Three full weeks of June were spent with all of Ryan's siblings, and their kids, all in one state for the first time in years! They are usually spread all over the globe so this was really a treat. Ryan's parents put together a whole calendar for the month with all the planned adventures: Pingpong tournament, Real Salt Lake and Salt Lake Bees games, family pictures, BYU soccer camp for the kids, the Provo Food Truck round-up, a weekend camping in Great Basin National Park, an adults night out, and more. And we really added so much more! The time flew by and it was so great to see all the little cousins together and for me to get to know Ryan's siblings and their spouses better. In no particular order, here's a report of the epic adventures that ensued:
Great Basin National Park
We rented an RV to drive down along with Rich & Laura's Expedition. Best purchase for the trip: the walkie talkies that kept all the adults very entertained as they passed travel information and status updates back and forth. Lots of "Vector vector..." and laughter. It was great.
Vera and Grandpa! ^^
Hiking buddies ^^
The wildflowers were out and they were so lovely:
I loved seeing the sage-y hills splashed with blue and red and yellow! ^^
Snack break!
A sure-fire way to make Vera happy: let her hold Cousin Atticus' (or as Vera would say, "Attituss") hand!
The whole fam ^^
My favorite nieces and I waiting for the astronomy night to start! ^^ I love hanging out with these giggly girls.
Hiking to the bristlecones!!!
I love hiking with this boy. ^^
I really love these rocks. ^^
My favorite tree!
The perfect evening.
Atticus and his caterpillar ^^
Two cute bookworms hanging out in the hammock! ^^
Adult campfire chatter. Probably more about eunuch park rangers or something. ;)
The boys went to see the Copa USA vs. Colombia game:
Yeah, the turds. Jen and I had our own pity party by ourselves over Japanese takeout while watching the game on TV.
Lots of puppy playtime with Abby:
A cabin day:
Jen invited us all up to her family's cabin on Strawberry Reservoir! We went on a hike to the "Mummy Rock" and did a lot of chatting and laughing and relaxing.
And then had a pingpong scrimmage to prepare for the official tournament coming up. ;) It got pretty wild!
A Salt Lake Bees game:
Takeaways: Stadium food is gross. Stadium food during the first trimester of pregnancy is mega-gross. But watching baseball with family is fun. [:
And an RSL game!
This was one awesome game.
Family pictures:
Pretty dang good-looking group.
Then came the Gray Family Annual Pingpong Tournament:
The competition was brutal. The tensions were high. It was the best against the best, but in the end, the Pleasant Grove Grays came out on top!
Ryan kicked butt in the singles division and made his way all the way to the top to take first!
And then we also emerged victorious in the mixed doubles division with some really epic matches and heartbreaking upsets. Brought home a lot more hardware than we were expecting! Custom trophies? The Grays don't mess around.
Steakhouse dinner, just us adults, while the kids got the whole house to themselves with a babysitter.
Let's be honest. We ALL looked like this at the end of each of these Gray Reunion days. Talk about action-packed.
Until next time!
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