WELCH FAMILY: Spring Break Trip

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Spring Break Trip

We gave our children a family vacation as their Christmas gift last year. Our plan originally was to go back to the Oregon Coast, but as we thought about it we thought we should instead go to visit family in Georgia. So that became the plan until we thought that if we're going to spend time with family it ought to be spent with our own kids who we don't get to see often. So that's how we ended up going to Idaho, of all places, for Spring Break. (Another reason was wanting Cambria to see Rexburg and BYUI as she was still trying to figure out what she was going to do after graduating from high school.)

The trip happened in the following order:

March 7- drive to Provo. Meet up with Montana, who had driven down to pick up Cambria so she could go to church with him on Sunday as well as going to Singing Under the Stadium, which happens at BYUI on Sunday evenings. We had some stuff to do Monday morning in SLC so this was the only way to get her up there for those events.
March 8- Montana and Cambria get up early and head back to Rexburg. We go to church with Nicole's family and spend the afternoon at their home.
March 9- we head north, stopping at IKEA to pick up a piece of furniture for Jordan. Then we stop at 123rd S to see if we can find the girls new swimsuits. Eat lunch at Del Taco before jumping back on I-15. The weather is fabulous so the drive is uneventful. Lots of singing and passing the iPad around. Arrive in Rexburg at Jordan and Lindsey's apartment. All the kids get to meet Emerson! Take everyone but Montana out to eat at Applebee's. He is having FHE at his bishop's house. Head back to our hotel in Idaho Falls.
March 10- we spend the day in IF. Swimming in the morning, going to the $ theater to see Night At The Museum 3, resting and more swimming. Jordan, Lindsey, Emerson and Cambria come over to IF to swim with us. Montana has something else going on..,
March 11- Lego shopping and movie watching (Big Hero 6, great movie!) in Rexburg. Jordan and Lindsey prepare a delicious dinner for us and we all gather at Montana's apartment complex clubhouse to eat, visit and play. Unfortunately we forget to bring our swimsuits, but there is a movie room, pool tables, and ping pong. We get to meet Montana's roommates and some friends as well as see some of Jordan's friends again.
March 12- last day in Idaho. We check out of our hotel and head to Rexburg to pick up Cambria and say goodbye to the boys. We eat some pretty good BBQ at The Hickory, give hugs all around, and head back down the road. We stop in IF at the falls and watch the water and the birds and walk along the river for a while. The boys want to throw rocks but there really aren't any small ones to throw. Feed the ducks and geese. We decide to go to Fashion Place Mall to see the Lego Exhibit of great American buildings and Monuments. Wow! What amazing work. After seeing all of the exhibits we go to the Lego store to check it out. Our first time in a real Lego store. Realize Soren is not with us and spend a frantic 20 minutes trying to find him. Thankfully he is safe and we find him!!! Drive to hotel in Orem.
March 13- go to The Living Planet Aquarium. This is the only thing the boys requested to do on our vacation. We spend two hours looking at everything and wonder why they charge so much to get in. 8-/ Yikes! Pick up the trailer at Nicole's, stock up on a few things at SAMs Club and head home. Ahhhh! It's good to sleep in our own beds again.

We had a good time. It wasn't the same as going to the Oregon coast, or Georgia, but it was important to spend the time we had available to go see our own children and grandchildren and build and strengthen those family bonds. I hope there are good memories of this time together (minus the awful feelings of losing Soren!)