Summer Adventures Pt. 2: Utah

We have loved stopping in Utah every summer for the past many years to catch up with family, friends and to enjoy the outdoors.

Elodie and her two youngest came down to visit, and we enjoyed a beautiful hike.

We love the Myers, friends from our first tour in Jerusalem who live near my parents' house in Lehi.

A visit to the Draper temple was the perfect reunion with my friends from Jerusalem.

It seems we have been able to join the birthday celebrations of J's brother Tyler several different times.

Summer Adventures Pt. 1: Washington, DC

Training in DC gave us time to reconnect with our capital and see friends and family.

The Hansens invited us to their lake house, and we got to enjoy home-caught crabs on Rebecca's birthday! (as well as hunt for shark teeth-- how cool!)

Our hotel was right downtown, so I thought we could walk the monuments. Why I made this classic summer DC tourist mistake, I can't remember. The kids were exhausted and grumpy.

Another day I tried to lure them outside again with the promise of a visit to the world's largest library. Total meltdown when we got there and found out you have to be 16 to even get into the stacks of the Library of Congress.

4th of July fireworks were also a bust. Inversion caused a big smoke cloud that obscured most of the show.

Things finally started looking up when Kelsey and Sophie arrived. We had some fun museum visits and yummy food.

Then Grandma came, and we got to go to the new African American Museum of History and Culture, as well as have an excuse to eat more ice cream.

Last Visitors and Goodbyes

Our time in Jerusalem ended in a whirlwind of visitors and goodbyes. One year was simply not enough time to do all we wanted with the people we came to love, but at the same time, I think we did more in that one year than we would have otherwise, because we knew our time was short.

With the Hawaii Crawford cousins at the Mount of Beatitudes

With the Maloneys (Annie was a mission companion) having dinner in Bethlehem

J's Aunt Kevin's family at Hezekiah's Tunnel

Goodbye to the Rasmussens, who left Jerusalem and the Foreign Service

Night games with the Howells and Sarah & EJ, sweet, loving friends

After repeated attempts by my friend Carolyn to get into Jerusalem from Ramallah (a U.S. citizen, retired kindergarten teacher denied entrance because she is married to a Palestinian!), we finally were able to have lunch and get caught up after 10+ years.

The kids requested a final trip to the Old City for some shopping. Paul's souvenir was a shofar (ram's horn), for which he had to bargain hard to get it within his price range. The blue eyes helped. It later got nicknamed the "chou-fart" because it smelled so bad ("chou" means stinky in Mandarin).

Our goodbye to Jerusalem would not have been complete without another stop at the fountains in Teddy Park.

Headed to the airport. Our last goodbye was to our cross-the-hall neighbors, the Riggs. We will miss them!