Family Reunion

Of my many Monday goals, only the realistic ones were completed, including packing making painting 2 of a 25 part series. Kevin, Lavinia, and I did some intense and humid cardio in the morning, went shoe shopping, and Kevin bought one dozen donuts and split them with Moriah. And gave me one. And let me sleep the last night in "our" bed. I also went to the YSA FHE for once.  

Yeah, I thought it was funny. 

Some of the YSA kiddos.

Gregor and I flew out early Tuesday morning to Utah, accompanied by a delightfully cynical and god-fearing woman named Angela. We met our wonderful cousins, the Wildes, and joined them in helping a woman pack a moving truck. In addition to terrifying and thrilling and frustrating her children at various times, I also learned about goat heads. (Here I was, picturing a bunch of decapitated goats all over the road, impaling people left and right, and it turns out I wasn't too far off.)

That, my friends, is a goat head. Poisonous little buggers. 

Wednesday was the first day of school for the Wilde clan minus Brooklyn. So we escorted her to the Ogden temple. There I met a wonderful lady named Sister Loos, whose son spent a few years in Switzerland and was able to go and visit some of my favorite places for a month. All of the people there were lovely.

Papa Bear invited G and I along for his missionary shift at the Bishop's Storehouse. Breaks were taken with increasing frequency because the chocolate milk in the break room was so darn good. And because we worked so quickly and efficiently that we kept finishing all the work before any more patrons came to make more for us. We then had a well-deserved and much-enjoyed dinner at Granny B's, including her delicious raspberry salad and some salty chips. Amy, Jason, Greg, and I ended the day with several hours of volleyball, which was awesome, despite my sleepiness and blindness.

Break time. Part 47.

Friday included Templing Part II, this time with Granny B, Papa Bear, Amy, and Jason in Bountiful. Contrary to my beliefs, I have been there before. When my MTC comp, Emarie, lost the key to her locker. Afterwards we went to Olive Garden and I was both impressed by our waiter's uncanny ability to bring out more breadsticks with impeccable timing, and at my ability to eat them. Cormac then enlightened Greg by showing him the Lego Movie. As Greg can attest, that idea was just...the worst.

Families are forever. So you're stuck with us.

I am adding "professional picture-taker" to my resume, as I spent Saturday morning at the Duck Park taking family and school pictures. And if I can get one good picture of Kian, I'm counting that as a success. 

When I found out that Soeur Schreiber (my mission daughter)'s family lived in SLC, I told her I was going to drop by one day through their back window. Well, we didn't back window it, but we did meet the family and they are simply delightful. We ate German food, all of which Greg will refer to as schnitzel, and had intriguing conversation about missions, and family, and skiing, and even politics.

The Schreibers. Minus Kassie and Marcel.

The Wildes and we met up at the This Is The Place park for an afternoon of fun and church history. We pet animals (all, except the roosters, due to traumatic childhood experiences), made scratch art arrowheads, watched some Indian dancing, ate pioneer candy, found Lauren's future wedding venue, climbed on a pirate ship, and panned for gold. 

Then we picked up the big brother that Avery always wanted from the airport.

Now featured in the Wilde family museum.

Maybe they'll let me in the yacht club now.

I'm a rich man.

If I'm lucky, by this time next week I will be legally moved in to my new apartment. Cheers.