What I Did On My Summer Vacation, by Stacy Harker

Amazing how two weeks have just flown by!

Since I last wrote, Quinton and I embarked on our fun journey to Utah and Idaho for fun, dirt and family! Friday, August 10th saw Quinton and flying to Salt Lake City pretty early in the morning. Our first flight went from Tulsa to Vegas, which always provides an interesting crowd. As our plane quickly filled, I silently prayed we would have at least one open seat next to us...no such luck. Just when I thought we were in the home stretch of boarding, two rather strapping (read: too tall for their seats) guys sat next to us. They were really nice but it was hard to keep Quinton happy in the teeny tiny space we had to share next to the window. Plus, Quinton was pretty active and especially likes pulling on the seat in front of him AND pushing the flight attendant button...whoopeee!

Our second leg wasn't much better, except for the fact that we did sit next to a nice and petite BYU Idaho co-ed and a woman who was a dead ringer for Matt's mom. They were much more understanding about the flying crackers and soggy honey roasted peanuts in their hair!

Quinton and I were obviously relieved to see Matt's parents pull up at the airport! We went straight to one of Matt's brother's house, Shon and Charlene's and THOROUGHLY enjoyed the swimming pool since Utah seemed a lot hotter than Tulsa. I can't say enough how much of a fish Quinton is...he has been taking swimming lessons for over a year and it really shows. At Char's pool, he splashed and laughed and frolicked to his heart's content. A nice reprieve from our stuffy plane ride earlier in the day. After swimming, we went back to Matt's parent's place and checked out their garden and played outside. By the time the sun went down, Quinton followed soon after!

Saturday, My dad and sister, Jessi, and her kids picked Quinton and I up to head to McCall, Idaho. On a good day, the drive from SLC to McCall should take about 8 hours. Well, 11 hours and umpteen bathroom stops later, we FINALLY pulled into our favorite camping spot. It took about zero seconds for Quinton to become acclimated to the dirt! My dad affectionately nicknamed Quinton, Pigpen, from the Peanuts comics because a cloud of dirt seemed to follow him everywhere! What's camping without dirt and bugs, right?

I do have to say that I was able to put up my brother and sister-in-law's ginormous tent almost all by myself! I wanted to make sure I wasn't sleeping in the dirt or with the bugs the first night! Thanks to my brother-in-law, Wes, who helped with the last little bit!

Camping highlights included a nice propane heater provided by my dad to keep Q and I warm in our tent-bungalow; a quick dip in the ancient bath houses that make you feel human again; Quinton riding on Uncle Wes' motorcycle; a trip into McCall to play in the chilly lake; singing happy birthday to Grandpa Mark and each child taking a turn blowing out the candles; Wes on the side of the road changing a tire and finally, picking up my older sister in Boise on our way back to SLC! What more could you ask for in a summer vacation?

Lucky for us, on our way back to SLC on Tuesday, we stopped and visited with my Grandpa John, Quinton's Great Grandpa, in Gooding, Idaho. We loved picking apples and blackberries from his beautiful garden/forest out back. my nephew James especially loved finding ripe berries to scarf down. Quinton found the most minuscule patch of mud and made himself right at home! We stayed the night with my dad's sister, Aunt Amy and Uncle Stan on their farm. The farm is one of the most peaceful places on the earth and reminds me of all the time we visited their place as kids. Quinton fell in love with all of the space, clean air and second cousins at Aunt Amy and Uncle Stan's farm.

Quinton and I were deposited back at my in-laws on Wednesday evening where we were able to wash up, do some laundry and sleep on a mattress that didn't rely on my lungs to keep me off of the floor! As sad as we were to leave my family, we were just as excited to spend some more time with Matt's family. Charlene had a big family BBQ at her pool for us on Thursday night and we were able to have a sleepover at their house. Quinton and I got to meet the newest Harker for the first time, Gabriel Harker - born to Gary and Erely 3 weeks prior. Quinton didn't pay much attention to Gabe until I held him...then Quinton was all about pushing Gabe away from me! What a little turkey!

Friday morning, my sister-in-law Teresa and her 3 boys were able to pop in for a visit. Quinton LOVED playing with his three boy cousins, Hunter, Harrison and Spencer! He fit right in, trying to wrestle all three of them to the ground at once! I wonder where he gets it from!!! Later that afternoon, Matt's mom took Quinton and I down south to meet up with my sister. Halfway there, I talked Wanda into going to the new IKEA for her first visit. She really enjoyed it but I think was overwhelmed by how huge the store is and how much stuff is stocked into that place. After all of the camping Quinton and I did that week, I couldn't pass up the indoor play tent at IKEA...um, it's for his birthday...even if it is already up and being played with in our living room!

Friday night was nice and low-key at my sister's place. We even made it to a yummy Japanese restaurant called Tepanyaki's...boy was that yummy!

Saturday was a big family day! My niece, Taylor, was baptized. I had the honor of speaking at her baptism. It was so neat to see her baptized! She is my niece who made me an Aunt and I was even in the room when she was born. It was special beyond words to see her in her white dress. It was also a great time to visit with family on my brother-in-law's side that I rarely am able to visit.

Sunday was a blur of church and yummy Sunday stew my sister, Jessi, put in the crock pot. Sunday evening, my dad drove Quinton, my mom and me to my in-laws so they could take us to the airport bright and early. I am SUPER lucky to have scored my mom with me in Tulsa for 10 whole days! Quinton loves having two women around that cater to his practically every whim! I love having her help since Matt left tonight for his vacation in Utah. He has a triathlon in Park City on Saturday and then will spend next week with his 8 brothers and parents in Lake Powell.

As Matt was packing tonight, he commented on how weird it was not to pack his laptop. It's amazing how much email and cell phones have become a part of our every waking minutes. Camping was so nice not to have cell phone reception or a computer to check up on...I hope you all get a vacation this summer where you are able to put that stuff away and be with people who make you happy like Quinton and I did!