XC x 2 - Tallahassee, FL

After flying out to Utah, we decided to take the opportunity to move back so that Ben could work with the entrepreneur he met.  The new office was located less than 5 miles from the house we rented during the MBA program.

So.

We picked Ben up at the Atlanta airport and drove straight to Tallahassee.  We stayed with Ben's parents that night and the next day was Luke's blessing.  

We were so thrilled that some of our family members were able to join us for this special day, especially with very short notice.  Ben's brother Mike drove up from Orlando and his brother John came with his wife, Sarah, and youngest daughter, Iris.

Having Luke blessed in that ward in Tallahassee was really special, too.  It's the ward Ben grew up in, the ward I was born in, and the ward we lived in for the first 18 months of our marriage.  There are many special people there who have known us for a very long time.

Because I was so scatter-brained and didn't plan ahead of time for a blessing, Mema was sweet enough to get this cute blessing outfit and a blanket for Luke.  It fit perfectly and I'm thankful that he had something special to wear.

The blessing was very sweet, made all the more memorable by the circumstances surrounding it.

After Church we all spent some time together at Mema and Papa's house.  It was great to just hang out for a while, like we have done so often in the past.  It was hard to say goodbye to everyone when it was time for them to go, knowing we were heading back to Utah and wouldn't be seeing them again for a long time.

We spent that night in Tallahassee, and the next day we started the drive back to Utah.  Of course, it took us hours to get the car re-loaded with all of our stuff (we'd left a good bit in Tallahassee after our first visit there) and we even shipped some boxes to Utah so that we would have less to deal with during the trip.

Mema and Papa were so patient with us as we took over the living room with all of our stuff and took so long trying to leave.  At least there was a little bit more time for snuggles!

XC x 2 - Stone Mountain, GA

We drove to Stone Mountain to see my Dad and his family for a couple of days and ended up staying for a full week.  It was while we were there that Ben was invited to interview with the entrepreneur in Utah who wanted him to work for him, so he flew to Utah for a few days while the kids and I stayed with Dad.  Dad and his crew were great about having all of us at their house for that longer-than-expected visit, and we found some fun things to do while we were there.  We had a great time!

Hangin' at the Hizzy

Pops tried to teach the kids how to play Checkers.

Kyle and Jack

Eliza and Riley

UNO attack!  Aghhh!

Yellow River Game Ranch

We spent an afternoon at a nearby petting-zoo-meets-wildlife-refuge. 

We got carrots and other snacks to feed the animals, and the kids loved it.

  

Cool Kid-Friendly Pool

We spent one afternoon at this fun pool near my Dad's house.

We could have spent many afternoons there...

 

Birthday Celebration at Stone Mountain

We ended up being at my Dad's on his birthday, which was really fun.

The kids and I wished him happy birthday by making a sidewalk chalk mural, then we

spent the day at Stone Mountain.  We rode an old-fashioned train, took the cable

car up to the top of Stone Mountain, watched a 4-D movie (it was called "Journey 2"

and Jack is still freaked out by it), played in The Great Barn (giant indoor playground),

learned about glass blowing, the kids had a blast on a low ropes course, and Cat

smoked all of the boys she was racing to the top of the rock climbing wall.

Not sure why the camera on my phone decided to go
psychedelic while we were on top of the mountain, but it kept
doing this until I got it fixed, months later.

Centennial Olympic Park

One day we went to downtown Atlanta and the kids

played in the splash pad at this cool park.

 

XC x 2 - Visits With More Special People

We were so happy to get to see some more friends and family members while we were in the Carolinas.  These visits were pretty short, but we loved getting to spend some time with them.

Tiffany & Troy's Family

Tiffany and Troy were our neighbors in Orem, and Troy was

in the MBA program with Ben.  We had a great time hanging out, just

talking and laughing while the kids played.

Aunt Iris

We were excited to be able to spend some time with Ben's Aunt Iris in NC.

It had been a long time since we'd seen her, so it was fun to get caught up,

introduce her to our kids, and explore her beautiful property.

John & Sarah's Family

While we were in the Carolinas, John and Sarah were heading back to Florida from

a vacation of their own.  We met up in Ben's father's hometown and found some

family graves.  Then we walked around a local National Historic Site, the location of

two Revolutionary War battles.  We loved meeting up with John and Sarah's family,

but wish we could have had a longer visit.