Flashback Friday - Memorial Days in Utah

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

I realize that technically this holiday is for us to remember those who have died while serving in our military, but it’s also a time for strengthening living family relationships. In that spirit, here are some memories of how we celebrated Memorial Day while living in Utah. Wayne’s comment after seeing some pictures of these smiling little boys was “It doesn’t take money (i.e. expensive trips to Disney) to create joy and happiness.” My reaction to that was, “But apparently it does take dirt.”

Enjoy your trip down memory lane!

1983 – The plan was to drive up Provo Canyon and have a barbecue for lunch. Once we got to the picnic area, we discovered we had forgotten the food! So, we went home, got the picnic basket and cooler, and tried again. A dinner barbecue is just as tasty as a noon one. Most of the picnic areas were flooded, but we found a spot at Squaw Peak. No pictures of us, but we did take a couple of the view.

1984 – I’m not sure what the original plan was for celebrating the holiday this year, but it wasn’t exciting enough to record. Considering there was a 25-page term paper deadline looming and we were dealing with early pregnancy exhaustion, I imagine we just stayed home. Weston had fun helping his dad study!

1985 – We made up for it the next year, with camping at Box Elder Campground, swimming at Pineview Reservoir, and hiking at the Golden Spike Monument. No pictures, though, but here’s one taken earlier that month.

1986 – And we really made up for it the year after that, with a trip to New York and Washington D.C. for my sister’s wedding. Our actual Memorial Day activity was a picnic with my parents and siblings, and even the boys’ great-grandfather, at some park in upstate New York.

1987 – Time to stay close to home again. On this Memorial Day, we hiked part of Indian Trail near Ogden. This trail was close enough to our apartment that we could see it from our lunch spot.

1988 – Another camping trip, somewhere up Ogden Canyon!

1989 – Our Memorial Day celebrations this year included a one-night stay at a local KOA and a family gathering with all of Wayne’s aunts and uncles and cousins. After the family activities with my family the week before, for my brother’s wedding and my niece’s funeral (and taking my grandfather to the airport), we were ready to stay home and clean the kitchen on Memorial Day proper.

1990 – The first of three Memorial Day trips in a row to Capitol Reef! You can read about this first one here. Wayne hiked Hall’s Narrows and Brimhall Arch with his brother and sister-in-law.

1991 – We returned as a family, and our hikes included Lower Muley Twist Canyon and Headquarters Canyon.

1992 – The hikes this year included Pleasant Creek and Burro Wash.

1993 – Being very pregnant isn’t really conducive to camping. However, that didn’t stop us from installing sprinklers in the back yard over Memorial Day weekend. Jeff and Julie helped us on Saturday, and we finished the job on Monday in time to pull out the wading pool and have a barbecue at home. Soon after that, we planted grass seed, and the next year it had grown enough so we could enjoy playing badminton in the evenings.

1994 – One final trip to Capitol Reef. We returned home from this one to a new job offer, so before the end of this summer, we were no longer Utah residents! Fortunately, we can always enjoy the memories we made while living there.