This was a bitter/sweet day. As we woke up we realized that we would be heading home and the fun and excitement of vacation was over. The weather had soured and the sky was overcast with a light sprinkle of rain. The temperature was slightly above freezing.
Last night we rented “Tin Tin”. Michelle and I watched it to preview it and make sure that it would be appropriate for our boys. It was a fun movie so we let the boys watch the movie while we showered and got everything packed up and ready to load. The boys really enjoyed the movie, even laughing at many of the funny parts. The distraction proved successful and we were able to get everything packed, including two loads of laundry before noon. Unfortunately, the loading process still took us until 12:30 pm. At least this time we didn’t have cleaning people camped outside our door waiting for us to leave.
We ate lunch at the condo before closing the door for the last time. Michelle had wanted to stop at the Discovery Park in Cedar City but by the time we arrived it had left a layer of snow on the ground and was way too cold for our little summer jackets. We still got out and walked over to see what the park had to offer, just in case we should pass that way again.
We dropped of the Redbox movie and got back on the highway to head home, slightly earlier than planned but that would have given us more time to unpack. As we left town we hit a snow storm that had laid down some pretty good snow on the highway and was causing some limited visibility. Things were still going okay, slower than usual, until we hit a parking lot! We were parked on the highway for about 90 minutes waiting for the wreckage to be cleared off the road. We passed at least 4 different accidents when we finally started moving again.
Sitting on the highway with six boys stuck in a suburban isn’t as fun as it sounds. The boys actually had a great time but the volume was so loud that it was hurting my ears. Even though we kept asking the boys to quiet down they would for a few minutes but the sound returned to ear piercing levels in no time. The high volume along with “when are we going” made the wait seem much longer than a mere 90 minutes.
The storm followed us all the way home but the snow changes to sleet in central Utah and to rain by the time we got home. When we arrived we made the boys help carry everything in a quickly as possible so nothing got too wet. Then all the boys bathed in preparation for the Sabbath and Stake Conference. We had the boys in bed just after 8:00 pm!
I’m happy to say that there’s no place like home. We had a great vacation but were glad to be home.
