Family, Friends, Fairies, Fall Leaves, and FUN!

Last night I returned from the most fun trip ever!! I needed a break from work, and I was missing everyone in Utah, so I took a trip home for a few days. Greg stayed behind with the animal children to hold down the fort here in Illinois. Tiger Lily was sad when I was packing my suitcase. She kept climbing in and looking at me like, "Mommy, you takes me withs you?" I left on Thursday morning and flew from Springfield to Chicago, then to Salt Lake.
It was so fun to see my family!!! Mom and I had a delicious lunch with Aunt Karalie at Takashi, a yummy Japanese restaurant in SLC. Then we went to visit the girls--who are growing up so fast! Mom and I then grabbed a tasty dinner at Marley's (located in the Harley Davidson building) and had a fun "Bones" party together (just like old times!). We also went for a walk and enjoyed the beautiful fall weather. (I didn't get to see Dad and Rich that evening because I was sooooo pooped and fell asleep kind of early.)

On Friday I saw Dad and Rich! Then Mom and I had a fun day going for walks, hanging out, and having lunch at Macaroni Grill. That evening it was time for the much-anticipated sleepover. The girls enjoyed the BAM BAM OBAMA punching bag I brought home :-) Nothing feels better than taking a swing at him! We had a fun evening playing outside and watching "Nacho Libre." Then we had a fun slumber party in the family room. One of the cutest things was when Sid stood up at about 10:30 p.m. and said, "I'm schtarving (starving)!"

On Saturday we had a fun breakfast with the girls, and then after they went home, Mom, Dad, and I took a trip over to Camp Floyd. It was beautiful there. They were having a Boy Scout Adventure Camp while we were having our picnic, and it made me especially grateful that I was having a break from work :-)

We even got to see my Civil War generals exhibit panel in real-life which, I must say, was pretty cool.

On Sunday we went over to Lindy and Nate's ward for the girls' Primary program. They did such a good job!! Lindy also did a great job playing the piano. They had some quotes from the Primary kids in the Sunday program, and one of my favorites was from Riley. They asked her what her dad's job is. She said, "Sometimes he kind of cleans up our messes after we go to bed." :-)

We then went to the home ward, and it was really great to see all of my friends there. We even got to hear Elder Loveless' talk--he just returned from the Illinois Peoria mission. I actually saw him a couple of times while I was going to EIU--it's a small world. That evening the Barretts came over for more fun outside and a yummy dinner. Playing outside is so much fun! We also had a good game of hide-and-seek inside the house. Once again it was a perfect fall evening.

On Monday Mom and I had a fun lunch with our friends Susan and Yevon. It was so great to catch up with them. We then went to BYU to enjoy the spectacular fall leaves (pictures don't do it justice) and shop at my favorite store: the BYU Bookstore.

Then we went over to the Barretts to see the girls once more and so I could tell them good bye. Sid and Riles wanted to give us a preview of their fairy princess Halloween costumes. Sidney was quite excited about her fairy dress. There is also a chance that she will be Peter Pan for Halloween, but she seemed to quite enjoy the fairy look.

What beautiful fairies! I have a funny video of Sid doing a fairy dance which I'll have to post one of these days. She kept running around saying, "Get those wings up and fly!"

The fall leaves on Timpanogos looked amazing!

That evening, Mom, Dad, Rich and I went over to Grandpa T. and Grandma Cathy's for a visit. I always love a chance to see them. We had fun fall treats: root beer floats and pumpkin bread.

On Tuesday my vacation came to an end :-( Mom and I needed to take a picture of ourselves! Then we headed up to Salt Lake where I flew back to Chicago and then to Springfield.

The view from the plane when landing in Chicago was pretty awesome. Once again, the camera doesn't do it justice. We flew way out over Lake Michigan, circled around, and came back over the city. It's good to be back in Illinois with Greg and the animal children (Lily has been extra cuddly), but it's always hard when a vacation--especially such a FUN vacation--comes to an end. Unfortunately, as soon as I left Utah, the temperature dropped almost 30 degrees and it got really cold there! Hopefully everyone can stay warm, and I'm sure we'll be next with the cold weather. Thank you everyone for the fun time, and Greg and I are looking forward to seeing you at Thanksgiving!!