Utah Vacation, Day 8

Dear Vacation,

Can we take some of the nice weather and soft grass back home with us when we leave? It'd sure be nice. There is not much in life better than relaxing on the grass with your shoes off in the Summertime. Except ice cream - ice cream is better. But grass stinks in Texas. I can't explain to people here in Utah what the grass is like, I mean how do you describe it? Walking on straw? With a sandy dirt sticking through? And sticker weeds?

Sounds lovely, eh?

So, anyway...

We headed to the Bean Museum today. Funny thing is, we hit this museum every year, and this is the first year that Savannah realized the animals are dead. Seriously, I think she's always thought it was a zoo. Today she was looking at the diorama of birds and she asked if they were real. I explained that they were real, but dead and then stuffed.

I think she understood, because when Landry exclaimed, "birds!", Savannah replied, "yeah, dead ones". See, she understands, and now I'm not sure I ever want to go back. Thinking about dead, stuffed animals sitting on walls and displays for the past 30 years makes me kind of creeped out.

While in Provo we drove past Grandma and Grandpa Teichert's house. I realize Grandpa is gone, and Grandma doesn't live there right now, but it's still their house. Always will be. I stopped, got out and walked around the house and yard. I opened Grandpa's storage shed in the carport and looked at his tools. I sat on the porch like we always used to do. I walked on the grass and felt the place where the sinkhole once was. I looked at the bushes where we had our fort and the wood pile where I always saw spiders.

Then I got back in my car, and cried. I really, really, really, really miss them. I can't wait to go see Grandma soon, and I guess we'll see Grandpa too, or at least his grave. I'll cry there too, I'm sure.

By the time we left Provo the babies were getting tired, so I decided to drive awhile and let them nap in the car. We drove by Utah Lake and saw the ducks, through Orem and saw horses (which Savannah was convinced were donkeys), to Pleasant Grove, then Highland and Alpine. It's crazy that we've been gone 2 years and things have changed so much! We stopped at a park in Highland to play (yeah, it was a really, really short nap for the babies) and ran through the grass.

You Utahns may laugh, but I literally list playing in the grass on my list of things to do when we come here. Seriously, our grass is THAT bad!

After a few rolls down the hills and a few hissy fits we headed home for a nice relaxing FHE, a nummy dessert of bread pudding and an early bedtime for all...except me. I'm on a new book and it's just as enticing as the last one...

On deck for tomorrow? Lincoln! Yay! Playgroup with friends and play time with more friends, and a photo shoot too.

Sincerely yours,

B