Three years ago COVID threw a wrench into our plans for a reunion and we were forced to hold a virtual reunion which really turned out to be a lot of fun. Burt Virtual Reunion 2020 It felt like time to try again, this time face-to-face.  Vicki and I got together early spring and threw out some ideas and it took off from there.  Here's the schedule we came up with. 

Friday a.m.

Gather at Patti’s

Family tree - polaroid pictures 

Start doing names for 25 famous people

Yard games

Tournaments

Corn Hole

Canasta

‘ CrossNet

Pickleball (at park)

Kerplunk

Dice

tug o war Dannie and Felicity to pick teams 

Lunch @ noon - hoagie sandwiches, chips, drinks, applesauce cookies

1:30 PG pool

Yard games

Craft - begin family rock picture 

Decorate sugar cookies, competition sports category frosting colors baggies for piping and sprinkles will circles cut 

Dinner sloppy joes - nachos in boatsjello 

Brookers Founding Flavors - ice cream treats 

25 Famous People

Outdoor movie night (popcorn drinks m&ms and nuts) mosquito spray 

(Everyone responsible for their family sleeping accommodations)

Saturday

9am Hike Battle Creek Falls

10 am Dutch oven Breakfast at Gessells (hilltop park) cereal/milk fruit individual cereal 

Kickball at park by Patti’s

11 AM PICKUP BOUNCE HOUSE planitrentals

rolls, veggies dips peanut butter jam/honey, brownies

Water bounce house

SERVICE PROJECT 

Yard games

Crafts

Finish family rock art

BBQ burgers, hot dogs, potato salad Walmart, pasta salad Vicki Costco cake, Erin GF cake, fudge chips 

Finish up crafts

25 famous people

Finals of sugar cookie decorating

It turned out soooo fun! So many people made the effort to be there and it was delightful. Most of the activities listed didn't happen, either because it was too hot or everyone just sat around and visited. That was the purpose anyway so no complaints here.

Highlights: The polaroid pictures on the tree turned out really cute. Will put the pics in an album.

Went to the Lindon Aquatic Center and the kids had a blast.

Most came and hiked Battle Creek Falls. Breakfast was probably the most successful meal taking into account that we we didn't have many leftovers and easy setup and cleanup.

The water/bounce house (shark fin, I think) was a huge hit with the littler kids. Played on it for a few hours.

A couple of rounds of cornhole were played.

The outdoor movie was also great fun. The screen that Tandi had was HUGE! We watched Super Mario Brothers.

The t-shirt painting was actually successful despite my feeble attempts.

Everyone just jumped in and helped where needed.

Patti was a saint for letting us use and abuse her house. Because it was so hot we ended up being inside a lot of the time; not what I had planned. Troy had suggested having a church gym available. I was able to reserve ours but we didn't end up needing it. The house and the shade trees did the trick.

Takeaways: Just visiting and eating is what works with a few activities thrown in. So glad we did most of it at the house where everyone could come and go visiting with mom and dad.

Things to remember for next time: We had a lot of leftovers. Didn't need quite so many activities; we didn't even get to a lot of them. Needed more activities for teenagers - they were bored, but good sports.

   Ray and Maida with all the grandkids.

VIRTUAL BURT REUNION 2020

VIRTUAL BURT REUNION 2020

We had made big plans to have a reunion/birthday party this summer to celebrate Mom and Dad's 85th and 90th birthdays.  All the grandkids had committed to come, Bryce and Alicia were going to be in town and we were going to play for a weekend and then.  The virus hit.  We had hopes that we would still be able to pull it off but as it got closer it was obvious that it just wouldn't work.  So Vicki and I threw out thoughts and came up with some ideas for a virtual reunion cause I just felt that we needed to do it while everyone was planning on the first weekend in August.  

A week or so before August 1st, we sent out some info that there would be a scavenger hunt and trivia game with prizes and that they should study up on the grandparents' personal histories.  We paired up Vicki's kids' families with mine and Patti's kids' families and hoped to create some competition.  

The morning of we sent out the rules/scavenger hunt.  

Scavenger hunt - rules: download to Google Photo link sent.  Include your team and # of challenge.  Send or download by 3pm.

Bonus 2 points for facetime pic with both team members participating in same event (no limit). Bonus 2 points (total possible 8) for including Grandpa and Grandma Burt somehow in a challenge.

1. Visit a local cemetery::

Find someone with a birthday (month and day) closest to Grandpa/Grandma- 7 points each (14 possible)

Find someone with a name closest to Grandpa/Grandma - 3 points each (6 possible)

2. Find a street name (take a pic of the sign) in your city with the same name where Grandpa/Grandma have lived - 10 points each

3. Enjoy a food that reminds you of Grandpa/Grandma - 3 points each (6 possible)

4. Video you doing a sport that Grandpa/Grandma like or participated in - 7 points each (14 poss)

5. Find a picture of somewhere Grandpa and Grandma have been out of the State - 4 points each (8 possible)

6. Take a picture of an establishment that reminds you where Grandpa/Grandma were employed - 4 points each (no limit, each must be from a different job)

7. Video someone on your team telling a story about Grandpa/Grandma - 4 points each (8 possible) 

8. Video someone on your team telling a story from Grandpa/Grandma's histories - 6 points each (12 possible)

           9. Make some paper dolls - (10 points)

           10. Buy malted milk balls and compare price to 2 for a penny (5 points)

           11. Take a photo at a horse riding arena (5 points)

           12. Record or sing a Nat King Cole song - (7 points)

           13. Find an elevator and pretend to be an elevator girl - (10 points)

           14. Find a pair of old wooden skis - (10 points) 

           15. Make a big red U for the university of Utah (8 points)

           16. Eat some apple pie with chocolate ice cream (10 points)

17. Add a “memory” to FamilySearch about Grandpa and/or Grandma (10 points each, 20 possible)

Everyone downloaded pics and really got involved. It was so fun to see what they did - some got very creative. Jodi/Troy won. Taylor/Bethany were unable to be there so Brock/Angie got paired with Brett/Brad. Poor Brett. He and Emillie really tried but Brock had a corn hole tournament and Brad got stuck doing home projects so weren't much help to his team.

We got together at 3pm for a Zoom chat. Vicki and Lynn had done a great power point trivia game about Mom and Dad. Everyone had to type their answer in the chat which proved to be hard to judge who was first. Later the chat had time with hundredths of seconds, glad I hadn't seen that during the game. Anyway, Jodi won again! Maybe. Some had really taken the time to look at their histories and know some of the stories.

We also bought dinner for everyone wherever they were. Mom and Dad are going to send everyone a Cold Stone gift card for participating and Jodi and Troy get dinner gift cards for winning the games.

All in all it was a great success. All the kids did a great job participating and hopefully we can get together in the flesh next year.

Mom and Dad have a great family! Love all these peeps!

Family Trip 2018 San Diego

We left Sunday, March 25th to drive to Orem to begin the trek, car was packed to the gills with food, etc.  Monday morning said hello and goodbye to Tom as we headed out early. Met up with Brock and Brad.  Brock came down from LA after a wedding of a friend over the weekend.  Brad came from Orlando where he had spent time with Erin's family and with Bryce while Bryce attended a conference.  We had an airbnb, an old house which was fine for just the few of us.

The next day we went to Point Loma, Cabrillo National Monument, the tide pools which weren't low enough, ate at Natis Mexican restaurant, visited Old Town San Diego, had a lovely day.  Weather was gorgeous.
  

Bryce and family arrived Tuesday evening and we had dinner ready for them when they got there at the airbnb.   The airbnb - Walk to Trolley.  Could have been worse.  Could have been lots better.

Wednesday the 28th.  Our first adventure.  We were off to the zoo.  We did a bus tour ride at the end which should be done at the first.  We sat on top of the double decker bus and the sun was hot and the kids were tired.  It was long and kind of boring.  Too much stopping and talking.

Came back and had benders for dinner and the kids headed to the COLD pool.  Addy loved it and would swim while she was shivering.  Brigham just wanted to be held and didn't get much in the water.  

Brock spent time with a friend for the evening and then flew home. 

Thursday - We had bike reservations in town at The Bike Revolution.  Looked like online that there were bike paths.  Found out when arriving that the bike path was a lane in the street.  Hmmm.  Not what I had envisioned.  I was nervous because Bryce had a trailer behind his bike with the two kids and it stuck out further than the bike.  Cars were pretty good but one was within a foot of him.  We road to Balboa Park which wasn't as great as everyone seemed to make it out to be unless there were parts we didn't see.  It is a park in the center of town.  They had a playground there that the kids enjoyed.  There was a circular spinning car that the kids could climb into and sit down.  Then someone on the outside of the car would spin it.  Addy was in it with a couple other kids spinning and Brigham came running up and just ran right into it.  I guess he didn't even stop.  One guy there said he just came out of nowhere.

A reward most evenings was watching baking videos (Food Network instagram posts).  

Friday we went to the air and space museum.  It was very interesting.  The kids did pretty well.  They had a play area where they could jump on the "moon", balls floating above air blasts, and lots of displays for the adults. 

On Saturday Bryce and Brad hid eggs at the pool and we had an easter egg hunt.  The kids loved it.  We listened to conference, a historic one with the solemn assembly.  We went to the Mormon Battalion historic site.  It was very interesting and they have an interactive tour that Addy loved.  She listens so carefully and is processing what they say.  At the end of the tour Addy asked the missionaries why the men didn't use cars to go back to Utah at the end of the war.  She's a bright one.  They had an area where the kids could pan for gold.

We had lunch at the Burger Lounge, a little hipster place.  It was great food.  Dinner was leftovers and then we watched the priesthood session.

Sunday morning was conference.  I had a picture of bunny pancakes and Alicia is such a good sport and gave it a try. 

Afterwards we went to the San Diego Temple.  There is no visitor center and the grounds were locked.  There was a very narrow strip, 15 feet? of grass along the road where we could park and take pictures through the fence and have a snack.  There were only 4 or so people there when we arrived.  Then lots of other Mormons in the area had the same thought as us.  It got pretty crowded.  Alicia had some family pictures taken and the kids were ok but that was the end of picture taking for Addy.  We tried to include us in the picture and she wanted nothing to do with it.  She wasn't crying but didn't want to be a part of it.  It was very funny, that's why we all have bigger smiles than normal, we're all laughing very hard.

That evening we drove over the Coronado Bridge to Coronado island and the beach for sunset.  It was cloudy and it's good we went early so the kids could play before it got dark.  They loved it, the sand and wading in the water.  I loved it, too.  I should have planned more time at the beach. 

Monday was the day that kept Brad with us.  He had actually looked at flights to leave earlier in the week because he was anxious to get home. He had been gone to Orlando before San Diego and he had had enough.  But he wanted to see Legoland.  I think the adult tickets were $107 and the kids were $103.  Weird. Then you could buy passes for $35 to $55 that got you into the rides faster.  I definitely did not think that the park was worth the money, but fun to go one time.  There were few rides for adults and the lines were very long.  The kids did the carousel, and again.  And again and again.  They loved it.  We did a boat ride and a train ride in the play area.  I can't even remember any other rides we did.  The lego displays were incredible.  Star Wars and more Star Wars, including a large Death Star.  And cityscapes from large cities around the world.  Those were fun to see.  Lunch at Pizza Mania which was very reasonable and the pizzas were very good. 

Brigham fell asleep in the stroller for about an hour so life was good.  Made it home to chicken stacks in the crock pot (crock pot was a life saver) and I think the kids tried swimming one more time.

We all headed home Tuesday.  It was a huge success!  Looking forward to many more.

   

Road Trip October 2016

[Photo credits go to Brad.]

Brad drove to Vernal, Thursday, October 6, and we left early

Friday, October 7, deciding that today was going to be our longest drive.  We packed stuff for lunch so we didn't have to eat out.  Brad was pulled over in the early evening, only given a warning.  Made it to Kansas City.  We stayed in a Sleep Inn.  Ate at Cox BBQ, it was good. 

Saturday, October 8, went to the Kansas Temple and did baptisms.  I had printed a few names before we left - about 9 male, 12 female.  There was a family ahead of us and one brother waited to be a witness for us, but he also needed a few female names done for him.  While we were waiting to do confirmations, a young couple came in that only had a couple names to do.  Scott and Brad were the witnesses for them and then we were able to do our confirmations together.  It worked out beautifully.  I loved being there.

Headed to Louisville.  Walked a little around campus.  Seemed very small, but a ton of red all through the town. 

Trip Advisor told us the #1 attraction was the Mega Cavern, so we gave it a try.  It is a former limestone mine that is huge!  Part of it is used for storage and part of it is used for zip lines and a rope course.  We did the zip lines and you would go through the cave and over large valleys? on these zip lines and it was all in the dark, with few lights.  It was really fun, but some of it was hard for me, to step off or to be on a very small platform even though we had safety ropes.

We also had to do a rope bridge, and the guy on it with me was swinging it, I wasn't thrilled about that.  Because Brad was with us we used Airbnb, and stayed at a huge home in a mansion district?  It was a young family that would rent out rooms while they were trying to restore this home.  We just stayed in an upstairs room that had a full bed and a twin bunk bed.  It looked like we were using a bathroom that the family used, a little strange for me, but it was definitely a good price.  Our dinner was Wendy's before the cave and then a stop at Kroger to pick up stuff for breakfast.

Sunday, October 9, we went to a ward in Louisville and then did a tour of Churchill Downs.  This was a highlight of my trip.  It was beautiful and fun to be there.  Then we drove to Durham, after stopping for dinner at an Arbys.

Monday, October 10, loved being there with the kids, Brigham took no time in warming up.  Bryce and Alicia took off for Asheville and the Sigur Ros concert.  Brad and I later left for Charlotte, a 2 hour drive, to see Monday Night Football, the Panthers and Buccaneers.  I was going to stay and babysit but Scott would rather babysit than go to the football game, so I was all in.  It was a lot of fun.  Our tickets were up high but we could see great.  It was warm, the stadium was right downtown.  We didn't really care about the teams, and it ended up being a very close game, but we left with about 3 minutes left and literally ran about 1/2 mile to the car so that we would miss the traffic, because it was about 11:30 and we still had 2 hours to drive. 

Tuesday, Wednesday, October 11-12, just hung out with the kids, went shopping with Alicia to the outlets to get the kids clothes, went to the kids museum and did the train ride, and just enjoyed being with them. 

Thursday, October 13, it was the State Fair in Raleigh.  Had some great fried food and Addy did some rides.  Brigham is such a good baby to take places.  Had a great time.

Friday, October 14, said our goodbyes and headed out for the trip home.  Headed to Atlanta and stopped in Greenville, SC, which was having a downtown fair with food vendors from the local establishments.  Absolutely gorgeous, a few years ago they revitalized the downtown around a park with a waterfall including a large walking bridge.  Ate near there at Brazwells, wonderful.

Stayed at the LaQuinta in Atlanta, where I think this was the place that had a very loud Asian family with a couple young girls next door.  We finally had to call the front desk. 

Saturday, October 15, went to the Atlanta temple to do initiatories for the baptisms we had done.  It was quick but great to be there.

 Did a tour of the Smith plantation, it was very interesting.  Couldn't find much to do there, which was a little disappointing, so we headed west.

Stopped at a monument in Birmingham, Alabama, the Vulcan statue.

Stopped in Tuscaloosa to see the Alabama football stadium.  Walked around the stadium, the sororities/fraternities near there were incredible buildings.  There must be a lot of money at that university.  The town was dead because the Bama game was going on (out of town).  As we were leaving, it was half time during the game and people started coming out.  Brad was thrilled as we were walking down the street and a block away at an apartment, a man yelled out "Roll Tide". 

Headed to Memphis.  Another fair down historic Beale Street, ate at Sulky O'Sullivans, an outdoor restaurant, food was wonderful.  Wandered up and down the street for a short time and decided we had better leave.  That was the only time during the trip that we felt a little uncomfortable.

Stayed at another LaQuinta.

Sunday, October 16, went to sacrament meeting at a branch in West Memphis which was in Arkansas.  Such a small branch but the people were so friendly.  Went back to Memphis to see a couple of bridges over the Mississippi River.

 On to Tulsa where we stopped to see the Golden Driller historic landmark and on to the Airbnb.

 A beautiful home, cute family, had a master suite with an attached bedroom and a bathroom which I became very acquainted with later in the evening.  We had dinner at Hideaway Pizza, we could walk to it, beautiful neighborhood.  About 1 in the morning I had a very bad pain in my stomach which would not go away, I spent about an hour in the bathroom hoping something would happen.  Finally, went and got Scott and said I needed a blessing.  I was sitting on the toilet while he gave the blessing, and immediately when he was done, I turned around and started to throw up.  I threw up intermittently for a few hours, still with a horrible pain in my stomach, with lots of prayers that it would stop so that we could continue home.  About 6 am I was able to go back to bed, about 7 Brad and Scott went to get breakfast at Queenies and I was able to shower.  Just a little weak, not hungry, but we were able to leave on time.  I didn't eat much that day, just a lot of sleeping.  The lasagne was good, but not that good, and I don't know that I would ever be able to eat at the Hideaway Pizza again.


Monday, October 17, headed west and then north into Denver.  It was an extremely warm and windy day driving through Kansas, about 90 degrees.  When we started to head in to Denver, the weather changed.  The wind kept up but it dropped down to the 50s.  It was chilly and a rude awakening back to the mountain west.  We stopped at Chipotle in Castle Rock (I had rice), and then we went and enjoyed Troy and Traci's hospitality. 

Tuesday, October 18, one more short day of driving.  We had been too early for fall foliage back east, the prettiest drive was probably through Alabama/Georgia/Arkansas, but not much color, so it was fun to see some of the brightest colors on the last day in our own neck of the woods.  Between Meeker and Rangely the trees were bright gold and spectacular, then we were warned:

Coming into Rangely I was pulled over, but due to another call that the cop received, we were only chastised.  Made it home with only good memories.

What a wonderful trip.  4,798.8 miles.  The driving was much more enjoyable than I had imagined.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.