Tales From the Way Way Back-Seat

"Hey Davie! We're traveling to St. George this coming week to surprise Aunt Gina!" I love when Dave's dad calls him Davie. It makes me feel like we're forever young. Dave suggested that since it would be his mom Fran's birthday in a few days we should me up with them for a little early birthday visit. Promising not to spoil the surprise, he hung up the phone and I started pulling out clothes to pack. A girl needs options; even if it's only for a couple of days.

Aunt Gina is Fran's youngest sibling and only sister. The love between them is strong. I love them both and looked forward to seeing them but also seeing them with each other. There is a special way their faces each light up when they are together. In my mind I see the two of them living for a time together in their parent's home with their combined families; single parenting their children. Dave's dad was in Vietnam serving as a gunner. Their own mother sick with cancer. Sometimes trauma forms bonds that are unexplainable. I can feel their sister-bond when I am near these two women.

Ed and Fran arrived in St. George before we did. They showed up at Gina's front door, greetings, long hugs and happy tears.

When we joined them later that evening. Dave suggested we all go together on a short road trip the following day to Zion National Park. Just a short drive from St. George we decided to meet up at our hotel mid-morning. We rented a mini-van for the day, knowing that the larger windows of the van would make for excellent views. Fran brought some delicious home-made cookies and Jenna some yummy dried-fruit and nut packs. "Snow-bird" style Dave and Ed sat in the two front seats, Fran and Jenna in the middle seats, and me....I got the back seat all to myself.

The first time I'd ever driven through Zion's I was a mother of seven children ranging ages sixteen to six months. We were driving back to Utah from our annual family trip to Arizona to visit family. Having driven through most of the night and arriving to the park just as the sun was rising, we woke the kids so they could witness this natural marvel. They rubbed their eyes, nodded their heads in agreement, then grabbed their pillows to cover their eyes from the too-bright sun and grumpily asked if they could just go back to sleep. Being who I am I assured them that yes of course they could but only after I first got a picture of them standing in front of the red rock. Knowing I wouldn't proceed with our drive until I got the photo, they obliged me. To this day I love coming across this picture; the essence of a vacation with a large family - slightly grumpy teens, and very grumpy toddlers. "Say cheeeeeese!" They plastered smiles on their swollen, still sleepy faces for the camera so they could hurry back to the car and the junk food that awaited them in the cooler and try to fall back to sleep.

Listening to the low voices of Dave and his dad coming from the front of the van, and the sisterly banter of Fran and Gina, I scooted myself to one end of the back bench seat, re-buckled myself and leaned over on my side resting my head on my purse. I had a view from the very back seat of the van. The same seat I'd often take when traveling with my children on trips. Back then I'd sit between my sixth and seventh children's car-seats and be able to attend to their needs more easily. The front captain's seat being rotated out regularly with the five older kids. The coveted "shot-gun seat". I put my feet up where years ago would have been the the spot for a car-seat. The hum of the van was making me sleepy. This isn't the time for a nap, you'd miss the whole reason you're taking this drive. I got my phone out to stay busy taking pictures. No naps allowed when driving through a national park.

Fran is an admitted excellent back-seat driver. Gina is great too! Ed pointing out his window and telling us all to look at this and look at that. Fran telling Ed that all of us except Dave can look since he can only keep his eyes on the road. I felt completely secure and safe lying down on my bench seat. Truth be told, they are right to be more fearful of getting in an accident in a vehicle. I know that statistically the chances are astronomically higher than crashing in an airplane. My brain knows this is true. My racing heart would say the opposite. Jenna is my soul-sister in her fear of flying. As the van meandered around cliff after cliff, her eyes rarely straying from the windshield to ensure Dave was hands at 2 and 4 and not veering too close to the edge. We shared stories of our fearful turbulent flights. Ed is a pilot and explains how airplanes work and that there is nothing to be worried about. Gina and I agree that we'll worry anyway.

Zion is so unbelievably breath-taking and also any other superlative adjective you can think of, that even in the back seat of a moving vehicle one can take pretty decent pictures. Asking Dave to pull over so I could use my Nikon didn't seem too good of an idea since that would have entailed pulling out even closer to the edge. We'll be back soon I'm sure. Maybe we'll even come back in a van. Dave driving and me lying down on the back bench. Riding shot-gun might not always be the best seat after all.

What better way to end a beautiful day than going for a late night treat for some frozen greek yogurt?! I'm not a soft-serve ice-cream gal but I will make an exception for frozen greek yogurt. With baklava bits. And honey. And it was so good I didn't share one bite with poor Dave. So to make up for my selfishness, on our second night in St. George, I asked if he'd go back and get two instead of one while I took a hot bath. My knight in shining amor. It's a good thing we live a few hours away from this place. As I write this I'm trying to figure out when we can go back.

A hotel foodie selfie.

Should you eat it with a fork or a spoon? Too back we didn't have a spork. Or a foon.

I promise I don't just live off of sweets. I blame this one on Natalie who was also recently in St. George with her little family for Spring Break. "Mama you have to go to "Farmstead"! I can't tell my child "no" now can I?! So decadent. So delicious.

For sure the next time we go back to Zion National Park, we're going to have to park the car and actually hike. Woman cannot live by bread alone. Or fro-yo. Or croissants. Have you ever heard of Angel's Landing? It might be up there with a turbulent airplane ride, or even driving too close to the cliff's edge.

We renewed our National Park pass, but it's so pretty up here at the cabin now, I'm not so sure we'll want to go anywhere at all anytime soon.