Can't stop thinking about vacation. . .

Here are Robin and me at the Cheesecake Factory in Murray, UT. It is the only one in the Salt Lake Valley, and wouldn't you know it is only a few blocks from Robin and John's house!! (The closest one in Minnesota is in Edina. Bummer.) My sisters and I stole Robin one day and took her to lunch and a movie. We LOVED Mama Mia, and all vow to see it again on the big screen. That surround sound is necessary!

This is Bobby, our oldest grandchild, who turned 14 last November. I snapped this picture at Pi Pizza, the very best pizzaria in the world! If you are ever in the Salt Lake area, be sure to eat there. I seem to have caught Bobby with a cheekful. Being the oldest, Bob takes on a lot of responsibility. His assigned "buddy" is Sarah; she is 6 years old and is one of their "classic" autistics. Bob was gone at scout camp 5 of the days we were there, and had a lot to tell us about the great time he had. He is close to earning his Eagle Scout. He also sets a great example for the rest of the kids by earning an extremely high grade point average.

Emma is 10 now. She is Robin's second child. This picture is her with a Barbie doll she converted into a W.I.T.C.H. character. These 5 super heroines have a TV show; each has a special power. Emma redoes the hair with mostly tempra paints. The clothes she makes out of paper, which she colors with crayon. Each stripe of the doll's tights is a separate piece of paper. All the paper clothes are taped on. Emma is very particular about the fit and takes special pains and extra time to get things exactly the way she sees them. She has completed 3 of the characters and is currently taking a rest before doing the other 2 because her process is intense and kind of stresses her out! I am awed by her creativity!

This is Bob figuring out what exactly to order at the restaurant. He seems to be discussing the wisdom of ordering a listed breakfast versus ordering several specific items. Personally, I didn't care. But Bob likes his eggs, sausage, and hashbrowns, unless maybe this time a scone instead of the hashbrowns, since it IS an item we just don't get in Minnesota. Then if you order a complete breakfast AND a scone, it would be cheaper just to leave the hashbrowns, because . . . But then you get fewer sausages on the breakfast than if you ordered a SIDE of sausage. I can't remember what he finally came up with, but I'm sure it was the best deal for the money! We all enjoyed our cholesterol feast for that breakfast!!!

This vacation was extra special because it was the first time all 3 of us Reisewitz sisters had an extended time together. Poor Bob was trapped as the only man among us! We just pretended we were his three wives. We spent a lot of time reminiscing and laughing. And eating out, of course. Bob took this picture at Grandma Annie's, a restaurant in Layton where we enjoyed their scones with honey butter TWICE during our stay. We are seated in birth order, but backwards. Lucille is on the right, Shirley in the middle, and me on the left. I'm "the baby." At least that is how our mother always introduced me. And my sisters still tease that I'm spoiled. But you know, I can't help it that I was born LAST!

Next time, I'll include pictures of Robin and John's other children, as well as one of John.

The cats were glad to see us. Or maybe it was the other way around. Whatever. And we've both gone back to work. Bob was getting tired of being on vacation, but I could just stay on perpetual vacation. It probably didn't help that Bob was a lone male this trip. Lucille's husband died last May, and Bob missed his companionship. And then too, on vacation there are no opportunities for overtime hours. Bob's goal is to finish paying for vacation before we go on vacation NEXT summer. We will go for only 2 weeks then because 3 weeks this year was simply too much.