Spring Break in St. George

We had a great time in St. George, and made some fun memories with family. 

We were lucky to find this beautiful house to rent! It had plenty of rooms, a heated swimming pool and hot tub, and a digital baby grand piano.

Little did we know that the weather would be cold (thank goodness the pool was heated), and half of us would end up getting a nasty flu that lasted the whole time. Still, we made the most of it.

I kept thinking, if you're going to be sick on vacation, might as well be at a beautiful house where you can enjoy yourselves. The sickies could sleep, throw up and watch a lot of movies, while those who were well could swim all day long. It was perfect! 

We spent a LOT of time swimming. It was a blast!

We did some hiking in snow canyon, and tried to pretend that it was warmer than it really was.

And we spent some time at the temple visitor's center. We learned about the sacrifices of those saints who built the temple in their poverty. It was very inspiring.

On our way out of town, we stopped at a park and celebrated Ivie's birthday! Grace was adamant that we celebrated it right (of course, we wouldn't expect anything less than that from our party planner!). She came shopping with me for some gifts, balloons, party favors, etc. She made a special note and she helped plan a little party. We stopped at a park on the way out of town for a picnic lunch, some wiffle ball, and a small party.

Ivie loved getting an ice cream cone with the ice cream actually in it this time. She loved the ball she received. She loved playing in the wood shavings at the park. And she seemed to love the birthday song that we kept singing all day long.

And I wanted to share a little miracle that happened on our last night there. I had wanted to see my aunt and uncle who live in St. George during our vacation, but hadn't had a chance to act on that desire with the sickness we had. But on our last night, as a last-minute plan, we felt urgent to get to the temple for a session. Mark and Em were willing to watch the kids, so we hurried out the door as fast as we could to make it there in time. I knew my uncle Blaine and aunt Kathy worked there, but on a different night. Still, I had the thought that kept returning to me to ask one of the temple workers if the Yorgasons were working that night. I finally did, and she said, "yes!" I was shocked, but so excited. We went looking for my aunt, but Paul had found my uncle Blaine and my other uncle, Greg (who was visiting) in the dressing room. They were about to go on a little tour of the temple with Blaine, who had just published a book about it. We were there at the perfect time to join them on their tour! I loved seeing some really special rooms and hearing amazing stories about the temple. And I just loved the time to catch up with my uncles, and my aunt after the tour. It was a "tender mercy" that reminded me that the Lord knows me, and my desires, and wants to bless me.  I had no idea that the Lord would orchestrate our meeting in such a perfect way at the temple that night. It was wonderful!