The End of an Era.

After 36 years of driving a bus for UTA my Dad retired. Conrad and I didn’t want to miss the celebration so we flew out early Friday morning (January 4th) to join in the fun. Nora planned to take a ride on the final loop of his route (the stop was close to her house) and mentioned it to my mom. My mom put it on Facebook and almost all of my siblings ended up being there for his final trip. He was a little surprised to see 30 plus people as he pulled up to the stop. There were only a couple other passengers on the bus so we all fit. It was fun to reminisce with everyone of all of our experiences riding UTA buses when we were growing up. I really wish Seth, Charlie, Matthew, and Lucy could have experienced this with me. It was a lot of fun. 

 

My parents look way too young to be in their retirement years!

That evening we had a big party at Golden Coral with more friends and family. We shared all of our memories of Dad driving his bus. I explained how when I was in junior high I would often forget my bus pass. I quickly learned that all I had to do was tell the driver that I was “Chuck’s Daughter” and they always let me off with a smile. This didn’t help me remember my bus pass but it did show me what a superhero my dad was at UTA. I’m sure retirement will treat him well. Go Dad!

After the big party Conrad and I went back to Donna and Bevan’s home in Midway with plans of skiing the next day. My parents were kind enough to come to Donna’s home to tend the kids so we could ski. We met Nora at the entrance to Deer Valley and were on our way. I was nervous. I had not skied in over 10 years and wasn’t very good at it. Thankfully I’m in a bit better shape now and Donna was a phenomenal teacher. It was wonderful!! The sky was blue and the scenery was breathtaking. I am not used to seeing majestic winter scenes of trees covered in snow. It was also a blast being with my sisters and singing Les Mis songs on the ski lift. It was nice to see Bevan who joined us for a run and we also stopped for the best chili cheese fries I’ve ever had. We skied all over the mountain and by the time we were finished I could feel that I had used muscles I hadn’t used in years.

We said goodbye to Nora and raced back to Donna’s to relieve my parents. Donna and I took our little kids to see Tom and Kim’s new home. It was fun to see them, their cute kids, and their beautiful new home. All of their patience in this housing market sure did pay off. We grabbed a Papa Murphy's Pizza (a Utah visit favorite) for dinner and called it a night. I slept like a rock!

The next morning we were off early to Salt Lake to Mandy and Eddie’s Sacrament meeting. It was a perfect coincidence that I was in Utah the Sunday they decided to bless Ethan. He even wore the blessing outfit Seth’s mom made for my boys. It was fun to visit with their family and eat more delicious food. I love the picture of Mandy and Eddie surrounded by their kids, it’s truly a miracle!

Sunday evening was spent in West Jordan. Conrad and I made a quick stop at the Browns to say hi. We had just seen them in December for Charlie’s baptism but it was fun to visit again, we LOVE Cassie. Conrad and I went back to Nora’s for dinner (oh I still think of that delectable peanut sauce) games, and a little Downton Abbey to top it off. Ok, it was not a little Downton, it was two episodes because Nora had ALL of the season three episodes. I wish I would have watched more.  I went to bed WAY too late and Conrad woke up WAY too early but that’s part of the fun traveling west.

The next morning I made a little trip to see Holly and her kids. I love how the people I love live close to each other. We planned her trip East to visit me and we also planned the future wedding of Conrad and Josie. I returned to Nora’s house and she was kind enough to babysit the little babies while Donna, Bevan, and I went to se Les Mis. It’s incredible they were able to make such beautiful music to accompany such a wretched story.  After the movie (and an In-N-Out stop) I packed up my bags, said some goodbyes, and Donna dropped Conrad and I back off at the airport.  It was a quick weekend! We were blessed to be on a direct flight home and were back in Maryland in no time. Conrad was a little fussy on the plane but once he finally fell asleep he was out the rest of the trip.

What a perfect weekend.