Off to school part 2

 Parker is off to college, yikes.  Photos below

Greg and Parker took off early on Wednesday, I stayed home to make sure the younger kiddos went to school and stuff.  Every year since he was 3 Parker has been totally ready for school, running off to the door without even looking back.  College made him pretty nervous and that felt out of character.  But he slowly warmed up to college as he was able to make a schedule and book a dorm room, he felt better and more excited. 

Parker moved in and hasn't seen much of his roommate.  He seems nice and laid back, which will be good, since Parker has already locked himself out of his room twice. 

He attended all the new student orientation meetings and met people.  The new parent meetings made us feel better, but we still felt a little like this...

They said, we work for you, contact us.  They also said, when they look at applications they look to see if the student will be a good fit, and then they consider grades to make sure they won't drown once they get there. In other words, your student belongs here. 

Greg spent time visiting with family and hiking.  Their last morning they hiked to the Y together. 

We did tons of prep before they left, and I'm so glad we did.  We missed a few things and it would have been a pain to have a million things to track down, instead of just a couple things.  Next time (hopefully there will be 2 next times!) we will shop earlier, and make sure the bed is as comfortable as possible.  And also bring quarters for laundry because of the coin shortage, ugh.  

Everyone will miss him, he's so nice to have around. 

Last of Utah

Dad took the kiddos shooting.  Mimi preferred the rifle because the result is more accurate. 

This is the giant puddle that Greg drove through and he thought it was pretty cool.

Last few moments at the lake

Leaving Utah 2019

Years ago we put this place on our to-visit list, and we finally made it!
Dinosaur National Monument is so fun.
When they discovered all the dinosaur fossils, the main archaeologist decided to stop digging and just build a structure around them and have people come and see them. 

Here's the giant wall of fossils embedded in the rock

There are more fossils around the grounds as well. 

After we left the dinosaurs, we drove to Omaha, NE and had the yummiest dinner food at Don & Millie's.  We aren't always successful but we try to find fun, local places to eat.

This place fell in our laps!  A detour forced us off the road and practically in their parking lot!  We were SO happy... we went back for seconds... we had the Cheese Frenchee. If you're ever in Nebraska, find a location if you can :)  Here's a description on RoadFood.com...mmmmmm! 

Then we headed to the Church Historical Sites at Winter Quarters.  The stories of the Pioneers are beautiful and moving.  I'm so glad we finally visited. 

More of Utah

A few more photos, this time with cousins...

 Driving home through SLC, we visited with Greg's grandma, sister and her family.

 But on the way to UT we stopped to see my sister and her family. 

 So happy for a cupcake with sprinkles! 

And a visit with Greg's sister in Provo.

In SLC we visited the Celebration of Life monument to see my dear friend's name who we miss a lot.  She donated her body to BYU last year. 

 Helping Grandma with some chores! 

 Puzzles, we love puzzles! 

And a sing-along. 

More of Moab...

 Family Reunion

 Floating trampoline

 Grandad's 100th birthday

 This is across the street from my parents' house. 

 Yoda finally felt confident to jump off the diving board

And Happy Birthday, Dad :)