It Happened in Sun Valley

Well, it had been a whirlwind of a weekend - the building dedication at BYU, followed by Bonneville Stake Conference. We were exhausted. What better way to relax than to load up the jeep and head north? So we did. We piled the back of the jeep wide and tall and took off. After a few stops (one to switch places with Mom, putting me next to Ellie, the next to move Ellie's seat from one side of the car to the other to avoid the sunshine, and the third to change a particularly messy diaper) we were on our way. When we drove up to the portico with a big "Welcome Utah Bankers" sign, the weather was cool and wonderful. Ducks were swimming in the pond. We were on vacation. And what a vacation it was! On Monday, Dad went to meetings while Mom and Ellie and I played. Then Dad and I went to meetings while Mom and Ellie played. We ate pizza. Mom and Ellie and I went swimming. We went to Ketchum. Just as Ellie and I were about to turn in for the night, Mom and Dad arrived back at our room to say it was time to go to the outdoor movie. (Ann, remember when Mom and Dad woke us up from a sound sleep at midnight in Boston and announced we were going out to Harvard Square?) So we ate popcorn and candy on the grass until Ellie protested, and then we went to bed. Tuesday morning Dad and I ran a 5K. Of course, he had to get up before the 6:30 shotgun time to get in 3 miles, since he had to run 6 miles on his marathon training schedule. He beat me by a full 4 minutes. Then we raced back to change and get to the buses for the river run.

When we got to the river, our guide Stacia asked who was going to be in the front of the raft. She had no sooner finished asking the question than Dad volunteered us. Michelle Morgan and her girls Maddy and Hannah seemed grateful that we would be taking the brunt of the splashing, since the river was freezing cold. I have to admit that even though we were shivering the whole way, the view from the front of the raft was spectacular. We almost had pictures, but somehow our photographs didn't turn out. Too bad, because the photographer caught a photo just as Dad and Michelle Morgan toppled out of the boat at the first Class 3 rapids. Truly. Michelle went totally overboard. Dad was well on his way, and I pinned his leg against the side of the raft. So he dangled there, body in the water, leg in the boat, until Stacia came around to pull him back in by the life jacket. She was headed back to rescue Michelle when she went toppling in and the raft kept going. So now we were headed down the river without a guide (but with paddles). Stacia shouted rowing directions from the middle of the river, and we safely guided the raft to the side of the river. Michelle and Stacie reinstalled themselves in the raft, and we were on our way again. After another couple of hours, lots of cold water overboard, and a second set of Class 3 rapids, we pulled over for lunch. We got our sandwiches and headed straight for the little hot spring. It was muddy and gross, but we stuck our freezing feet in without a second thought. We shivered and shivered and shivered like we'd never shivered before, and kept our feet in the water until the last possible moment. Then we got back in the raft for another mile of lazy joy down the river. We returned back to Sun Valley and hopped right in the warm pool with Grammie and Ellie.

Ellie and I basked in the late afternoon sunshine and then treated ourselves to a lovely dinner before securing seats on the veranda for the ice show starring Nancy Kerrigan. Truly. She skated with her two sons, which was adorable. Other performers skated with hula hoops and fire. It was quite a party, ending with a huge fireworks display at 11:30 p.m. Ellie slept through the show, but woke up delightedly for the fireworks. We went to bed exhausted.

Alas, Ellie and I had to head to the airport Wednesday morning, and vacation ended. We had a great time with Grammie and Pops! Thanks, Grammie and Pops, for spoiling us!