Bonus Time with the Utah Petersons!

July 6 – 16, 2023

Brandon and Anne certainly do live in a beautiful location!  From their home in Salt Lake City, UT, you get views of both the snowcapped Wasatch Mountains and the Great Salt Lake itself.  Quite literally, the highs and lows of the area!

Okay, so as beautiful as the area is, our main attraction is being able to spend time with Brandon and his family.  Time with family has been a somewhat rare commodity during our travels.  This was a nice combo, along with our time together in Yellowstone NP, to be able to get our hearts completely topped off!

First on our adventures with them was a trip to Loveland Aquarium.  The entire west has been having quite the heat wave and SLC was no exception.  The aquarium provided a nice way to get out of the house and still be able to escape the heat.  Highlights included taking a virtual reality trip to the rain forest, the touch tank, and the shark tube!

Brandon’s neighborhood has a community pool, giving us convenient access to another, very refreshing way to escape the summer heat!  Anne worked her magic in the kitchen, providing delicious, home-baked pizza for a poolside dinner.  Dick, Brandon and the kids even enjoyed a little pool volleyball!  

 

Thankfully, Dick’s back is doing MUCH better!  He was able to get in to see an orthopedic, who ordered an MRI and was able to diagnose a herniated disc.  With a diagnosis and precise location known, the doctor was also able to give Dick a steroid injection which is providing relief.  Time will tell if this is a “one and done” treatment or if he will need some additional help down the line.  The doctor advised him to keep moving, and moving he is!  Praise God!

Josh’s favorite sport is pickleball, so before Josh and Eva left for camp, we got in a few rounds of this fun game!  While Dick couldn’t quite get to some of the balls he would have normally been able to reach, he did amazingly well!  It was a nice morning activity that got us moving, laughing and enjoying both the mountain views and each other’s company before the heat of the day set in.

Even Zoe got in on the action!

Although Eva’s birthday had been a few weeks earlier while we were in Yellowstone NP, family tradition has it that, on your birthday, you get to choose a favorite restaurant to celebrate at.  Eva’s choice:  Texas Roadhouse!  You gotta love those fresh-baked rolls and the cinnamon butter that deliciously melts into them – not to mention their ribs!  Eva enjoyed being able to sit in the saddle as the waiters brought her 11th birthday to the entire restaurant’s attention!

Before taking Josh and Eva to camp, Dick, Brandon and I were thrilled to be able to attend a few sessions at the Eucharistic Rally the diocese of Salt Lake City hosted.  In addition to the Opening Prayer, we really appreciated listening to Bishop Daniel Flores’s presentation on “The Eucharist as Participation in the Work of Christ”.  Bishop Flores was unable to attend in person, as he was recovering from Covid; however, his virtual presentation was still rich and powerful.  The other session we attended was that of Dr. Timothy O’Malley.  Brandon had the honor of introducing Tim since he studied alongside Tim during his undergrad years at Notre Dame and knows him well.  Tim’s presentation was on “Becoming Eucharistic People” and was equally engaging and insightful.  Tim has the gift of humor and not only kept us interested and engaged, but also kept us laughing!

Although Eva wasn’t at the conference in person, she did have a presence there!  Her contribution to the rally was her skillful art work.  Eva’s drawing of Christ’s crucifixion is amazing!

That afternoon, Dick and I went with the family to drop Josh and Eva off at YMCA Camp Roger.  This is not the typical YMCA camp that I am familiar with!  It does have a lot of the same elements… cabins filled with bunk beds for eight, a dining hall for all to gather together for meals, camp songs, fun counselors, hikes, wilderness, bug spray… The difference was that this camp was held high in the Uinta Mountains!  Talk about a way to escape the summer heat!!  Needless to say, they had a blast! 

With Josh and Eva both at camp, Dick and I had more time to spend with Zoe.  Little Zoe is such a happy, easy-going girl.  She’s content to self-entertain, but we didn’t give her much time to practice that skill!  Zoe joined us on hikes, trips to the pool, playtime around the house and just about anything else we did! 

City Creek Trail

Liberty Park

Zoe helping with bedtime songs!

Bonneville Shoreline Trail

Brandon's dog, "Domer", decided to join us for this photo!

Zoe’s 2nd birthday occurred while Josh and Eva were at camp, so we kept her celebration fairly low key.  We did pick up some Banbury Cross donuts for breakfast (kind of like cake!) and she opened a couple of gifts.  A trip to Sugar House Park for its swings, slides, and wonderful playgrounds made her birthday a day filled with giggles and smiles!

We were also able to help Brandon with a little bit of routine home maintenance.  The trim on the front porch needed a little bit of touch up, so we were happy to grab a brush and freshen it up a little.  It’s always interesting how much fun jobs like this are when you are working on it alongside loved ones.  Doing it alone, I would have been overwhelmed, bored, and a bit frustrated.  Instead, I was almost disappointed when we had the “job” wrapped up! Many hands make light work – right!?!

Josh and Eva have spent the past couple of years begging their parents for a trampoline.  Well, Brandon and Anne decided to surprise the kids when they got home from camp with a fully-assembled trampoline in their back yard.  Dick and I “jumped” at the chance to help assemble it!  It’s always amazing watching a million little pieces turn into a finished project.  As a grandparent, I did express my concern with safety, but that’s what grandparents do – right?  

It's only responsible to test it before letting the kids on -- right?

Once Josh and Eva were home, it was time to go into full birthday party mode!  Josh put his art skills to work and started making Sesame Street themed posters, Anne put her baking skills to work and baked a couple of cakes, and Brandon put his decorating skills to work and turned the cakes into Cookie Monster and Elmo as well as cooking up some of the most delicious BBQ pork sandwiches you can dream of!  Guests arrived, food was devoured, gifts were opened and everyone had a wonderful time!

Aunt Maggie and Uncle Luke sent some bathtub paint soap to Zoe for her birthday, which was entertaining for all!  Eva couldn’t resist joining in on the fun of painting the bathtub with soap and created the cutest sunshine face for Zoe.  The next thing I knew, little Zoe was singing (in perfect key, I might add) the lyrics to “You are My Sunshine”!  Watching this little girl’s mind connect all of the dots is such a joy!

I have quite the tradition of giving Eva a manicure during our visits.  Instead of calling it a manicure, we call it a “Nana-cure”, a fun little twist on things!  This time we decided to treat ourselves and get professional manicures.  It was delightful having a little bit of Nana/Eva time to ourselves!  

Lastly, I have to mention how much all our grandchildren absolutely melt our hearts.  The latest example was from Zoe.  The night before we left, Anne asked her what book she wanted to read before bedtime.  Zoe’s immediate response was “Nana Loves You More” – the book we gave her for her birthday!  Yep, I immediately swept that little one up and read the book to her for the hundredth time!

                    

Next up:  Waukee, Iowa!