Provo Family Reunion

Our family's nickname is "the Trashers" because we often invade someone else's home and then invite other family members to also come to our party...at someone else's home. Stay classy!! We've done this with my Aunt Kay many times, and this past week we did it to my Aunt Patty. We realized that the only way Devin and Sarah (+ new baby Sophie who Whitney hadn't seen) as well as Jonathan, were going to be able to see recently returned Whitney, was if they drove up from Las Vegas. I went with Devin and Sarah and the kids Thursday morning (Jonathan couldn't come until Saturday morning because of work), my parents drove down from Boise, and we met in Provo for a long weekend of reunion-ing. Since no one has a home in Provo to meet in (we didn't think Taylor's dorm room or Whitney's apartment would work) we conned Aunt Patty into hosting us.

We met up at Aunt Patty's and Uncle Hal's last Thursday night where Patty had a delicious dinner of pannini's waiting for us. It was so fun for Whitney to see new baby Sophie and then talk with Patty and Hal about her adventures in Russia--since Hal served as mission president of Siberia just before she'd gotten there. They even got out the Russian fur hats to help with the story telling.

Friday morning was spent perusing the BYU Bookstore, where I worked as a cashier the year after Jon and I got married. Creamery chocolate milk, chocolate covered cinnamon bears, and BYU fudge. Ahhhh, those were the days!

The girls (plus all the kids- sounds fair, right?) went shopping at IKEA and to lunch at the Paradise Cafe in American Fork, while the boys went to class with Taylor and to the Carl Bloch exhibit at the MOA.

Everyone met in the afternoon at the Wilkinson center and we had a heated bowling competition.


Tom ended up winning with Devin edging out Taylor for second place. Joan was the winner amongst the women with a grand total of 105, but let's be honest, she didn't have very stiff competition. I vote for bumpers next time!!

We left from the Wilkie and went to dinner at Zupa's, where we needed some yellow CAUTION tape surrounding our tables, and then we went to Whitney's for a great game of Cranium.


Saturday morning we drove to BYU and went to the BYU vs. Air Force basketball game. It was so fun being there with the whole family and BYU didn't disappoint us in their big win! A highlight was hearing Eva sing the entire BYU fight song verbatim along with the 22,000 other fans in attendance.

During dinner at Bajio's, our Chairman, Taylor, revealed the secret ingredient for our Iron Chef competition, Iron Chef: Mickelsen, which was:

ORANGES! We went back out to Patty and Hal's where we began our competition. Team 1 consisted of Whitney, Joan, Tom and Jon, and Team 2 consisted of Sara, Sarah P, and Devin. Andrew (Whitney's boyfriend-- say what?!), Patty and Hal were our judges.

Team 1 prepared Baja citrus shrimp with an orange dipping sauce for their appetizer, while Team 2 presented an avocado, cillantro, goat cheese, and orange stuffed wonton with an orange dipping sauce for theirs (pictured).

For the dessert round, Team 1 made an orange flavored chocolate cake baked IN an orange garnished with whipped cream and a chocolate orange for dessert. If I can just take a sec to give a shout out to MY husband, who came up with the baking-it-in-an-orange-bit, nice job!

Team 2 presented an orange apple fruit crisp topped with orange scented whipped cream for dessert. Taylor (ever impartial Chairman) described it as "orange overload!" I guess I got a bit heavy handed with the OJ concentrate...

After much deliberation Team 2 won by 2 points--YEEHA!! But if I'm being honest, I think Sarah P's little wonton beauts stole the appetizer round, while Team 2's ingenious and delicious orange cake stole it for dessert. It could have easily been a fair tie. Sunday we met back up at Whitney's for brunch and then Whitney told some mission stories and showed her pictures/slides. We then packed up and headed south, while my parents headed north, and though it was a whirlwind trip (especially for Jon who was there barely 24 hours), it was great seeing Whitney and spending some time with family at a reunion, Trasher-style.:)

Tiny Dancer

I recently enrolled Lucy in a ballet/tap class through the Community Center by our house, and they held the first class last Monday. I had actually enrolled her a few months ago, but when it came time for the class it turned out the location was actually not the one by our house, but one close to the strip-- and coming from someone who lived for 4 years in Philly, it was SCARY. I pulled up to the parking lot and the only spot available was in front of a dumpster with a bum rifling through it with lots of signs posted "DO NOT PARK HERE AFTER DARK".... So, I cancelled that and we're happy the next session has finally started!

Naturally she loves the dressing up part in the leotard and tutus, and has made lots of little friends in her class.


She is taking the class with her friend Julia (who's in our ward), which has helped her be braver since the parents aren't allowed to go in the room and sit. We have to just watch through the windows outside. In fact, at yesterday's class Zach gagged on an apple peel I'd given him and puked up the entire contents of his stomach all over me, so not only were parents treated to a show from their little girls, they also got to see a Cardon Specialty Sideshow. My kids are the world's BEST pukers!!

And as a side note, we got SNOW last week that actually (sort of) stuck to the ground for a little while (this is the view from our bedroom window). It was a full on snow storm that lasted a few hours and was pretty exciting for the kids. But I'll admit it, I'm glad we're back to the 50 and 60 degree weather again!

Provo Utah Gurls

Oh boy! I must have needed a laugh because I've watched this about 20 times and I'm still laughing....