Visiting Utah

After our Robertson reunion in Yellowstone, we drove down to Utah. On the way we stopped in Rexburg, ID, where I had attended Ricks College. It had only been 12 years since I left, but since then it's changed from a 2-year college to the 4-year Brigham Young University-Idaho. They built a temple next to campus, my old dorms have been remodeled, and the Manwaring building (bookstore, eatery) where we ate lunch, had been completed rebuilt from the 60's structure familiar to me, and my father and sister, who both served on student council from that building.

Early June in Utah means the spring flowers were absolutely gorgeous, like this snowball bush in my parents' backyard in Bountiful.

While we were admiring her flowers, my mom was admiring her first granddaughter. We caught on video this milestone when Jessica learned how to hold and shake a rattle. It's the same rattle we had as babies, and the same bear rug from the baby's room in our house growing up. 

We showed Jessica off to everyone. Dave wanted to take this 4-generation picture with my Grandma Bosen. Dave let me take a photo of him with a wisteria wig, and Grandpa Bosen showed us his new mulching pattern.

We visited my single, available, amazing brothers Jeff and Chris at Chris' townhome in Layton. We played some doubles tennis. I beat them, but they hit well enough to keep me running. Jeff hit one hard enough to bruise my right arm. Chris isn't pictured, but later he taught us how to hit on his punching bag. It was his turn to show me up; I look like punching pansy.

One day we met my dad at the Church office building in Salt Lake City for an office tour and lunch in the cafeteria.

We admired the flowers on Temple Square and wandered over to see the new Deseret Book flagship store. My mom is so cute.

Another day Dave's old BYU college roommate Mike Compton and his wife Alena had us over for lunch. Their son is a little older than Jessica, and by chance their outfits coordinated for this photo. Mike showed us the artwork for the board game "Heavens of Olympus" that he was designing; later we would get an autographed copy.

We met Tommy & Jill in Provo at the BYU Wilkinson Center to learn about Tommy's work with student leadership. We went to Dave's Uncle Alan & Aunt Rochelle's house to see more relatives. She enjoyed being held by her great-grandparents Jay & Jane Robertson, but I love her started look when Aunt Rochelle picked her up.

 

I was terrified of Jessica screaming on the plane or being unable to pop her ears, but she was a perfect baby.

Robertson 2010 Reunion in Yellowstone

The 4th biannual Robertson reunion in May 2010 was great timing. Just three months before, we adopted Jessica, our first child. We had been childless for 10 years, and 24 family members were excited to meet her.  We were so happy to show her off---so here's your warning, there are a lot of pictures of Jessica!

It was Dave's brother Danny, who lives in Idaho, who hosted this reunion. He and Karen reserved a large cabin just outside of Yellowstone National Park.

Jessica was 6 months younger than her cousin Micheal, but she would soon pass him in size. She had a talent for putting on weight.

There was a group grandparent birthday cake: 340 years is a lot of experience between just 4 people.

The first full day we took two rainy hikes along rivers. We saw a lot of animal dung, birds, and blue sweatshirts. On the first hike Jessica fell asleep in her baby carrier.

That night we did our talent show. The boys singing and us girls did a skit all pretending to be our husbands.

After church on Sunday, we had our usual sweet testimony meeting and planning session for next year. 

It was the world debut of the first Primary song I'd written, called "Joy, Joy, Joy". Everyone indulged me and learned how to sing my 3-part melody and I recorded it. It made me so happy!

Later, we drove to a scenic bridge and 2 waterfalls. 

Dave's Grandma and Grandpa Stringham rode with us through farm fields to the last falls.

Jessica took a nap while we hopped out to see this site.

On Monday (Memorial Day), we all caravanned to Yellowstone. Apparently, Yellowstone Park is a giant crater of a super volcano, which erupts regularly every 600,000 years and covers half of the United States in ash. Last time it erupted was 640,000 years ago.

We saw a lot of rainbow-colored steaming hot springs.  The most memorable part of this part was our (6-year old?) niece Jane. She screamed in terror the whole walk, afraid of falling in.

Little buffalo.

Big buffalo.

Waiting for Old Faithful to erupt.

I came to Yellowstone when I was younger than 10 years old. The stinking boiling mud pits and Old Faithful were all I remember. Too bad Jessica won't remember any of this trip.

For lunch we drove to some very high picnic grounds for food and games.

This is photo evidence at the now infamous "pinecone on a spoon" relay, of the notorious cheater Melanie, chucking a banana peel at the other players at the start.

We ended sight-seeing that day with some elk and bear sightings. The bear was sleeping a few hundred feet from the road, which caused a traffic jam of tourists. 

We ended our sight-seeing for the day at beautiful Yellowstone Falls.