And we’re back!

I hate taking time off from blogging, because it feels hard to catch up and it seems to turn into more of a travel log than my normal ramblings… but maybe that’s better. We got to visit my side of the family at the beginning of July. It started off a bit rough though. We paid a bit extra to be able to “save ourselves a headache” of driving to Atlanta and flew out of Augusta. What ended up happening was a lot of delays, a missed flight, rebooking new flights, etc. I got to the Augusta airport and went to the desk instead of self-help checkin because I was traveling with two different reservations for my four kids due to companion passes we got from last year’s fiasco of the Delta system’s shutdown. Anyway, the lady at the front was not too keen on helping me, even though, I believe that is her job. She reluctantly printed boarding passes and handed them to me. I looked at the boarding passes and my kids and I were rows apart, not a single one of us sitting by the other. I said, “Ma’am, this won’t work, no one is going to want to sit by my kids alone.” She said, “Talk with the people at your gate.” Super helpful.

We went through security and got stuck for a few extra minutes because right before we’d arrived, the airport had a power surge and their systems were still booting up and my stroller couldn’t go through their machine so it had to be wiped down and tested with one of their strips. But, with the size of the Augusta airport, it didn’t set us back too much, we were at our gate in a minute once we made it through security. I went straight to the gate attendants and it turned out the front desk lady’s rudeness, in a way, saved my day- at least made it more bearable. I asked the man to get me seats by my kids and the only seats available together were comfort + to Atlanta and he was very apologetic but said he couldn’t change my seats from Atlanta to SLC from his end and we’d have to do that once we got to Atlanta. I was about to walk away but I heard the attendant next to us helping another passenger who noticed our flight was delayed and was complaining that she would miss her flight. We also had a tight connection, so a delayed flight made the connection near impossible. The other attendant was helping the lady find another flight for later on. I turned back to my attendant and asked him to help me find a back up flight. He got me on a flight at 10:30 PM. I was extremely grateful I took that when just moments later the flight got delayed again. This meant that our tight connection was now a very spaced out connection, but I was just grateful we got a flight. Another couple in the airport happened to be in our ward and was also heading to SLC. I told him to try and get the next flight, but when he went up there there weren’t any more seats available and they were going to have to put him on a flight for the next morning. As I was scanning our information, I remembered that Max and Maverick were on a different reservation than I was and I went back to the gate attendant to make sure they were on the next flight with me. They weren’t. I’d just learned that there weren’t any more seats available from my friend so I started to panic, wondering how my kids were going to be able to come with me on the next flight. He made a phone call, and initially, the other attendant said it was totally booked and they’d put them on standby, but then after insistence on our end (probably after moving regular seated passengers to comfort+) they found two more seats in economy for my boys. I was so relieved. We made it to ATL and got to our gate. Then watched the lightning storm outside as well as the next flight begin to get more and more delayed. Once aboard the kids fell asleep fairly quickly. I tried, but I’m too old to get comfortable in those tiny spaces to sleep. We made it to SLC and then to my dad’s house around 3:45 AM MST– a rough 5:45 AM EST. It was a long night. We got a few more hours of sleep and then made our way to my grandpa’s assisted living place around 10.

It was lovely seeing Great Papa, or gramps as I always called him. I could tell his spirits were lifted by us being there– even though with all of those great grandkids it was awfully chaotic. I told him I was sorry he had to lay in his bed day in and day out and was so impressed by how he kept his spirits up. He told me that it was getting harder and harder to do that. Honestly, he’s been bed ridden for years, so I’m surprised it’s taken this long for him to feel frustrated by his situation. I was talking about it with Nik and Sara and how, as frustrating as it is now for him to be stuck in bed, he’s enjoyed the assisted living place because of all the friends (and girlfriends) he’s had along the way. I was reminded of a devotional that a man gave at BYU where he mentioned my grandpa and how he was the resident grandpa of the ward- knowing all of the youth by name and always being that friendly face. I see where my dad gets his friendliness from. When we went to Flaming Gorge with my parents and Nik, it seemed as if the whole town knew who my dad was even though he only lives there a small portion of the year. I can see myself in my dad, though I feel it takes me more effort to reach outside of myself and be that friendly, outgoing face, but it really does make people light up around you- it’s worth the effort.

After the drive back from Santaquin, we got ready for dinner at Adrienne’s. Following dinner, we stopped by the car show, then around 9:30 PM headed back to Grandma and Grandpa’s. It was a very long day, but full of good memories and lots of hugs from family members I don’t get to see very often. I even got to see my oldest Rasband cousin, Tara, and my Aunt Nan (Roy’s sister). I wish I had more opportunities to see the extended family members, but it is rare that extended parties or events happen when my schedule permits. We didn’t slow down the next day either. We spent most of the morning and afternoon at a splash pad then had dinner at Dan and Jieun’s house.

The 4th of July wasn’t slow either. We cheered for those in the parade and the kids came home with oodles of candy. We even got chocolates from Cavender’s. After the parade, Uncle Matt set up a bounce house for the kids. It entertained them for hours before they decided to come in.

Saturday, I was busy most of the day getting Andy while the kids stayed behind to play with their cousins. We made our way to the Centerville park for fireworks where my brother Dan and his family had saved the crazy lot of us spots on the field. The show was great, but it was even better to see it all with family.

Sunday was a day focused on the blessing of my nephew, Elijah. We were so grateful Andy could be there to participate in the circle of Elijah’s blessing. That boy will be a strength to those around him, healing and spreading Christ-like love wherever he goes. We had a good time catching up with family and even playing some card games.

Monday, we headed to Flaming Gorge with my parents and Nik and his family. We enjoyed a walk by some farmland and got settled in. Max and Ori took turns using the tractor to mow and haul trash to the dump up the street.

The next day, after getting lunches made and the boat ready, we made our way to the lake. I got to use the trailer to unload the boat. I think I’ve done it one or two times before this, but I am still trying to learn how to back up with a trailer. It is not intuitive. I’ve gotten ok at trailering the boat from the water, but I still feel I have a lot to learn. I feel fairly comfortable once on the water including driving with rafters or kneeboards behind us. My dad’s boat is a little tricky because the speed doesn’t stay consistent, so it takes keen attention to adjusting it and slowing it down a bit. I was a little shaky after helping the first group of tubers, but after a run, I was able to calm my nerves and feel comfortable continuing. The kids all had a blast tubing, playing at their muddy beaches, knee boarding, and Max and Maverick even tried wakeboarding. It is interesting to see the different personalities trying these new things. Max was super nervous and wasn’t really eager to keep trying after getting up only momentarily, but Maverick was thrilled that he “got up” on his first try even though he promptly face planted it after “getting up.” I hope they’re willing to try again in the future. It is definitely a past time I’ve enjoyed from my childhood. Nik and I both wakeboarded, but the Cook side of us came through and we had a friendly competition to see who could stay up the longest. I maybe cheated a bit because I went twice. I didn’t know we were competing until after my first run, he said, “2 and a half minutes is all I have to beat? Easy.” So then after he went again for 3:45 I made sure to stay up over 4 minutes before letting go… but my lower back really paid for it the next day.

We always had a blast in the evenings between games, glow dance party, and s’mores by the fire, there never seemed to be a dull moment.

After three days of boating, we were all a little sunned out. We took Friday easy and let the kids play water balloons outside. I got some painting done and we enjoyed relaxing for the day. Saturday, we got up, fed the kids and headed to a lake in the Uintas. After hiking for an hour, the kids were done and hungry so we didn’t quite make it to the lake, but we got to see a cool little lily pond. In the evening, we headed to the Rodeo and were sitting on the edge of our seats between the bull riding, horse bucking, and more. The athleticism in Rodeos is very seldom celebrated, but maybe because it is cringeworthy between watching the necks of the bull riders and the upset of the animals. Still impressive though.

We finished our trip at church. I love that the gospel is in all parts of the world with many faithful saints striving to do their best, though we often come up short.

After getting back to Centerville, we had a couple of days of farewells (a massage gifted to me from my mom) and then a verrrrry long flight home. We got up around 4 AM (a bit earlier for me a bit later for the kids) and headed to the airport. Luckily the first leg was painless, but the second flight (ATL to Augusta) kept getting more and more delayed. After we landed in ATL, I told Andy about the delay and he offered to come get us. I know driving to Atlanta is a pain, but I was so grateful he came to get us, because the flight ended up getting delayed late into the night. After getting back home, we went straight to our friends, the Durrant’s house. They invited us over for dinner and after a long day of travel, it was so nice to not have to cook and to have a home cooked meal ready for us. They truly are some of our greatest friends.

I will write more… maybe tomorrow, maybe later than that, about Andy leaving, but just a quick word here. We’re ok. We had a lot of sobbing going on between adults and kids last night and this morning, but the kids are doing better. I’m just letting them play and be distracted and hopefully that will help with this transition. I’ve heard it takes 3-4 weeks to find your new normal. I appreciate all the prayers and words of comfort.