Couch

Kevin and I are moving our way up in the world. We now own our very own couch. No more love seats for us. It is leather and has two reclining seats. The only bad part is that the recliners are on opposite ends of the couch, so we don’t sit by each other anymore. Also, the fact that we’ve spent a majority of the past two days sitting on it isn’t that great either. The joys of a staycations.

The only one who doesn’t like the couch is the Lunar dog, but I think that might be due to the fact that she is not allowed on it. I think I would be upset if I had to use tile for a pillow. Despite the fact that in this picture she is actually on the carpet, she does use the tile as a pillow frequently.

Disclaimer: The Lunar dog does have three beds and a settee of her own. We are not responsible if she doesn’t choose to use her bed.

A Lithuanian in Utah

Our friend Ramūnas came to visit us on August 9. Kevin met him while on his mission in Lithuania, and I met him when we visited Lithuania last year. He was touring the U.S. and Utah was his last stop. As an interesting side note, he had traveled from New York to DC and DC to Chicago and Chicago to San Francisco and back to Utah on a train. While this wouldn’t be my first choice of spending my vacation time, he said that he saw a lot of really nice scenery while traveling across the country, especially the mountains of Colorado and California. He said the only downside was the highly effective air conditioning, the price and quality of food, and the inability to get off the train and explore the areas they were riding through.  

Ramūnas’s train arrived in the middle of the night, so I opted to stay in bed while Kevin went to get him. After both caught up on sleep, we headed down to Provo to allow Ramūnas time to remember the BYU campus and to enjoy lunch with former Lithuanian missionaries. We ate at Red Robin, and I think there were about 6-7 elders there, as well as a couple who had served a humanitarian mission in Lithuania. The elders were all much younger than us, so Kevin did not know them, but apparently his picture is floating around somewhere in Lithuania because a few of them said they recognized him from pictures. I think Ramūnas enjoyed this time with friends, but he felt that the portions were way too big (he ordered a bowl of soup and a salad, so he had lots of food), but we did pick a restaurant famous for huge portions.

Our next stop was BYU. We parked at the Marriot Center, and then Ramūnas videoed his old routes around the BYU campus and the buildings that held the most memories for him (he spent a year at BYU a few years ago, ironically coinciding with my last year at BYU). It was kind of fun, especially since BYU’s campus holds many memories for me as well.

After Ramūnas had seen what he wanted to see, we were off again, this time to visit a few Lithuanian in Riverton. She was at BYU during the time Kevin served in Lithuania, but she likewise remembered him from a picture. Kevin, however, had known her parents well as he served in their city for the majority of the two years he was in Lithuania. There was lots of catch-up between she and Ramūnas, but ironically enough, I did find out that both she and her husband have Kamas ties. Her husband worked with one of my best friends, whom I had been friends with since the third grade, and she had served her mission with one of my friends from my ward. I find it funny how many people have Kamas ties, even people from Lithuania.

One of Ramūnas’s goals in coming to Utah was to see the City Creek Mall and the MoTab, so we departed for Downtown Salt Lake. Unfortunately the MoTab was at Deer Valley, but we were able to explore the mall. Kevin and I experienced a bit of déjà vu, as Ramūnas seemed intent on scouring the mall for the best cologne (he calls it perfume) and other high end items, very similar to when he was our tour guide in Vilnius. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the mall, especially all of the water features (Kevin has worn off on me. We even found some fish while we were there.), but I don’t think I would drive all the way down there for the sole purpose of shopping. I am good with the malls which are closer. We also walked around Temple Square for a bit, and a former Lithuanian sister missionary met us there. 

After Ramūnas had seen all he wanted to, we headed back home, where we fed him some ice cream, after which he called it a night and we watched the Olympics. The next morning, Kevin took him to the airport, but not before we snapped a picture with him and his newfound friend, the Lunar dog (and us of course). As a side note, I was on my way to the chiropractor so I was in my workout clothes, not pajamas.

Kevin, Megan, Ramunas, and Luna

Uncle Weldon’s Funeral

My mother’s brother, Weldon passed away on July 26. He had been suffering from COPD and cancer, which had metastasized to his bones. His funeral was held on August 3, 2012 in Duchesne, Utah and he was buried in Tabiona, Utah by my grandma and grandpa.

There were also tables with pictures and mementos people could look at before the viewing.

My uncle had a sheep and potato farm

He was also an artist in his younger years

Just as at my grandmother’s funeral, we were able to see and meet many family members we have not had much contact with over the years. The funeral was pretty routine and standard, at least until the second speaker got up. He was pretty much all over the place, and he spent most of his time speaking about himself and his medical experiences. At one point he couldn’t even remember Weldon’s name. However, his talk kept us laughing the entire time, which is what Weldon would want.

Following the funeral, we made the about 30 minute drive to the Tabiona Cemetery. My mom spent the drive reminiscing about her childhood in Utahn (the area between Duchesne and Tabiona) and pointing out where her family and friends had lived. About halfway there, we realized that we had completely lost sight of all the cars in front of us. Apparently my mom was spending more time sightseeing than driving. We were able to make it to the cemetery in plenty of time for the grave dedication, especially considering that we were holding up the rest of the family through the sightseeing.

Here are the pictures from the cemetery:

Weldon's widow, Judy

Weldon's kids, wife, and other family members

I thought the boot was a nice touch

Mike (a cousin), with Weldon's kids, Lorena, Leonard, and Leslie

Weldons's children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren

 

Somehow we spent too much time chatting and were the last to leave the cemetery.  But fortunately there were still funeral potatoes left at the church; however, I did control myself to only two helpings. I was so proud of myself. I think Kevin disowned me. 

On our way home, Kevin snapped this picture of a “cabin” in Hanna. I guess it is his dream home or something. I honestly don’t remember why he took a picture of it.

 

Roomie Lunch Take 2

On August 1, I was able to have lunch with another set of roommates, Gisela, Shannon, and Kristy. Shannon and Kristy still live in Utah and Gisela in Colorado, so I see these girls more frequently than Aimee and Kelly. We met in Provo at Shannon’s parents’ house, then drove over to the Riverwoods to eat at Malawi Pizza. It was super delicious. My pizza was basically a cheese pizza with basil and tomatoes on them. It was light, but it still filled me up. Once again, it was fun to catch up with them and learn about how their lives and families were.

I forgot my camera, so no pictures. Hopefully Gisela will send them to us, so I can post them on here.

Roomie Lunch

On July 10, I had the opportunity to go to lunch at Olive Garden with my former roommates Kelly and Aimee, along with Aimee’s baby Juliette. I haven’t seen these two for over four or five years, so it was really nice to catch up with them.

Megan, Juliette, Aimee, and Kelly

Grandma Hallam’s Funeral and Gravesite

My grandma’s funeral was a week after she died, on June 1, 2012. Kevin and I were able to go up for the viewing the night before and the funeral. I ended up only taking one day of bereavement where I had been gone for two weeks already (and the NICU was packed and needed nurses), but I was a mess at work the day before the viewing, so I probably should have taken the full three days.

Her viewing and funeral was held at the Francis Church (where Kevin and I also had our reception). The Thompsons had decorated a couple of tables with knick knacks and photos of the family in the hall outside the Relief Society room. Here are some pictures of that:

 

It was nice to see so many family members at the viewing and funeral. A couple of my cousins that I hadn’t seen in years were there. Most of my grandmother's many nieces and nephews came and there were even a few sisters-in-law.

The funeral was nice as well. The speakers were my grandmother’s home teachers. They did a pretty good job, although it would have been nice if they would have talked about grandchildren besides me. That was a bit awkward. The great-grandchildren (and me) also sang “I am a Child of God.” It is incredible to think about how large our family has grown, and there were a few grandchildren and great-grandchildren that were unable to come. My grandma even has two great-great-grandchildren with at least one on the way.

After the funeral, we joined the long line of cars and headed for the Francis Cemetery. When we got to our road, the procession abruptly stopped and we all pulled over. Kevin and I were a ways back, so it took us awhile to figure out what was going on. A couple of my cousins had suggested that my grandmother’s body should be taken to the cemetery via horse and buggy, and we stopped so they could transfer her body from the hearse to a horse drawn hearse. I found this to be a great tribute to my grandma. Although I did have to laugh as we continued on our way to the cemetery because a neighbor was actually in the process of “stealing” our irrigation water as we drove by. My grandma was a very feisty lady, so I could just picture her getting out of the hearse and telling him off. 

 

After we arrived at the cemetery, we had a short graveside service and one of my dad’s cousins dedicated the grave. I think this was the point where it really started to sink in that my grandma was really gone. We visited with family for a bit at the cemetery, then we headed back to the church for the luncheon, where I ate way too much ham and funeral potatoes. 

I think all in all, it was a great two days of tribute to my grandmother, and while I miss her a lot, I know that I will be able to see her again.