Sunday, Sunday

Sunday was a big day.  Taylor reported on his mission to the High Council at 10, then spoke in church at 12:30.  It was great to have the support of extended family to share in the excitement.

Luckily, that new suit (a gift from Grandpa and Grandma Syddall) was altered and ready on time.  Tay wore his self-tailored slim-fit white shirt, and a borrowed-from-dad tie.  In our stake, the family is invited to attend as a missionary reports, so we brought nearly the entire clan.  Taylor did a great job, and we took advantage of the photo op afterwards.

Taylor also did a fantastic job on his talk.

After church, we took more pictures.  Some nice,

some silly

(they were all shaking their heads back-and-forth for this picture).

And then Taylor shared some of his Mexican candy with the grandparents.

A lot of Mexican candy is made from the dried fruit or pulp of the tamarind.  Then they cover it in hot chili powder.  The grandparents were all good sports, and gave it a try.  We helped them out by cutting the candy (about the size of a small Laffy Taffy) into tiny little pieces.  Taylor didn't want it wasted... he likes it, you know.

They didn't really care for the Japanese food Bill and I fed them years ago either.  Bill's dad still claims that miso soup is the worst thing he has ever tasted in his life.  Swamp water, he called it.

The girls all swooned over cousin Justin.

And our brother-from-another-mother, Dakota (along with soul-sista Cheyenne), joined us for dinner.

Afterwards, we enjoyed some entertainment courtesy of Tay and Dakota.

They played like old times.  Had they practiced? mi madre asked.  No, I said.  This was the first time they had seen each other since parting ways two years ago.

It's a little weird... almost like the time melted away.  Now that it's over, it feels like it went by in a flash.  Seriously.  I have to remind myself of those long, dragging days of care and concern that passed by week, after week, after week.  Of the countless prayers that were said as we knelt together as a family, and of the constant prayer I carried in my heart for his success, growth, and safety.   It's like pregnancy:  feeling like an eternity to the mom (and those in close proximity to her), going by quickly for others, and most of the discomfort forgotten once it's over.

I only have to look at pictures to remind me of all the life that has happened in the past two years.  I have loved hearing Taylor's mission experiences.  They seep out, here and there.  While we're doing dishes, cleaning house, in the car, or eating a meal together.  He has become more caring, helpful, considerate, kind, and patient.  His testimony has grown.  He is a better man.

Suddenly, the time for departure had arrived, and all of our beloved guests loaded into two cars for the ride back to the airport.  (Having them all arrive and leave together was brilliant.  Thanks, guys!)

Mauri cried when they left.  The girls commented on how empty the house felt.
Reminds me of the song we sing in Kindergarten at the end of every day:

See ya later, alligator.
After 'while, crocodile.
Adios, sayonara, good-bye!

It was a great weekend.

Looking Down on Creation

Saturday we decided to take our slew of guests on a drive up to Pikes Peak.  Some had been there before (years earlier), some had not.  We all hopped into two cars, and headed on our way.

Pikes Peak is referred to as "America's Mountain," because Katharine Lee Bates wrote a poem titled Pikes Peak after traveling to the summit.  Titled America for publication, it was later put to music and is now the song we know and love,  America the Beautiful.

My nephew Josh missed the photo booth while he was here (shucks), but we managed to nab a few pics of him on our Saturday adventure.

Mi madre kept saying, "This would be a perfect Christmas card picture," as she photographed our family in the great outdoors.  But then we would remind her that Britt wasn't there.  She was attending the bridal shower of one of her good friends.

The drive up to the peak is winding and beautiful, although there are many places where the road runs very near the edge, and there are very few guardrails.  Our speculation on how many cars have gone over the side didn't help soothe fears.  We weren't the first to notice the lack of safety features, as once we arrived at the top, we found t-shirts in the gift shop proudly stating, "Real men don't need guardrails."

At 14, 110 feet, I was reminded of the song from my youth... "I'm on the top of the world...

"...looking down on creation..."

And it was cold.  Below freezing.  And there was some serious wind chill going on.  But it's always sunny in Taylor's world, with his beloved (and only) yellow sweatshirt (if you've noticed he's worn it in nearly every casual picture captured of him the past few weeks).

There is a cog railway (the world's highest, fyi) that runs cars up to the peak every couple of hours. We took that once when our Feil cousins were here to visit.  Back in July of 2004.

Lexee only remembers how she needed the barf bag on the way back down.  The good ol' days.  

Lucky for us, on Saturday there was no puking or fainting.  Maybe a bit of nausea and a headache, but nothing visibly humiliating (although we all looked the other way on the ride back down as we passed a passenger van that had stopped and a lady was right there, by the road, letting it all go.  We thought how, perhaps, she might have selected a more private spot behind the van).

Despite the dark clouds rolling in, we had some serious sun too.  Thus the pained look on Bill's face.  And right about here, my camera battery fizzled.  Bummer.  I'll have to patiently wait for mi madre to send me the pics of Bill falling off the side of the mountain.

On the way down, we stopped at the brightest Fall color spot we could find (we were about 3 weeks too late for the big display).

Thanks to a camera charger in the car, I eked out a few more pictures.

Then we stopped for a picnic lunch.  The weather was a little cool (not like the sub-freezing temps at the top), but it was warm enough to be pleasant.

Fresh air.  Beautiful scenery.  Thrilling vistas.  Good times.  The best company.
It was everything I had hoped.