John's Wedding and Family Fun

So Nate and I were driving back to Clearfield from Provo on Saturday night when I realized that I had forgotten to bring the camera and didn't take ANY pictures of our fun little Utah trip. Sad day! Thankfully Mom took a few pictures the day of the wedding and sent me some. I've got to get in the habit of taking more pictures so we can look back on fond memories without simply relying on our memories. :) That being said, Nate and I had a great time in Utah. We got into Salt Lake on Wednesday night and waited for Joe's flight to arrive before heading to my parents' house. The next day was John's wedding at the Salt Lake Temple so we had to get up and get going. My parents left earlier because they had to be there earlier so my aunt Maurvene picked us up (or rather she came to the house and Nate drove us in her car). Christy and Ben left at the same time in their own car, which I didn't really notice. We got to about Kaysville and Farmington when I suddenly remembered that I didn't have my recommend with me. I panicked because we didn't have time to go back to the house. I thought maybe Christy was still at the house (silly me) and called her to see if she could grab it, but of course they were right behind us in the car...lol. I was freaking out because we came all this way to go to the wedding and I wasn't even going to be able to be there! I was really quite sad. Nate tried to reassure me that they'd be able to look me up on the system and verify me so I was hoping he was right. When we got to the temple, I ashamedly had to tell them I forgot my recommend and they sent me to speak with someone. Nate ended up being right (as always)...yay! So they verified me and I was able to attend the sealing. I was so glad because it was so wonderful! Afterwards, we all went outside for pictures.


It was chilly and a little windy, but the sun did end up coming out and I think John and Tricia were able to get some good pictures (at least when their photographer finally showed up late...can we say discount??). Tricia looked absolutely beautiful and I think John was literally beaming. It was such a happy day! Their daughters, Damia and Mikayla, looked completely adorable in their purple and black dresses.




While John and Tricia were getting the rest of their pictures taken, Mom and Dad took Nate and I to the Church Office Building to give us a small tour of where they work. It was neat to see and the view from their floor was amazing! We also got to see our old bishop from BYU and his wife, Brother and Sister Taylor. They are in the same mission as my parents and it was great to catch up with them.


Then we had to hurry back to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building for the luncheon. It was beautiful! And the food was honestly delectable. Yum!! We were so full afterwards, but of course we had to have a piece of their chocolate wedding cake. They also had candy in the middle of all of the tables, which I thought was a cool idea. We ate a bunch of that and took a bunch home.


It was then time to say goodbye to the newlyweds and wish them the best on their honeymoon to Ireland. How fun for them!! After we left, we were talking in the car about where the new couple would live and I asked where Tricia lived. Maurvene then goes, "Who's Tricia?" We said, "John's new wife!" and burst into laughter. It was awesome! Good old Maurvene. :) Then that evening Mom, Dad, Joe, VJ, Nate and I went to Fat Cats in Ogden to go bowling. Before we started, we watched some people do that iFly thing where a big fan blows air so fast you can fly in it like you're skydiving. It was so cool and funny to watch! How awesome! Someday...when I'm not pregnant and have money to burn...lol. The bowling was tons of fun and we just had a blast. The next day Joe, VJ, Brady and Brooke went snowboarding and Mom, Dad, Nate and I spent the day in Salt Lake. First we went to the Organ Recital at the tabernacle, which showcased Richard Eliott this time. That is one cool organ and Richard definitely knew how to play. It was awesome! Julia came to see it with us and then she left. We then decided to go to the Church History Museum, which amazingly I've never been to. We spent half the time parousing the store...lol. The museum was pretty intriguing and I learned quite a bit. Then we headed to the Gateway to watch Paul Blart: Mall Cop. It turned out to be cute and funny, but not an A+. It's worth seeing, but probably not more than once. When the movie was over, we met up with the snowboarders to eat dinner at Red Robin. Gotta love it! Nate was all excited when he saw there was a Burnin' Love burger that was supposed to be really spicy so he ordered that. Unfortunately it wasn't spicy enough for him, crazy guy. At least he got some spice out of it....lol. That night we played games and just hung out.




The next day both Joe and VJ had to leave so we took VJ to the airport first. Then Nate and I rented a car so we could go to Provo that night and then the rest of us went to the temple. We had a really special time there doing some family names. It's always nice to go together as a family too. After that, Nate and I drove down to Provo. First we stopped at Arctic Circle for lunch/dinner (yummy!) and then we finally went to Provo. As we drove to the south end of campus near where we both used to live, we noticed a big empty space and realized the Knight Mangum building was totally gone! It was so weird!! Now it's just a grass field with a sidewalk up to campus. Things change so fast at BYU! Anyways, we had fun at the bookstore and then went over to Nate's friend Rob's apartment. It was so good to see him and also so weird to be back in student housing with the honor code. I had to remind myself that I was married now and it was okay to use the bathroom at a guys' apartment..lol. We just played games and watched a little of the basketball game on TV. It brought back lots of memories. :) We also went to the creamery for some good old creamery ice cream. DELICIOUS! Rob seemed like he was doing really well and the night was great. We then drove back to my parents' house and then left for home the next morning. It was a wonderful vacation!!