More Vacation Stories

I haven't finished my account of our September vacation.

The day before we left Venice for Salt Lake, Rowdy received a voicemail from his mom, Lezlie, saying that her mom (Granny) was just diagnosed with a brain tumor. Lezlie needed Rowdy to drive up to Klamath Falls with her the day after we arrived home so that they could see Granny and basically say their goodbyes. The way we understood it, Granny had a giloblastoma multiforme tumor, which is the most horrible of all adult brain tumors. She was given a 2-month prognosis at worst, maybe 14 months at best.

So, first thing the morning after we arrived back in Salt Lake (at 10pm), Rowdy and Lezlie jumped in the car and headed to Oregon. Terry (my father-in-law) and I didn't see much of each other, because I was off galivanting with some of my wonderful Salt Lake/Bountiful-based friends as well as visiting my grandma Bright, Aunt NaConna and Uncle Ben. NaConna gave me several family histories and photos, which has helped me flesh out my family group sheets. We definitely had some valiant pioneer ancestors that survived crossing the plains, dealt with the crickets, made friends with their native neighbors, and settled new lands.

The kids had to make up for some lost time at school, so I didn't really go see them again until Wednesday. While we were waiting for the boys to come home from school, I had a very nice talk with Greg, the kids' stepdad. Greg and Julie are wonderful people, and I know that it's a huge blessing to have a good relationship with them.

Jordan was babysitting, but the boys were able to come up with me to Grandpa and Grandma's for dinner. I had the best time just hanging out with Keiler and Max. Our trip really went a long way towards my knowing them better and our being comfortable together. We did homework together and made sure that dinner was ready when Lezlie and Rowdy walked in the door from their long trip home.

Granny had her tumor resected the day before (which makes me think it wasn't really GBM, but I don't know what the pathology showed) and was doing surprisingly well, well-enough to be discharged from the hospital the day after her surgery (or two days later). You may say, "Oh! It's a miracle! Isn't it wonderful?" but I'm not really sure what to think right now. It remains to be seen.

Rowdy, Lezlie and I went up to Snowbird on Friday. They had already gotten a bit of snow, so we were able to have a little snowball fight as we hiked. Years and years ago, I was offered a job at the Cliff Lodge as an aerobics instructor, a job I didn't take because I did not have a car with reliable brakes. I think that was the last time I had been to Snowbird. They have great mountain biking trails, and the view up there is beautiful. It made Rowdy and I re-think our lack of fondness for Salt Lake. There are so many fun, outdoorsy things to do there in such beautiful surroundings. But then we go back into the overgrown Valley and it's back to "Ugh". Ugh was certainly reinforced the next day, as it snowed as we were driving to the airport. I do miss the food at La Dolce Vita in Provo. If you are ever in Provo, I highly recommend making a special effort to eat there. Their food is just as delicious today as it was the first time I ate there in 1984.

La Dolce Vita. Go there. I insist. Take my car.

We are happy to be home again, happy to be back in our own little bed, happy to have had a fun trip with the kids and time with friends and family in Utah. Our next vacation will be to Hawaii in January. Poor Max! When I said, "We're going to Hawaii in January," he thought that "we" meant the five of us. Uh. Sorry. No. Rowdy's brothers and sisters also thought that "we" mean "and all of Rowdy's brothers and sisters". Again, no. Sorry. Just me and Rowdy, celebrating the one year anniversary of our sealing.