Memories in Indianapolis

 We made it to Indianapolis today and it definitely brought back a lot of memories. The dental school looks the same and our old house looks the same as well. It was crazy to be back and to feel the humidity! The kids were very hot even though it was only 75 degrees today. We went to the zoo and the kids, especially Luke, loved it. We saw the ocean exhibit and then the dolphin show. I thought I remember there being more tricks at the dolphin show, but we still enjoyed it. 

At the bird exhibit the kids fed the birds and even had them perched on their arms eating out of their hands! We also got to pet kangaroos. 

It was jazz night at the zoo so we even got to hear some live jazz bands. 

After the zoo we drove by our old house. It looks the same but it’s missing all the people we loved when we lived there. It was so weird to see it again.

We got some swimming in before bed and now we’re all pretty tired! Hopefully we feel more energized tomorrow.

Trolley Square and The Old Spaghetti Factory

 Kade is off on another choir trip. This one is just for fun. They’re actually in Utah and they went to some very nostalgic places of mine today. They had dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory in Trolley Square which serves their spumoni ice cream just like they used to. He also saw where I used to go country swing dancing with friends all the time. Then they got to see the Tabernacle choir rehearse and take a tour of temple square. He said the weather has been beautiful and he’s been having a great time! I wish we were with him!

Balloons for Grandma Hobson

 Today would have been Grandma Hobson’s 80th birthday. Brad siblings texted together about what they did to remember her today and how much she would have loved group texts and find friends. She always loved to keep an eye on her kids and she loved having them all together. The kids colored notes on balloons for her and Kade shared a memory of her as we watched them fly away. Luke asked why we let balloons go in the sky for her when she won’t actually get them. I told him it’s just a way for us to remember her and do something for her. Then he said, “Maybe she’ll watch them float by while she’s sitting on a cloud in heaven.” Oh it’s so funny the way his mind works and the way he pictures heaven. It’s definitely a subject I wish I knew more about. For all I know he could be right.

Old Christmas Cards

My uncle posted some of my grandparents old Christmas cards on social media today. They were from way back when they still had kids at home! I guess Christmas cards have been around for a long time! It was so much fun to see their old pictures and hear their memories of each year. I should be better about a family update with our cards. And I should be hanging on to them for my posterity! Because I sure loved seeing the old cards!

My Dad

 Happy birthday to my Dad today! I will always be so grateful for a dad who took me on fun adventures, taught me how to play volleyball, wakeboard, and ski, always had me cheering for the Jazz, and gave the best words of advice. Love you, Dad!

NBA Playoffs

 Brad and I stayed up way too late watching the NBA playoffs last night. It reminds me of when we first met this same time of year 19 years ago. That is such a long time! He always teases me about never watching sports with him, but maybe someday he'll realize that I really do watch a lot of sports with him! There were two games last night and they were both close, exciting games. We loved watching the Lakers lose on a buzzer beater. We've never liked the Lakers for some reason.  

The warm sun was shining all day today! I got out for a walk this morning with a friend. I tried to encourage my kids to play outside, but they just really wanted to play hide n seek. Haha. Tenley helped Luke find a really great hiding spot for Luke on top of our storage shelves. It took Ryder a long time to find him. He was hiding behind rolls of toilet paper!

Gymnastics Friends

I was almost fully functioning today! I’m so glad I’m getting a little better. I’m really hoping that no one else in the family gets it. Especially this close to Christmas. I remember my little brother having the flu on Christmas Day one year and it was a sad Christmas!

The kids got to go to their gymnastics classes and we took a quick picture with friends afterward. They love hanging out with their friends here!

Kimber

When Tenley brought in the mail today we had a package from Brad’s sister Kimber which was odd because she doesn’t have our family for Christmas this year. I let Brad open it when he got home and it was probably the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given us. She had taken a sweater that his mom used to wear every Christmas season and made it into candy cane ornaments for all of the siblings. Seeing the picture of his mom and holding a piece of her sweater brought on many tears but we love having this memory to put on our tree. 

On a less emotional note our dryer broke again. I’m pretty sure we just went through this a year ago. Poor Brad. But he took it apart, replaced the part, and after a few hours of hard work had it working again. I don’t know how he does it but I’m so grateful that he’s so handy!

High School Friends

I got to meet up with a lot of my high school friends today! It’s been 20 years since most of us have seen eachother which is crazy! But it was just like old times. We had lunch at a park, did some shopping, went out to dinner, and stayed up late talking about memories and learning about what life is like now for everyone. It was so much fun and I’m glad I was able to be here for this.

Airplanes

I don’t often fly on an airplane to Salt Lake but I did today and it was so nice! I can’t believe how quick it was. And the new SLC airport is pretty nice. It’s good to see my parents and tomorrow I’ll get to see some old high school friends. It’s our 20 year class reunion this year! I can’t believe it’s been that long.

I missed out on two soccer games tonight though. Ryder score seven goals! He’s a machine. And Kade and Tenley had a great game as well.

Kade also finished his Josh Huestis basketball camp. He missed having a friend in the camp but he still enjoyed it for the most part.

The Primary Program

Tenley, Ryder and Luke all sang in the primary program at church today. Tenley even played the piano and accompanied the primary kids and the whole congregation! It was a beautiful program. I loved it so much. Children have the sweetest testimonies and I love hearing them sing. My favorite song that they sang was “I Will Be What I Believe.” They also sang this song five years ago when I was pregnant with Luke. It was Ryder’s favorite song then and we listened to it all the time in the car. The words to the chorus got me through labor with Luke so it has a special meaning to me now. It was neat to see Luke up there singing along to the song I had in my head as he came into the world. 

BYU Campus

We took the kids on a tour of campus today and even bought them some fun BYU gear. I think they had a lot of fun. Luckily they’re at a good age where they enjoy hearing us reminisce about all of our memories here. I always enjoy coming back to campus because there are so many good memories! And it was a beautiful fall day. Nothing is better than a beautiful fall day in Utah. The mountains and fall colors are gorgeous. 

We drove up to my parents house tonight to have dinner with my family. It’s always so good to see them and catch up! We even had a little celebration for Tenley’s birthday which was really sweet. Luke and his cousins made a mess of my parent’s room with all of my mom’s scrapbooking stuff but the kids were sure having a good time!

Stake Conference

We had a wonderful stake conference weekend. Brad and Kade got to join the youth this morning with Elder and Sister Ames for a special session. Kade really enjoyed it and had a lot to tell me about afterward. We had fun family time this evening as well watching old family videos. We’ve had a lot of good times! It was fun to remember so many good things!

Memorial Day

We had a great Memorial Day. Brad made a hot breakfast for us again and we had an easy morning. I got some more flower pots planted. It’s really nice to have flowers in our yard. And then Kade planned our family night. We had pizza and watched a movie. Yesterday we spent time reading the obituaries of family members of ours that have passed away. That was really nice for Brad and I to remember and to share with the kids things about those we love that aren’t with us anymore. It’s been a really great weekend.

Disney Springs, Live Music

We finally made it to Orlando this afternoon! It was an early flight, but the kids did well and we’re happy to finally be here. We got some grocery shopping done and then went to eat at Steak N Shake. We have a lot of nostalgia for that restaurant from the time we lived in Indiana, but it definitely wasn’t as good as we had remembered! Lol. Then we spent the night at Disney Springs. It was fun! Luke kept telling us how much fun it was. We can’t wait to take him in the actual park. I loved all the live music. We sat and watched three different bands and even saw some fireworks in the distance. Tomorrow should be fun!