Memorial Day 2022

Memorial Day looked a little different this year. Alison and I got home from our trip to South America a week before Memorial Day. Kristin and Dan were also traveling internationally in May this year so we came home and watched our nieces during the week. 

We mostly stayed at Kristin and Dan's house that week. Poor Anna Holly got sick, plus we were still getting back into the swing of things after our trip, so we didn't do a whole lot with the girls outside of their normal routine. Every morning I would drive carpool and get Skylee to school. Since Anna Holly was sick she got to visit nana's house. I would work at Kristin's house so someone was there when Skylee arrived home from school. At night we made dinner, took Skylee to her dance classes, and tried to do something fun with the girls. We watched movies a couple of nights, including Chip 'n' Dale: Rescue Rangers, which was an excellent film. We also played a lot of Skylee's new favorite card game - Sleeping Queens. 

All the dogs sleeping on the couches in the morning

Tex and Rowley slept in the office while I worked

On Friday night the girls slept over at our house. I took them paddleboarding around Daybreak Lake. I wasn't really sure how Anna Holly would do, and she was a bit nervous. When I put her on the paddleboard she told me she was afraid. I assured her I would be very careful and I gently placed her on the board. She did so well. She sat on the front of my board for about an hour as we paddled all the way around Daybreak lake. Along the way, Anna liked to put her foot in the water and tell me it was making bubbles in the water. She also sang "Row Row Row Your Boat" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". She loved the echos when we would go under a bridge and anytime we came near a duck she would put her arms out and say she was going to catch it. Skylee was a champ as always and paddled right around the lake. 

We came back home and bathed the girls and watched Wreck-it-Ralph before bed. It was a tough night for them. Anna Holly was coughing really hard for a few hours after we put them down. Then she woke up with a nightmare at 5:30am. When I went in to calm her down Skylee told me she didn't sleep much because her sister was coughing and had rolled over into her space. Anna Holly went back to sleep for a little bit longer, but not much, and Skylee was up right after her so they were both a bit tired. We hung out at our house for a bit in the morning and then went to Dan and Kristin's house to make some posters to welcome them home. 

On Saturday afternoon Kristin and Dan came home. We took the girls and met up with Blake and Debbie at the airport. When Kristin and Dan came through those doors the girls ran and embraced them. They were so happy!

We stopped by Dan and Kristin's for a few minutes and visited, but we left pretty quick - we knew they were tired and wanted to spend quality time with their girls. 

Sunday was a day of rest. We avoided leaving our house as much as possible. We needed the downtime to catch up on sleep and relax. It was a good day. 

Pancho stayed with us this weekend

On Monday we drove to Ephraim. We met Alison's parents, her grandmother, her Uncle Charlie, his wife Patty, and Jonathan Stapley at the Ephraim cemetery. We put down flowers and told family history stories. It was a pretty quiet day at the cemetery and it was really quite cold for memorial day.

After Ephraim, we drove to the Manti cemetery and put down a few more flowers, and told a few more stories. Alison and I were really glad, that even though our group was a little smaller this year, and the timeframe was a little different we were able to visit the cemeteries. There is something very grounding about taking the time to remember the impact these relatives who have passed on have on our lives. By looking backward on this day, we are able to chart a path forward. There is a lot of change coming into our lives right now and a fair amount of uncertainty. It is nice to be grounded by the stories and examples of those who came before. 

On our way home we stopped for lunch at the Little Acorn. We love this Drive-in - the bread and shakes are delicious. It is low-key becoming a Memorial Day tradition for us. 

After lunch, we made one more stop by the Evergreen Cemetery in Springville. We left a flower on the graves of my great-grandparents Delbert and LaVern, as well as my great-uncle Ernest, who died fighting in WWII. He was so young, only 20 when he died. I spent some time last year and this year learning about his history and so I want to leave a flower on his grave every year. Since his sacrifice is what Memorial Day is really meant to honor. 

Our last stop was at the grave of my Grandma Pat. I miss her dearly. I wore the jacket that I got after I finished the NYC marathon last year. I ran that marathon in her honor and this is the first time I have visited her grave since my run. I loved her dearly and I bring a purple flower every year since purple was her favorite color. I know she would love that.