Things were crazy before our trip as we hastily tried to find a new place to live. So October was filled with going to property inspections as often as possible. To sum the experience up, we found a place - weren't accepted, found another place - accepted but decided to pass, found another place - accepted but decided to pass, found another place - no response from the real estate company. We left on our trip having applied to about four different properties and unsure what we really wanted. At least a lot of our items were packed so we hoped for a smooth process on our return. More details on the move in my next blog.
Sakura's First Flight
I was more than a little nervous that my first flight with Sakura was going to be a long 13 hour flight from Brisbane to Los Angeles, California. Matt thought I was silly because I had prepared candy bags for everyone sitting around us on the flight. At least with treats people know I feel sorry for any disturbances created by my little one. The worst part was boarding and getting settled. We were the last on the plane because I didn't hear our row called. Matt had to put our bags far from our seats, which was even more inconvenient because we had the front row: no foot storage. We had the seat next to the window and the middle seat. They brought a bassinet for Sakura, but the movie screen arm won't open once it is put in. The result was that I had to put the arm up before they installed the bassinet basically caging me in next to the window. Add to that all of her toys for entertainment had to be stored above, and I was a bit stressed out. There was no way I could even get to the treats to pass them to our neighbours.My strategy was just to feed her like crazy any time she cried. The actual flight wasn't too bad. She slept during all of the meals so I could eat in peace (one handed mind you). The bassinet didn't help her sleep much so we used it for storing all our stuff and toys. When she was awake we entertained her with a Wiggles video on my laptop, toys and books, or more commonly, lots of walking up and down the aisles. The challenge was getting her not to grab people's stuff or wake them up. Everyone loved her smiles and thought she was adorable. The flight attendants loved interacting with her and nothing was as horrible as I had imagined. I realised that lots of people have had to travel with kids and so most people are pretty understanding. It's not fun, but it's doable.
OREGON
Upon arriving in Portland, Oregon, my friend Laura picked us up from the airport. She took us to one of her favourite local restaurants so Matt could satisfy his breakfast craving. Unfortunately they had closed their breakfast menu, but Laura convinced the waiter to make an exception for her "friends visiting ALL the way from Australia." The food was so good, although anything might taste good since we were eating gluten and dairy again for the holiday.
We spent the rest of the evening at Laura's place while Matt slept. Laura had to go to work and forgot to leave her keys so we could take the car with the baby seat in it. Meanwhile, Matt continued sleeping until Laura finished her short shift so she could take us to Matt's brother's place 30 minutes away. On the way - food truck food!
The following morning we only got to visit with Mike for a short time before he had to go to work. We hung out with Holly and Sakura's cousins Danny and Rocklynn. Sakura LOVED her cousins and just wanted to follow them around. She had so much fun, it was sad to say goodbye so quickly and head to Eugene to visit more family that afternoon.
Sakura got to meet her grandma, Carolyn along with her aunt Jamie, cousin Amelia, and aunt Lindsey. I had to attend a Pathways gathering class that evening so they all watched Sakura, while I went to class. While I was away she had her first dance party! It was the first time Sakura has really danced along to music. Thanks Amelia! Sakura loved visiting her family, but I think she was a bit partial towards the dog.
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| Nap time! |
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| Her new best friends |
That evening we went to Texas Roadhouse with the family and Sakura got her gluten fix. She ate nearly a whole roll to herself. I was hesitant, but I wasn't exactly sure how much it would affect her or not. She loved the food and didn't seem to have tummy pains from it.
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| Texas Roadhouse with the family |
On Sunday the local stake was having stake conference. This was awesome because we got to see a lot of friends after the meeting. A lot has changed since we last lived in the area, but that doesn't mean we stopped caring about people.
That night we had a birthday party for Sakura with friends and kids. There were a lot more people than we expected! It was so great to see everyone! All the kids seemed to have a lot of fun, and I got to actually have some conversations with people. I wish we could visit more often.
Our last day in Oregon we planned to go to OMSI with Laura, but there wasn't time. So, we did the next best thing - rock climbing! Sakura's favourite part was the slide. She loved wandering around and we all took turns with her so we could each get in some climbing. It was a lot of fun and I am keen on trying to find more time for climbing in my schedule in the future.
UTAH
We had a little bit more time in Utah because Matt did some painting at my mom's in exchange for her paying for the flights. She wanted to make sure she got to spend Sakura's first birthday with her, but was happy to share Sakura with all my other family too.
Sakura's First Birthday - Oct 30
Our first day Matt and I got lunch with my dad. Later my sister, Carina, watched Sakura while my mom, sister Serisa, Matt and I went to Hale Centre Theatre to watch a play called Wait Until Dark. I had seen the movie with Audrey Hepburn so it was interesting to see how they did the play. It was good, but I decided I'm much more of a musical fan when it comes to live theatre.
That night was Sakura's birthday party with my mom, which she had made a gluten and dairy free cake so she could have her first cake smash. It was fun, but there wasn't much cake smashing going on.
Halloween
We spent Halloween night with my dad and his wife Liliana. There were some pretty impressive pumpkins once we finished carving! Knowing we were spending Halloween in the U.S., Matt and I had organised costumes for the occasion. We decided to have Sakura be Pikachu and so Matt was Ash and I was going to be Misty. I didn't like Misty's outfit so I went with Serena from the newer Pokemon series. I sewed my own box pleated skirt before we left, and the other necessary items we purchased online. We were happy with our outfits, but it was FREEZING when we went trick or treating. Only Sakura seemed undeterred by the chilly weather. She had a blast getting candy, sucking on the wrappers, and walking around. Many people would call other family members over to see her when we visited their home. It was definitely worth going out in the cold. Too bad we don't have the same kind of enthusiasm for Halloween in Australia.
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| I made the panda bear |
Matt and I attended the Oquirrh Mountain temple with my mom the following morning. Unfortunately, the endowment session was full so we decided to do sealings instead. We went to the same room where we had been married. I remember so little of that time and what was said. I only remember how Matt's mom got lipstick on my outfit and then a lot of my family members commented on it. Well, it was still special to be there and think about how far we've come in the last 7 years of marriage.
In the afternoon I got to play some video games with Serisa while holding Sakura. It was pretty entertaining. Every now and then Sakura would push buttons or do something where I would have to abandon the plot. Mario Kart is quite challenging when you have a toddler in your arms.
That night I had to go to my pathways class. It was located at a nearby high school seminary building. I was shocked to find there were at least 6 classrooms full of people! I'm guessing they were all pathways students, but must involve different age groups and subjects. It was not at all like what I was used to. I made sure I attended the English group so I could get my paper reviewed, but the guys near me hadn't brought their papers. In the end, I had wished I spent more time with family instead of spending two hours of my night going to class.
November 2nd was Destin's day off work so we spent the day with him. Destin and I went to lunch where I got to drive his Tesla for the first time. It was so crazy! I wasn't convinced I wanted one, but I could easily see many of the benefits to having such an automated car. For lunch we had sushi burritos - basically a sushi roll on steroids. They were so good! We played some video games with Sakura back at the house until Matt came.
Since Destin has been to Japan multiple times I tasked him with taking Matt to the best ramen place in Utah. We had to wait a while to get in to the Jinya Ramen Bar, but the ramen was definitely worth it. According to Matt, it still didn't compare. He did like that you could get a noodle refill for just $1.50 though.
Our main event for the day was going to Evermore. It was cold, windy, and rainy, but we went anyway. Evermore is considered an "experience" park. It was designed as an "old-world, gothic styled, European village" as stated by their website here: https://www.evermore.com/. As you enter and talk to some of the villagers, you find out about current events and are set on a quest to help. The quest involves finding and talking to other characters, obtaining items, performing tasks, etc. All of the actors were so good, the costumes amazing, and the quests were fun. There were beasts, knights, goblins, vampires, druids and more. People dressed up just for fun while visiting so all the main characters had glow in the dark medallions to help you identify them. I spent most of the time walking around with Sakura. She loved running around even though she was in the cold getting rained on. I put her purple unicorn onesie on over her clothes (I thought it was fitting for the occasion) and, unfortunately, left my phone in the bathroom. Luckily, someone had found it and turned it into the front ticket office. Other than that it was a really good night.
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| An animal affected by the "Darkness" |
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| Best costume of the night - too bad the photo doesn't do it justice |
That night Matt got babysitting duty while us girls went out for dinner. We went to Mimi's Cafe - one of Serisa's favourite restaurants. It was funny because Carina was telling me how every time she goes they are out of what she wants. She told me all about their pumpkin muffin which I was excited to try, but they were out. We wanted to try the pumpkin cheesecake for dessert, but they no longer sell that (it is still on the menu though). The food we did get was great, but we were far from impressed with the service. To finish off our night we watched Pride and Prejudice - the pink bible version. It was so much fun to just hang out with my family and have a nice girl's night.
Sunday we had church with my dad. It was testimony meeting and I felt like sharing my testimony. I sparked a trend because after I went, an Australian who was studying abroad went hope, and then another guy who served in Australia, and I think one more who went to New Zealand. We had a big lunch afterwards and so I took a nice long nap with Sakura. It was a good thing too because that night we had a birthday party with my extended family including my aunts and uncles and cousins.
The birthday party was so much fun. We had lots of great food and Sakura loved wandering around going up and down the stairs. The best part for me was seeing all my cousins, some recently married, and another pregnant with her first child. We had some great talks. Sakura had a dance party with us all for a time and my cousin Kellyn got her to laugh hysterically while bouncing on the love sac. My uncle told me later he explained to his newly married son that as much fun as Sakura was, babies are a lot of work and there is no need to rush :). She is such a gem and I love that she brings joy to everyone she meets. I feel so blessed to get to know her.
Monday we went with my step-dad Chuck to a shooting range. He had a special gun (can't remember what) and we all shot a few rounds. It was the heftiest hand gun I had ever shot and so I was a little nervous. I couldn't aim for the life of me, but I at least made it on the paper most of the time and did shoot in the general vicinity I aimed for. Chuck shot on the same print out as mine so I'll let you guess what was mine and what was his. Matt did really good even at a distance.
We spent a lot of that day shopping. They have a massive grocery store called Sprouts that has all the health foods stuff Matt and I usually buy at specialty health food stores. We bought a paleo pancake mix that we really like. It made us jealous that we don't have anything like that in Australia. It is MUCH bigger than Flannery's and a lot cheaper.
That night we made Turkey and sage meatballs with zucchini and gluten free noodles for my family. We didn't have a spiraliser so the zucchini noodles weren't quite right, but to my surprise even some picky eaters liked them! The biggest hit was actually our almond bread. I had hoped it would show my family that you could eat well even when paleo. They all have the same genetic autoimmune condition I do so I had hoped it would help inspire them to try some healthier food choices. My mom pointed out the healthy paleo items are so much more expensive so I guess having the food taste good isn't always the biggest obstacle.
After dinner we played a few rounds of a game called Mysterium. It's pretty interesting because you have a ghost who can't speak to you but wants to help you identify the murderer. They give you cards as clues. It can actually be REALLY hard to figure out what the cards have in common to help you deduce the right person. I was a horrible ghost and I struggled to figure out what cards to give people which resulted in no one making connections and losing the game.
Our last full day Matt and I attended the Salt Lake City temple. This temple will be getting complete renovations done soon so I wanted to make sure we went before things changed. It is also one of the only temples where there is a live endowment session. It was really nice and I had forgotten all the ornate details in that temple.
Afterwards we met up with dad. We got some money converted at his bank and then went to lunch at Kneaders. After our meal we visited City Creek and ended at Deseret book. My dad had to go back to work so we parted ways. While finished up my shopping at Deseret Book I realised I didn't have my mom's temple bag with me anymore. She let me borrow her bag with the special temple clothes in it and I had lost it! We went back through the mall, to the restaurant, to the bank, called the mall lost and found, all without success. I felt so frustrated because I couldn't remember where I had it last. We called the temple as well and finally had to just give up and head home. Luckily my mom didn't have anything important it as she had been prompted to take her temple recommend out before she gave it to me.
We met up with my family at Wheeler Farm for Carina to take some nice photos of us. Sakura had been happy with all the animals, but when it came to picture time she was done. Unfortunately, we didn't get very many decent photos with us all and some we did Sakura has a runny nose and you can tell she was just crying. At least we tried.
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| Chuck got this great photo where you can see Sakura's left eye is 1/4 brown. |
When we arrived at LAX, Sakura was really fussy and when we went to change her we discovered why - toxic poo. She had bleeding sores on her bum. I think all the gluten and dairy had finally taken its toll on her. It was pretty bad and there wasn't much I could do for her. Our final long flight we had an empty seat between us which was way better for her to sleep. The problem was that she really struggled to sleep and seemed in pain a lot. I fed her as much as possible and patted her bum till she would sleep. I think she slept worse this time, but I slept way better. Since she wasn't on me I was able to get comfortable enough to rest. I now know I would prefer the empty seat option versus the bassinet any day.
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| Hanging out in the kids play area at the airport |
We survived and made it home safe and sound. I miss having family, but it is nice to be back home again too. I wish I could have the best of both worlds. The good news is that we just learned my sister is engaged! So, I will be going back in April to help with the wedding! Matt will not be going with me so I don't look forward to flying with a baby by myself. Lots of fun things to come in the new year!
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