9.08.2019

Go Pack Go! August 29, 2019

A few years ago, Cooper decided that he wanted to be a Green Bay Packers fan.  I'm not a huge NFL fan, but the Packers are my favorite.  We've been conspiring to go to a Packers game since about 2016, but haven't been able to find one that worked in terms of schedule (not a Sunday game), weather, accessibility, and price (I found some tickets last year that were like $180 each for terrible seats. We couldn't do that.).

We found some tickets to the last preseason game of the year for $35 each; the weather was good, and we only live about 5 hours from Lambeau field, so we decided to go for it.  On Thursday the 29th, I took a half day off and picked Cooper up from school.  We jumped in the car and blasted off for Green Bay to see the Packers play the Chiefs.




Cooper slept for the first couple of hours of the trip (probably a good thing, as I made him go to school the next morning), and we pretty much just talked the rest of the way.  Cooper was kind of ambivalent until he started seeing road signs telling us how close we were getting to Green Bay.  By the time we got there (stupid game day traffic!!), he was grinning from ear to ear.  He wrapped his Packers blanket around him like a cape and we walked about 1/2 mile from our parking spot to Lambeau Field.



 We were seriously just stoked to be there.

The burgers were just ok, but Cooper highly recommends the Pack 'n Cheese with bratwurst crumbles!


We had great seats!  Section 117 Row 23, Seats 5 and 6.  Right on the 40-yard line, just behind the Chiefs bench. 
We had a BALL watching the game. We loved watching the Packers play.  There was a pick six that got Cooper whooping and hollering, and we got to see a streaker get knocked down by the Chiefs' safety, Harold Jones-Quartey.  That was awesome.  (SI pictures below-- I didn't get my camera going in time).  Packers streaker tackled by Chiefs' Harold Jones-Quartey (video)

As much fun as we had at the game, I think my favorite moment of the trip was when we rode the escalator down to the Packers' Pro Shop.  When Cooper saw the veritable cornucopia of Packers gear spread out over the acres below him, his jaw literally dropped.  I wish I had caught it on camera.  He was in heaven.  We spent a lot of the third quarter (at his direction) shopping.  We didn't buy the $10,000 crystal-encrusted Packers helmet, but we did find a few things Cooper liked.





I think Cooper was getting nervous about the long drive back home, so once it was clear the Packers were going to win, and with only a couple minutes left on the clock, we decided to head out.







On our way through Titletown (which is awesome and needs more exploration, BTW), we found these cool zoetrope thingies and an awesome field to play on.

Seriously.  The video is showing up on the mobile version.



(Struggling with the YouTube links.  I'll update when I figure that out). 

Cooper and I talked until about 12:45 in the morning, then he snoozed until we got home about 3:15 AM.  It was SUCH an awesome trip!  So glad I got to make these great memories with my little Green Bay buddy!



Maquoketa Caves - Labor Day 2019

Monday morning we got up early and drove about 40 minutes north to Maquoketa Caves State Park. Ian and I went a few weeks ago with the YM and YW, but this was the first trip for Jenny, AJ, Cooper, and Satch. 
Just inside Upper Dance Hall Cave.  The caves have seen serious overuse for more than a century, so the biggest stalactites you can find are only about half an inch long.  It is still cool to go and explore, though! 


Under the natural bridge.  We found frogs.  

And cool bugs.

Hiking down toward Barbell Cave.  Our friends, the Glass family, met up with us and we got to explore together.
AJ, Satch, and Jenny (with Marty photobombing) in Middle Dance Hall Cave



This trail didn't really lead to anywhere, but it was very picturesque.  Satch was curious as to why we climbed the stairs just to come right back down.

Jenny and I at the exit to Lower Dance Hall Cave.  The light was beautiful.  Wish I knew how to do it justice, photographically. 

This is the biggest chamber we went through in the caves we explored.  With the morning light, a little mist, and just the first few leaves turning yellow, it was really beautiful.  Jenny mentioned how it reminded her of Hawaii-- swap the limestone out for lava rock, and I could totally see that.  It was humid, green, and gorgeous.  


9.01.2019

Summer 2019 Trip Pictures

 AJ with a butterfly friend at Loveland Living Planet Aquarium 

AJ, Cooper, Luke, and Gracie looking for piranhas.  


 AJ found some of Jenny's old prom dresses in the closet at Grandma's house.
 


 Fishing with Granddad at Strawberry!


 Check out those claws!  It was awesome get such a close look at such a solitary critter. 

This guy was delicious.

I've never seen a badger swim before.  We got right up close to him!

The badger was not amused. 


 Dad (with great hair) and Granddad after a buggy ride up to Silver Lake Flat. 




 At the summit of Hidden Peak at Snowbird. 

Jenny and Chris got a chance to sneak down to the Jordan River temple--
it's nice to have a temple closer than two hours away! 

One of the last things AJ and Z did at Snowbird was to find this makeshift fort near the Observation Deck. 

7.22.2019

Utah Trip 2019 - Part 1

We just got back from our big annual Utah summer trip yesterday.  Like, yesterday morning at 3:00 after driving for 17 hours and 45 minutes straight.  We made it door-to-door with only three stops, which was awesome in terms of getting from place to place, but absolutely brutal in terms of our recovering-from-travel hangover.  The kids were amazing in the car-- no unplanned stops, very little whining/fighting/complaining.  They were absolute champs.  It was actually really fun to travel with them.

We got home yesterday morning and stepped into the house for the first time since July 03.  Our rough trip itinerary looked something like this:

July 03 (2:30 PM) Leave for Utah

July 04 (7:30 AM) Arrive in Utah

July 04 (PM) Allred BBQ and fireworks at the Infangers.  I was exhausted from our all-night drive, but it was great to see Grandma and Grandpa Allred.  We got to catch up with the Allreds and the Olsens, and Uncle Matt was there, but Aunt Jenn was not feeling up to it.  We got everything set up and had to move under the carport

July 05 - Sleep in, hang out, go to movies with the Lambs, roast hot dogs in the Lamb's back yard
July 06 - Morning brunch with Lambs, Allens, Jake Lamb family, Lindon Pool, dinner at Firebird.  I stayed up very late doing contract negotiations with Will for his new job.

July 07 - Church at our old BC 8 ward and the Lamb's BC 2 ward, family dinner with all of the Lambily.  I went to the Perry's house and talked contracts for a couple of hours with Val and Will.  I gave Will a blessing before coming home about 2:00. 

July 08 - Drop Ian off for EFY (he rode with the McFayden's up to the U of U.  Cooper and I hiked to the waterfall.  AJ and Jenny went shopping for scriptures and baptism dresses with Grammie. I put a new fan in the Lamb's bathroom with Brad's help and we made a huge mess with the insulation.  Lambs, Infangers, and Allens all went to the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium for the afternoon, then we went to Chuck-A-Rama on 123rd South for dinner.

July 09 - Ian at EFY.  Cooper, AJ, and Chris went fishing at Strawberry with Granddad.  Jenny went to the temple and had lunch with her mom.  Car was in the shop due to a check engine light that came on in Evanston.  Dinner (Shrimp and Crawfish Etouffe) with Grammie and Granddad. We moved over from the Lambs to the Perry's house. 

July 10 - I worked remotely and had a bunch of conference calls.  I had lunch with Scott Miller at the Cannon Center at BYU.  It was so great to see him and still feel so closely connected with him.  Cooper stayed with the Lambs and had a long video game marathon with Isaac.  Jenny took our van and went to a dinner at Thanksgiving Point.  I went with my Dad and helped move a CNC machine for a family in his ward.  We went up to Silver Lake Flat on the Buggy, then came back and did a blessing for the wife of his Quorum Secretary.  We got the van back from Advanced. 

July 11 - My Mom's birthday.  Jenny and I got up early to take Cooper to the Provo City Center temple for baptisms and then got smoothies at Jamba Juice.  That afternoon I helped Val repair and re-stain her walkway in the back yard, we did some laundry, and we helped her hang some stuff in Z an Sebs' room.  I don't honestly remember what else we did that night.  I'm sure it was something fun, but I am totally blanking. 

July 12- lots of errands.  Dad and I did a big Costco run for us, Robyn, and Mom & Dad, then took all the boys to Mom and Dad's house while the girls went for pedicures.  We packed all of the dry goods and cold storage for Snowbird, then baked 7lbs of bacon and made about 180 meatballs from scratch.  We had a great time just cooking and hanging out together.  I brought the truck and trailer back from Mom & Dad's and went to pick up kayaks from Tai Thornock before getting back to Val's. Oh, and we did dinner with the Bucks, Millers, and (surprise!) Billy Rodriguez at the Buck's house.  It was really fun to see our old friends and it meant a lot that they would take the time to get together with us. 

July 13- I got up early and was in SLC by 7:00 AM to pick up Ian and Trevor from EFY.  Ian talked my ear off on the way home, telling me about the things he learned and the people he met.  It was awesome to see all the notes he had made and the things he was excited about.  He told me that next time he wants to go alone so that he doesn't have to babysit a friend who is on a phone all the time.  We got back and immediately started packing up the kayaks and changing into swimsuits so that we could go float the Provo River together as a family.  We had a GREAT time.  Not everyone was super enthusiastic about going, but everyone loaded up and got going nonetheless.  AJ was worried about it, Cooper was kind of ornery, and Ian was not sure he wanted to go, but everyone got in the water.  Ian and Cooper and ultimately Jenny all did great on their various rotations through the single-person closed-cockpit kayaks, and we all liked the inflatables.  AJ asked for a turn riding on the front of the stand-up paddleboard, and she didn't want to get off.  At the end, all of the kids wanted to jump off of the rock; Jenny declined, but everyone else did it and had fun.  AJ was crying on the way in to shore because she was so cold, but then wanted to go again.  We got packed up for Snowbird, picked up some dinner on the way up, and got settled in for the week.  We even made it down to the pool for a few minutes that night (except AJ-- she was busy playing with Abbie, who she was delighted to see.)

July 14- We got up and going earlier than I was hoping for (this was a theme for a lot of the trip) and were over for 9:00 church at the Snowbird Center.  It was really fun to be there with all of our family (Mom and Dad, Robyn and Caleb, Jenny and I, Val and Will, and all of the kids) as well as the Greens.  We were one of the biggest family groups there.  That afternoon, we had rented out the Wildflower Lounge and we had a massive crowd there.  Joni and Henri were there-- it was really incredible to see and spend time with them.  Aerwyn and her brood arrived.  Carrie and her kids (no Darrin), Dale and Ralph, all the Greens, all of the Infangers, Mark and KyAnn (briefly) and then Thomas Keefer, Jr., his mom Sally, his wife Terri, and his son Spencer (his daughter Ragan showed up later on).  This was the first I'd ever met them.  They are marvelous people.  I absolutely adored meeting them, especially after we got some time to hike together.  We did a brunch and then stayed and played games and had a great time together all the way through dinner; I got to play Genealogy for the first time with Jo, Dale, Jenny, Amy, Ashleigh, Dwight, Hannah, and Natalie, and Madison.  It was super fun.  There was much cheating.  Henri was the auctioneer and MC of our penny auction, and he was hilarious. 

July 15- we got up and got going on our big hike.  We didn't know how big a hike it was going to be.  Jenny and the kids and I left from the Alta Wildcat parking lot with Joni and Henri.  We saw a moose and met up with the larger group on the trail up to Cecret Lake.  I went ahead because I wanted to be up near Sugarloaf Pass in time for a 10:00 conference call.  That didn't happen.  A small contingent (Ashleigh, Robyn, Spencer) peeled off to get Spencer to the airport on time.  Another contingent (Jenny, Taft, Emma, AJ, Cooper) managed to get lost on the way to the lake and didn't get there for almost two hours after I arrived, shortly after 9:00.  (A great time for me, BTW.  I was feeling great!)  Eventually, Jenny, AJ, Cooper, Taft, and Emma arrived and turned around to head back to the car.  Tom, Terri, Ragan, Ian, Matt, Emily, Esther, Sally, Val, Will, and I  all got headed for the top.  We found out part of the way up that Terri had just had her Achilles tendon repaired in April, and that slowed her considerably.  Val and I conferred on the way up to Sugarloaf Pass that I would stay back with the Keefers and she and the rest of the group would push on.  When it became apparent that we were going to be a lot slower than we originally thought, she left Sally and Esther on top of Sugarloaf to help us out.  The road was still snowed in for probably 30% of the way from Cecret to Hidden Peak.  Some places still had 6 feet of snow.  In one spot, Ragan fell about two feet into the snowmelt underneath the snow and tweaked her hip.  Long story short, I had estimated about 3.5 hours to get from Wildcat to Cecret to the top of Sugarloaf, across the back of Mineral Basin, up to the top of Hidden Peak, down Gad Valley to the Snowbird Center, and back to the lodge.  Ragan's hip got worse and worse as we wen on, and eventually Val (at the top) got ski patrol to come and get her and Sally at the Peruvian Gulch tunnel.  Terri insisted that she was good to make the top, so Esther, Tom, Terri, and I pushed to the top.  Terri and Esther took the tram back down after more than six hours of hiking.  Tom and I walked down Gad Valley together; it was the only time that we got to just talk one-on-one and I loved it.  I loved learning about his dad and his family and the realization that there was a LOT more family out there than they ever knew about while his dad was alive.  It was awesome, and I can't wait to see Tom and his family again.  Monday night, we had some Minute to Win It games going on down in the game room.  I mostly spectated. I threw in a couple of loads of laundry and went to the hot tub until closing time-- I got to spend time talking to Kiley, Emma, Natalie, Hannah, and Ashleigh.  Hannah paid me a huge compliment; she told me that outside of her dad and her brothers, my dad and I were the "most influential priesthood holders in her life."