Visiting with Keri and family

I'll post more photos later; I want to get the journaling done before I forget this whole trip!
Ben stayed at Judy's and cooked and watched Mom, so Judy could have some time off. It is obvious to us (8 years of tending to her counts for something) that Judy is either going to have to PAY someone to come in so she can go out (Eli and Seth are not reliable enough to hold down jobs, much less show up to watch Mom. It's not for nothing that we call them "those people"). Mom is as helpless as an infant and the inute she is left alone, she will try to climb up on a chair on a table. That is just the way she is wired. Stubborn as a hog on ice AND she needs to be the center of attention.

Anyway, after spending Christmas brunch with the bunch, we packed up and left before Judy had a break nervousdown. I did give her a very nice (HUGE) basket with wine and nuts and candies from Avila's Acres, which is my gift of choice. Ben rescued brunch (he can do wonders in the kitchen) and I set the island out, just like I was catering a buffet. (Judy had lots of good stuff in her big ass walk in pantry.) Probably more stuff than she even knew she had. I will give her props--she just moved and there are 400 boxes in the garage, so the house was not ready for company and since I haven't been to visit in ten years, I am not only company, I'm a stranger.

So it is Christmas Day and we are in a hotel in Salt Lake City. Nothing is on television. It is snowing like crazy and we've been driving for days, so we don't want to drive to Trolley Square
although we did go downtown to see the lights at Temple Square. Downtown Salt Lake is always pretty but even it looks like every other city in the world now. I guess malls do that. On the one hand, it's nice to know what Denny's is serving; on the other hand, it would be nice to take a chance on some regional cooking. Needless to say, Denny's was what was open. I can go for the rest of my life without eating there ever again.


We drove up to Layton the next day to meet up with Keri and her family. Staying in hotels is getting old, mainly because there is NOTHING TO DO. I can knit or read or watch tv. There is even less for Mike to do. No wonder the hotels have pools and fitness centers, because otherwise, we would go crazy. This hotel has a 24 hour mini-mart in the lobby---junk food and fruits, too, so there is a choice, which was nice.
This is one of the first trips we've taken where I've been really careful about what we eat---no junk on the road. I packed fruit and yogurt and juices and funny thing, we feel better.