Another Utah visit!

While the construction process in Utah continues to drag on so does the Utah winter, and boy what a winter they are having. Of course the year we choose to finally build in Utah, is the year Mother Nature decides to make up for the past decade of drought conditions. But what a welcome sight it will be if we can see the local reservoirs that were probably at the lowest we'd ever seen them just six months ago start to finally fill back up.  In the meantime, I sure enjoy my trips out to spend time with Jack and my family, and check on the house! 

How wonderful it was to drive up to Sundance and see this stack of snow at our friend's neighborhood entry station.

Bridal Veil Falls frozen

While the trips out to Utah are heavily focused on the home build, how grateful I am for the time it's allowed me to spend with my parents while I am in town.  It's only because of them and their decision over three decades ago to move to Utah that Jack and I have decided to build a life there as we age and see our kids leave the nest.  If it weren't for all the wonderful memories we created over the years, whether it was winter and spring ski trips or summers in Utah I have no doubt there wouldn't be the same pull to return to the state Jack and I originally met.  This home away from home that we've always felt so welcome in as we created a life outside of Utah is a big reason we have such a desire to return.  Countdown to the day when coming to visit my parents doesn't require a plane ride... 

Speaking of which, here is a photo of my sweet mom that I snapped while out on this trip.  Love her so much!     

Andrea's back!

After a four year hiatus, how fun it was to have Andrea back in Florida for a visit!  Between Covid, kids leaving for college, missions, etc. we had not been able to find a time that worked until now.  Ironically, I ended up catching Covid about a week before she arrived.  Seriously, to have made it to 2023 with never having Covid and then to get it right before she arrived seemed cruel. The funny thing is that the last time she was out, she had called me shortly before her arrival to alert me she was recovering from a case of shingles. Well, we didn't let that stop us then and as you can tell, we didn't let this stop us now, especially knowing I was probably through the most contagious part.  Thankfully, aside from feeling a little weak and tired at times, we had a great time and I wasn't responsible for contaminating anyone else! 

I had really been looking forward to taking Andrea to tube down Rock Spring.  I knew she would really enjoy it and the last time she was here I didn't even know about it so this was at the top of my list of places to take her to see.  There is such a peaceful vibe here too, at least until you come upon the alligator warning sign just before putting your tube into the water...

We spent the next day at this cool sculpture garden located on the grounds of the Wave Hotel in Lake Nona.  It was actually something Andrea stumbled upon and it reminded us of the sculpture garden we had done together years ago in Cincinnati. In addition to the grounds, the hotel is done up with all sorts of modern art which also reminded me a bit of the 21C hotel in Cincinnati. 

Here are just a few of the fun pieces on display, some of which hopefully will bring "good luck"... ha!

Finally, we made it to the beach! I guess the third time is the charm since it took Andrea three visits to Florida before we made it!  We went to Wilbur by the Sea, one of my favorite beaches on the east coast of Florida and it never disappoints.  Sadly, as you can see there was still plenty of damaged beach front homes that had yet to be renovated after last year's hurricane.

Andrea is definitely one of those girlfriends that make up for the sister I never had.  I feel so lucky to count her as one of my close friends. We have so much in common and no matter how much time has passed between seeing each other, we always pick up right where we left off and have a great time together.  Now Nova and I will countdown for the next meet up, hopefully in Utah next year!

Lesley and Julia!

Shortly before my mom immigrated to San Francisco from Scotland, her cousin Lesley had immigrated from England to New York City. They were both in their 20's when they came to America but if it wasn't for Lesley coming to America first and her mom who was my mom's aunt encouraging my mom's parents to let my mom do the same thing, my mom may have never made it to America.  As it turned out neither my mom or her cousin Lesley ever returned to their native countries and both started new lives here in America. Lesley has remained in NYC since her arrival.  She married, had two kids, unfortunately divorced, but continued to enjoy the NYC lifestyle and all that it offered. My mom met my dad, had five children, and joined the Church which had a significant influence on the life she would live.  It really is fascinating to see how the one decision they each made to come to the US impacted their lives.

Shortly after Jack and I arrived in New York for Jack to attend grad school, Lesley and I connected and became fast friends.  While there was the obvious age difference, we seemed to have a lot in common and enjoyed meeting for lunches.  They kindly invited us to Thanksgiving at their amazing NYC apartment, a weekend out at their beautiful summer house in Tuxedo Park, and important events like Julia's high school graduation.  Being newly married myself and far from home, having a family member nearby was nice even if we had just recently met.

Between 2003 when we left NYC and now, there have only been a handful of times Lesley and I have reconnected. So how nice it was when she finally accepted our invitation to escape the cold of NYC and come to Florida for some rest and relaxation.  While the timing turned out to not be ideal, since I literally tested positive for Covid for the first time ever a couple days after they arrived, we still managed to have a lovely time.  Luckily, all they had been looking forward to doing was lounging by the pool and enjoying some warm weather so that's what we did.  Thankfully, they remained covid free after returning to New York!  

Nova couldn't be more happy to have another furry friend in the house so when Lesley asked if it was OK if she brought her dog, I knew someone would be especially thrilled...