Utah: Part Two of Part One

Continued...

3. I like the way that her family communicates, in that they actually communicate. I mean, they didn't sit around and talk about their feelings (THOUGH I TRIED), but they just spoke to each other like they were people...I don't know, I'm not awesome at communicating myself so I'm having a hard time describing it. They have real conversations with each other: about their days, their lives, their friends, etc. It was just a normal way of operating for them, not something forced or schmaltzy.
4. Their hard times have made them stronger and closer. You can feel that their bond has been forged with a lot of hard word, love, forgiveness, acceptance, and understanding. It was great being a temporary, honorary member of the family for a week and feeling that bond that they share.
5. They don't operate under any pretense. They are who they are, and they are proud of that. This makes them very easy to hang out with. Everyone is accepted, you can come as you are (e.g., an emotional wreck from California), and they will treat you well.
6. Each family member has some kind of interest or hobby that they fill their spare time with. I love that. I didn't see a lot of mindless vegging out. It was inspiring.
7. They laughed at my inappropriate jokes.
8. They are super casual. Amen.

Heidi and her oldest son...Slingshot (when I first met Heidi I couldn't remember her sons' names, so I just gave them random nicknames) picked me up at the airport in SLC.

A word about being back in Utah -- it didn't feel like coming home, as I was fully expecting it to. I was there for a week and some change, and I never felt that 'home' feeling that I always felt in DC when I thought of Utah. Actually, I did on the day that I spent in SLC with my friend Michelle. More on that later.

Anyhow, they picked me up from the airport, and from there we went to a bunch of thrift stores. I was shy about getting my camera out, so no pictures for me or you of those adventures. Sad. We had lunch at a place called...darn. Seriously, I can't remember the name of it, but it was one of those hole-in-the-wall, local-favorite, cool-kid places in Sugar House. I liked it.

That night...I don't remember what we did. Oops! Heidi went to a lot of trouble to get my room ready for me, which I thought was so nice since she was very busy at the moment trying to get her daughter ready to leave on a mission in two weeks. She had written a welcome message on the chalkboard above my bed, which I loved.

I...cried myself to sleep that night. Ha! The end.

:::Utah, Part 1 of Part 1:::

I think I emailed Heidi three days ahead of time and asked if I could come stay with her family for a week-ish-ish on my way to Texas. Bless her eternal soul, she said yes, even though her own life is extremely busy. It all seems like a dream now, like I was never really there. I think I was, though. I'll have to look at pictures to remind myself.

Here are some things that I love about Heidi and her family:

1. They are super into bikes. They ride their bikes what I would consider to be completely asinine distances for fun, and for the practical necessities of day-to-day life. I think it's cool. I'd like to ride a bike like that one day (even though I think it's asinine).
2. They have one car that the whole family (three kids, two adults) use (see above re: bikes). I was there for a week and I never heard an argument about who got to use the car and when. Instead, I watched them compromise, adapt, and sacrifice to make the car situation work. This was seriously impressive to me. Heidi lives in Orem, but her sons work down at East Bay in Provo. One goes to work at like 6:30 am, and the other at 11:00. Plus, her husband has to be taken to work, plus, there's the normal errand running, last minute life finagling that happens on a constant basis. They make it work. I love watching them sort out the car schedule. It was a huge lesson to me in family togetherness, selflessness, and solving problems without dramatics.


This post is being interrupted by the necessity of keeping two small children entertained with a Scooby Doo movie...

:::What Happened In Utah:::

I am a horrible blogger.

But, tomorrow there will be a post about Utah and all the fun things that happened there!

:::It's a Good Life:::

{Bruno and Dot sleeping}

 

It's a good life, if you can get it.



:::Doubt Enters In:::

Last night I cried for the first time about leaving DC.

My sister told me that they read out my name in her Texas ward yesterday at church. I quickly logged on to lds.org and found that it was true -- my records had left the Capitol Hill Ward.

I cried. I'm crying now.

I want to go back. This limbo state is killing me.

:::Kindred Spirits:::

This is what I like to see.

I made it to Utah and am staying at my friend Heidi's house. More soon.

:::Completely Unexpected:::

It's time for me to leave California. Sweet Annette is up and about and no longer needs me to follow behind her reminding her to use her walker.

While it's time for me to leave California, it's not yet time for me to head to Dallas.

So, what's a girl to do?

Go to Utah., that's what.

I'll be flying into the Beehive State this Thursday, and will be leaving...? I'll probably only stay for 10 or so days. Who knows.

I'm as shocked as you may possibly be.

I'm also super, super sad, because nothing breaks my heart like leaving Sweet Annette.