Once we got through the summer and the girls started school, it was suddenly September. Wait a second, September was the month when Chase would begin the MTC! It was here?? Way back in June when he opened his call, it seemed like September wouldn't ever actually happen. But happen it did!
We had talked a lot about one last family vacation, a getaway before Chase got away from us. We really couldn't decide where to go and even thought we might not find a time at all. But I realized that we could do sort of a quick stay-cation not too far away and just enjoy time together.
The kids were all game for the idea, and we asked them what kind of stuff they might enjoy doing. Chase really only had a couple of weeks left and so we let him make the first suggestions. You know what he wanted more than anything? To watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy one more time. This is something that we do every year over the Christmas Holidays, starting on Christmas night. And since he won't be with us this year he really wanted to watch them one last time.
We ended up finding a cute little AirBnB condo close to Jordanelle Reservoir with a kitchen, enough beds, and a very large t.v. Just so you know, it isn't as easy to cram in 12 hours of movies (plus the Utes' season opener game) into three days. And also leave the condo a couple of times so you don't go absolutely insane.
I should have taken more pictures, but I was too busy trying to watch a LOT of movies.
It really was fun - the place was cute and comfortable. It had a nice kitchen, and I made almost all of our meals there. We got out a couple of times each day to catch our breath between discs. We went to Kamas one day in hopes of grabbing lunch at a cute little diner there. However, we forgot that it was Labor Day weekend and the diner had a 45 minute wait, even for take out food. In desperation, we drove around looking for something that wasn't similarly crowded. The only thing we found was a food truck selling corn dogs. No line? Good enough for us! And guess what. Those corn dogs were SO GOOD. (It didn't hurt that there was a soda truck next to it.)
We also took some time to drive through Midway - what a lovely little town in that gorgeous valley. We headed to Cascade Springs to wander the trails that ran over and around a hillside spilling with water.
One evening I took Chase and Romney on a drive to Park City, where we walked a nature trail that was the dividing line between a shopping and entertainment center and a wildlife refuge. So to one side of us were open fields with birds and open skies and marshy grounds. And on the other side was a Cafe Rio, coffee shops, and many folks out listening to live music on a lawn. It was kind of funny. We went far enough along the path to find a tunnel running under the freeway where we found some signage that seemed kind of funny even if it was a good warning of oncoming bikers.
We all love LOTR so much - it's so fun to quote the thing all the way through and both loving it and laughing through it. Chase couldn't stop mimicking Gandalf - with his own twist. "He's left you Baguette!" So many laughs. And we really did squish up together very comfortably.
The truth is, we could just as easily binge-watched this beloved trilogy at home for less money, but there was something special about sequestering ourselves and just soaking it all in. It really did make for a great memory. Especially since we hit Chick's Cafe in Heber for breakfast on the way home. (Yay for scones.)
And on the subject of final events before The Departure, a week later our family went to the Jordan River Temple together to participate in Baptisms for the Dead. That may sound creepy. It's wonderful, actually. Click HERE to find out more.
Chase had to show off some of his new missionary duds.
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