This morning we got up early, picked up Alec and his friend and drove down to Provo to drop the kids off at EFY.  The girls were SO excited!  The boys and Kirstyn were excited to spend the week with Grandma and Grandpa Halliday without having their older sisters around!  🙂  When we got down to BYU, we parked at the Marriott Center and waited in line to get the kids checked in.

It was very interesting to see all the different kids there and you could really tell who had been to EFY and who hadn’t.  We also ran into Bret and Trey Brady from our ward!  They were there with their cousins and grandmother, waiting to check in as well!  Small world!  Anyway, we got them checked in and then we took them to lunch before dropping them off at Helaman Halls and getting them settled in their rooms.  It was funny to be back there where I spent my first freshman semester!  Alec and his friend were in Budge hall which, at the time, was the girl’s hall in our ward.  In fact, I think Alec’s room was the same room as a girl I liked.  🙂  The girls were in Taylor hall, right next to Chipman Hall where I stayed.

After saying good-bye for the week, Angela and I drove around Provo a bit and took a look at all the old apartments/houses we lived in while going to school.  Things have changed a bit.  Awhile ago, the house we were living in when we graduated got ripped down, and the lot is now an entrance to and part of the church parking lot where we attended.  Our first apartment we lived in when we first got married is still there, and so is the ugly apartment building we lived in when Sarah was born (below).

It was fun to reminisce for awhile before taking off for the long drive down Zion National Park.  On the way down, we stopped at Cove Fort, a restored church site that was very fascinating.  The last time we were down there (about 18 years ago), they were starting to do some restoration work.  Now it’s unbelievable what an “oasis” it is in the middle of the Utah desert.

We took the full tour and really enjoyed learning about everything that went on down there.  Turns out, our tour guide, Elder Cummings knows a bunch of Angela’s family.  Way back when, her uncle was the one that hired him as a teacher!  Again, small world!

We enjoyed the rest of our drive down to Rockville, UT, where we checked in at the Desert Thistle Bed and Breakfast.  What a wonderful place! We know we are going to absolutely love it there.  It is a beautiful house that the owners (Warner and Maureen) have taken great care of.  The grounds are beautiful and the rooms are great!

By the time we got settled, we were starving, so we asked Maureen and Warner for a recommendation on where to eat.  They recommended the Switchback restaurant.  We were not disappointed.  It was a bit pricey, but the food was excellent and the view from the outside terrace was even better!  The picture below was taken from our table!

I think that we are going to absolutely love the next few days.  Maureen and Warner are so kind and love to chat and get to know their guests.  Right now there is a family staying here, and also a couple traveling from Spain.  We are excited to meet them and get to know them as well.