Some lists

Staying with the family:

1- It was fun to be together.  We sat around the long table, taking a love language test.  Much laughter ensued.

2- I liked visiting.  I followed Olivia around while she was tidying up their room and thought out loud, planning some YW activities.  When Marianne came in I told her we were having a presidency meeting.  If Marianne and Olivia and I were in a presidency, I feel like we could really be something.  (I'd try my best to let them do everything.)

3- You kind of forget how loud and chaotic it can be with little ones.  They're darn cute though.

4- Since everyone else went hiking except for me and my knee, I got to email Braeden.  It is the perennial bright spot of my week.  Ever since that kid was born, he was the sun and I was a planet.

5- We enjoyed going to Tuacahn.  I was tired/it was late.  Live theater is always a delight though.  Add people flying to Neverland and you've got a good time.

6- A low point of the vacation was Morgan getting a concussion and a trip to the ER.  He and Mark were leaping over the couch.  When there are injuries, Mark's usually involved somehow.  It's been that way his whole life.  He should become a doctor.  Or at least an EMT.  It would be handy for his lifestyle.

7- I felt reassured by the little knot of concerned parents and aunts and uncles we made at the bottom of the stairs, late at night, discussing Morgan and concussions.  We all love that kid and I know we would have felt the same love and anxiety if it were any one of our children.

8- The first night of the trip, our mom texted to see if we'd made it safely.  She wrote, "I'm glad you all like each other so much."  And it's true.  We do.

The drive home:

1- We stopped at the St. George temple and went to the visitors' center.  There was a sign in French and a group from France taking a tour.  There were missionaries guiding the tour.  In French.

2- Emma slipped into the tour group and tried to see how much she could understand.  Then, she emailed her French teacher all about it.  Madame Tyler emailed her right back and also gave her a French assignment for the summer.

3- I think that's called getting what you deserve.  Don't email your teachers in the summer is the takeaway lesson.

4- Mark made me laugh so hard, I almost choked.  He's dangerous.

5- We stopped at two Maveriks.  I told Adam I think I like Maveriks because they remind me a little bit of California Adventure (and they also have pebble ice and fresh limes for your Diet Coke).  It's the little things.

6- We played a game where we had to each pick a job for each other.  If the person chose your job, you got a point.  Emma won.  She was good at coming up with dream jobs for each of us.

7- We modified the game and had to come up with horrible jobs.  I won.  (Adam: head of a commission only sales team.  Emma: a sales rep selling medical equipment to doctor's offices.  Mark: one of those street performers that entertains by holding perfecting still.)

8- Then we had to come up with ways to torture each other.  Which would be more tortuous?  I won again.  Handily.  (Adam: hands covered in Vaseline with no way to clean them off. Emma: sitting in a car on a long road trip between two super talkative/annoying people with really bad grammar.  Mark: stuck in a small room, surrounded by lasers.  If he moves more than a fraction of an inch, he'll receive an electric shock.)

9- I'm not sure what this says about me that I'm good at knowing how to make my family miserable.   

10- I think it says about Mark that he doesn't like to hold still. 

When we got home:

1- I had three ripe tomatoes on my plant.

2- Mark took a bike ride.  Because is that kid ever tired?

3- Ammon texted that he had Mark's swimsuit which we'd left behind.  (We had the fewest people and no little children and we are the ones who left something behind.)