there's no place like home

My beautiful Wasatch mountains with a bonus view of the neighborhood I grew up in.

It was nothing short of a miracle that my scheduled flight out of JFK not only happened, but happened on time, particularly when we were in the clutches of yet another major winter storm. Shortly before Blake drove Matthew and I to the airport, this was the view from our windows:

The photo looks really blurry because there was so much snow! In the space of roughly 4 hours that morning, we accumulated about 10 inches -- that in addition to the mounds of snow-turned-solid-ice that already graced the neighborhood.

Because in the days leading up to my departure it was looking more and more unlikely that my little trip home to Provo would actually happened as planned, we'd kept a close eye on both the weather reports and the flight schedule. We also did a whole lot of praying. Almost by the minute, it seemed, the weather reports grew more and more grimly severe. And, as if to follow suit, one by one, other scheduled flights that day got delayed and eventually cancelled altogether.

But mine miraculously stayed on the board, and we even boarded on time. I attributed this to several things: the fact that the flight originated in New York, which meant that the plane was already at the gate and not stuck in ice-over Atlanta or something; a scheduled layover in Phoenix, rather than some other ice-and-snow-riddled city; a slight break in the weather (my flight left in the early afternoon, shortly after the snow changed over to rain and shortly before that rain changed back over to snow); and a whole lot of Divine Intervention. Seriously, Someone knew I needed to get away, if only for a few days, because it's not often that the stars align so perfectly for little old me.

Matthew, watching our plane, shortly before we boarded.

At any rate, my flight was one of the few that left JFK that day, and I am so glad that it did. (I'm also glad that we actually made it to the airport -- the drive there turned out to be the diciest leg of the trip!) Matthew and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in Provo, a land where the mounds of snow were up high looking very beautiful in the mountains, rather than encroaching on my now-delicate levels of sanity down in the valley.

Snow-covered Mt. Timpanogos rising above the snow-less valley.

 
We were there for five whole days, and were joined by my sister, Katie, who drove down from Boise with her daughter, Natalie. We were also able to spend a good amount of time with my other sister, Chelsea, who is currently living across town playing the part of the BYU co-ed, and my brother, Scott, who is spending his days on the other side of town working and taking a few classes at UVU.

Here are a handful of highlights of how we spent our time together:

- The first thing we did was visit the Sacred Gifts exhibit at the BYU Museum of Art. Photography wasn't allowed, so I have no pictures of my own to share, but it was beautiful. Some of the paintings were on loan from the Riverside Church in Manhattan, and once they are returned later this summer, I'd like to go see them in their "natural habitat."

- We did a lot of shopping, and I found small treasures just about everywhere we went. We stopped in at few favorite boutiques in Provo (Harmony and Cherry Lane). We also went into Salt Lake a few times to visit Orson Gygi, Home Goods, and Gardner Village. And then there was a trip to American Quilting, where I picked out fabric for my baby quilt.

Darling, no? I'm planning on a chevron quilt with alternating color-and-white zig-zags with the vintage print as the backing and bound in the green checkered fabric.

- I got to eat a lot of food I love that I can't easily get in Brooklyn, including, but not limited to: Arby's (I know, not fancy, but I do love me some America's roast beef, yes sir!), Rubio's (mmm....fish tacos....), and BYU Bookstore cinnamon bears (or lips, since it was Valentine's Day). I was also introduced to The Chocolate's famous Cazookie. If heaven is a slightly undercooked chocolate chip cookie topped with ice cream, then this was it.

Katie, Chelsea, and their Cazookie.

- We visited the newly opened attic space at the Provo Library, where Chelsea was volunteering as docent for an exhibit of original children's book illustrations.

- Speaking of the Provo Library, one morning we took the babies to Story Time. Natalie got way into it, but Matthew, though a little more subdued, particularly enjoyed the puppets. He also loved roaming the steps afterwards.

 - And speaking of the babies, Matt and Nat were so funny together. They may be cousins, but their personalities are polar opposites. Where Matthew is mild and observant, Natalie is a firecracker of a performer. They didn't know what to do with each other at times, but they still managed to have fun.

Playing with the magnets (both on the fridge and stuffing them into the tracks of the marble run in the family room) was one of their favorite things to do together.

Bath time! This was shortly before they both burst into tears (Matthew because Natalie was touching him, and Natalie because the blue tub kind of freaked her out).

In a rare burst of personality, Matthew tried to teach Natalie how to spit.

 Attempts at cousin photo ops.

- We attended the campus YSA ward that my dad is currently serving as bishop in. No photos (it was church, after all), but you can be sure that the only two children in attendance provided enough entertainment for the entire congregation.

- We went to see a movie. In a theater! This has become such a rare event in my life, which is why it's worth noting here. We saw The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which was fabulous, and I even saw my friend, Melanie, who got screen time in the film as an extra!

- While their mothers were out and about, Matthew and Natalie got to spend a lot of time with Grandpa, who graciously and continuously offered to watch them. And while they were at home, they spent a lot of time, not only with him, but with Grandma's toy collection, a small portion of which is pictured below.

 Balls

 Dobbin the Wonder Horse

(And watching his reflection in the TV while riding Dobbin.)

 Books

 Nesting dolls

 Vintage Little People

Too soon it was time to head back to Brooklyn (on a red-eye flight which, thanks to a bit of maneuvering on the part of our lovely flight attendant, we were blessed with an open seat for Matthew to sleep on instead of my already cramped lap). It was so good to see my family and refuel my faculties for what remains of both the winter and this pregnancy, and it was so good of Blake to stay home with the other boys so I could go. Hopefully this trip sets a precedent for years to come.