A few weeks ago, Pepper and I decided we wanted to visit our friends in California. We met so many amazing people during our mission there, and we missed them. It’s been almost a year since we finished, and it’s not too hot in the Imperial Desert yet, so we packed up and headed south.
It’s a long way to El Centro– about 1,400 miles– so we made a few stops in Utah along the way. First we had to see little William, who’s already bigger and more engaged than he was a few weeks ago. He doesn’t sleep all the time, and smiles and laughs a lot.
Alex taught us a new board game, and we spent a few hours haunting an island to scare off explorers.
I snapped a selfie with my grandsons. Ollie continues to be a bit of a stoic.
Continuing south brought us to the Salt Lake City area, where we met up with Kyra and Cil at the temple.
At lunch afterward, I grabbed fireman’s hats for everyone. Jim wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.
Then we made a quick stop at Tara’s to see her renovated basement (it’s nice) and a couple of our grand-nieces.
Off to the Villa! We hung out with Kyra, Zack, and Hannah for a few days. That included a trip to the newly-finished temple in Lindon.
At dinner one night, I couldn’t resist the little rocket ship on the sidewalk outside. Apparently it wasn’t designed for adults.
The girls didn’t quite fit the old-fashioned car, either.
The weather was unseasonably warm (the entire West was experiencing a “heat dome”) so it felt a little odd to be walking around in shorts, but I wasn’t complaining. We loved our time in Utah, and after a few days it was time to continue our trip…