Over the last few weeks, I have spent more time traveling the stretch of I-15 between Rexburg and Salt Lake than any person in their right mind ought to. I’m not complaining--okay, just a little, but only about the day I got home from Cedar City at 4:00 p.m. then headed back to Salt Lake at 4:30 p.m. To say that we’ve been busy would be a gross understatement. I’ll start at the beginning of our whirlwind travel adventures. (If you’re prone to motion sickness, now would be a great time to grab the Dramamine).
In preparation for serving a mission in a little over a year, Parker needs to have his wisdom teeth extracted. We learned of a clinical trial being conducted in Salt Lake City, where Parker could have his teeth removed--free of charge--by a qualified oral surgeon. Following surgery, he would be given one dose of either an experimental pain medication (combination Tylenol/Advil), an FDA-approved pain medicine, or a placebo drug. He would spend the night at the clinic so they could observe him; then when he went home, he would be required to keep a journal for the following week, recording what, if any, side effects he experienced, as well as tracking the medicines he took (Lortab and Ibuprofen for pain, Amoxicillin to prevent any infection). This sounded like a good deal to Parker--especially when they mentioned he would be paid several hundred dollars for participating.
And so, the travels began. Parker had to go to the clinic for a preliminary interview. Trip number one. He was approved to participate in the study and was scheduled for surgery on a Thursday. We decided to go down early and spend Wednesday at Lagoon. Trip number two. We had a great time at the amusement park. I rode most of the scary roller coasters
with the boys--unless spinning was involved. In my opinion, spinning rides are an open invitation to become sick in a very public arena. No thank you.
Jacob rode the
Spider 
with the older boys, quickly curing him of any further desire to ride the others--until we talked him into riding the
Bat 
at the end of the day. I told the boys we needed to leave by eight-thirty that night, as we had to drive to Riverton, where we would spend the night at Danette’s home. They were ready to leave an hour before that, tired, but having satisfied their amusement park needs for the year.
Thursday morning, we drove to the clinic; Parker had to check in at 6:00 a.m. The nurses took care of all the prep work--inserting an IV, taking vital signs, asking questions to make sure he still qualified--then took him into surgery at 8:00 a.m. I took a nap in his assigned room while I waited. The nurse came in at 8:30 to tell me all went well, that he was in recovery and they’d be bringing him to his room in a few minutes. They let me stay for about five minutes after that, so I could see that Parker was okay, then kicked me out. I went back to Danette’s and spent the day with her family and the other boys. I picked Parker up Friday morning around 8:00 a.m. and we drove home.
I spent Saturday doing laundry and repacking to go with Darla to Cedar City to the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Trip number three. Hayden would be at scout camp for the entire week, and Parker would be at home, recuperating. Cameron and Jacob would spend Sunday night with Grandpa and Grandma Carling, then Monday and Tuesday night in Syracuse with the Wilhelmsen cousins. Darla and I would pick them up on Wednesday afternoon on our way home.
Parker’s follow-up appointment at the clinic was scheduled for Thursday morning at 8:00 a.m., the day after I was supposed to get home from Cedar City. I told him to find out if he had to have a parent with him for the appointment, and if not, to find someone to drive to Utah with so I wouldn’t have to make a quick turn around trip. He texted me on Monday with the news that I had to go with him. I called Cathy on Tuesday and arranged for the boys to stay an extra night with her family. As I mentioned before, I got home Wednesday at 4:00 p.m., emptied the dirty clothes from my bag, threw in some clean ones, and was back in the car and on the road by 4:30 p.m. Trip number four. We spent the night at Danette’s, went to Parker’s 8:00 a.m. appointment, picked Cameron and Jacob up from Cathy’s, then headed for home: Cameron and Jacob were starting swimming lessons that afternoon, followed by Jacob's soccer game.
Whew! Now that the travel drama is out of the way, I’ll tell you about the fun part--which, as we all know, means Shakespeare. Darla and I began planning this trip last year, on the drive home from Cedar City. We went to her ward's sacrament meeting on Sunday morning, then headed for Utah. After leaving the boys with the grandparents, we drove south, stopping for a tour of Cove Fort on the way. We stayed that night at the Majestic View Lodge
in Springdale, Utah, which borders Zion National Park. Beautiful room, great location, fabulous views.
We opted not to go to the matinee performance on Monday--the play didn’t sound like one we wanted to see: it wasn’t written by Shakespeare, but Noel Coward. Instead, we hiked part of the Narrows in Zion Canyon, as well as the trail to Lower, Middle and Upper Emerald Pools. Hiking in the Virgin River, in water up to our thighs at times, felt refreshing.
The other hike, not so much--it was 108° when we got back to the car. On the Emerald Pools Trail we barely escaped being struck by a falling rock. It wasn’t big--maybe the size of a baseball--but it would have left a nasty mark just the same.
We felt like we were traveling in Europe: most of our fellow hikers spoke French, German, or Italian. Except, of course, for the lone party of rule-breakers who had trouble reading the sign posted beside the pool at the end of the trail. It said “No Swimming.”
They were Americans.
After our hikes, we drove the short distance from Zion to Cedar City, checked into our hotel--another nice place--showered, had dinner at Costa Vida (think Bajio) and went to see
The Comedy of Errors. This play was a joy to watch, lighthearted and a lot of fun. The actors had great comic timing. Incidentally, for the second year running, we had seats that were adjacent to those of BYU-I English professors.
On Tuesday morning we went to an informal question and answer session conducted by the director of the literary seminars. This gives festival attendees an opportunity to discuss the play they watched the previous night. It was interesting to hear others’ opinions and insights. After the seminar, we took the scenic drive up Kolob Canyon; it was pretty spectacular.
Back in Cedar City, we grabbed a quick bite of lunch, then went to
The Secret Garden. I’m almost ashamed to admit I’ve never read this classic children’s story, let alone seen any of the film versions. It was a musical, and very well-staged. There were several parts that made me cry--the story line hit rather close to home. But I managed to regain my composure before the house lights came up.
We went back to the hotel to rest a little, and so Darla could continue working on plans for her stake Youth Conference. We ate dinner at the Pastry Pub, one of the best restaurants in Cedar City. They serve great salads and sandwiches. And we actually had dessert this time--which is what it was recommended for in the first place. May I take a moment to express my undying devotion to the maker of this delicious bit of culinary perfection:
Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake. Yum!
Following dinner, we made our way to the outdoor theater for the culminating event of our stay in southern Utah:
Henry V. This play holds a special place in my heart: it's the one I chose for my final project for the Shakespeare class I took my first semester back to school. I love the story of redemption, how a once-rowdy young man becomes a powerful leader of a nation. One of my favorite parts of the play comes when the vastly-outnumbered English have just defeated the French army. Henry takes no credit for the victory. He tells his men that they won because God fought on their side. Reminds me a little of the stripling warriors story in the Book of Mormon.
As we were walking to this final play, we passed a stand that held flyers advertising the plays for next season. Though the past two years have been the
DeLynn and Darla Trip, when we saw the schedule for 2010, we knew we had to make it a
Parker Girls Event. Here are the reasons:
Much Ado About Nothing
Macbeth
Merchant of Venice
Great Expectations
The Thirty-Nine StepsAnd last, but not even-in-your-wildest-dreams least,
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE! Look out, Cedar City, we’re on our way!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hard to believe that eleven years ago Monday, I was in the hospital giving birth to a beautiful little boy who would grow to become an endlessly curious, budding scientist and engineer named Cameron. I remember telling the doctor after the delivery that I felt so good, I thought I could run a marathon! I guess more than a decade late and only half the distance is close enough. Thanks for hanging out with us Cam!
