Earlier this year my dad and mom expressed an interest in having a family reunion. Even though we all live in the greater Phoenix metro area, we rarely get the opportunity to have everyone together for more than a few hours a month. So we decided to escape the July heat of Phoenix, and went up to Park City, UT for a long weekend. I know my kids and I had a blast hanging with all my siblings, nephews, and parents...and hopefully everyone else had just as much fun. I've got a ton of pictures of all the fun activities from the trip. The only one missing was Justin (he's currently serving a mission in the Dominican Republic).
What would a trip to UT be without a visit to "God's University" (aka - BYU) - as opposed to the "Heathen" institution a few miles north (aka - UofU). It was so fun for all of us to take a trip down memory lane. Every one of my siblings (except Justin), as well as my parents, lived in "happy valley" at one point or another.
The Tanner Building...my old stomping grounds
Once we got up to Park City, the partying began - chair-lift rides...
I just included this picture because Kimberly looks SMOKIN' HOT! Also, notice the sweet family reunion t-shirts which read (in true Bates fashion) "If you're smart, you'll do it the Bates way, period." There's a story behind that, as you can imagine...
Really cute picture of Ryan and Kathrin. I just realized that I said "really, cute picture..." while writing a blog. I am officially a homo.
The J & K Bates family, rafting down the Provo river. We all had a blast, until we hit the class 4 rapids and according to Cassidy, "almost died". Notice I'm not even wearing a life jacket...yep, that's how smart I am.
All the grandkids chillin' in the BYU Creamery - eating ice cream snacks. Wow, this place brings back memories.
We toured the LDS Conference Center in SLC...an amazing building!
Cute picture of the girls by the Christus statue on temple square.
Our family and Jared's family went on a hike up in Park City one morning...the kids were real troopers. We only had to hike up, then we got a free chair-lift ride down.
Some of the gorgeous views on the way up. This is me, bonding with my children, hugging them, teaching them about the beauties of the earth...and completely unbeknownst to me, Kimberly took a picture and captured this magical moment. What's that? You think we posed for this pic, and is was completely staged?! Preposterous.
A picture of my loved ones from the top.
Here's a shot of the house we stayed at while we were there (I'm actually taking the pic from the other mountain - because you can't get a good picture of it from the mountain it's on). It actually belongs the Chairman of our company - who graciously offered it to us for our family reunion. It was AMAZING! Thanks again Jerry!
My attempt to capture the house over the next few photos...pictures don't do it justice.
Look at those views!
Some pics of the entire family (x Justin)
And all of this because two people fell in love...
...after that last line, you are either thinking to yourself, "Ohhhhhh, how sweet!" while trying to hold back tears.....or you're puking in your trash can thinking, "What is this, a Hallmark commercial?" :-)
Either way, I'm good. I'm confident in my femininity. I also write poetry, sing songs to orphans, and regularly volunteer in a nursing home...that's just how I roll. :-)
