Gita's Utah Trip: BYU & Family

Although I try to do something different with each girl (per their request), there are some things that remain a constant. Visiting BYU is one of those constants. We slept in and took our time getting ready. Gita asked to play with my phone while I finished my makeup and took some selfies:

She snuck this one on me which is why my smile is so weird:

We managed to meet up with Katrina again at Waffle Love for breakfast. I had planned to stop by the Sweet Tooth Fairy for some cupcakes but that location was shut down! Boo!!!

From there we headed to the Wilkinson Center. Brent and I decided to suspend the Chocolate Challenge for a day so Brigitta could have some of the Creamery's chocolate milk. They also had a cookies and cream flavored one but it wasn't as good as the rich, creamy goodness of the original chocolate.

Can I say that I love how the dry air kept Gita's curls intact all day?

And a BYU mint brownie:

She said it was sooo good!

There are so many great photo spots around the Wilk. The stairs with Cosmo:

The bookstore with a life-sized Cosmo:

The bronzed bench with Cosmo:

The bookstore has always been a fun (albeit pricey) place to shop but they've zhuzhed it up with some of their merchandise. I don't remember any Cougar Crunch when I was in college!

We stopped by the library and took a spin through the Reading Room. This is one of my favorite things to do with the girls because that vast room full of college kids studiously learning and so quiet you hear a pin drop. I feel like they really get a vision for what is required to go to college in that section of the library. The dedication and discipline it takes to be successful is significant. Gita got a lot of smiles from the students who noticed her- she did kind of stand out after all. The display in the library on Women's Suffrage was really interesting. Apparently women in Utah were given the right to vote because legislators thought women would vote down polygamy- and they didn't. 

From there we headed over to J Dawgs which is right This is another delightful thing that has popped up since I graduated from BYU. The guy taking my order had a really cute reaction when I told him we were from Chicago. "Oh, maybe I should be ordering a hot dog from you!"

Their hot dogs are huge!

It's a quick walk from there to my old apartment.

Showing Gita Brent's apartment was such a laugh. It's much farther from campus. We'd been walking for a while when she finally asked, "Where is Daddy's apartment?" and I had to say, "Right there, behind the dumpster." The Alpine apartments have really, really, really gone downhill over time. We went up some stairs with questionable stability and then she asked, "Which one is Dad's?" and I had to say, "That one, with the garbage by the door." To date, none of the girls have been impressed with his apartment but I hope they understand that good people come from everywhere and to give them a chance.

We stopped by the Art Museum and took in this Norman Rockwell (one of my favorites)

And this one of Christ as a child teaching in the synagogue.

Before leaving campus, we stopped by the cougar statue at LaVell Edwards Stadium. We slipped through some barricades to get these photos and Brigitta was really stressed about that. I have to laugh because it's the kind of thing my mother would have done and as a kid I would have stressed about breaking rules. 

But I think the photos are totally worth it!

I would have put her up on the cougars back but I think I was pushing the limits of rebellion for Gita as it was.

Before leaving Provo, I stopped by a fabric store for a friend and then we had to try Crumbl cookies. I mean we had missed out on our cupcakes earlier so I had to make up for it, right? Man, those cookies didn't disappoint and they were big enough to feed a small village for a week!

From there we headed to The Old Spaghetti Factory to meet up with family for dinner. By now, I was so sugared out but Gita had no problem with this cotton candy limeade. 

Gita needed to use the restroom but I wanted to keep chatting with family I rarely see so I asked Katrina to take her. After they left the table I mentioned that I felt bad- she's my kid, I should be the one to take her. Logan said, "I've taken Katrina's kids to the restroom tons of times, you don't need to feel bad." HA! Well not only did she take her, she made sure to get some really cute photos of her in the restraurant.

It was so good to see cousins who I swear never stop growing.

One thing I love about my nephews is they are always kind to my girls even though they are young and have completely different interests. They still find a way to connect with them.

I'm glad Gita will have some memories with these good people!

Joey had been at Gita's baptism so getting together with him again was a blast. 

Like me, Gita only sees him as "Joey" and doesn't like it when people call him "Joel". I have to agree, he will always be Joey to me!

It's always a lot of laughs hanging out with this crowd. No idea what I'm laughing about here but based on the expression on Katrina's face, it was something bizarre. 

And no idea what I'm talking about here, but clearly I was passionate about it.

Sibling picture! I wonder if my girls will grow up to have their own children and take them on trips and visit their sisters and their sister's children.

I hope so.