A Vacation and News

 This past year has been a great year for Liz and I. We have become parents to the most beautiful little girl in the world.  Most of my family has not been able to see her or enjoy her wonderful company.

So a few weeks ago I was talking to Liz about what we should do during my spring break from school. We looked at going to Houston, Galveston, on a cruise to either Hawaii or the Caribbean, or just fly somewhere for a few days. Well we decided to go to Utah to visit my family and to see other people as well. We were going to fly but since tickets were way to much for us to fly we decided to get a car rental and drive up.  This trip would be an ordeal since it would be McKinley's first prolonged car trip.

McKinley fell asleep while watching a DVD.

Liz and McKinley and the great rental at a rest stop at Cove Fort.

We faced McKinley towards us so she could see Liz. It helped a lot and Liz always enjoyed looking back and seeing this face looking at her smiling.

One thing with Liz and I, we always know that something will come up when it comes to us wanting an easy trip or something without problems.  Some of the problems we had:

Our bank's system crashed the first day, they also did not enter our traveling information that we had given them a week before. So if we would have tried to get cash or anything outside of Texas, we would have been denied.


McKinley started to teeth on the trip.  


A hot and noisy hotel room in Gallup, New Mexico. 


A breakfast buffet at our hotel in Park City, that was packed with Asians who took up 2 or 3 tables, lots of rude people and McKinley throwing up all over and not any food to eat.


McKinley controlled the music in the car. She did not like Depeche Mode or anything with a hard heavy beat. She loved the Mormon Tab and Jim Brickman.  And would laugh at me as i sang a long to Darius Rucker.

We enjoyed being in Utah again. Seeing our friends and family. We made it to Logan and had a good time seeing my parents, and my brother Steve and his family and my sister Kristen and her husband. Also the 3 dogs and the little herd of deer that were watching us closely from my parents back yard.  We had fun talking and getting to let McKinley be held and played with by people other than us.  Her cousins loved her and we want to say Thanks to Madison for being such a great little baby sitter and helping Liz. McKinley was in good hands with you.

One night, Liz and I got the chance to leave McKinley with my parents and we drove up to Idaho to enjoy some hot springs at a resort called Riverdale Resort.  It is a small town resort so it is not flashy, but the water felt so good.  I have been trying for years to get Liz up there, but she always thought it would smell like sulfur/rotten eggs. It does not smell that way, but the cows were sure making up for it. It was a great break from a long drive to Utah.  It was nice having my mom and dad put McKinley to bed and let them see how much she actually wants to go to bed.

We also got to introduce McKinley to her Great-Great Grandpa Marshall and Grandpa and Grandma Stephenson.  She was looking at Grandpa Marshall like she recognized him. Liz and I and Grandpa said that she thinks it was my dad, but an older version. It was so nice seeing Grandpa. We miss going to visit him and talking to him.

Grandpa and Grandma Stephenson had fun seeing McKinley also. We enjoyed talking to them and letting them hold McKinley. We were sad though to find out that the Cabin might not be in the future for any of the Stephenson side. It will be missed.

We also got to see 2 of my good friends Ken and James and their families. We got to go to lunch with Ken, his wife Suzie and their kids and enjoyed seeing their new house. James and his wife Rachel wanted to see McKinley and we had a good time with them as well.

We also made a trip to St. George to see Liz's cousin Ashley and her husband Dave and their little girl Amy. We got to stay with them for 2 nights and we had a great time. Liz and Ashley spent one night looking at huge memory books and i got to see some pretty sweet pictures of Liz. Just makes me love Liz much more knowing a little more about who she was a teen and early 20 woman.  We want to say thanks again to Dave, Ashley and Amy for letting us into your home. We enjoyed it a ton. And it also makes me want McKinley to walk that much more. I can not wait.

Amy wearing some big old Bunny Ears.

                                               Amy playing with McKinley on her little pink car.

On our last night in Utah i took Liz to Park City and she went shopping. She found some great deals.  We then headed out back to Texas the next day. It was a great vacation and we loved seeing all of you.


                                               THE NEWS


We are moving to Coeur D'Alene, Idaho on April 15th.  I have gotten a great internship and will start work on May 1st. We are excited to be in an area with so many possibilities and can not wait to be in an area again that has all 4 seasons.  We wanted to be in an area that had a Temple close by ( Spokane, Washington ) and let us be in an area where we know no one. Its a fresh start for us and we are so thankful for the blessings of the Priesthood and for fasting and prayer.


We want to let you know that you are all welcome to come visit and we would love to see you.