At the beginning of the summer we decided we were going to take a road trip to Montana to visit Mac's birth family. And actually we have said this every summer since we moved from there and it just hasn't happened because of some reason or another. So when we decided on this road trip, we decided we just better put it on the calendar or it just wouldn't happen...again. So as the time got closer we thought that we would just make a quick trip to Montana and spend a couple of days there and head home.
The week before we were to leave, Hubs found out that the wife of his Mission President (that sounds so removed, they need an official name like Mission Matron or Mission Mom) had passed away. Her funeral was to be in Manti the weekend before our trip to Montana. So we decided that we could add to our road trip a visit to Utah.
Because of some already scheduled stuff we only had one day to get to Utah. So we decided that we would leave our house at 3am to get us to West Jordan where my brother lives by 9pm. I was really worried, but with a good game plan and an unexpected purchase the trip was actually amazing. We were really floored at how well the kids did. The only thing that I wish would have been different is that the kids would have fallen back to sleep after we got in the car at 3am. But alas, they did not. They both stayed awake for the next 7 hours. And all though there weren't any melt downs they were both a bit ornery until after they got their nap. I think Mac took two naps the entire 17 hour drive and Oak took one. There were no melt downs the entire trip, just alot of McDonald's ingested, alot of snacks eaten, alot of rest areas stopped at and a few movies watched.
The funeral was really good, from what I was able to listen to. I spent most of my time walking Oak around in and out of the church to keep her occupied. But Hubs said that the speakers were so great. I know that Gene R Cook spoke and a few other General Authority. President Gillespie was in the Second Quorum of the Seventy until he was called to be the Oklahoma City Temple President.
There were about fifteen or so missionaries from Hubs's mission and they sang a beautiful rendition of Called to Serve for the funeral. We stayed for a bit after the funeral for the luncheon and Hubs was able to visit with old mission friends and we ate and were able to talk a bit to President Gillespie. One of the most heart wrenching parts of it all was watching President Gillespie finish getting his food from the buffet table and stop to look where to sit. Even though there were so many people there including alot of his family that it was the first time that he would not be looking for his sweet heart to sit by. I about broke down in tears. He is such a sweet man and gave each of us a tight hug and held our hand tight. He didn't have much to say, but you could feel his sadness at losing his sweet heart for just a little while, his joy in knowing that he would be with her again, and his gratefulness and love that we were there.
You will have to excuse the terrible pictures, there was a smudge that I couldn't get off my lens. It was driving me nuts.
Waiting for her brother to get out of time out and she sat on this rock asked me to take a picture.
Mac had to be taken out and put in time out for acting super crazy during the funeral and not listening.
After the funeral I wanted to go look at the Manti Temple. I had never been there before. I hadn't realized what a small, beautiful town Manti is.
That darn smudge. The kids really wanted nothing to do with the Temple. They just "sat" through a funeral it was past nap time, and it was hot. Not to mention that we had just driven 17 hours the day before and two hours to Manti that morning.
But once Mac found the stairs he was all about hamming it up for the camera.
And the best we could get with me and my kids...
Ya, they weren't having it.
After this we met my brother in a neighboring town to head to his log cabin up in the mountains.
So look for part 2.
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