Back in May, Ava had the brilliant idea to surprise our parents for their 30th wedding anniversary! Katrina and, Michael, and I all booked our flights, but Gavin’s PTO was denied due to rumors about a potential strike in late summer. About a week before my departure, I urged Gavin to ask his boss one more time for the week off. I told him to mention it was for my parents' 30th anniversary. With all the prayers Ava and I were saying, it WORKED! She approved. The only downside was that the flights weren’t working in our favor, but we made it work. I remember my mom saying, “Sometimes life costs what life costs.”
Since I was surprising my family, I couldn’t have them pick me up from the airport. Instead, my dear friend Aysia picked me up, and we spent time at her house where I got to meet her adorable baby girl Ivy! She is so sturdy, with the biggest eyes and the brightest smile. I enjoyed catching up with Aysia and witnessing her motherhood journey. We wanted to go shopping, but each time we got in the car, Ivy would scream—she really hates her car seat!
That afternoon, I rode the FrontRunner to Orem and completely passed out on the train. It was nice to catch up on some rest after my red-eye flight.
I first surprised Grayson at Ava's apartment. He claimed he totally knew I was coming, which I found hard to believe. He and his new girlfriend, Natalie, joined us for the ride to Heber. When we pulled up to 1180, my dad was in the driveway, watching over freshly poured cement. He had taken down part of the fence to make room for more parking, so I walked right up and surprised him! I’m not sure if he was more surprised to see me or to find my feet standing on the cement pad. Lot's of huggs were given after. He was shocked!
Next was my mom! She was working at the last Main Street farmers' market. I caught her sitting in her chair, and her jaw dropped when she saw me—she was also shocked! We celebrated with some Dairy Keen that night and that our order was confused with another. A mistake Diary Keen always seems to make. But the surprises didn’t end there! A few hours later, Katrina and Michael came through the front door of the house! And I was also able to tell them that Gavin would be landing in a few days—SURPRISE!
The week was filled with all sorts of family fun. We went shopping at the outlets, where us girls all got matching charm necklaces for the Aly & AJ concert we were attending that evening in Park City. The crowd was underwhelming, and I felt kind of bad for Aly & AJ. The stage was set against a huge steep hill, and we kept wondering what Grandma Donna would do if she were there. If our picnic blanket would have been a silky one we would have slid down the mountain.
We snacked on candy and enjoyed the live music. You had to pay extra to stand in front of the stage, even though the venue was less than half full. Michael showed us a way to get closer. One by one, we scooted nearer to the roped-off section, and when the lights dimmed, we took turns rolling under the rope and made our way to the stage just in time for the finale. We all hoped for an encore, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen. My parents how ever got to say hello to them because they snuck out to sit at the firepits while we were crawling under the rope.
On Sunday, there was a big family party at the Cash's. Gavin finally got to meet the extended Taylor family—it had been about 2.4 years of marriage for him to meet them! We also got to see Raegan's new baby, little Scottie. We played group games in the backyard, including trivia, high jump, basketball, a huge obstacle course, and even math games! We shared plenty of laughs.
As a family we took a beautiful ski ride up Aspen Grove. I forgot just how stunning the mountains are. We got on just in the nick of time and for the local rate, which was FREE! On our way down, we passed a wedding party riding up, all dressed up and looking nice. Little did they know, a fierce cold wind awaited them at the top. I barely lasted 30 seconds at the turnaround spot!
Afterward, we explored the chalk art at Riverwoods before heading into the theater to see It Ends With Us. This was one of my favorite books, so I was glad to see the movie in theaters. I’ve missed going to the movies!
For my parents' actual anniversary, we had a picnic in the park and took family photos. The last time we had family photos was about 10 years ago, back when I was a sophomore in high school. I looking forward to getting us all together in one shot. We tried to include Poe in the photo, but Ava was screaming like a maniac, which scared her off. Poe was there in spirit, though! The photos turned out beautifully! I think it’s been close to five years since we were all in the same place.
That evening we ate Papa Murphy's pizza, played Secret Hitler, and devoured the most beautiful cake Ava picked up. All 10 of us sat around the dinning room table. The house was full. It was thirty-flirty-and thriving 30th anniversary for sure!
In Hawaii, there’s a saying often shouted at the end of a fun time: “A Hui Hou,” meaning goodbye until next time—a celebration of life or simply a “see you later.” so I think it's safe to say a Hui Hou Utah and family!
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