Rise and shout!

Rise and ShouT the CougaRs (Garricks) are out!

(**Warning! travel post= extremely long post with lots of pictures- but I swear not even a fraction of what I took!!**) 

For Labor Day weekend we took a quick trip to Utah for the BYU Football home opener. It was so exciting to be back on campus- especially when all of the students are coming back to school. We spent Friday (dragging the kids) around campus. Jackson LOVED the bowling alley in the ELWC, and just couldn't get past the fact that we were not going to go bowling.

We let them play a few arcade games, but then went up to the bookstore to get some new BYU gear! The kids liked it there- well, except for Jackson who kept screaming to "go bowling!!" Then we attempted to walk around campus in 95*+ heat looking at the latest changes to buildings, etc. The SFLC looks amazing- so much better than the old days. The kids didn't find it too interesting, just hot, boring and tiring.

We decided to go down the hill to Legacy Grill for lunch which is where we met up with Sunny & Hyrum.

(I was lucky enough to get to carry {41 lb} Jackson up these stairs after lunch! Ugh!)

I was afraid Hyrum would be a little overwhelmed with all of us and our excitement to see him, but he warmed up fast. After eating we went to Legacy Hall which is basically a BYU athletics museum full of memoribilia.

Everyone had to compare their size with the famous athletes.

(Hyrum has a way to go to catch up with Shawn Bradley!)

(Reagan's hand, Jillie's foot)

(We were excited to see a display about Ryan Denney- a current Buffalo Bill and a member of our ward!)

We had to go over to Lavell Edwards Stadium for the obligatory pictures with the Cougar of course!

We took some time to hang out with Hyrum & Sunny at the hotel

and then went to Derek's office to check out his pretty cool set up there at Omniture and then off to dinner at...

where we met up with a bunch of returned missionaries who served in our OP Ward. It was so much fun to see all of them again!

The highlight of the night for Jillie and Reagan was when Sister Ripplinger and Sister Meredith invited them to hang out after dinner! They took the girls bowling at Fat Catz and out for ice cream. They had a blast hanging out with the college girls! We just love them for doing that!

And by the way- a big thank you to Derek who helped a grumpy Jackson to quit laying on the restaurant floor and cheer up!

Next up: **GAMEDAY!!** WOOHOO!

Man was it ever hot! It was 100* up there in the stands, but oh so fun!

walking to the stadium...

the new Hinckley Alumni Center beautiful & really changes the look of campus

 

Did you know the touchdown cannon is called, "George Q?" :)

...Tangren's

Sunny brought us some BYU blue fingernail polish.

the kids "with" Cosmo

Greg in one of his "happiest places on earth."

Kobe was excited that the band played the Indiana Jones theme at half time!!

a happy afternoon for all!

And for any Cougar fans who wished they could've been there, watch this & sing along...

(You can see in this video how happy Jack Jack is to be at the game.)

And finally: The Last Day

Derek & Sunny invited the kids to sleep over at their place Saturday night- Jillie and Kobe went. Reagan opted to stay with us and keep Jackson company. We went to their ward on Sunday morning and then cut out after sacrament meeting to go to their apartment to change clothes and head to Temple Square.

But before heading north, we went back to Provo so we could take a quick tour of some of the places we had lived like the place we met...

(The Riviera- his apt. #34, my apt. #15)

(Our first apt. #77)

(Our 2nd apartment together)

We didn't go up to Wymount to take a picture of our 3rd apartment though. We moved around a lot while in Provo!

After the kids were thoroughly bored with this tour, we headed up to SLC. We toured the Conference Center. I was reminded what an amazing structure it is. Anyone who is interested in architecture, regardless of religion should go visit this place. Truly beautiful and amazing. Kobe especially liked this amazing work of art...

... and the waterfall that runs from the roof down the front of the building.

(Temple Square seen from the roof of the Conference Center. You can see the construction underway on the other side of Temple Square- the Church's City Creek Center. It will be beautiful, but right now it's just a huge hole deep in the earth.)

I'm glad this place will be fresh in their minds when we watch General Conference (which is broadcast from here) in October.
We also went over to Temple Square but soon the winds blew and the rain fell.

Kobe quickly escaped into the Visitor's Center to watch videos of President Monson while the rest hung back for a few pictures.

And the kids wouldn't let us leave until they could go up the ramp to see the Cristus.

It was a good, but fast trip. More good memories made. :)