Going to Utah

One of our busy weekends this past month {actually it was July but I kinda clump it all together} was spent traveling down to Utah. We went to visit Dan's parents who are serving a mission at the Family History Library on Temple Square. Went down to spend Independence Day weekend and it was really nice to be able to spend a bit longer because of the long weekend.

Because I'm too lazy to write an in-depth documentation of every bit of activity we engaged in while in the hot practically-desert country of Utah, I'll do a little bullet work for you. :) While we were there we:

• Visited with my cousin, Tierra. She and her hubby recently moved into their own place and she wanted to show off their new dwellings. It was fun to visit with them and next time we go down, we are under instructions to plan to stay longer than an hour so we can hang out longer {of course} and so we can try Tierra's world famous {or family famous} egg rolls. Apparently you haven't had an egg roll unless you've had hers. And their top secret. Oooh! ;)
• Went to breakfast with my dad. I haven't seen him for a while and it was good to be able to visit for a little while. PS - breakfast was yummy but I don't remember what I ate. I guess the company was better than the food.
• Played in the kiddie pool at Dan's brother's house. It was so fun to visit with brother, sister-in-law and adorable niece and nephew. They are so great and we love spending time with them. They keep trying to convince us that we need to move to Utah so we can spend more time with them. Last time we were down there, I had so much fun I was almost convinced! But this trip cinched it for me. I don't want to move there. It is waaay too hot!! But we still had fun with them. They had a fun kiddie pool filled with water that had been sitting all day so it was nice and warm. I wasn't sure Livie would be a fan but she loved it! The only reason we took her out was because she needed a nap. Bummer, I know. I'm sure she would have rather played than slept, but we all know how much fun grumpy babies are. Anyway, we also had a yummy barbeque and some awesome visiting time. It was great. Plus a bonus: I think spending time with Livie's walking-around, four-month-older-than-her cousin encouraged her to be brave and start walking. Yes, it's true. :)
• Went to a free concert in a part close enough we could walk there. It was a military band concert and at the end they did a military tribute for every branch of the military. It was very moving and quite impressive. Some of those players were quite good. 
• Attended a Music and the Spoken Word broadcast. It was the first broadcast of the summer to be held in the Conference Center instead of the traditional Tabernacle broadcast. I couldn't believe how full it was! I guess that every summer they move the location of the broadcast because of tourists and the interest in being in attendance. I also surmise that it is a lot cooler in the Conference Center! This broadcast was performed, obviously, by the Tabernacle Choir. Many of the members of the choir had just returned from a grueling, 6-day {I think that's what they said} concert tour of the Eastern United States. One choir member said that they had probably gotten 12 hours or less of sleep throughout the whole tour. And they had just got in the day before the broadcast but still they performed beautifully. This choir astounds me! It was the choir's special Independence Day program and it was so moving. Listening to performances such as we heard remind me why I love music so deeply. I don't think I could have more touched listening to the same words merely spoken. It was an awe-inspiring, spine-tingling performance. I'm so grateful to have seen it.
• Went to church in a ward comprised of all missionaries. Young men and senior couples or single sisters. It was the quietest sacrament meeting I've been to in a long time! And Livie was the star of the day. She loved it. :) 
• Dan went hiking to Ensign peak Monday morning. He had a good time. I didn't go. Two words: too hot! 
• Took lots of pictures around Temple Square and chatted with a couple pair of sister missionaries. I love that place. 
• Toured the Beehive House. Seeing some clues about how people lived back in the day always fascinates me. 

Okay, so that still ended up being kind of long. Whew!
Anyway, it was a lot of fun! Thanks to everyone down that way for entertaining us for the weekend! We had a great time!

Now, for the best part. Pictures!