made extremely humorous when I went to the apple tree in the pit and started hucking apples over the fence for the sheep and accidentally hit an unsuspecting sheep on his snout as he was eating another apple. Lizi gasped which made us both start crying because we were laughing so hard. I guess the apple just exploded on this poor sheep's snout. We came in and I put on our 2014 family videos dvd which we watched. Trey then went into his room and talked with Olivia and Lizi had a nap on the couch. I then warmed up some leftovers for dinner and we watched an episode of The Chosen while we ate. After chosen, Lizi went to her room to read scriptures and Trey and I watched the Monday night football game and watched an episode of Lost. Then we all had ice cream and Lizi and I watched Saving Mr. Banks and Trey went to his room and played a version of Minecraft. We then all went to bed.

Monday, November 24

Lizi woke up about 10:45 and we started getting ready for breakfast when Trey came out of his room and joined us. After we ate, Lizi went to her room and started working on school work while Trey and I went outside to throw the football around. As we were throwing the football, Judi came over (she got home late from New York so her mom kept her out of school today) and showed Trey and Lizi her dog Tucker. We then all went into the back yard and fed the sheep. Lizi and Judi fed them at the wall and Trey and I threw apples over the wall from the apple tree in the pit. It was a lot of fun. We then all played football, running routes and throwing the ball to each other. It was a lot of fun. We then started setting up Christmas lights in the front yard. Trey and I worked on the ones hanging from the roof and Lizi worked on the ones on the bushes. Judi helped pull some weeds. We came in and had some lunch and Lizi and I finished putting the lights on the Texas Sage bushes. We came in and Lizi and Judi watched some tv while Trey and I started getting dinner ready. We wanted to try a new recipe from a Disney cookbook that Judi brought home from school. It was a lot of fun working on it with Trey. He's actually really good at cooking! At 4:00 Judi went to activity days so Lizi worked some more on school and Trey and I watched a little bit of Lost. When Judi got home, she played some Minecraft and Trey and I worked on dinner some more. in a little bit, dinner was ready and we all dished up some spaghetti from Tony's Town Square, and watched a few episodes of Lego Masters and then went to bed.  

Tuesday, November 25

Lizi woke up around 10:00 and ate some breakfast and then went to her room to do some school work. Trey woke up about an hour later and we watched some Lost until Lizi was done with her school. Lizi finished before our last episode was over so she went outside and threw the "disc" to Nana. It was so cool to see how excited Lizi was when Nana caught one of her throws. Lizi came in and she and I worked on her mini lego coyote and Trey played Minecraft on the couch on his computer. We had some lunch and then went to the front yard to set up the candy cane lights, fix the Texas Sage lights, and set up the pomegranate tree lights. After setting up the lights we came back in and just talked in the living room while trying to figure out what we wanted to do. Lizi suggested throwing the football through the frisbee so we did that for about 20 minutes. At 5:00pm I had to leave to pick up Shelby from the Cedar City Airport but it was a surprise to Trey and Lizi that she was coming so I had to disguise it as going to the store. Shelby landed about the same time I got to the airport at 5:50pm and we talked as we headed home. Shelby mentioned that she wants to go on a mission now and will probably leave after the summer. It was so good to see her again. Trey saw on his phone that Shelby had landed in Cedar City so he wasn't surprised but Lizi was and started crying. We had dinner and watched a few episodes of Lego Masters. We then all had such a good time just talking with each other in the living room for about 2 hours before we went to our rooms - Trey talking with Olivia, and Shelby and Lizi talking in their room. 

   

Wednesday, November 26

Judi came over around 9:00am this morning and played minecraft while I went to the store to make sure we had all the things we needed for Thanksgiving dinner. I got home around 10:50 and everyone was still asleep. Trey woke up just after 11:00 and we ate some breakfast. After we ate, we all watched Judi show us different game types in Minecraft until Lizi woke up. When she got up, we went to the back yard and noticed that the sheep had been taken away from the neighbors house. We got the football and played catch and Trey tried a few field goals while Lizi held the ball for him. I couldn't believe that Trey would kick the ball barefoot - that hurt me to watch!! After a while we decided to go in and have lunch and Shelby got up. After lunch, we went back outside and played "disk" with Nana and Shelby tried a couple of apples from the apple tree. We also went to the front yard to fix a couple of the candy cane lights. We came in and I showed Shelby Grandma Judi's silverware that she's getting for Christmas. She loved it and I know Grandma Judi would be so happy to know that she will be using it. We also found some really cool gold silverware that Lizi, Shelby, and I went through. We then all came out to the living room to set up the nut crackers. Lizi's favorite was the drummer and Shelby liked the chimney sweep and the golfer with the sweater. We then had dinner and watched all the rest of the Legomasters episodes. After dinner Judi and Lizi painted rocks, Trey played on  his computer, Shelby played the Ukulele and I just sort of enjoyed watching everyone in their elements. Shelby then went over to the table with Lizi and Judi so Trey and I watched a couple of episodes of Lost. Shelby then came over and watched an episode with us and Lizi and Judi played Minecraft. Judi then went to bed and Shelby, Trey, Lizi, and I talked for a couple of hours (until a little after 2:00am) which was so much fun! I wish I could have talked all night but I still had to do dishes and start the turkey cooking in the crock pot for Thanksgiving dinner so I did that and then we all went to bed.

Thursday, November 27

Nana barked quite a bit in the morning which made it hard to sleep and Judi ended up getting up around 9:00 so that's when I got up too. I got ready for the day and Trey and I watched the football game at 11:00 while Judi played Minecraft. I love how into football Trey is now. It is so fun to be able to have someone to watch games with. Lizi got up and ate breakfast and then came to the couch and watched football with us. At half time we all went outside and threw the football around and played with Nana. We came back in and watched the last quarter of the game and as the game was ending, Shelby got up. We all started working on Thanksgiving dinner. It was so much fun having everyone helping - Lizi and Shelby got the Christmas plates out and decided which ones to use. Then as Lizi set the table, Shelby also made the gravy. Trey made the mashed potatoes and Judi picked and seeded about 6 pomegranates. The table looked so good and the food tasted really good but the best part was just being with all of my kids. This was probably the last time I will be with them all for who knows how long. After dinner, we watched Home Alone and then Trey, Lizi, and Shelby helped me hand wash, dry, and put away the Christmas plates. Then Judi painted a dog on a canvas while Trey talked with Olivia and Shelby and Lizi talked in the living room. I then put on Home Alone 2 and we watched that before making a plan for tomorrow and heading to bed.   

Friday, November 28

We woke up (earlier than normal for some) and went on a hike this morning. Actually before the hike, Trey, Lizi, and I spent about 15 minutes raking leaves in the back yard. I'm so grateful for their help. We decided to go to Aspiration Trail so Lizi and Judi could place the rocks they painted a couple days earlier. The hike was fun and we had fun recording it for Trey and my Youtube channel. There were so many trails that criss-crossed eachother that at times they were hard to follow but we finally saw the summit where we needed to get to and headed toward it. Lizi and Judi both put their rocks near the top. After the hike, we went Black Friday shopping to the St George Walmart. I got a few bathroom rugs and we bought the Minecraft movie. When we got home, we took a family picture in the back yard and we fixed hot dogs, salad, apples, and pumpkin bread for lunch and then Shelby, Trey, and I went outside and threw the football around. It was so much fun and it always amazes me how good Shelby can throw the football! I also threw a few balls to Trey as he ran routes. That's one of my favorite things to do! While we were outside, Lizi and Judi were painting. Lizi painted an amazing picture of a couple under an umbrella in the snow and Judi painted a cool Burneese Mountain dog. We then heated up some leftovers for dinner and watched the Minecraft Movie while we ate. Lizi went back to painting after dinner and Shelby played the Ukulele and watched Harry Potter on the TV. Judi and I set the volleyball back and forth and then Judi got on the switch. Trey went to his room and packed and talked to Olivia. I went in there for a while too and talked with both of them. Lizi then put some laundry in and we all sat in the living room with Harry Potter on while her laundry was going. Once it was done, we all went to bed. 

Saturday, November 29

I woke up just before 3:00AM to take Trey and Lizi to the St George airport for their flight back to Texas. It was as hard as always so see them go but I also know that we made some really good memories that will hopefully last a lifetime. I saw them go through security and then disappear behind the wall as they went to their gate. I got back home around 4:30AM and was ready to go back to bed but I stayed awake until they let me know they were in the air. I slept in again until about 9:45AM and then got ready to go to Barnes and Noble for Shelby and Five Below for Judi. We all ate breakfast together and then got on our way. I secretly took pictures of the books Shelby said she was interested in or "heard that they were good" so I had a couple more ideas of what to get her for Christmas and ended up buying her two books. We then walked the mall and ended up spending some time in Bath and Body Works smelling the different lotions and candles. We then left the mall and headed to Five Below where Shelby bought a small $5 book and Judi bought a soft blanket and an "obese" ball for Nana. We got home and had lunch and then went outside to play with Nana and her new big ball. She LOVED it and played with it for so long that she actually laid down in her pool 3 times and its almost December (kind of cold outside). Judi also shoed Shelby her Volleyball skills and then all three of us played for a while, sometimes just Shelby and I as Judi would take a break to play with Nana. It was fun to see how good Shelby is at pretty much every sport even though sports aren't necessarily her thing. She throws the football really good, played Volleyball decently, and then we also played catch with the baseball which was so much fun and, again, Shelby amazed me with her natural talent. We came in and Shelby helped me make Grandma Judi's cookies while I got dinner ready. We watched The Great Mouse Detective while we ate and then watched Rescuers and Rescuers Down Under. I then got Judi to bed and went to talk with Shelby in her room for a couple of hours. It is so enjoyable talking with her and hearing how wise she is. After talking we decided it was time to get a little sleep so we went to bed.  

Sunday, November 30

Shelby, Judi, and I woke up around 7:00 to take Shelby to the Cedar City Airport so she could fly back to Salt Lake City and be picked up there by Katherine, her roommate at BYU Idaho. Although we were all tired, I enjoyed talking with Shelby on the drive. We got to the airport about an hour and 15 minutes before her flight and just waited for a while in the waiting area before we finally decided that she probably better go through security to get ready for her flight. Where the passengers wait once through security was separated from the waiting area by just a glass window so Shelby, Judi, and I texted each other while we waited for Shelby to board her plane. Judi and I watched as Shelby got on the plane and then texted her that we would race her home since the flight to Salt Lake and the drive from Cedar City to our home are almost exactly the same time. In fact, when Judi and I got home, we took a picture of us in the garage by the car and as I was getting ready to send the picture to Shelby, she texted me that she landed! It was such a fun time spent with the kids this Thanksgiving.

Summer Visit June 15-July 3

 Sunday, June 15

The Kids' flight was originally scheduled for 3:25 but ended up being delayed by a little over 2 hours. So Judi and I waited for them to get to the baggage claim, trying to guess what escalator they would come down. On the ride home, Lizi, Shelby, and Judi started talking about the movie "How to Train Your Dragon" which was really fun to hear about. They all liked it but liked the animated version better. Trey then told me all about his experience at young men's camp. He told a hilarious story about the last night which a bunch of Deacons with brooms like pitchforks trying to apprehend "evil Josh." When we got home, I made Pasta Roni for the older kids and Cheesy noodles for Judi. It was so fun to hear Judi and Trey playing out in the living room as I was making dinner. They seem to really love wresting around and having fun together. We opened pins that we got from Disney World while we ate dinner and Judi had a mishap when she dropped her Ratatouille pin into her cheesy noodles! Everyone laughed so hard. I then showed them the Disney room and we went to bed.

Monday, June 16

As I was drifting in and out of sleep in the morning time, I thought I heard someone up and when I ended up getting out of bed, I found out that Judi got up at 6:55AM! She was just so excited to play with everyone that she wanted to make sure she didn't miss out on anything. The next person up was Lizi around 9:15. Judi and I played a little Mario Cart before Lizi woke up and once Lizi got up, we all ate breakfast together. We then went outside and looked at the trees and just the yard in general while petting the pets too. Lizi and Judi then organized and traded pins while I started loading the car. Trey then woke up and ate breakfast and then organized his pins. He then went outside to look at the yard too. Lizi and Judi went outside to fill up water balloons and jump on the trampoline with them. It took them like 30 minutes to fill them up and they had all popped after about 5 minutes. So I suggested that they could move the trampoline to the grass and jump on it with the sprinklers on. They did that and got the hose out too. Before I knew it, Trey was jumping with them! Lizi and Trey would hold the hose horizontally, using Judi as the measuring stick and then the other one who wasn't holding the hose would jump over the water that was coming out of the hose. It was so much fun! We also brought the football out and first Trey and I played catch and then Trey played with Lizi and Judi. We came in and I made some hot dogs and sandwiches and then went to Costco to buy some things for the trip. When I got home, Judi was playing minecraft, Lizi was reading a book, and Trey came out of his room (Shelby was still sleeping). I then went to walmart to get the rest of the things we needed and grabbed a Pizza for dinner. Shelby was up when I got home. We watched Coco and ate Pizza and then I started cooking meals for us at Disneyland. Trey and Judi filled up the dogs food and water for me and Lizi emptied the garbage. Shelby worked on figuring out her fall semester schedule for next year for the rest of the night. The girls all also looked through Grandma Judi's jewelry and each selected a few things. We also had a pin draft before we went to bed too.

Quote of the day: Trey, after coming in from jumping on the trampoline in the water and throwing the football around: "That's what summer is all about."

Tuesday, June 17

We left our house around 9:15 and headed for Peter the framer's house to pick up a Jungle Cruise piranha prop, a snake from Indiana Jones, and a couple of Tiana boat pieces. After Peter's we went to company D and I got something for everyone. Lizi got a Cinderella cup, Shelby got a Winnie the Pooh sweatshirt, Trey got a Star Wars Medallion, and Judi got Simba and Nala stuffed animals. After Company D, we went to check in at the Del Sol. We got room 222 which is kind of like a suite - it had 2 rooms instead of just one. It is also the farthest walk, but it was a good room. We had some ramen and chicken for dinner and then headed to downtown Disney to trade pins before coming back and going to bed. 

Wednesday, June 18

California Adventure 8:00AM-10:00PM with naps in the middle of the day.

We had to do California Adventure today because there was a special event at Disneyland which closed the park at 8:00pm. We got their at 7:30 for rope drop. We split up in the morning so Trey, Shelby, and Lizi could go on Guardians and other big rides. Judi and I went to Toy Story Midway Mania so we could go on it a couple of times in a row before it got busy but we broke down on it for about 15 minutes so by the time we got off, the line was really long so we went on other rides. Judi went on Silly Symphony swings for the first time and loved it. She and I did tandem first and then she proceeded to go on it about 10 more times mostly with Lizi. We also got drenched by the geysers on Grizzly River Run. It was so funny to see Lizi's face after the geyser shot water all over her! She definitely got the most wet but we all were soaked for quite a while. We also went on Monsters Inc for the last time since it's closing for Avatar later this year. We ate dinner at Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta since it is one of the cheaper options and, at the end of the night, we watched the World of Color show which everyone thought was one of the worst ones but I still thought it was good.  

Thursday, June 19

Disneyland 8:00AM-Midnight with naps in the middle of the day. 

We got to the park at 7:30 for rope drop. It was our first day at Disneyland but there was early entry so we weren't able to do our normal plan. So we headed to Thunder Mountain First and did some of the rides over there like Pirates and Mansion. We met up with Eric and Jack around 10:00. Some of the highlights were riding in the front of the Monorail, watching the Paint the Night Parade, and watching the Mapping show at Galaxy's edge at night. Shelby, Judi, and I got on Peter Pan right before the park closed and Lizi and Trey did Space Mountain.

Friday, Jun 20 

Disneyland 8:00AM-Midnight with naps in the middle of the day. 

We got to the park at 7:30AM for rope drop. There was no early entry at Disneyland today so we went to Peter Pan first which was fun since Shelby was dressed as Wendy and Lizi was dressed as Peter Pan. Some highlights were: Lizi and I went on Tiana's Bayou Adventure for the first time (at Disneyland), Judi lost a tooth in line at Pirates of the Caribbean, watching the Paint the Night Parade, and eating at the Blue Bayou. Trey, Lizi, Judi, and I each got the Prime Rib and Shelby got the chicken gumbo with shrimp. It was so fun taking them there since my mom used to take me there every year. At the end of the night we split and Shelby and Trey tried to go on Space Mountain but it was closed so they ended up going on Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters while Lizi, Judi, and I rushed from Mr. Toad to Alice in Wonderland right before the park closed. 

Quote of the day: Shelby at the Blue Bayou: "I wish cocktails didn't have alcohol in them because they sound really cool."

Saturday, June 21

I woke up around 4:20AM to take Lizi to the Long Beach Airport. I was so sad to see her go since she and Judi always have so much fun at Rock Creek together but I was grateful for the fun memories we were able to make at Disneyland. I got a gate pass to get her through security and to her gate. I sat down with her for a couple of minutes and then she said that I should go back to get some sleep which was wise since we had a long drive ahead of us to get to Rock Creek. As I was driving back to the Del Sol, she kept me updated on her flight and everything went smoothly. I got back around 7:00 and crawled back into bed and got another hour and a half of sleep before Trey, Shelby, Judi, and I woke up to start loading the car. Everyone was such a big help - Trey getting ice to fill up the cooler and Shelby and Judi both getting everything packed and loaded into the car. Trey did a great organizing job in the car with the luggage. We checked out and then went to Downtown Disney to trade pins and pick out our pins for the year. We got on the road around 11:20 and headed for Van Eaton Galleries which was in the middle of the first day of a huge 2 day auction they were doing. Eric was there and we sat next to him and watched the auction for about 40 minutes before heading out. The drive was a lot of fun - Trey put a playlist on and we each rotated picking songs on the drive up too. We got to Rock Creek at 5:45 and got situated. Shelby always puts all the food away and while she was doing that, I cooked chili for dinner and Trey and Judi made their Lorcana decks. After dinner, Trey, Judi, and I played Lorcana while Shelby played the Ukulele and then we headed to bed. 

Sun, June 22

Judi and I woke up early and walked down to the lake to fish. We originally tried to drive but the parking area was closed because there was construction going on on the dock. It was very windy and cold and we had to alternate what hands we carried the gear with so we could keep the other one in our pocket to stay warm. We went to our rock and Judi caught 2 fish and one was big enough to keep. I got some bites but didn't catch anything. We walked back to the cabin about 9:00 and as we walked up the road, we could see that the curtains were open so we knew the kids were up. Trey was working on his Lorcana deck and Shelby was playing the Ukulele. We ate some breakfast and then headed on our way to Yosemite National Park which was about an hour and 20 minutes away. As we got closer, there was a long line of cars waiting to get in and an electronic sign indicated that you had to have a reservation to get in which was disappointing especially since Zion doesn't require one and it's busier. So we turned around and found a couple of overlook spots and some snow to get out to play in. We walked over to a lake too and took some pictures by the dam. The road to get there that goes over Tioga Pass is really cool! It is cut right into the side of the cliff. When we got back to the cabin at Rock Creek, we walked down to the store to look around and buy some milk. We then walked to Rock Creek Lake to go fishing at our rock. Shelby and Judi both caught a fish that were both too small to keep and Trey and I got a few bites but couldn't bring anything in. After an hour and a half, we headed back and I made some chicken alfredo for dinner. While we were eating, we noticed a deer right by our back deck. It was fun to see wildlife that close. Trey, Judi, and I played Lorcana while Shelby played the Ukulele before heading to bed.

Mon, June 23

Judi and I woke up around 6:30 and walked down to the lake to fish. It was a cold morning with cloud cover but not as much wind as the day before. Judi caught one fish that we had to throw back but because it was so cold we didn't stay too long and ended coming back around 8:30. Shelby and Trey were still asleep but Trey woke up pretty soon after and he and I got ready for our hike. We had decided to hike Mono Pass and possibly fish in Golden Lake (if we could make it there). So we drove to Mosquito Flats and started on the trail about 10:00. Fortunately, because it was a little cloudy and cold, there were still a few parking spots left in the parking lot. We started on our way and had some really cool views of the little lakes valley below. I hadn't hiked the Mono Pass trail since I was about 12 years old when I hiked it with Grandma Bobbi and my friend, Nate. It was definitely a more physically demanding hike than Morgan Pass because of the elevation gain. As we got closer to the ridge, we encountered a lot of snow, having to cross it a couple of times and walk through it other times. Some of the drifts were about 3 feet high. After passing through the Pass, we saw Summit Lake which still had ice on it. Both Trey and I made some videos to document the hike too and on one of my videos, as I was walking up to see what was over a ridge, Trey noticed that it had started snowing! We couldn't believe it! We took a break and used a large boulder as a wind break (it was really windy which I imagine made the temperature with the wind chill in the 20's) as we ate some snacks before heading back down. It was such a cool experience and Trey and I talked about how amazing the scenery was and the fact that we actually got it starting to snow on video too on the hike back. We got back to the cabin around 4:00 and Shelby and Judi were playing the Jungle Cruise game. They had also walked down to the lake to fish and got a couple of bites but didn't catch anything. They also picked and pressed flowers and drew some Lorcana cards and Shelby also did some other really cool drawings of her own. I made some macaroni and cheese and cooked the fish that Judi caught yesterday to go with it. We then played settlers and Trey, Judi, and I played Lorcana while Shelby took a shower and got ready for bed.  

Tues, June 24

Everyone was feeling pretty tired and because it had been so cold the past 2 mornings, the kids all wanted to sleep in so I went fishing by myself. It was actually a perfect morning with no wind and not a cloud in the sky. I caught 3 small fish and had 2 more fall off my line as I lifted them to the shore. When I got back to the cabin around 9:00, Trey and Judi were at the kitchen table organizing their Lorcana decks. We ate some breakfast and then played Lorcana until Shelby woke up. We decided to go on a hike to some of the lakes at Mosquito Flats. We brought our regular and telescope fishing poles to possibly fish at Mosquito Flats and in some of the back country lakes too. We decided to go the Morgan Pass way since that's where most of the lakes are. We stopped at Box lake and climbed down the steep cliff to get to the lake. Everyone tried fishing for a little bit but Judi and Trey ended up doing most of the fishing and Trey ended up catching his first trout - a 9.5 inch rainbow. I was so excited for him! I was getting ready to put a worm on Judi's hook when I hear Judi excitedly exclaim, "Trey's got one!" so I looked over and sure enough, Trey was bringing the fish to shore. He hooked the fish good through the lip. He said that he started to real in the salmon eggs when he felt a bite so he left it there for about another 30 seconds and the fish bit again and got hooked. After a little more fishing, the clouds rolled in and it started getting a little cold so we decided to head back. We cooked the trout for a late lunch and then Trey, Judi, and I played some Lorcana while Shelby played the Ukulele. I made spaghetti for dinner and then we played Settlers and Golf Mania (our Rock Creek tradition). Then it was bed time so we finished packing up all of our things and went to bed.

Wed June 25

I woke up round 7:30 and started getting things all packed up. Everyone was up shortly after and Shelby cleaned all the counters and stove, Judi swept all the floors and emptied the garbage's, and Trey and I packed the car and took the garbage's to the bin. We went to the store to check out and bought a few last minute souvenirs - post cards for Shelby and stickers for Judi and Trey. As we were driving down the steep windy road that goes back to the main highway 395, I was overcome with emotion because of the fact that this will probably be the last time that I have so many of the kids together at Rock Creek since Trey will be leaving on his mission and Shelby will have so many responsibilities going on in her life as she gets older. I feel so blessed that I have had these special times with my kids and have been able to create memories with them that my mom and grandparents created with me. We took in the amazing scenery on the drive home, endured the windy, up-and-down, and sometimes one lane roads that lead from Rock Creek to Hurricane. Judi got a little car sick. We had fun taking turns picking a song to play on the speakers and we also made our traditional stop in Beatty for Subway and gas. We got home around 6:00, unloaded the car, got unpacked, and played with the dogs. Judi's mom came to get her and then Shelby, Trey, and I had dinner and watched quite a few episodes of Lost before going to bed.

Quotes of the day: Shelby (on the road from Rock Creek to home) "If I were a cow, I'd want to be here."

Judi (after driving on the windy, up and down roads: "If I go flying, my guts are going to go with me."

Thurs, June 26

Because we stayed up so late, everyone slept in. I went to the store and did some yard work and then Judi came back over. She gave Nana a bath and then we came in and Trey was up eating breakfast so I ate with him. He then came outside and helped me try to fix a weed sprayer and helped me trim the "Shelby bush" in the front yard. We came in and Judi, Trey, and I played Lorcana and then Trey and I watched an episode of Modern Family while Judi played Minecraft. Shelby woke up and booked her flight back to school while Trey, Judi, and I went outside and played football. First, Trey and I threw the ball back and forth, then we tried to kick field goals, and then one of us would stand in the pit and throw a deep ball for the other person to get. It was so much fun and something I'll miss so much when Trey is on his mission. We then rode our bikes to check the mail and I came home and made dinner. We watched an episode of Lego Masters and then Judi went to her mom's house and Trey, Shelby, and I watched episodes of Lost and then went to bed.

Friday, June 27

I woke up at 9:00 to go to the post office. Trey woke up about 11:00 and we ate breakfast. Judi came over around noon and we went outside and Judi watered the plants and I sprayed the apples and grapes for bugs. Trey and I then watched Modern Family while Judi played minecraft. Judi, Trey, and I then played some Mario kart and then Judi and Trey played a little Minecraft together. Shelby woke up about 2:45 and we all went outside and threw the football around and played with the pets. Judi and Shelby also strolled through the grape arbor and sampled the grapes. We went in and Shelby rested on the couch while Trey and Judi played on the Switch and I made dinner. I also brought in my mission bins and went through one of them with Trey and Shelby. We watched Lego Masters while we ate and then went back outside. We all threw the football around for a little bit and then Trey and Judi "trained" Nana and Shelby and I weeded the garden. I am so grateful for Shelby's help - it's such a big job for one person to weed the whole yard. Judi then went to her mom's house and Trey, Shelby, and I finished season 1 of Lost and saw the first episode of season 2. We then went to bed.

Saturday, June 28

Judi came back over just after 9:00AM and she played Minecraft for a little bit. Trey woke up around 11:30. We ate breakfast and then watched the Rocket League tournament. It was fun watching it with him because I know he really enjoys Rocket League. We also organized our Disney pins while we watched. We then went outside for a little bit and looked at the fruit trees and played with the pets. When we came back in, Shelby was awake. I started getting the Easter Egg hunt ready and then the kids went out to find the eggs. It is a fun tradition. We then did the candy draft. Shelby then went into her room and finished her Disneyland ride chart while Judi and Trey played Mario Odyssey. I made dinner and we watched another Lego Masters while we ate. Trey, Judi, and I then went back outside and threw the firsbee around, playing monkey in the middle. Judi went home with her mom andn Shelby, Trey, and I came in and watched a bunch of episodes of Lost and went to bed.

Sunday, June 29

We woke up around 10:00 and got ready for church. Shelby, Trey, and I walked to church which I love doing with them. Because it was a 5th Sunday, we all met together after sacrament meeting which was really cool too. When we got home, we watched the finals of the Rocket League Major Tournament which was fun and we ate some lunch while we watched it. Trey and Shelby then took naps for a little bit and Judi and I played Mario Kart. Trey got up and we went outside for a little bit to play with the pets. Judi and Trey then came in and played Mario Odyssey while I got dinner ready. we watched Lego Masters while we ate and then we all went outside. Shelby weeded the garden, Trey and I threw the football around, and Judi played with and trained Nana. Judi then went home with her mom and Shelby, Trey, and I watched Lost before going to bed.

Monday, June 30

Everyone slept in for quite a while today. Trey woke up first just after noon and we ate breakfast. While we were eating, Judi came back over and the three of us rode our bikes to the mail to get the Lorcana Cards that were in the mail box. We looked through our cards and did a few trades too. Shelby woke up and looked through our cards with us and then went outside to pet Nana. We then all went to play pickleball which was so much for to me. I love spending time playing pickleball with the kids. Judi then went to swim and Shelby, Trey, and I came home and ate dinner and watched Lost until it was time for bed.

Tuesday, July 1

We got up a little earlier than normal this morning so we could go on our hike down to the river. Trey and Judi tried the rope swing first and then we all had fun floating and cooling off in the water. It was slightly lower than normal and very clear due to the lack of rain that we've been missing. Trey also skipped some rocks and everyone tried the rope swing again before we left. When we got home, Shelby and I had an otter pop and we all ate lunch. Then Judi, Trey, and I had a Lorcana card draft with the leftover cards. Loki came in and tried to get each one of us to pet him. Judi left with her mom at 3:00 and Shelby and I went outside to play catch with the football while Trey organized his Lorcana cards and made more playing decks. While Shelby and I played catch, it rained on us a little which was a lot of fun - the sun was still out too. We came back in and just hung out on the couch until Judi came back at 5:30 and we ate dinner and watched Lego Masters. After dinner, we went outside and tried to throw the football through the frisbee which was so much fun! Trey got it through a few times, Shelby got it through, and Judi barely missed it on her last throw. Shelby and Judi also picked some grapes from our grape vine to eat. Judi went back to her mom's at 7:00 and Trey, Shelby, and I came back in and watched Lost until we went to bed. We got to the middle of season 3. Tonight I had such a strong feeling that I didn't want the kids to go. I have had so much fun with them and I realize now that they are getting older, their visits might start becoming fewer and for a shorter time. I am so proud of each of them and always look forward to all the time I can spend with them.

Wednesday, July 2

Judi came back from her mom's house early and we played Mario Kart and did our stats until Trey woke up. Trey and I ate breakfast and then Trey and Judi played a little Mario Odyssey. We then finished the Lorcana card draft and played a game. Shelby got up and had breakfast and then we all went to play pickleball which was so much fun again. Trey won every game! We came home and had otter pops and lunch. Trey and then Shelby called their mom to talk about their upcoming cruise and Shelby's play, Cinderella. While Shelby was on the phone, Trey, Judi, and I played Mario Kart and then Trey and Judi played Minecraft. I also booked some Vikings tickets for the Bears game in November for me and Trey. I'm so excited to take him to a game. We then went outside and tried to throw the football through the frisbee. Our arms were still a little tired from the past few days so we didn't have as much luck today. We came in and had dinner and watched Lego Masters while we ate. Trey, Judi and I then went back outside and Judi played in the sandbox making a volcano for Splash and Loki to hide in. Trey and I threw football routes. I would stand down in the pit and Trey would run "go" routes" and then punt or kick the ball back to me. He kicked some really good punts and kicks! Then he ran a few post routes. Throwing the football to Trey is one of my favorite things to do while he's here. Shelby packed while we were outside. We came in and decided to do a movie pick out tonight before sparklers so Shelby decided what movies we would watch while Trey, Judi, and I went back outside and played monkey in the middle with the frisbee. We came in and watched Monsters University and then went outside and lit sparklers as is our tradition for the fourth of July - since the kids won't be here for the fourth this year, we celebrated early. We then came in, read scriptures and went to bed. 

Thursday, July 3

Judi woke up around 10:30 and we played Mario Kart until Trey got up around 11:30. We then all ate breakfast and Trey started packing so I went in his room and just hung out with him. While he was packing we heard Shelby's closet door close (which always sounds super loud in Trey's room) so we knew she was up too. The kids got all packed and said goodbye to the pets and then we headed out to the airport around 1:55pm. We dropped Judi off at her mom's and got gas on the way too. We chatted about our visit - Shelby said the highlights for her were playing the Ukulele at Rock Creek, throwing the football through the frisbee, and throwing the football in the rain. Trey said his highlight was on our hike at Mono Pass when we walked up to the ridge and saw over it and then realized that it had started snowing. It was such a fun visit even though it was shorter than normal due to a cruise with their mom. Saying goodbye was so tough because I probably won't see them together again for a few years with Trey going on his mission and Shelby in college and starting her life. I sure miss them already!

Walt Disney World May 28-June 3 2025

 Wednesday, May 28

Judi and I left for the Las Vegas airport at about 3:15AM to catch an early flight. We had a connection in Tennessee and just as we were about to take off from Tennessee, I got a text from Trey saying that they had landed in Orlando. Our flight was 10 minutes early too and Judi and I met Shelby, Trey, and Lizi at the baggage claim. We got our bags, got our rental car from Alamo, and headed on our way to Walmart. On our way, I figured everyone was probably hungry and also that it might save time if we just stopped real quick to grab a bite to eat at a fast food place. We happened to be driving by a Burger King so we stopped real quick and got a bit to eat. We then went to Walmart to get stocked up on groceries. We spent $217 which isn't bad considering it's for 5 people for every breakfast, lunch, and 3 dinners. From Walmart, we went to check in at the Caribbean Beach Resort, which was so awesome! We checked in at the main building - Old Port Royal, and then drove to our room in the Aruba section (room 5543). We got settled and then went to Disney Springs to look around and trade pins. There weren't too many good pins this time but it was still fun. We got back to the room around 10:30PM and went to bed.

Thursday, May 29

Animal Kingdom - The park opened at 8:00 (7:30 for us since we had early entry) so we planned on being there around 7:00. We decided to drive because from what I read it was a little faster than taking the bus. We parked and headed to the entry where I got our physical tickets while the kids waited in line to get in. I got them just in time and once we got in, we headed for Kilimanjaro Safaris. We saw most of the animals - and it's just a lot of fun to see any of them roaming around on the "savannah." We also did the Avatar Flight of Passage which was Judi's first time doing it and she loved it so we did it again later too. Lizi was excited to do Expedition Everest so she, Trey and Shelby did that one and also Dinosaur which is being changed into Indiana Jones later this year. They said it was a little scary and it was a good thing that Judi didn't go on it. Judi and I did the Maharajah Trail and then we all met up and took the train to Conservation Station and Rafiki's Planet Watch where we learned how to draw Minnie Mouse. The girls also did the Kali River Rapids - Trey and I decided to stay dry. We also watched a Lion King show in a theater in the round. Everyone seemed to like it ok. At the end of the day, we rode the Kilimanjaro Safari's a few times in a row and got stopped twice by a giraffe that decided to stand in the middle of the road. The park closed at 7:00 so we headed back to our room and had some Ramen and chicken for dinner. After dinner, Judi and I walked over to Port Royal to trade pins. 

Friday, May 30

Hollywood Studios - The park opened at 9:00 (8:30 for us) so we got there around 8:15. We took the Skyliner to get there which was so fun!! When we got there, we discovered the same thing as the previous day - that they were letting everyone in early. Shelby, Trey, and Lizi thought it would be a good idea to get on some of the bigger rides early so they went on Tower of Terror and the Rockin' Roller Coaster while Judi and I waited in line at the Slinky Dog Dash. It was a bad idea! We ended up waiting for 2 hours and 15 minutes (so long that Shelby, Trey, and Lizi finished both of their rides and Lizi came and hopped in line with us and we still waited another 30 minutes or so. While we were in line, it was raining. fortunately, we had just made it to the covered part of the line. We heard that we were the very last group they let on before they shut it down because of the rain. We went to several shows - Indiana Jones stunt show, Beauty and the Beast, a villains show, the Little Mermaid show, and Muppet Vision 3D. We had our picture taken with Darth Vader, went on Star Tours and Rise of the Resistance (I went twice while Judi and Trey went on Smugglers Run). Lizi, Judi, and I also went on Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. At the end of the day we went to a really cool outdoor theater and watched Fantasmic! We then came home and had Ramen and chicken for dinner.

Saturday, May 31

Rest Day - Lizi and I got up around 9:00AM and went to Character Warehouse to see if we could find any good deals. We found a really cool sweatshirt and t-shirt for Lizi. We came back to our room and everyone was just starting to wake up. We went to the main pool by Old Port Royal which is themed to an old spanish pirates fort. There are two water slides which were fun. We first found a beach ball and hit it around in the pool for a while. After spending some time at the main pool, we decided to head to the Aruba pool since it would probably be a bit quieter. Shelby, Lizi, and Judi swam there for a bit while Trey and I lounged about on a pool chair. We headed back to the room and had some Ramen and chicken for lunch and then the kids all decided they wanted to have a nap so while they napped, I took the Skyliner to the Art of Animation and Pop Century resorts to trade pins. It was a lot of fun to see the different resorts. When I got back, everyone got up and started getting ready to go to Disney Springs. I made a reservation to eat at the T-Rex Cafe. We traded pins on the way there and were seated in the Reef Dining area (by the fish). Lizi, Shelby, and I got the chicken alfredo; Judi got the fire roasted rotisserie chicken, and Trey got the cajun shrimp and ravioli. Everyone liked the food. We stopped at the Art of Disney store where I bought a couple of things and then headed back. When We got back to the hotel, I mentioned to everyone that there was a pin trading event at the Pop Century Resort that night at 9:30 so Lizi, Judi, and I hopped on the Skyliner and went over there. There was a trash can that had 2 sides filled with pins and we also went to the 3 pin boards inside the main hall. It was a lot of fun - we also walked over to the Art of Animation Resort to check out the pin boards there before heading back and going to sleep.

Sunday, June 1

Epcot - It opened at 9:00 (8:30 for us) so we got moving around 7:45. We took the Skyliner which is always so cool! It dropped us off by the France Pavillion and Ratatouille was closed so we walked around and went to Frozen first. We then made it over to Ratatouille which had just opened. We also went on the Gran Fiesta Tour in Mexico while we were over there. We then went to the Land Pavillion and did Living with the Land and Soarin'. We also headed over to the Finding Nemo ride, did Journey into Imagination with Figment, a show called Awesome Planet, and Mission Space. Trey, Judi and I did the Green version and Shelby and Lizi did the Orange. Shelby, Trey, and Lizi wanted to try out the new Guardians of the Galaxy ride and they liked it pretty well. Judi and I walked around the whole World Showcase while they did Guardians. We also did Spaceship Earth and had our picture taken with Pluto and Minnie. There is so much walking at Epcot and our feet were so tired so it was nice to sit down while we watched Turtle Talk with Crush (even though the voice of Crush wasn't very good). Shelby, Trey, and Lizi also did Journey of Water for the first time too which was a lot of fun. We got our picture taken there too. There was a butterfly enclosure that Shelby loved! She, Lizi, and Judi tried to get the butterflies to land on them (while Trey and I were looking for something to swat them with!). We also watched the show Luminous at the World Showcase waters at the end of the day. But before we left, we walked over to Spaceship Earth and took pictures. Because we waited to leave, the like to get back on the Skyliner was crazy long but it moved fast and we only ended up waiting 25 minutes. 

Monday, June 2

Magic Kingdom -  The park opened at 9:00 (8:30 for us) so we left our room at 7:40AM. We took the Riviera Bus to get there since it is faster than driving and then having to take the Monorail or boats. Shelby, Trey, and Lizi wanted to get to Tron before the lines got too long so they went there first and Judi and I went to the Tomorrowland Speedway. We also all had fun on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (Judi especially loved it). Shelby and Lizi were dressed as Wendy and Tinker Belle so they had a great time interacting and taking pictures with first, Captain Hook and Smee, and later, Peter Pan and Wendy. Shelby sprayed Captain Hook and Smee with "pixie dust." We also had fun going on Peter Pan, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, Tiki Room (while getting ice cream at the Sunshine Terrace), and Country Bear Jamboree. Shelby, Lizi, and I also went on Tiana's Bayou Adventure which was better than I expected but still not close to Splash Mountain. In Tomorrowland we went on the Carousel of Progress and People Mover. We also did Mosters Inc Laugh Floor where Trey was singled out on the screen and chosen to be Randall and asked to "disappear" to which Trey slid down in his seat and made everyone in the theater laugh! It was so fun! One of the most fun things we did was the Treasures of the Seven Seas Scavenger Hunt. We did boys vs girls. It was so fun doing it with Trey! He is awesome at reading a map! Lizi didn't seem too enthusiastic about doing it at first but by the end I think she liked it. We also went on Haunted Mansion which broke down right as we got out of the elevator. We got fast passes to come back but we happened to be in the area when it reopened so we just walked right on it and never ended up using the fast passes. Shelby, Ttey, and Lizi also wanted to go on Space Mountain so they did that at closing while Judi and I went on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Winnie the Pooh. We met them at the exit and headed back to the bus stop for the Riviera Resort to get back to our hotel. 

Tuesday, June 3

Our flight left at 6:05AM so we had to wake up around 2:30 after going to bed around 12:30AM. We got to the airport about 1 hour and 50 minutes before our flight and got our boarding passes. We then saw the bag drop line which was INSANE! I have never seen a line that long before at an airport. We made it to our gate as they were boarding the plane and we all got seats together to Dallas. When we got to Dallas, Shelby, Trey, and Lizi went to baggage claim to wait for their mom to pick them up and Judi and I waited for our connection to Las Vegas. It was such a fun trip!