My grandparents own college apartments, and nearly every year since I was 11 I have helped clean and maintain them during the summer.
My grandparents have been very generous with me, and when I realized that they weren't going to have much help this year, Grig and I began to talk about Kevin and I going up for the summer break. We felt pretty strongly that I should go, and I am so glad I did!
Not only was I able to help my grandparents and my aunt, we also really needed that extra money in ways that we didn't realize. A little while ago, Grig got a root canal and I had some cavities filled. Grig and the rest of his coworkers were asked to not come in for a week in July and September. Those two weeks off really hurt us economically. Add our trip to Virginia to that, and we were in pretty dire straits. If we hadn't had the supplementary income, we would have been in big trouble. Thanks to my work in Idaho, we have had sufficient for our needs and the means to pay off our doctor bills.
That has been a huge blessing. We were hoping to save up more money, but Grig's work is approaching the busy season, so we should be able to do that.
For the first few weeks, we deep-cleaned and repaired the apartments. The last couple weeks were focused on preparing a few spots in the parking lot for cement. I had a good time working with my family and spending time with them. Some of them I got to know a lot better since I haven't spent much time with them individually since I moved out of the house. I also lost around 10 lbs!
Kevin got to know everyone a lot better too. He wasn't always at his happiest, since I kept leaving him, but he could be awfully cute. He got more used to me leaving as time went on and cried less when I left, but he was really clingy when I got home. That could be kind of frustrating, especially when I needed to shower, but I appreciated that he missed me. I missed him too.
Dakota spent her time outside sleeping. I think she enjoyed being out there for the most part, though she was always really excited to see us.
Grig tried to come up every weekend, but a couple of times I ended up going down to Utah instead. We had a few crazy weekends.
I'll probably write about them in more detail (and link that detail to this page) in the rest of this week's blogs, but I'll provide a summary here:
Weekend 1: Wednesday's blog
Camping with Family
On the first weekend, we went camping with my youngest siblings, my sister, and her husband and children. We had a great time wading in the falsely named "Warm River." It was freezing! We had a great time though and saw some beautiful wildlife.
After we packed up, we went huckleberry picking. Kevin really enjoyed
Weekend 2: Wednesday's blog
Egin Lakes
Egin lakes is a well-kept treasure in south-east Idaho. Placed in the middle of the Sand Dunes, it is a series of shallow lakes. We went there with a friend and it was really fun to get to know her and her family better. We swam in the lukewarm water and made sand castles. Kevin had a great time with one of her sons, and they enjoyed throwing sand at each other.
Weekend 3: Thursday's blog
Sister's Wedding
This weekend we drove back to Utah to attend my sister's wedding. She looked beautiful and we're happy to welcome her husband into the family. All of my family, except one sister who is on a mission, was able to be there. That was really nice. Many pictures were taken, though not all willingly.
We also made a special stop on the way back to Idaho and reached a momentous decision that's really going to add some excitement to our lives. I'll talk about that on Thursday. Be excited! I sure am!
Weekend 4: Friday's blog
The Fish Story
Over Labor Day weekend, I returned home to spend some time with Grig. My parents, who were going to the Ogden Temple open house, dropped me off, and I got a ride back to Idaho with my brother and his family.
I had a great time, but it is so nice to be home!
Will you send me your picture of the wedding cake without writing on it? It is a great picture and I didn't get to take any.
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