Summer 2013

We've had a GREAT summer break, filled with lots of fun... a week at YW camp for Tessa, a week-long soccer day camp for Jonah & Clay, a week in Provo UT at EFY for PJ, as well as swimming with friends, playing at the park, picnics, ice cream, music lessons, paper routes, driver's ed for PJ, and lots of fun family time! The highlight of our summer (as always) was our family vacation.

PJ flew to Utah the first week in August to head to EFY. Neil's parents picked him up from the airport & drove him to BYU in Provo. PJ LOVES EFY & was so excited to go again! It was a great week with lots of fun, dances, activities, uplifting religious classes, meeting lots of new friends from all over the world, and great memories!

We flew out the end of that week, Neil & I went through the new Brigham City Temple, and then we headed to pick PJ up from EFY, checked out BYU campus, ate at the yummy restaurants that we miss, living here in Canada, etc. We went to Temple Square & enjoyed the atmosphere & seeing all those sites again (and we were able to drive past 11 temples in Utah & Idaho),

then went to the "This is the Place" monument & visitors center.

That evening we got together with a couple of Neil's old mission companions (they were 3 of the 4 first missionaries to serve in Lithuania 20 years ago--they opened up that area).

It was fun for them to catch up & for us to meet their families too.

The next day we went to church (we really miss the large wards with so many youth!) and then headed over to Logan to spend the day visiting my family. That night we headed back to Brigham City to have a big family dinner with Neil's family & all his siblings & their kids. It's always fun to get together & catch up.

On Monday, we headed over to Bear Lake for the week. We stayed in a condo right by the beach. We got up every morning & headed to the beach by about 8:30 or so, before it got too crowded. We loved the early mornings, with the beach all to ourselves. It's so quiet & peaceful! The kids had a blast, playing in the sand & water, tubing behind grandpa's boat, kayaking, and waterskiing. Jonah tried waterskiing for the first time, and popped right up on the first try! He was SO excited & couldn't get enough! He had a perma-grin the whole time! :) And Grandpa Checketts was pretty proud too!

While at Bear Lake, we went to the Pickleville Playhouse, to the BBQ dinner & to see the cute melodrama/musical, we also went to Minnetonka Cave, which was very cool, and of course enjoyed the famous LaBeau's shakes a couple times! We relaxed, hung out, spent time with family having fun, & enjoyed every minute! It was a great week!

The next week, we headed to Jackson Hole, WY for a day,

and then on to Yellowstone National Park for the rest of the week. We swam in the pools, ate delicious food, enjoyed the beautiful great outdoors, Old Faithful, geysers, hot pots, paint pots, hot springs, Mammoth Hot Springs, Teton Village, shopped for souvenirs, saw lots of wildlife (elk, buffalo, eagles, wolves, bears, rabbits, birds, etc.), rode horses, rode a gondola to the top of the Grand Tetons (that scared me a little, because I don't like heights too much & it was VERY high up), but it was an incredible view & was definitely worth going up!

The last day, on the way back, we stopped in Rexburg, Idaho to check out BYU-Idaho, enjoyed some more delicious Mexican food, and then headed back to Utah, visited my family in Logan one last time, went to the Box Elder County Fair, enjoyed visiting the Checketts one last time, and then flew home early the next morning. It was such a GREAT time, that we were all very sad to leave! We really wish we could just stay there forever! :)