We have been to St. George over President's Day before. And we realized right then that it was a terrible idea because the entirety of the Salt Lake Valley goes to St. George for President's Day Weekend. It's killer. But somehow I forgot about that. I mean, I guess I was thinking that this year might be different. After all, when I decided to go, I thought that leaving a day early would make a difference. Also that a pandemic year might have an effect. I even thought that it would be different because I was only taking one child with me instead of the whole family. For the record, none of those things made a difference in the slightest. The whole valley still goes to St. George, even when it's a pandemic. Maybe even more now because it's a pandemic. And I guess half of them go Thursday night and half go Friday, because the drive down was just as chaotic and congested as other years. Now, why I thought that going with one child instead of three plus a husband was going to make any kind of difference is beyond me. I think that was subconscious, but that thought was actually there.
In any case, I did go away for President's Day Weekend. I went with just Emma, and it was really good for the two of us to go away. How can I say this delicately? Emma is turning 12 this summer. And her two older siblings are well into high school and teenager-hood while their little sister is just beginning the whole teen experience. How about I just say that there isn't a lot of space at our house and I thought that getting Emma away for a bit would be a good idea. I was right. It was a really good idea, even considering the crowded state of St. George.
It was great for Emma because she does love alone time with me, which she enjoyed in the car on the way there and on the way back. Even more than time with me, she loves time with her BFF/Cousin Cara. Those two absolutely adore each other. They are so loyal to each other. So besides the car rides, I barely saw Emma at all. As soon as we were there, after a slow drive and a 40 minute stop for dinner at a Wendy's, (not worth it), she was out of my sight and glued to Cara's side for the next three days.
It was also good for our older kids. Troy said that it was a little weird - they kind of just came out of hiding. I may have felt a little bad - you know, oversensitive mother-type feelings - but truly, it was awesome. Troy said he made dinner on Thursday night and Chase and Romney just started chatting with him and they actually sat at the table together and talked and talked. This is a big deal. We are used to having the teenagers hide, especially the big one. So I was so glad to give them time and space with their dad.
We don't actually have too much to report from our time in St. George. We of course went for a hike, miraculously to yet another place I've never been before. We didn't get rained on until the last 50 feet of the trail so that was miraculous too. I got to snuggle up with Sheri's newest nephew, which was fun. There were friends and extra cousins for a while on Saturday, and they all got along. Plus Sheri splurged on a Valentine's Day dessert charcuterie tray that we devoured together. She's so good at celebrating. I did nothing for Valentines Day.
There was only one really stinky thing that happened on the trip, and that was that on Sunday morning before we started to head home, I was packing up some things in my bedroom and when I leaned over just slightly, I felt a giant PING in my back. I was rendered nearly immobile. It was so awful! I mean, I wasn't sure I would be able to drive home. I could barely walk and I sure couldn't pick anything up. But it turned out that sitting in my van wasn't too bad. Emma was such a champ - she helped me as much as she could and we only made one quick stop on the way home, where I was greeted by my big strong family who helped me get out of the car and into a chair where I basically stayed for three days. Holy crap that hurt. Next time I'll make sure to not lean over at all ever. (Who knows what sets off a back ping like that? No idea!)
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