Wedding Getaway

 Two weeks ago, my cousin, Kami, personally called to invite me to her wedding!  I asked Randy if we could take a little getaway together, but he had meetings in-town that he couldn't miss.  So he bought me a ticket, rented me a car, and sent me on a whirlwind, amazing getaway vacation!

I grew up in Utah, but I didn't know just how vast the salt flats are!  I've never flown above them like I did this time, and was astounded by just how massive the Great Salt Lake truly is!  I was also thrown off by the colors of the water.  I couldn't get the colors just right through the airplane window panes, but you can sort of see that there is pink, blue, lime green, and a sliver of the forest green.  It was weird to see so many colors that are not quite natural for water.

I got off the plane, drove straight to Layton High to give my cousin, Jamie, a hug and chat for seriously like 5-minutes, then get stuck in Utah traffic as I made my way to Danielle's house to drop off the water bottle holders I made for her family, then head back into traffic as I continued North to my parent's home.  I was so exhausted from all of that, I got straight into my jammies when I arrived.  But my night was not over!!  My cousin Lindsey happened to stop by.  She, too, was on a sort of whirlwind getaway vacation!  I love being able to see more family without planning it!

I woke, grabbed some breakfast, and then went to Keilie's grave before heading to Kimberly's.  I grew up coming to see my sister, so I felt confident in my endeavors.  But as soon as I drove up and saw how much the cemetery has changed, I started to panic.  There were SO MANY new headstones, I got all turned around and confused.

And then I spotted her.  I never truly understood how beautiful Caden's cemetery is until I came back here.  It may be hard to find gravesites if you don't know the general area because none of the headstones stand up, but it truly is a beautiful garden there.  They take care of the grounds so well.  I have never seen dandelions and weeds overtaking headstones like they are here.  It's overwhelming seeing it look so disheveled after three and a half years of going to see Caden.

Keilie would have turned 36 on May 2nd.  I still wonder every once in a while what her husband would have been like, how many kids she would have had.  I'll always miss her.

After Kimberly's, I was able to go down and visit with Brooke and meet her sweet Navie, who will be 1 at the end of the month.  I HATE that I don't live closer to family when it means that I don't meet my nieces and nephews until they are almost a year old.

From the second Brooke opened the door, this little cutie was ALL smiles.  She came to me willingly, smilingly, and just was the cutest little thing ever.  SUCH a happy baby!

After chatting with Brooke for a few hours, I headed over to Danielle's house to get ready for the wedding reception.  Danielle and Taylor had a different wedding they were going to, so my parents and I got to take Audrey and Drew with us.  They were my dates.

They wanted to go in "my car," but they also wanted me to sit right next to them.  Glad the drive was only 30-minutes, crammed back in the back seat.  If I'm honest, I wouldn't have had it any other way.  They make me so happy.

While on the way home, Drew was telling me a story, and just stopped mid-sentence.  "Aunt Steph, you are just so pretty."  And then he continued his previous thoughts.  When I got home and changed, once again, into my jammies for the night, Audrey gasped when I walked down.  "Oh, Aunt Steph, you look so pretty!!"  They make me feel so special!

My mom and I slept in and then went for a walk together.

It wasn't planned this way, but it was hour-chunks of time split up between family members, my entire trip.  Uninterrupted time with those that I love most.  It was a whirlwind trip, one that actually gave me a headache as I came home, but it was also one of the most relaxing, too.  I love spending time with my family!  I cannot wait for July, when we'll be able to spend a whole week together, laughing, boating, sightseeing, playing games, and just making memories together.  Being a Burrell is the BEST!!