Good News...

I'm alive. That's right, my depressing Friday didn't kill me. ;) We spent the weekend in Snowflake. They had their annual 24th of July celebration (aka Pioneer Day) which is a pretty big even there. I don't think Jason and I have gone since we've been married, but it also happened to be his TEN year high school reunion (that's right, my husband is old) and his grandmother's 90th birthday party. So Friday night after Jason's class, we packed up and left. It typically takes us about an hour and five minutes to get to Payson. Roughly 25 miles or so outside of Payson on the Beeline, traffic came to a STOP. Nope, not slow, a STOP. We called the traffic information hotline and they kindly informed us to "Expect longer-than-normal delays due to an accident." I would've liked to walk up and down the line of cars visiting with people, but Jason wanted to sit in the car. Thank goodness for lap tops! Jason thought we better bring mine just in case and I had left a DVD in it, so we just watched a movie. We were stopped for an hour and twenty minutes and then traffic was strange all the way into Payson, so, we arrived in Payson three hours after we left Mesa. A similar situation happened to Jason and I when we were dating, but at that time, it was on a hill and Jason had a manual truck. He didn't mind this stop as much. I fed Clara and after that, she was pretty good, mostly just sitting and playing with her toys. She didn't go to sleep until we put her back in her seat to drive, but she was good. Oh, and I put my shoes on and was walking around and couldn't figure out why they felt to thin and my feet felt like they were hanging off the edges... and then I realized they were on the wrong feet. It's amazing how much we depend on light.
We didn't see an accident, just a tow truck, a pick up and a trailer with some four wheelers that was a ways away from the pick up. Who knows, but, we were about eight miles from the accident and who knows how many miles of traffic was behind us. So it was a long back up!

We stayed with my cousin Michelle in Snowflake. It's perfect because they have a basement with a room and a bathroom, so Clara slept great both at night and for her naps. It stays dark down there, especially the family room, so we put the pack-n-play there the second night and Clara slept until 740am. So, when we get back home, I need to make some super dark curtains for her room. It is so nice having a free place to stay that gives us our own space and some good company.

Here's what we did on Saturday:
::: In the m orning we went to "Grandpa Mills'" house (he's not really my grandpa, but when we lived in Snowflake, we called him that since we lived by all of Michelle's family and her cousins who were his grandchildren) for breakfast. My Aunt Jana just invited us like we were her own kids, which we appreciated. She made her sourdough pancakes and they are SO good.

::: Watched the parade, which was VERY long and it was hot.

::: Went to my Aunt Jana's for lunch (by this time, we were feeling like a family of mooches, so we brought some dessert to feel like we contributed :)).

::: Got a tour of Brian, Michelle's husband's warehouse. (Michelle's little girl Hailey... she has a HILARIOUS personality). He is one of the suppliers in the state for a certain type of siding. If you need some building material, check out http://www.kaysupply.com/. They sell lots of stuff besides siding. They have a really neat showroom too.
::: Went to the "family" part of Jason's reunion... just a little gathering at a park. Jason didn't really talk to anyone until I went to the car to feed Clara. Clara experienced her first popsicle and LOVED it. I would have let her have more if it wasn't red and her shirt wasn't white because one of my secrets is that I am afraid of bleach. I'm pretty sure Angela can do what she's been dying to do for quite some time: share otter pops with Clara.
::: Went to Michelle's and we all took naps. Clara took her BEST afternoon nap ever. Again, I think this is thanks to the darkness.

::: Went to Jason's reunion. We left Clara with Jason's mom who was at the party. The reunion was not bad. They just had dinner and then a "drawing" that if your name was drawn, they asked you a question about high school. What made that funny was sitting with Ryan and two of his friends and their wives that made funny comments. After a few questions, Jason got a phone call that Clara was crying and they couldn't get her to stop. So, we rushed to Taylor (not a long drive but the speed limit is an obnoxious 35 mph). We walked into the church and Clara was just sucking on her pacifier perfectly calm. I was told she just barely started getting fussy so they gave her the pacifier and she was fine. So why we were called and rushed over there with the impression that she was screaming, I am not sure. Perhaps it was a miscommunication. It was a bummer not to get to spend more time at the reunion, but I guess we can get the highlights from Ryan.

::: Stayed and visited with Jason's family and his Grandma's party. She is 90 and in pretty good health. Someone had given her a crown to wear around and one of Jason's cousins made her a really cool quilt with pictures of all the grandkids' families. It was neat. This is Maricell and me by the quilt, she's married to one of Jason's younger brothers and looks like she hates me for taking a picture with her, but I hope she doesn't. :)
::: Went to Michelle's and watched a movie and watched some of the fireworks from their back porch. We realized we were really spoiled watching the fireworks in Colorado, the noise especially, will be hard to beat.

Sunday was just typical church and visiting and then home. We went to Michelle's ward and I saw several of my friends from when I lived in Snowflake, so that is always fun to see where people are and what they are up to.

Our weekend was fun, but it seems like we have been gone on the weekends for the last month, so I'm looking forward to NOT going on vacation for a long time to get caught up with my life. I just feel like we are gone on the weekends and then I spend the week recovering and unpacking and then packing and preparing for the next getaway. But it's worth the memories, that's for sure.