Grab a bowl of popcorn...this is a nice, long bedtime story!

I have been working on this for a long time...ever since we got back from our trip! Little by little, here it is--the rest of our vacation! Enjoy the plethora of pictures!

After Deb & Matt's we stopped and slept in a cute cabin in Kimball, Nebraska. If any of you are traveling via the I-80, it's called the Kimball RV park. The cabin was a great price and the bathrooms were spotless.

The next day, July 2nd we arrived in Salt Lake City. Traveling through Wyoming we stopped at Little America and got a $.50 ice cream cone. I remember when they were $.25! Hopefully they do a price cap at $.50. They have a new play area outside, so it made for a great stop. That evening we had dinner with Lee's parents, went outside for cookies and then headed over to the Gateway Mall. The kids played a little in the water at the sprinkler thing they have in the courtyard area.

We met up with Lee's parents July 3rd at their mission office. They are in the Family History Mission (don't know the exact name of their mission) and their responsibilities are in Family History Support. So for all of you Family History Center Directors, if you have a question, call the best: Elder and Sister Robertson in Salt Lake!

Clark at Grandma Robertson's desk


Clark with Grandpa Robertson


Clark, Ruth, Cal on Temple Square. If you are ever in Salt Lake City, you need to stop at Temple Square. It's GORGEOUS! You want to eat the grass it looks so good!


Cal on Temple Square


Us minus the babies (patiently waiting in the stroller) in front of the Salt Lake City Temple


Clark


After Temple Square we headed over to Welfare Square. It's the main welfare center for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was an interesting tour and it was amazing to see all the wonderful things they do. They have Deseret Industries there--like Good Will, and an employment center. Also, the church has farms all over where people donate their time and provide labor to produce a particular crop or other food item. The church has a cattle ranch outside of Ely, Nevada. There is a grocery store there where people who have lower incomes, after they provide work, can "shop". What is cool though, there are no prices on anything! If all the food production that they do was to stop today, they have enough stored so they can continue on with the many tons of food they disburse for three months! At the end of the tour we got to taste the yummy chocolate milk, cheese, bread, butter and jams they make.

Lee and Cal in front of the grain silos


We then headed over to the Utah State Capitol building. It is a beautiful building.

Clark


Haley Rae


Incredible stonework


Shanna Mae


For the evening we head down the hill from the Capitol to Memory Park. They kids had fun exploring and Mom and Dad R got pizza for everyone.


The next day, July 4, we headed to Ely, Nevada. We enjoyed the parade that morning and Clark and Cal got a nice stash of candy. It was great seeing Kent (Lee's brother) and Saundra and family and I wish we would have taken pictures with them!

That evening we went to Lee's 10 year high school reunion. Lee had fun seeing old friends and I enjoyed meeting some people he knew during high school.


Lee and one of his good friends, Thomas Bath


That evening we watched fireworks. They set them off on the Ely golf course. Two or 3 times the golf course caught on fire! On Saturday, July 5, we hung out with Kent's family, and for lunch we went to Murry Summit campground. For part of the class reunion they had a family bbq.

Sunday July 6th, after church in Kent's ward, we headed to Fallon, Nevada. These are sand dunes outside of Fallon.


We spent a little time in Fallon with Carl and Susan and family. Carl is one of Lee's brother's. On Monday we swam in their pool. It was nice and warm; I loved it!


Lee tried to get a cute picture of the girls together, but like always Shanna isn't as compliant.


Tuesday July 8 we piled in the van and headed to Carson City, Nevada. Lee took his Nevada law exam for optometry that morning. Sue--Lee's sister, and her family met up with us. We saw Alan's school (Sue's hubby) where he is the Vice Principal, and then ate at a park.

Christoper and Cal


Allanah, Alan, Sue, Haley and Ruth


Shanna


Guess who this one is


Sue, Lee, and ?


Hmmm.....I think this is:


Clark, Robert, Christopher


When we were in Carson City we were only about 10 miles from California! I wish we would have driven over to Cali and crossed the boarder. By the time I realized how close California was, we were a few hours away already.

Haley and Shanna having fun together. They now are in forward facing car seats. They got them half-way through our trip in Iowa.


That night, after Carson City, we ended out the day in Elko, Nevada at Lynn's--Lee's oldest sister. Haley and Shanna enjoyed the little waterfall on her deck.


The morning of July 9th Lynn took Clark and Cal and Lee out 4 wheeling. They really enjoyed it!

That afternoon we met up with the first sister missionary I trained--Kristin Jaussi, in Bountiful, Utah. It was great to see her and her little girl.


We spent the night in Salt Lake at Mom and Dad R's, and the 10th we headed down to Provo. Before we left we visited an Army store and got a few things for Lee's officer training. Later that afternoon we visited the second sister I trained on my mission, Kelly Memmott. Kelly also has a cute little girl and it was wonderful to see her. That night after a yummy dinner from Stephanie--my sister, we ended up at Roger and Britt's. Roger is my brother. The boys had fun making ice cream sundaes.


Roger and Stephanie both live in BYU student family housing, and half the time we stayed with Stephanie and Andy and the other half with Roger and Brittany. The whole time Haley and Shanna slept at Roger's because we were usually there at night and Roger and Brittany didn't mind. It was really nice because the girls slept great!



July 11th we headed south, but not too far. Stephanie, my youngest sister, is doing an internship with the Payson Fruit Growers. They do a few things, but mainly they deal with cherries. It was really fun to see where she worked and some cool equipment she gets to work with.

Stephanie


Merry Christmas!


While we were in Payson, we couldn't pass the chance to go to the hospital where Clark was born 5 years ago!


We stopped and saw my Aunt Jenni in Salem. Thanks for the twinkies!!!


The girls enjoyed the rocking horse


The boys enjoyed the hammock


Since it was 7-11-08, 7-11 gave out free slurpees, while supplies last. Roger and Brittany took our van with Cal and Clark and got them slurpees.


That night Roger and Brittany babysat all of our kids. Everyone spoiled us this whole trip!

Roger with 2 & 4


Clark and Cal loved Roger's remote control car. Cal would sneak into Roger's 2nd bedroom to go look at it.


Roger with 1 & 3


While Roger and Brittany were watching our kids, Lee and I met up with Jyl Call and her husband and cute boy at the Mayan in Sandy. That is a fun restaurant! Jyl and I had the same trainer on our mission, and she was my 5th companion. We had a great visit.


This van is in the parking lot by Roger and Britt's. What a great idea if you can't fix your damage!


Saturday, the 12th, we yet again went off by ourselves and met up with some of Lee's family for a play and dinner.

Lee, Ruth, Hanna, Sara, Catherine, Nathan, Raema, Don


After the play we ate at the Brick Oven. YUM! Lee and his parents.


I join the picture (a good addition, right?!)


Clark LOVED playing Lego Star Wars at Roger's.


Shanna and Roger the wanna be future father of triplets


Yep, Clark is chillin


After the festivities with Lee's family, we went swimming at the Helman Halls pool on BYU campus. Brittany with Shanna and Haley


Andy and Steph


Rog Britt Clark


Roger and Clark


Cal


On Sunday the 13th, after 8:00am church, we went on a walk to the Provo Temple.






That night we enjoyed visiting Uncle Steven, Aunt Susan and family.
Roger and my cousin Tim...let me know if you want me to arrange a date with you and him!


Sarah and Cal with Sarah's lizard


Brittany and Tim sang songs for us


Stephanie and Brittany


Clark


Sunday night a few of my friends from Minnesota came by. It was fun to see all of them.

Ruth, Roger
Mike, Damian, Cameron
Brad


Okay, you win


The 14th


That afternoon we met up with the 3rd and final sister I trained on my mission, Vanessa Ocana. She was my last companion, my last transfer. It's funny because she and her family are from Nicaragua and that is where Lee served his mission. They came to the states several years ago. I believe when Vanessa was just a year or so old. It was great to see her and hear what she's been doing.


After meeting up with Vanessa we went to BYU and walked around. I love BYU grounds. They are so beautiful! What a gorgeous campus. It was fun going to school there.

The stones in the waterfall/pool area are stones from the Salt Lake Temple when they were first building it. The stones broke, or were faulty in some way, so weren't used on the temple. What a great wa to use them now!


After BYU Roger and Brittany took Clark and Lee shooting in Springville Canyon.



That night we went to SubZero with Steph & Andy, Roger & Britt, my cousin Heidi and her husband Marc and son Marquito, and Lee's nephew and neice: Nathan and Hanna. At SubZero you pick the fat content of the cream you want in your ice cream, along with the flavor and mix-ins. Then they make the ice cream right in front of you! It's so smooth and creamy and yummy.


Our last full day in Provo, the 15th, we took a quick trip up to Salt Lake. Lee had to exchange some Army boots that he had gotten early at the Army store. Army clothing is so expensive, that it was worth the trip just to get it taken care of. We were able to meet up again with Lee's parents and that was nice. After we had lunch with them, and cleaned up, we went to the Church Museum of History and Art. They have an awesome kids' section.

Lee and Clark gearing up for the trek back East


It will take you a long time to get home doing it that way Cal


After the museum we stopped in Orem at UVU and saw Diana Hunter. I was an intern for her my last semester at BYU. It's been fun keeping in contact with her ever since.


After I saw Diana I went to a church distribution store in Orem, and I saw Ben & Gianetta Schauerhamer! They are some of our good friends from Memphis. What a small world. I knew the were in Provo/Orem, but I wasn't able to get ahold of them, so I was very happy about our chance meeting.

The next morning, the 16th we left at about 5:04 am and headed down to St. George, Utah.


After we saw Grandma Lena and Aunt Anna Lee and Uncle Lee and Bonnie, we stopped briefly and saw Willa Derrick, from my mission. Her husband was the Los Angeles Temple Visitors' Center director for a little more than half of my mission. We didn't get to see him as he was at work. We also swung by and saw my mission president and his wife, Dean and Elaine Christensen. I should have taken some pictures with them, but didn't. It was fun to say hi to them.

We traveled the rest of the day and through the night and arrived in Stillwater, Oklahoma at around 10:30 am on the 17th. We stayed with my brother Darrell and his family for a day and a half. We got to see his and Stacie's new addition, little Lisa. She is a cutie. We did a little shopping in Stillwater (mainly window shopping), took a walk to the nearby lake, and went out for ice cream.

Next stop: Vicksburg, Mississippi to see Mike and Lena Erekson. We left Saturday morning, the 19th. Lena's (my sister) neighbor, is in the process of moving and they let us stay in their house while we were in Vicksburg. Thanks Marisol!

It was fun seeing Alyssa, Lena's 5th baby. The baby blessing was the next day, the 20th and my parents and Mike's parents were able to be there. My mom made her blessing dress and it turned out great! She even sewed it on an old peddle sewing machine.

Alyssa and Lena


Do you think you've been hot this summer? Well, take a trip to Mississippi. It is HOT and HUMID.

Monday the 21st, despite the heat, the kids enjoyed playing outside...and loved their water.






While the kids were in the heat, Jeanne (Mike's sister) and I went shopping at an outlet mall.

For part of our Family Home Evening, they listened to a couple Veggie Tales songs and danced around. Even Shanna and Haley got into it.


On the 22nd the kids got out the water

Jeanne, Jon, Rebecca, Kirsten, Haley-stripped shirt & Shanna






That night we went to Catfish park, a sprinkler park.





























We had a great trip and it was fun to see so many people. There were a lot of people that we wished we could have seen. Hopefully next time in a couple of years.