2010 Utah trip - Friday, August 6th - Salt Lake City

Friday, we took Megan on a tour of some LDS sites in Salt Lake City. First stop was the This is the Place Monument - when Brigham Young and his traveling group arrived at this spot, he stood up in the wagon, looked out on the valley and said, "This is the place." He had seen it in a dream and recognized it. It was a really neat experience to be there - you could really feel a special spirit. We had driven past it before, but had never stopped for a closer look.



Then we went to Temple Square. I love seeing the beautiful flowers and landscaping of the grounds there!

This is on top of the Conference Center. We got a tour of it from a senior missionary - a very nice man. We've wandered around up there before, but have never had a tour. It was really nice to see it that way and hear the history behind it.
Finally, we visited the Church History Museum, which was a first visit for Tim & Eliza, and I hadn't been there in many, many years. It was pretty cool. If you haven't ever been there, you really should go! This is a replica of the pulpit in the Conference Center that was made from President Hinckley's tree.

2010 Utah Trip - Thursday, August 5th - THE WEDDING

Thursday, August 5th, my baby sister, Jenna, married Chad Bowler in the Mt. Timpanogas, Utah Temple. It was a long, beautiful, happy, wonderful day.
Eliza was so happy when Jenna asked her to be a bridesmaid! We love our Jenna!

The bridesmaids & Jenna. Left to right, Sara, Megan, Jenna, Lacey, Eliza.
What a beautiful group of girls! We make 'em gorgeous in this family!!
What is Lacey doing???
My beautiful girl! I love this silly smile of hers!
Uncle Doug, Amanda, Melanie, Bill, Emmy & Sara waiting for the reception to start.
Chad's parents, Chad, Jenna and Mom & Dad getting ready for all the well-wishers.
Shaylee, Emmy, Tammy, Mel, Mom, and Lydia having a great time out on the dance floor.

As Chad and Jenna left the reception center, we waved sparklers and blew bubbles. It was a magical end to a beautiful day!

2010 Utah Trip - Wednesday, August 4th - Family Picnic in the Mountains

On Wednesday, we all went up to a BEAUTIFUL spot in the mountains for a family picnic. We ate, went on a little hike, and played some frisbee and baseball with the little kids. It felt like a little peace of heaven...spending time with the people we love the most in a place we loved to be!

2010 Utah Trip - Tuesday, August 3rd - BYU Campus

Our high school juniors, Eliza and Megan, wanted to check out BYU, so we spent the day touring the campus. Liesl and her kids joined us partway through. It was such a great day!

Eliza & Megan flash big smiles in front of the Brigham Young Statue and Administration Building.


One of the buildings has a beautiful, peaceful little area to replicate the Sacred Grove, including this wonderful statue of Joseph Smith. I love Mary, Lydia & Adam's poses in this picture!

Mary & Lydia still being silly. Such a cute picture!

This is a great picture of Eliza and Megan with the statue. There seems to be a glow about them!

Amanda & the Petrucka kids hold a "meeting of the minds"!

Megan & Eliza getting a taste of "studying" on the BYU Campus!
How cute are they?

This is such a cool fountain! It was such a beautiful day!

Our last stop of the day was the BYU Museum. This was one of the exhibits. I LOVE this picture!!
Before the Museum, we went to the on-campus Jamba Juice. When the Cross family visits Utah, a trip to Jamba Juice is a MUST! There's nothing like Jamba Juice in Iowa!

After BYU, we met Tammy, Emmy, Sara & Mel at another of our favorite Utah restaurants, the Bamboo Hut. I wish we would've gotten pictures. The food was awesome, but the company was even better!

2010 Utah Trip - Monday, August 2nd - Pahvant Butte

While I spent an awesome day with my two best friends, Jen Bass & Margie Ullery, which unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of...Tim took the girls to the site of an old volcano near Delta, Utah. "The girls" includes Eliza, Amanda, and Eliza's best friend Megan, who's like our 3rd daughter. They also had a yummy meal at the Delta Freeze. I wish I could've been in two places at once. It looks like they had a great time!


This is so cool! Paw impressions in the volcanic rock!

Look how tiny the girls are against this rock wall.

It's really cool to see the pockets and formations in the rock formed by the lava flow.




Done exploring the rocks for the day!