We went back and forth about where we should go for this evacuation. We knew we didn't want to move around like we did last time (it was fun, but stressful). Plus, we were hoping that our stay in the US would be much shorter this time (more about that later), so we figured we should see family while we had the chance. Of course, we ended up staying in Utah two months, longer than we had hoped, so this post will be a hodgepodge of things that we did while we were there, in mostly chronological order.
We initially planned to stay with Brandon's folks, but they rightly suggested that we stay somewhere else first since we were coming straight from Delta-variant rich India. After looking for home-stays all over Utah, we finally found a great place in Park City. It was within walking distance of a ski resort (it closed for the season, but there was still snow!), downtown, stores and restaurants (living in India makes me appreciate being able to walk anywhere!), and had space for Brandon to work. Perfect!
home sweet temporary home
We loved being able to walk down the street and play in the snow!
It snowed and hailed while we were there!
For people who are not used to any weather variations, this was really fun!
E liked to read with the guinea pigs.
But first things first: within 36 hours of landing in the US, we went to the nearest pharmacy to ask how to sign up for the Covid vaccine. The pharmacist said we could get it right then! We filled out some paperwork and within fifteen minutes had our first dose. The privilege of being able to get a free vaccine so quickly and easily was not lost on us.
Kiddo and I definitely had sore arms afterwards, but otherwise we didn't have any noticeable side effects. That being said, we were all pretty jetlagged at this point, so who knows what kind of symptoms we may have had that we attributed to the time change?
Three weeks after our first vaccination, we scheduled our second dose. Brandon's arm was sore this time, but he was otherwise fine. Almost exactly 24-hours after being inoculated, Kiddo and I were both hit with a huge sense of lethargy. For me, it was like that fuzzy, tired, out-of-it feeling I get when I'm super jet lagged. We went to bed early and were fine the next day. I definitely felt some relief that we were fully vaccinated, something that would have been much more difficult to achieve in India. And in some ways, it made the entire evacuation worth it.
Also while we were in Park City, we got some cheap passes to Lagoon Amusement Park and went twice with Brad and Kim's family. Brandon and I hadn't been since we lived in Utah pre-law school, but we love a good roller coaster. We made the mistake of immediately going on a larger roller coaster with all the kids, and CJ--who was already a little nervous--refused to go on anything big for the rest of the day. By the end of our second time visiting, however, she was able to enjoy some of the bigger rides. We had a lot of fun!
Our time in Park City went by quickly and we then moved into Brandon's folks' house. But we soon discovered that we had brought an extra guest with us! The night before we left Park City, I checked on a cut on CJ's head from when she hit a cupboard door the day before. While I was feeling around, I felt another bump, but when I tried to get a closer look, CJ protested. Since it was bedtime anyway, I didn't push it, but after we moved houses, Brandon decided we should take a look. And what did we find? A massive tick. We think the tick had gotten on her jacket while we were hiking around in Park City and, since she had been sleeping with her jacket at night (we neglected to bring a stuffed animal for her to sleep with), it got in her hair. We quickly googled what to do (turns out all the things we thought we were supposed to do are nonsense), pulled it out, and killed it. We kept her hair parted for a few days to make sure a rash didn't appear or the wound didn't get infected. Thankfully, neither happened.
Near the end of May, Kiddo was able to attend the temple for the first time! He had had a temple interview--over the phone because Covid--with our Bangalore bishop before we left for the US just in case. However, we knew that with Covid restrictions and scheduling difficulties it might not happen. So when his cousin was going with his youth group for the first time, and Jen thoughtfully asked if Kiddo could go along, we were thrilled for him. It was both of their first time going to the temple, which was pretty cool. Kiddo was also able to go once more while we were in Utah, the second time with the family of one of Brandon's friends.
Waiting to go with the group!
When Covid began to spike in India, I was really hoping that it would hold off long enough for the kids to finish the school year, but of course that didn't happen. So the last few weeks were completed on the other side of the world. Again. The unfortunate timing meant we left the week before H had his finals, but it also meant that our Last Day of School Party could also be with some of their cousins!
Last Day of School Pics:
CJ's last day of school was actually a week earlier.
The pig tails allowed easy viewing of her tick bite.
This year's party theme was the
Olympics; Covid postponed the summer games by a year, but they would be starting up soon, so it seemed a fitting theme.
First I had all the kids pick a country to represent and make the flag. Some cousins picked the same country and they became loose teammates for the events.
Then we had the Opening Ceremonies: Grandpa held the torch, we played the
Olympics Fanfare Theme on speakers, and the kids all walked their flags around the back yard. Then it was time for the events! They (mostly the kids, but sometimes adults, too) competed in a relay race, crab walk, bear crawl, long jump, piggie back relay, ball toss, Covid tag (when someone gets tagged, they also become "it" until no one is left), and shot put using a badminton birdie.
The torch was on display during the games, of course.
After all the competitions were over, everyone received medals and globe bouncy balls, some people played in the blow up pool while others watched a movie inside (we were in the middle of a heat wave so it was hot!), and then we ate candy and pizza. It was pretty epic! And so fun to share our last-day-of-school party with cousins.
We went to
Cascade Springs one day to hike the trails--just the five of us. It had been a few years
since we had been (and even longer for Brandon) and I think it was a testament to how the kids had grown that it felt so much smaller this time. Beautiful, but small.
Seth and Adam and Chelon all came out to see us (although not all at the same time), which was awesome! We drove the Nebo Loop with Grandma and Grandpa and Adam's family, and afterward ordered way too much food for lunch at a little burger joint. We played telephone around the table while we waited for out food.
We also went to
Bridal Veil Falls, where Kiddo and Brandon climbed all the way up and CJ would have kept going with them, but we told her to stop. Then we played at
a park in the canyon until it got too hot (for us, not the Arizonans) to be outside.
We did a piñata...
Despite the look on her face, she really did have fun.
...Seth did some family grooming (you had to be there)...
...and we took pictures of the kids.
But one of the most best moments was watching Seth and Adam try
raw mango candies for the first time.
Chelon was in town at the same time that Brandon's mom had surgery, so we had to balance between the two. But we did get to do sparklers together! The kids were a little unsure about them at first, but they warmed up.
We decorated Grandma and Grandpa's house so there would be get well cards all over when Grandma got home from the hospital, but E also wanted us to send her a picture of the message she wrote her:
When I heard about a
Pride march happening at BYU, I couldn't let the opportunity pass by. Kim brought a friend along and the three of us went together. It was great!
Kiddo's cousin had a YM camp out and invited Kiddo along! It was the first overnight church activity for either of them and they had a great time. They also invited Kiddo to a few YM activities during the week and it was nice for him to be able to go to that. Activities were few and far between in our ward in India, and which Covid, they don't exist at all.
We went on a triple date with Brandon's brothers, bowling and then eating
Indian food (we can't help ourselves!) Ben and fam were in the midst of preparing to move, so it was nice of them to take a break to play with us so we could take advantage of having them around while we could.
Grandpa, Brandon, and Kiddo all tried to help out Ben's house whenever they could--and the rest of us helped by taking their kids to play! Kiddo had his first experience painting, hammering, screwing things in, etc. (There's not much home improvement projects happen when you're renting a place living abroad.)
Wearing Grandpa's old shirt to paint in.
We went on a hike with the Rees family to a waterfall we'd never seen before. We could not get over the majesty of the mountains around us! We definitely did not do enough hiking while we had the chance.
Brandon also wanted to do a longer hike so Jake offered to go with.
We went to the
Utah Aquarium when we had some free time. The penguins are still a favorite: we watched them steal rocks from each other to make their nests!
We had lots of dinners with Nate and Jen's family and grandparents while we were there (although not always with pictures, apparently).
On our way to dinner one evening near the end of our stay, we noticed this solution to a fallen power line in Springville. Classic.
We decided to extend our stay in Utah a bit for one last hurrah: Brandon's mom's side of the family had a mini family reunion. It was great to see so many family members we hadn't seen in a long time. And it was a good chance to say goodbye to cousins, since we flew out just a couple days later.
Amongst all this, we also saw great friends: the Pimentel, the Payne-Holmeses, the Gotbergs, and the Laws. But after a crazy two months, it was finally time to move on!
We just had a pit stop to make first....
