The Mass Exodus

Apparently it's customary for members of the Church in this area to make an annual pilgrimage to Utah for several weeks in the summer.  Some are former Utah residents.  Some have friends or relatives living in Utah.  Some have children attending BYU.  Some just want to get out of 100 degree weather.  (We fall into categories 1, 2 and 4.)  Either way, the wards here are very sparsely populated in the summer.

Our trek back to "Zion" begins July 2nd.  Do you know what I'm most looking forward to about being in Utah, specifically Cache Valley???

1.  FAMILY
2.  FRIENDS
3.  Fry Sauce  I know you can make it yourself, but it's not the same unless it comes from somewhere in Utah.

4.  The Goldfish Outlet Do you think I can fit a year's supply of cookies and goldfish into the van on the way home??

5.  Pelicans I LOVE LOVE LOVE these birds!!  They're peculiar, unexpected, and totally beautiful, and every time I see them, I have to stop the car.

6. Mountains  I had no idea when we left Utah last year how much I would miss the mountains.  Yesterday, on the way to Girls' Camp, one of the girls in my van said, "Look!  I think those are mountains!!"  But when we all looked, we realized they were just really low-hanging clouds...HUGE disappointment!   

7.  Taffy  Do you know that they don't have huge bins of salt water taffy in the grocery stores here??  I LOVE that stuff, and I'm getting some as soon as we drive into the Valley.  My FAVORITE is BANANA!  Then PEAR.  And then the SWIRLY RED AND WHITE one.  (I don't even know what flavor that is.)

I am so excited about all that stuff and the other ten million things on my list.  Each of the kids has a list, too, of many, many other things they want to see, and do, and EAT while we're in Utah.  But the thing we're all looking forward to most about this trip is the chance to reconnect with people we haven't seen in a year.  This will be the first time we've ever gone BACK to a place we've moved from.  The anticipation in this house right now is almost as HUGE as the pile of stuff we're taking with us.   

I'm grateful for the time and the opportunity we have to take this vacation.  I'm grateful for the chance we'll have to be in the car together for two days (yes, really!  I LOVE road trips! and I need to learn those Girls Camp songs!)  I'm grateful that we'll be able to connect with people we love.  And I look forward to joining the countless other Dallas families making the trek across the country this month.  I wonder how many friends from Allen we'll run into while we're out in Utah??