Our family grew up going to St. George to visit Grandpa and Grandma Holt. That was our vacation each year. I have great memories, some of which I have shared, of being in Enterprise, Utah. Grandma and Grandpa's home was a comfortable place to be. I know we went to the Grand Canyon once. I don't recall much of that trip. I do recall the stories that have been told of Jason driving part of the way, and I do recall realizing that I had a fear of heights at the Grand Canyon. There are pictures to prove that I went to Disneyland when I was three years old, there is no recollection of the event in my mind.
One special trip that we had was going to Guatemala to visit Uncle Craig and Aunt Judy while they were serving in the church down there. Looking at it now, I don't really know how we were able to afford such an extravagant trip. I'm sure that Mom and Dad saved for years to be able to take us all there - and have a Christmas celebration while we were there. Thinking about it now, having only two children, Mom and Dad must have really wanted to go, or were a little crazy to go on this vacation with five children from the ages of 16 to five.
In Guatemala, we were able to experience an entirely different culture, climate and walk of life. We were exposed to things that we had only seen on TV or read in books. We walked through the rainforests of Tikal and saw what has been recognized as some of the Book of Mormon lands. We walked through streets full of vendors selling their goods. We saw street carnivals, ladies carrying their laundry in bags as bigger than themselves on their heads, firecrackers as big as a mailbox, and citrus fruit trees. We walked on beaches and swam in the Gulf of Mexico. While I can't tell you all of the details of the trip, this was a very special gift to us. It was a gift that keeps on giving. The opportunity to learn and be a part of a different culture at that young of an age has played a role in how I view life and other cultures. I believe that this played a huge role when I went to college and seriously considered Anthropology and Sociology as my field of study. To this day I love learning about other countries, cultures and religions. I also love trying the foods of other nations and cultures. I hope that I have the opportunity to provide a similar experience for my children as they grow up.
Speaking of, this experience isn't while I was growing up, but in the recent past. Shortly after Kelly and I got married, we decided it was time for me to complete my Masters degree. It was one of my bucket list items and Kelly was fully supportive of helping me do it. It was a great time to do it where we hadn't started bringing children to our family and we were both employed to help support this endeavor. As we got to the end of my program, we planned on having our first child - Ivin. He came a few months before I finished my program. One of my last classes was to go on an trip to experience business in another nation. Of the three options, I chose to go to Ireland. With Kelly's roots being from Ireland we decided to figure out a way to get Kelly there also. Now that we had a new baby, this was going to be a little difficult.
So, just as I was finishing my few weeks in Ireland and the UK, Kelly and 6-week Ivin came over to meet me. We met in London. Luckily, it was Amy and Jason Brown's 10-year anniversary. They had been planning to go back to Paris, where they both served their missions for a few years leading up to the event. The stars aligned and Kelly was able to book her flight along with Jason and Amy Brown across the ocean to London. We only spent a day or so together in London, then they were off to Paris and we were off to Ireland. All in the same day, we caught a cab to the train station, rode the train out of the city, hopped on a ferry across the ocean to Ireland, and rode another cab into Dublin where our first hotel was located.
While in Ireland we had all kinds of adventures. The most exciting one was being able to take Katie Register (Kelly's sister) out to dinner along with her companions. Katie was serving a mission in Ireland at the time. The history of the UK and Ireland were eye openers to how young our country really is. This nation has truly been blessed and set up as a "promised land" for us in the latter-days. It is amazing that with such a history outside of the United States, that this young, inexperienced country, is viewed as a world power and leader. Taking a few weeks to look into this culture and history has been key to a greater understanding of the scriptures and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. It has opened my mind up to understanding some of the history of our nation and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Another family vacation that really sticks out in my mind was when we went to North Carolina to celebration Jason Brown's graduation from Duke University. This trip to the Outerbanks area was super cool for me. I think it is one of the most relaxed vacations I've ever had in my life. It was great to see Jason Brown's family and get to know them on a more personal level. It was great to be on the ocean. It was great to be together as a huge family, in a huge house away from all the cares in the world.
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