One day you are stressing about deadlines, kids’ lost homework, and if you will ever have a bathroom again and then something happens that makes you forget about all that. I found out last week that my uncle has passed away after years and years of struggling with a debilitating illness. He served in Vietnam and they think his illness was due to exposure to agent orange. My uncle was an incredible man and I was happy that my family and I were able to travel to Idaho to his funeral.
We spent the whole day with my family on my dad’s side. The funeral was beautiful and we had lots of time to talk about the past and chat about the future. It was a hard day, and yet it was very good in a way too.
I traveled to the funeral on my birthday and since we had originally planned to have a staycation of sorts in Salt Lake City sometime this month, we decided to stay an extra day in Idaho and do something fun there instead. So once all of my extended family left, we traveled up to Rexburg where my husband and I went to college.
Along the way there is a nature preserve. There is a part you drive through and a small petting zoo area. My boys were in wilderness heaven!
*Oh you know, there is just a deer eating my dress! *And my favorite was a stunning (rare) white elk. *My 3 year old could have cared less about the “wild” animals. He just kept hugging the pygmy goats. My older boys kept saying “We have those at home. Come see the deer!” *My middle son is obsessed with wolves and was super excited to see this one that walked right in front of our van.
We stayed the night at a hotel with an indoor swimming pool. My boys have only stayed in a hotel a few times and had never swam in an indoor pool before (yes, I know…we need to get out more).
The next day we visited the campus where my husband and I met. We dragged the kids to every building, apartment, restaurant, garden, and bench that had any meaning to us and bored them to tears with stories of “the glory days”.
Check out my 3 year old. I am guessing we are now entering the “make a weird face when you see a camera” phase.
My husband and I met at church the first Sunday I was at Ricks College (which is now called BYU Idaho…..but it will always be Ricks to me). It was his last year and my first year. At the end of the school year he took me for ice cream and asked me to be his girlfriend. Good times :)
Even though the trip put me behind on just about everything, I am so glad I was able to go. Spending time with my extended family, and my little family, was just what I needed.
Hi Stacy,
So sorry to hear about your uncle. My dad to served in Vietnam and has many unexplained illness due to exposure to agent orange. Can I ask what your uncles illness was?
I emailed you :)
I’m sorry for your loss (and that this happened near/on your birthday- that seems especially sad). I’m so glad you were able to have some fun and even revisit your glory days. =)
Sorry to read about your dear uncle. Oh my! This was a trip down memory lane for me too. I attended Ricks College as well. Dorm 6 is where I lived. I won’t say which year, but it was a while ago =) Many years later, I ended up moving to Idaho, but I haven’t been back to Rexburg.
Sorry to hear about your uncle. I love seeing your adventures with all your boys. I have four boys as well (youngest is 2 and oldest is 11) and I hear ya about needing to get out more often. It’s so much easier to stay home…. they are wild. :)
My 4 are crazy enough to keep me at home a lot, too. We should start a “4 Sons” club and take them to places where they can run wild while we visit. :)
I am so sorry to hear about your uncle. My uncle also died due to an illness believed to be caused by exposure to agent orange. He passed away almost twenty years ago. Although I don’t remember what they called his disease, I know it affected his brain. It makes me very sad to think about the suffering these men had to endure, and the pain it caused their families all for what? May they rest in peace.
I’m so sorry to hear about your uncle. What a difficult war that was, so long ago, but still haunting us now. I appreciate the extended sacrifice he made for all of us, and I’m sorry he had to suffer because of it.
But I’m glad you had a little family time, too. The story of your trip, and all your pictures, are so sweet. What a handsome family!!!
I’m so sorry about your Uncle. I’m glad to see you were able to make the best of the trip. I went to BYU-Idaho, but haven’t been able to go back since I graduated years ago. I’m so glad that Millhollow is still there (my sister, who has been there for several years already, still doesn’t know what it is…blasphemy, I say. ;) ). I have great memories there too! :)
I’m sorry you lost your uncle. So many veterans have suffered so much in the service of our country. Your boys are getting so tall! It looks like you had a nice end to your visit.
So sorry for your loss, but I want to hit a like button about torturing your kids with the stories of your meeting and dating. I think that is so great…passing on family history.
Dear Stacy I am so sorry to hear about your uncle. My husband volunteers at the VA Hospital in our town and he sees so many men that have been affected by Agent Orange. So many soldiers gave so much in that war. I was a teen then and remember losing so many young me, just as is happening today with the war in the Middle East. I am sending prayers for you and your family. It is so good that you could share some happy times and stories with your family. God Bless!
my condolences for the passing of your uncle. there are/were so many families touched by that war and those following. if a family has not had someone go they truly do not have a clue. whether it is secondary disease, ptsd, injury or fatality, it ripples through a family and is part of the fiber of the entire family.
on a different note, I am glad that your immediate family was with you for support and the adventure that followed. it really seems impossible that a couple so young looking could be the parents of those TALL handsome young men.
I am sorry for your loss, but what a sweet trip for you guys.
So sorry for your loss, Stacy. Losing a loved one is always so hard. I am glad, however, you were able to enjoy your time there and celebrate your birthday with your family. I have wanted to go back and visit my hometown for a long time, but it just isn’t in the cards right now! I love the pictures of your boys. Such handsome young men!
Hi Stacy – What a bittersweet trip to be able to honor your uncle and have some great family time and memories too. I volunteer for the Honor Flight which flies WWII Vets in for free to see the WWII Memorial and it’s extremely poignant to see the Vietnam Vets there to greet the WWII Vets and honor their service. These brave men and women came home to a bitter country and have turned a horrible homecoming into a very special one for other service members. We can live a life of freedom because of your uncle’s service (and the service of all military). Blessings to your family. Hugs, Holly
So sorry to hear about your uncle. Take care, Shelley