July continues with more Family and friends in the mix

The very next day Adam and I work a full day and then met at the house at 530pm. Our bags were packed and we just needed to load the car. We bid farewell to “the girls” said a prayer and were off on our trip. We were on the road heading to Grand Junction. It was a nice drive through the mountains. The highway was not too busy, once we passed the tunnel most of traffic cleared up and it was a clear drive to our destination. I drove most of the way. I really enjoy driving through Glenwood canyon. I have always loved driving that part. The way the highway winds its way through the canyon along the Colorado River. It feels like a race track to me. I get so caught up with the drive I forget how fast I am going until I look over and see my hubby with white knuckles holding on to the door. We made it to our hotel where we slept for the night. The next morning we were up at the crack of dawn, but fell back to sleep as one should do when on vacation. We got out of our hotel around 930am and found a McDonalds for breakfast and then back on the road. I did most of the driving again that day, as I was so anxious for our destination, Cupcakes and IKEA.



I know, I know, where are my propriety’s? I am into cupcakes right now. I am on the hunt to the best cupcake, and then I want to be the best cupcake maker. Yes I know I set my goals really high. This is my phase right now so just let me embrace the CUPCAKE. Once we hit Provo, UT. Two things are on my list, Cupcake and Café Rio. Adam pulls the address out and puts it into his GPS and soon we reach the cupcake store. I am like a school girl, just giddy with excitement. I am going to hit 3 cupcakes stores in Utah and decide who has the best one. We enter this charming little store. I am amazed at all the things going on the in store. The decorations, the smell and the counter which hold all the cupcakes. There is this cute blonde girl who greets us. She asks us if we have been here before. I inform her I found her on the internet and that I am from Colorado and doing a cupcake tour and your shop is on my tour. I will be face booking the experience on who has the best cupcakes in Utah. She just laughed and tells me they do.

HMMMMMM….I am serious. I tell her, I will see. Then start looking to make my choice. Too many to choose from, what should I get? I try a few samples that she brings out and think to myself. “This is good.” I make a call to Julie and ask her what they would like and so we buy 6 cupcakes to try. As I pay for my box I hear Adam behind me chatting away with a woman. Of course he is. We are only in Provo for 5 mins and he has already found someone he knows in a cupcake shop off University Ave. It is just not anyone it happens to be my old visiting teachers’ mom. Chrissy’s mom who comes to visit in Denver. Now Chrissy has moved to Oklahoma and her mom, I am not sure where she lives was visiting her other children in Provo. But that is Adam, he recognizes everyone. Watch out or he will recognize you!

Now the next stop is Café Rio. This is our favorite place and every time we are in Utah we have to hit it. We get the usual, which is a chicken burritos enchiladas style. Since we are on a time restriction, I eat a few bites of the messy madness and we are back on the road heading towards IKEA. Lucky me I get to drive in the carpool lane passing up all the traffic, getting closer to my destination. We are coming down the point of the mountain and I see it. My heart skips a beat, I see the big Blue and Yellow sign with my favorite words “IKEA” it is the promise land. I am almost running into the store. We gather a paper and pencil and make our way through the maize of the store. This time we came prepared. I had a good three hours of time allotted, measurements in hand and a list of items I was looking for. But with that, it still was not enough time to shop. We were rushing in the end with our bags of goodies. We were not able to find everything on our list and some of our measurements just didn’t work with what they had. Maybe next time we will try the meatballs.

We hit our destination of West Valley, Utah. Julie is there and the party was beginning. We decided to stay with my old roommate/best friend Julie. Julie and I go way back. Let me tell you about Julie. I hope she will not be embarrassed as she has nothing to be embarrassed about, it’s me who does.

Yet I will still share our story.
Julie and I first met in the MTC. We were companions in there. I thought Julie was an odd duck at first. I just didn’t understand her. She was so full of energy and the spirit it was kind of draining. She had allot appointment and never told me what they were for, but I had to go and sit outside. You know. I don’t think I still know what they were for? Anyway, we had to do service once a week at the MTC, our job was to clean the bathrooms one of those weeks. I was about to burst at this point with her. We were in the bathrooms cleaning and I had a toilet brush in hand. I turned to her and said, “Sister in the real world we would not be friends.” As I am saying this I am shaking the toilet brush and it is spraying toilet water in her face. I turn away and we are silent for days. Julie and I flew out to Switzerland together; we only talked a few times on the phone and saw each other a few times on our missions. We flew home together. I remember our first night in Switzerland and our last night in Switzerland. It was the last night that I remember what a wonderful person she was. About 7 months later I called her up as I had moved to SLC. I remember I made her be my friend. She was so busy working and going to school she didn’t have much time. I would show up at her job at the mall and just talk. I am sure she thought I was annoying. But I made her be my friend. Before you know it, two years later we became roommates. Next she got a job at the same airline I was working for, that is when we became travel buddies and for six years Julie and I had Grande adventures around the world together. Julie’s family became my second family. Julies’ sisters became my sisters. This bond that we have is bigger than us all. And so Julie is just more than my best friend, she is my family.

Now that we have arrived at Julie’s house the party is beginning. Julie arranged a dinner with all the sisters and mom. So there we are, all of us together. I was trying to remember the last time we were all together like this. It must have been at least six years ago. I was dying seeing everyone. Seeing their kids and getting the low down on what is going on. We figured out that Mom has a total of 21 grandkids so far and counting. Dinner was wonderful and seeing everyone was even better. Gradually they left and it was only Christine, Julie and I in the kitchen. I decided it was time to try the cupcakes. So we pulled them out. Sliced them up and tried the different flavors. WOW. These are incredible. Yes that cute little girl in the shop was right.

These are the best cupcakes!