Travel

I was young when Andrew and I got married. 19 years and 10 months old to be exact. I didn’t realize the importance of marrying a good driver. Andrew is a fantastic driver (professionally trained actually). His skills have come in handy many times throughout the years.

Andrew has had back-to-back travel this month. He drove to Cardston, Canada to attend his Grandma’s funeral. We looked at plane tickets and the prices were unbelievable, so he decided to drive 11 hours. He doesn’t mind driving and got through nearly 2 audiobooks on his solo road trip.

Isabelle’s middle name is Rose after Andrew’s Grandma. Minnie Rose Harvey was born in 1930 and passed away in 2022. She was 92 years old. Grandma Rose has so much posterity! She was known for sending out family emails regularly.  Grandma Rose made family history a priority and she spent so much of her life serving including 26 missions! We spent time with Grandma Rose in April at a family wedding. She was such a sweet lady and led a wonderful life! I’m glad Andrew was able to attend the funeral.

Debbie was able to leave the MTC a day early to be at her mom's funeral

We left to spend Thanksgiving in Spokane 41 hours after Andrew’s return from Canada. Andrew got to drive another 11 hours and did so happily. Our time in Spokane was thoroughly planned and scheduled. Don't fret, we both found time to read. I finished "Saints Volume 3" and Andrew read Brandon Sanderson's latest release any chance he got.  Andrew played sports galore. One evening the family played volleyball. Early on Thanksgiving, the men kept their turkey-bowl football tradition going. I was not envious that they were playing in under 30-degree temperatures. Another morning, Andrew played basketball with the guys. They pulled out Grandpa Ken’s sports pinnies. There was also a pickleball tournament. I joined and played in the kids' bracket with my nieces and nephews. Andrew and Dallin won the adult’s bracket. Pickleball is super fun and I want to look into playing at our rec center. We also went bowling. I'll keep my score to myself.

Looks tempting, right?

Brent and Deena hosted Thanksgiving in their brand-new home, which is stunning. It’s in the mountains in Idaho and you have to have a Four Wheel Drive vehicle and sometimes additional chains to make it up to their place. We were grateful Andrew’s brother let us borrow his car to let us make that steep climb. Unfortunately, someone slid into one of Andrew’s siblings on their way up the hill causing an accident. The next night, a drunk driver spun off the road. The mountains make for an epic place to go sledding. James, Isabelle, and Andrew enjoyed that. Going down the hill once was enough for Izzy. After we ate our hearts out, Grannie gave all the kids their Christmas presents, the adults did the favorite things gift exchange, and there was a talent show. What a wonderful day and late night!

Friday evening was Alysee’s bridal shower and we laughed a lot. Saturday night was the annual ABH (All Brother’s Hike) premiere and pizza potluck. Kelly surprised us by making a video of our cruise to Alaska too. He captured some beautiful scenery and funny moments. 

Sunday morning was Debbie’s mission farewell. The spirit was strong as Debbie testified. She told a story about driving over a snowy pass that I’d never heard before. I was able to accompany the musical number. Debbie's granddaughters sang, "I Can Do All Things.” Isabelle followed the big girls up to the stand and tried to sing along with them. This was not planned and it was the cutest thing. I was worried she was a distraction, but she stood still and was as adorable as ever. She held her 16-year-old cousin's hand for the duration of the song. Later, as we were listening to the recording,  Izzy asked, “Is that the song I sang?” She was so proud of herself. One of Andrew’s brothers asked, “Does Isabelle ever stop smiling?” She has a large fan club in Spokane. Although, Saydee was not part of that club. She was jealous of Isabelle. Our kids loved being surrounded by so many cousins. We stayed at Debbie’s house which meant our kids got to spend lots of time with Owen, Carter, Rhett, and Saydee. 

While everyone was together, we took a family picture. There are so many Dittos! I believe there are 47 of us in this picture. 3 of Debbie’s grandkids are missing because they are on missions. Alex (another grandson) and his wife Alexa are not pictured either. 

Shoutout to Malia for taking this pic!

Andrew’s careful driving came in handy on our journey to and from Spokane. Ladies, add "good driver" to the list of qualities you want in a partner. The Fourth of July pass and Lookout pass were snowy on our drive there. On our way home, we hit quite the storm. Fortunately, our kids were phenomenal in the car and didn't add to the tension. Things were very sketchy and stressful for a few hours near Deer Lodge/Butte Montana. In fact, we got several warnings on our phones telling us to delay travel if possible. There was zero visibility. People were driving maybe 30 miles per hour on the freeway with their hazard lights on. A handful of cars slid off the road. Whew! We made it safe and sound. If even Andrew was scared, you know it must have been bad. I’m thankful this trip happened. James cried as we pulled away from the crowd of Dittos. He didn’t want to leave.