Zion

Last weekend we took a trip down to St. George to visit my Grandma Allred. My parents met us there from Bakersfield, CA. It is sort of a family tradition to stop at the Cache Valley Cheese Factory in Beaver. As we pulled into the cheese factory, we noticed that the car was making a funny sound. When we turned off the engine, we realized it was a boiling sound. I had been driving and the temperature gauge hadn't gone up at all on the road. We checked the coolant level and it was fine. We went into the cheese factory and when we came out, all of our coolant was on the ground. So we poured some water in it and took it to the nearest service station. We just barely made it where we needed to go before the engine overheated. Once there, they took a quick look at our car and told us they were closing but could get to it the next day. So we were stuck in Beaver. My awesome parents decided that they would come pick us up. They had just barely arrived in St. George, so it added another 3 hours on to an already 6-hour trip! We waited for them to arrive at a nearby Arby's. That was our home for a couple of hours.

The next morning (Saturday) we got the run-around from the auto shop. After calling them a few times, they finally told us that the car probably wouldn't be done until Monday or Tuesday! We were upset because Jason had school and we both had work. So we emailed professors and got in touch with our bosses to tell them we wouldn't be able to make it. Then we made the best of the situation and took a little trip over to Zion's National Park. Brooklyn did the honors and took this picture of the rest of us. Okay, so maybe she's not quite that precocious. Grandma's sister, Aunt Ada, came with us too. They each have a senior pass that gets them into the park for free. Otherwise, it is $25 a car just go get into the park!! So we were glad that Aunt Ada was able to make it. Not only did we get to enjoy her and her park pass, we got to enjoy her yummy treats like homemade divinity and banana bread!

We had a yummy picnic lunch of ham sandwiches, chips, salsa, and plums thanks to Grandma. Then, Grandma & Ada offered to stay back with Brooklyn so that Jason and I could go on a hike with my parents. I have to admit I didn't make it very far. I am TERRIFIED of heights and the trail was on the side of a cliff with no hand rail or anything! So I was with them for about 5 minutes and then I turned around and went back. Here are some of the pictures Jason brought back from the hike:

Beautiful sights that I'm honestly not sorry I missed. Way too scary!!

Look at them! They're about to fall off the cliff!!

My dad was able to "fulfill a lifelong dream of walking between two rocks." What an ambitious father I have.

Apparently there were some beautiful waterfalls. I did go on a little mini-hike with them later that wasn't as scary. We were a little embarassed to see the backside of water:

Brooklyn got some love from her nana for being such a good girl while we were out galavanting.

The next day, Sunday, my parents had to go back home to California. We went to church with them in the morning while Grandma stayed back and watched Brooklyn. She went to her ward later in the day.

We took a quick four-generation picture before Dad left. This isn't the best picture since we are all looking in different places (there were two cameras going), but I just loved how Brooklyn was reaching out to touch Grandma Great.

Monday was a great day. I was nervous about Jason missing class, but since we couldn't do anything about it, we decided to enjoy it! It was a gorgeous day. Grandma lent us her car and we got my hair cut (no pictures cuz I hate it), went out to lunch, did a little shopping and just got to enjoy each other's company. It has been a while since we've gone out together without having to hurry back for work. It was so nice. One of the highlights of the day was that Jason got accepted to a human resources internship with Smuckers in Oxnard, CA!! I was thrilled for him, what a great compliment. The funny thing is that we ended up turning down the offer. That was a really hard decision. We both were not guaranteed our jobs back when we returned and Brooklyn and I wouldn't have had health insurance while we were there. Plus, we think Jason's job with his new promotion will look just as good on a resume as the internship would have. It was still a blessing that he got accepted. In addition to being an ego boost, we were able to have some really good conversations and prayers as we struggled to make the best decision for our family. It was a great bonding experience.

On Tuesday Grandma's cousin took us up to Beaver to get our car. It ended up being the water pump that caused the problem. They had to replace the pump, the thermostat, and while they were in there they went ahead and replaced the timing belt. It cost $422!! Yes, this is the same car that we just bought used a few months ago. We haven't even driven it enough to change the oil yet. But, it's fixed now and we are home and back to real life and freezing cold. Thanks to the generosity of my grandma, my parents, and Grandma's cousin, it was a great little vacation for us. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise.