Matt and I drove up to Utah for a family event for my cousin earlier this month.
(Above is a photo of that cousin as a little tan boy many years ago sitting with my Mom and my youngest brother.)
My family are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. As members of this church, when a young man turns 19 he is asked to serve a full time mission. He is called to serve in a place for two years teaching people about Jesus Christ and what we believe in as a church. My great-grandfather, my father, my brother, my uncles and many of my cousins have all gone on to do this. One of my cousins has recently left for his mission in the southern part of the US. Matt and I were driving up there to say our goodbyes and wish him luck!
We set out on our journey on a Saturday morning hoping to get to Salt Lake by the early afternoon. Just a few hours into our trip, our car started acting funny. We pulled over at the next exit and discovered the transmission had just gone out. Stress and anxiety followed and we tried our best to get our car to a place that it could be fixed. It seemed as though we would not make it north to see my cousin and family. I called my Dad and told him of our plight, and he told me he was driving to Salt Lake from the Pacific Northwest to surprise us there. Now the pressure was on to make it to SLC so I could see my Dad and siblings!
During all of this time, my wonderful wonderful husband Matt did all that he could to ensure we made it to this special farewell. He made sure our car got towed to a mechanic, he secured a rental car, and verified that we had a hotel to stay at in Utah while visiting. We could not have made the trip without his hard work and great effort. I could tell he was stressed about our circumstance, but he assured me he would help me to see my family. He is such a good man.
Above is a photo of family and friends supporting my cousin for the service he would be giving for the next two years.
Above: Grandpa even flew down for this special occasion. He is a cute old grecian man, wouldn't you agree? I don't think anyone there was more proud to see Cousin K leaving for his mission.
Below:
Here is a photo of some of my siblings, cousins, uncles, Dad and Grandpa. The tallest young man there with the striped tie is my cousin leaving for his mission. He is a pretty incredible guy. His mother passed away just last year and he has had to overcome a lot of hardship at such a young age. We are so proud of him for doing such a selfless thing and serving our Heavenly Father.
After our cousin's farewell, we drove a few miles down to Temple Square in Salt Lake City. It's so peaceful there. Temple Square is home to the Mormon Salt Lake temple. Whenever my family is gathered together in Utah, we make a trip there and take some pictures.
Below is a photo of Dad on the phone with Mom. She was not able to make it and he was telling her about our trip to see Cousin K.
There is a reflection pool next to the temple. My brother took this photo with my camera looking into the water. Such an amazing structure.
All the boys in their shirts and ties. Love this pic. My Dad, brother, Matt, and Grandpa all relaxing in the shade.
On our way home from Salt Lake, we stopped in a little town in central Utah to visit Matt's youngest brother. He is at a college there starting his freshman year. We didn't get to spend much time with him, but it was fun seeing how he is adjusting to college life. He is a good kid.
