Cedar City Road Trip!

Ashery was torn about whether to attend Weber State or Southern Utah University come this fall. She was really hoping for some moral support when she decided that she wanted to head down to Cedar City and look for a job and an apartment. I was happy to oblige...since I seemingly have no life!

Oh! And it just so happened that her friend Mitch was having his missionary farewell that same weekend.

And then Shananaba got recruited to come with us too! What fun! Can anyone say, "Roadtrip?" :)

So we packed our bags and left early Sunday morning to be to Cedar City by 1:00 PM. Ashery told Shananaba and I that we would be riding down in her mom's van because Ash's little red beater car needed to be inspected and fixed up. To be honest with you, I found blessed relief in this fact...Ash's car was sold to her for a whopping $250 (for good reason)...and has always been a source of uneasiness in our friendship...little does she know this. ;) But come Sunday morning, Ash pulls into my driveway in the Big Red Tomato. My dad looks at me. "Didn't you tell me she was driving the van?"...uh...apparently there has been a change in plans.

We load my belongings into the trunk of her car and make our way to Shananaba's house. When Shanna walks out the door, her dad is in tow. "You're driving the Red Bomb?" he asks. Ashery becomes rather defensive -- "My car is fine! My dad looked at it and it's ready to make the trip!" I know we all offered a prayer in our hearts when she said that.

"Movin' right along.

Footloose and fancy-free.

Getting there is half the fun; come share it with me.

Moving right along (doog-a-doon doog-a-doon).

We'll learn to share the load.

We don't need a map to keep this show on the road."

And thus we made it to Cedar City with an hour to spare! We pulled up to Ash's friend, Brooke's, house and knocked on the door. Brooke led us through her house to her backyard where her family had been so wonderfully kind as to set up a tent for us! We placed all our sleeping bags and belongings into the tent.

Brooke's dad warned us, "We have chickens that run around the yard, so you'll want to zip up your tent...otherwise, you may find little chocolates on your pillow." Shanna, always the optimist, smiles, "Oh! It's like room service!" :)

Storm clouds loomed overhead.

We hopped back into the Red Bomb to follow Brooke and her friends to the church where Mitch would be giving his farewell talk. The first speaker consumed the majority of Sacrament meeting with her talk, and we wondered if they would even allow Mitch to get up and speak -- not to mention still have the musical number (brought to you by Brooke, friends, and Mitch).

But everything followed through! The musical arrangement of, "Come Thou Fount," was absolutely beautiful and Mitch did a nice job. And I finally got to meet all the people that Ash had been telling me about for months!

We were invited to a luncheon at Mitch's house. Awkward. We knew no one. It was crowded. So we left.

Shanna wanted to go up to Cedar Breaks National Monument. And of the eight months that Ashley lived in Cedar City, she had never visited the place! So we went! And the Red Bomb made it!

Ashery and Shananaba

I adore Cedar Breaks. It's always been one of my favorite places to site see. I've been there a couple of times, and everytime I look out in awe and wonderment. Cedar Breaks is also where I discovered Columbine flowers...my favorite flowers of all time...and it is only here that I've been able to find that variety. I must say, nothing can beat wildflowers.

Cedar Breaks National Monument

Columbine

Rain in the distance

We took pictures and followed a ranger around on a tour of the area. I was very impressed with all the stores of knowledge that she had in her brain. Lovely girl!

We made stops at the pull-outs and took more pictures. We took more pictures in the car. Picture here. Picture there. Snap. Flash. Click.

You can see Zion National Park from this view!

The Red Bomb

Then we arrived back in town. We ran back to Brooke's house, but we were a little shocked to discover our belongings had been removed from the tent. While we were away, there was a rain burst. The tent leaked and everything we owned got soaked. But Brooke's family was so nice as to move all our stuff inside and hang it all up to dry! I was becoming more and more impressed with this family by the minute.

We came in and watched "The Errand of Angels" while Sister Alldredge made dinner. And my, my...real food was certainly manna from heaven!

We stopped by the famous Light House landmark.

And as you are well aware of by now, I love and adore parks. So Ashley took us to an awesome park after dinner. It was by far, the neatest park I have ever been too. Everything is made out of wood, and it is pure creative genius in a woodchip filled box.

Sadly, my camera died right after this picture of the Cedar City sunset,
and I have no pictures of the Amazing Park.

Then Ash gave us a late night tour of SUU's campus.

When Ash, Shanna, and I came back, we came home to Sister Alldredge offering us beds. They had taken down the tent and were having us sleep in their daughter's room. It had a bunk bed and a twin. Three beds for three girls. My heart swelled with gratitude! We had comfy beds to sleep in. I slept so well. :)

The next day was Monday. Ash had an interview for a job early on in the morning. Shanna and I slept in. Our goal was to go to SUU's institute that afternoon. Eventually we rolled out of bed and got ready. But I had forgotten to lay my clothes out to dry the night before, so they lay folded up, sopping wet in my bag. I rewore my pajama shirt and my shorts from the day before...man, did I feel good. ;)

We had an hour to kill before institute. So we wandered Main Street and its shops and set out to look for a thank you gift for the Alldredge's.

- Soda Counter

- Book Store - Self-help and Motivation aisle

- Candy store!

- Red Neck Thrift Store

- "Breaking Wind" - a store of kites and whirlamagigs.

- The Shakespearean Festival Souvenir Shop.

Oh the fun, the fun, the fun we had!

And then we went to institute, but we did not attend a class. We talked with Ash's favorite teachers. :)

Saint George anyone? In an unairconditioned car? With no music (because when it gets too hot, the speakers stop working)? I get the back seat? Sure! Let's head.

We stopped and ate at a delicious place called, "Five Guys." *Yum

Then we went to the Saint George Temple and went through the Visitor's Center. I love the feeling of peace that can be found on temple grounds. We also had the opportunity to walk through an art exhibit of pioneer paintings. A sister missionary gave us a sheet of paper that had a list of stories that correlated to the paintings hung on the wall. The artist of the paintings portrayed their strife and struggle so beautifully. It was a very neat and touching experience that reminded me of the sacrifices that the pioneers made for their future generations. I have such a deep respect for them.

The wind that blew through the rolled down windows of the Red Bomb was nothing but hot, muggy heat. Shanna and I were dying!!! Logan does not get that hot! Ashery kept calling us babies, and was constantly reminding us that she liked the heat. Then when we returned home, Sister Alldredge asked us how it was, and Ashley replied with, "Hot." Shanna and I burst. :)

That night, the Alldredge's were having a barbeque for Family Night. Sister Alldredge works for the University and helps the international students -- she is a native of Spain herself. Pure Latin beauty! And she had invited her international students to join us and practice their English. Ash talked with all of her friends, but Shanna and I couldn't relate to all the inside jokes, so we made our way to the food table, where Brother Alldredge encouraged us to try some of the Korean food that one of the students had brought.

I'm a big fan of spicy food, and this concoction of cold, icy noodles and sauce had a kick to it! I loved it! So Shanna and I got talking with the Korean students -- Particularly a boy named Cedric. We talked with Cedric for a good half hour or more. He had only been in the United States for two months, and his English was near perfect! I was so impressed. Granted, he had learned to read and write in English all throughout school, but he says he's uneasy about the language. Bah. He's a natural! He told us funny stories and we discussed cultural differences of Utah and South Korea...particularly Seoul, where Cedric is from.

Cedric told us of his friend (who happened to be at the barbeque) and how much he struggled when he moved to the United States. One night his friend wanted some pizza. He dialed the number and struggled and struggled and struggled to try and order. He was on the phone for a half hour trying to communicate what toppings he wanted on this pizza. Finally, after this completely frustrating experience, he broke down and said, "Look. You bring me pizza. I pay you." And the pizza deliverer showed up on his doorstep with a pizza on hand. When we asked Cedric's friend about his experience, his friend looked at us and just shook his head, "Ugh...pizza..." :)

Ashley toured a house and felt really good about the area! It was rather exciting as the entire entourage of seven girls and one boy piled into the house to tour with her. By now Ashley had done a job interview, and had a prospective place to live. Hopefully things would work out!

Then we went to play night games at Mitch's. You must understand that Mitch is the current love of Ashley's life. Pure obsession and jealousy abounds in Mitch's little girl circle. He's a flirtatious soul...who drove me crazy. But Ashery (and every other girl) likes him, so I guess he's got some redeeming qualities.

It soon became quite, quite, quite clear why we were down in Cedar City. We were not here because Ashley had a job interview. We were not here because Ash was looking for a place to live come the Fall. No. We were here for Mitch's farewell...His farewell!!! He's leaving!!! In two days from that point! Gah...boys. The things we do for them: Like drive 300 miles to come say good-bye. Oy vey.

I hope Omaha, Nebraska does that boy some good. Actually, I should be hoping that he will do some good in Nebraska. Or better yet, hopefully it's a mutualistic relationship and both will benefit from each other!

And that is how we ended the night.

We got up bright and early in the morning and left the Alldredge home.

I have to put a plug in for that family. I have never met a more humble, and loving family in my life. The love they have for one another is strong and visible and it spreads to everyone. They talked with us. They tried their hardest to make sure we were absolutely 100% comfortable. They left all their boxes of cereal on the table for us to choose from in the morning while they were out swimming at the pool, they let us sleep in their home, they made us dinner, they invited us to events, they gave us towels, and hugs, and had us say family prayer with them each night. I had never met them prior to this trip. They had no reason to be so wonderfully hospitable. But they were! And I only hope that I too can be that way some day.

"Movin' right along.
We're truly birds of a feather,
We're in this together and we know where we're going.
Movie stars with flashy cars and life with the top down.
We're storming the big town,
(Yeah, storm is right should it be snowing?)
(Uh, no I don't think so...)"

And we made it home to North Ogden four and a half hours later. :) And add an additional hour on to that, and I made it home to Logan!

It was a marvelous trip. It was funny, and ironic, and long...as is evident by the length of this post. But it was so memorable! I'm glad Ash asked me and Shanna to come along! It made for some great laughs and gave me a lot of great experiences to grow from!

(Side note: Ashley has decided to attend Weber State afterall...heh heh...oh brother!)