The Rest of July 2025

July 2025

July happened so long ago. (It's mid-September.) Here are a few pictures:

My mom had a good morning. She was playing the piano, and we went on a walk. Then she started feverishly cleaning the house: unloading cabinets, emptying drawers, hurrying from one room to the next to shuffle piles and fluff pillows. It was hard to keep up with her. Sometimes her mind just won't let her body relax.

Two of the areas she rearranged.

She finally saw this chair and collapsed for a much needed rest, and then I was able to coax her to the floor to be a little more comfortable. The couch was so close, but she was out of energy!

I am grateful for the days I get to spend with her. I'm often exhausted, but it's also a sweet experience to get to love and take care of my mom two days a week.

Sunday night fun, and Lauron was in town too.

La, Aub, Erin, Kaide, Tanner & Hudson

My dad playing with his great-granddaughter Gracie. It's so impressive to me that he still gets down on the floor to interact with the grandkids. I hope I can be as involved and as in shape.

Spiderman was spinning webs and showing off his agility one moment and asleep on his daddy's lap the next. It was pretty adorable. (Adam holding Noah)

Our Sunday night gatherings can at times be boring and feel monotonous, but they really help us connect as a family too. I'm glad we have this tradition. 

I love the four distinct groups in this photo. 1. Becca, Lincoln, Braddock, and Char playing speed. 2. The teens on the couch. 3. My dad talking with a sister from church. 4. Brit, Adam, and Megan

Moving on to GiGi and Kaide day. I try to have him over for a morning each week. We fill our special time with obstacle courses, walks to Grandpa Vores, games, snacks, bike rides, Play-Doh, and whatever his heart desires.

He has really been into puzzles lately. I love seeing him use his thinking skills to figure things out. Since he has been so interested, I made him a family puzzle: a blank from Amazon, a photo collage, a DTF print, a heat press, and a razor blade...It was a pain in the neck...I would recommend ordering one online.

This was one of our snacks. He had tomatoes....so many tomatoes. I had Tru Fru (chocolate covered frozen strawberries). He had absolutely no interest in trying mine. He knew he had the best treat already.

Aubrey and her friend Maci work at a delicious and expensive barbeque restaurant called Brantley Creek. They can bring food home after work. (Aubrey never does, and Bri and I give her a bad time.) One day, Maci brought this whole rack of ribs! We were impressed and envious!

We made it to the temple together one Saturday. It always feels like such an accomplishment. The Lubbock temple is 2.5 hours away and fills up early for weekend sessions, so it takes a little bit of planning on our end. I'm always glad when we make it happen.

We celebrated two big birthdays in July: Grandpa Vore's 77th and Kaide's 3rd

This year, I ordered these tattoos of my dad to surprise him. All throughout the day, family members stopped by and showed off their lovely/awesome tattoos. I was working that day too, so it was fun to have so many visitors.

Tanner went for the face display.

Brit brought over his favorite chocolate pound cake that his mom, our Gran Vore used to make for him each year.

Gram represented!

I was impressed that Adam and Megan brought the whole crew to celebrate. Later, one of Adam's coworkers was like, "Oh, I didn't know you had a tattoo!"

Lincoln, Adam, Noah, Megan, Gracie, Gram, Grandpa & Christian

Kaide's birthday party was amazing. Tanner and Erin always go all out. Well, I think Erin really makes it happen (invitations, tons of food, party favors, etc.), but he is all hands on deck with set up, clean up, and being present and involved. Tanner reminds me each year how I made him stop having birthday parties after the age of twelve and basically ruined his life. This year, I told him I was glad he was breaking tradition and making Kaide's day so special. I don't think I mentioned that we also didn't start having friend birthday parties until they turned five. Life is so hard sometimes.

But I digress....

The Birds were so kind in lending their backyard and shop for the big day. Tanner & Erin ordered this giant waterslide for the b-day bash. They also set up a Slip-N-Slide and cornhole. 

Kaide was very brave to try the huge waterslide and ended up loving it.

Kaide & Ella

Kaide & Papa

Kaide has really been into Spidey and Friends, and his b-day theme was Spiderman. I thought we had the perfect gift picked out, a Spiderman costume. He was wigged out by it and wouldn't even touch it. It was kind of hilarious. I think/hope he will eventually warm up to it.

There were four large tables for guests and two food tables set up inside the shop. I just kept thinking of Aubrey's grad party we threw six weeks before. It was a lot of work. Erin throws Kaide the equivalent of a grad party each year, and she makes it look so effortless. It's impressive.

It was fun to have a reason to gather with friends and family. Kaide was super cute greeting everyone with a huge smile and excitedly saying, "Happy Birthday!" He was also cute opening his gifts and being thankful.

Happy 3rd birthday Kaide Tanner. We love you!!!

Wrapping Up Our Utah Trip

July 6-8, 2025

On Sunday morning, we decided to go on a hike before church. We chose to go to the Bear Canyon suspension bridge. I really love being in a place where we can enjoy the outdoors a little more.

We got home about 15 minutes before one of the wards close by started, and my crazy girls were like, "We can make it!" Well, some of us are more than half a century old and take a little more work to look presentable, but I tried. Brian and the girls went in one car, and I followed shortly.

I was expecting church to feel uplifting, but I wasn't expecting church to feel so relaxing. It was Fast and Testimony meeting. I didn't feel any angst about who was giving their testimony for the fifth time in a row or if someone might be attending for the first time and feel uncomfortable. I wasn't worried about teaching a lesson or passing around a sign up sheet during the second hour. I just got to sit there and soak in all the testimonies, lessons and comments. It was an unexpected experience, and soothing for my soul. 

I had a great surprise after waking from my Sunday afternoon nap: a FaceTime call from President and Sister Vore! They were grinning from ear to ear as they shared some about their first couple of weeks. Their schedules are packed. They are extremely busy doing good things, and their joy was contagious.

A week or two before we were coming, Denise sent out an invite to the extended Gwilliam family for a picnic in the park gathering. She was able to get a sitter for Tyson, so we switched it to their beautiful backyard instead. Bruce and Denise took care of the burgers, and everyone else brought sides. We feasted! (chips, dips, Cowboy Caviar, fruit w/ fruit dip, salad, candy bar cake, etc...)

Bryn, Aub, Derek, Sarah, Grace & Kyle

Kyle and Sarah spent the weekend with her family. We were glad when they were able to join in the barbeque. 

Denise, Kyle, Sarah

I feel like I haven't seen Blake in years! He is Keith's youngest son and the same age as Brinley. It was fun to catch up.

Keith, Kristen, Brinley & Blake

Brinley and Derek were the cutest with the girls. They played all sorts of outdoor games with them. I'm pretty sure Grace (5?) thought Derek was her best friend and just there for her.

La drove up from Provo and met everyone/joined in the visiting. Then she and Aub headed back to Provo to have a sleepover...just like the good ole days.

Denise is the sweetest Nannie to her grandchildren.

On Monday, Brian was able to fish a little more. I was so happy for him because he doesn't get that opportunity very often. There is no place remotely close to the Big O to fly fish, and when we go to Utah, our schedules are usually packed. 

Brinley took the day off work and that morning we met at BYU to participate in research for her thesis. We had to be in a soundproof room and listen to recordings of individuals answering questions. We then had a scale to rate how we perceived their intelligence based on what we heard. I'm not sure how much I can share here, but that was the gist of how we participated. Aubrey and Brian met up with us and had a turn as well. 

Then we had a quick lunch at Zupas Cafe, and Aub & Bryn headed to the Splash Summit Waterpark for the afternoon. I can't remember what Brian and I did but later, we met up with the girls and Derek for dinner at the Purple Turtle and a play at the new Hale Theatre in Pleasant Grove.

I had high hopes for this play because you pretty much can't go wrong at the Hale. The actors/actresses did great, but the slapstick sense of humor isn't really my sense of humor.  However, two preteen boys behind us were totally cracking up, and that made me happy! 

On Tuesday, we didn't have to be at the airport until 2:00, so Denise and I were able to fit in a Costco run and a mid-morning walk. SO FUN! I love that girl and wish I could go walking with her every day. We talked kids, grandkids, gospel podcasts, books...we fit a lot into our morning time together.

Unfortunately, on our trip home, our flight was diverted from Dallas to Lubbock due to thunderstorms. We were so close to home (two hours!), but we couldn't get a rental car. Also, the couple of food places available in their small airport were already closed for the night, so for dinner, the vending machine was our only option. I almost always pack some healthy snacks and peanut butter crackers, but this time I did not. My dinner was two packages of chips, a Hershey bar with almonds, and some fruit snacks.

Sadly, by the time we arrived in Dallas, we missed our connecting flight. It was after midnight before we made it to the hotel, but it was so easy traveling with just the three of us. We had a nutritious (ha!) hotel breakfast and made it home Wednesday afternoon.

Overall, we had a wonderful little vacation in Utah celebrating Independence Day and spending time with family.

Utah Trip, Day Two

Utah Trip
Saturday, July 5th

On Saturday morning, Brian got up early to go fishing, and Aubrey and I drove from Draper to meet Derek and Brinley at the Provo Farmer's Market. It is legit, over 200 vendors, and we had a great time meandering among the booths. 

Aubrey tried a specialty drink, and I purchased home-baked cookies from a confident teenage boy who was handing out samples. Then we all decided to split a Dubai chocolate strawberry cup. 

I was starting to get hot, hungry, and dehydrated, so I was glad when Aubrey decided to ditch the BYU campus tour she and Bryn were considering and head to our next activity: a picnic lunch and paddleboarding at the Provo River Delta. 

We found a bit of shade and some rocks to sit on and pulled out the delicious sandwiches that Brinley made for us. (The thick, homemade bread was the key ingredient.) 

Sadly, this was the only group picture I took. I think I must have had mayo or something on my phone lens.

Brian finished swimming and drove over an hour to meet up with us. (No picture of Brian chomping down on lunch because he joined us towards the end of our feast.) He was very kind to help us work, in the blazing heat, on the black asphalt, to inflate our giant paddleboards with a foot pump. He then took a few pictures of us before he headed back to Draper for the afternoon.

Aub

Bryn, me, & Aub (Derek was already exploring.)

Bryn

That evening, we enjoyed dinner and an evening outside with Bruce & Denise plus Megan and family. Megan and Griffin only live a couple of miles away and come to hang out w/ Nana and PopPop (aka Denise and Bruce) nearly every day. It makes it lots of fun for us when we are in town too. 

Some of the girls plus baby Hendrick--I'm not sure where Lindsey or Denise were when we snapped this.

Aub, Megan, Denise w/ Grace, & Griffin-all enjoying the new firepit.

S'more's, visiting around the firepit, and board games were a nice way to enjoy our evening.

Utah Trip, Day One

July 4, 2025

We had a late flight and made it to Bruce & Denise's around 2:00 a.m., which is 3:00 a.m. Texas time. It's a rough way to start vacation, but we adapted. Their cute grand girls had spent the night, and they were great entertainment. Denise made French toast smothered in fresh strawberries and blueberries, plus homemade syrup. It was delicious. Megan, Griffin, and baby Hendrick joined in for breakfast, and  Parker and his friend Merit drove up from Rexburg to spend the day with us. Let the festivities begin!

Aubrey, Bruce, Emma, Grace & Brian

Denise is the hostess with the mostess. She opens her home to Gwilliam family travelers from Texas to Cali to Idaho often. She has bedrooms available and an open house (not just pantry!) policy. She is welcoming and ready to enjoy as much family time as everyone's schedules allow.  I seriously love this sister in law of mine.

Also, we enjoyed the French toast so much that I brought two loaves of specialty bread and her syrup recipe home so I could make the meal for Tanner and family. Somehow my syrup turned into thick, but delicious, caramel sauce--whoops.

Parker Bryce made it! He's a sweet and crazy boy to drive 3.5 hours one way to spend the day, but I am glad he did. He could have stayed the weekend but didn't want to miss out on some fun lake plans with his friends. I don't blame him a bit. 

Tyson with his giant milk!, Bruce, Megan, and baby Hendrick

Parker and Merit brought their guns and wanted to take us shooting. We went to the Soldier Pass shooting range in Saratoga Springs, and Brinley & Derek met us there. I vaguely remember shooting guns on a date at least one time during my BYU years, but that sums up my gun expertise. I think Brinley and Aubrey haven't had many (any?) opportunities either. It was fun for me to watch Parker show us the ropes. He really loves doing outdoor stuff and has so many more opportunities in Idaho. (Odessa is hot, dry, and flat...and you have to drive for hours to have mountains to climb, fresh water to swim in or an outdoor range/ranch to legally shoot guns.)

Park & Aubrey w/ Derek & Merit in background

Derek & Brinley 

Aubrey's one desire on the Utah trip was to go shopping. When we mapped out a schedule of events, Friday afternoon was blocked off for shopping-not shooting.  At the range, she sidled  up to me, and through gritted teeth, said, "Why are we shooting guns?" She was teasing but still a little worried she wouldn't have time to look for a new church dress and other possibilities. She settled right into trying all of the guns, and we all had a good time together.

Aub & Park

Derek is throwing the target for Parker and Merit to shoot.

Aubrey, me, Brinley

Some of the guns really had a kick to them! 

Bri watching Parker & Merit hit targets.

Derek

After shooting, we split into two groups. Aubrey and I left to go shopping. We stopped by Swig for a drink and In-N-Out for a burger and headed to the mall.  The men and Brinley to grab lunch and participate in Brinley's thesis project on campus. Sadly, Bryn couldn't get into her building, so they decided to play pickleball instead.

We met back up at Brinley and Derek's apartment to clean up, have a snack and play a couple of games before grabbing a quick dinner before heading to our big 4th of July event: Stadium of Fire.

I have only been one other time to Stadium of Fire, and I was probably twelve or thirteen. Mr. T was the main event. I remember he came ziplining into the stadium, and we were in awe. This year's featured guest was the band Rascal Flatts. I remembered this band from my young adult years, so I was excited to see them live. 

Our group on the east side.  We got Parker and Merit's tickets last minute, so they were not close to us. (It was a sold out show.) 

Bri, Erin (me), Derek, Brinley, Aubrey

I was super impressed with Derek. He could sing along with so many of their songs.  I thought I knew more of their songs than I actually did--but it was still so much fun.

During a few of the songs, everyone would hold up their phone light and wave it back and forth while singing. (This is super common...but 30 years from now it might not be, and it will be fun to see how things have changed.)

After the concert, the TWENTY-MINUTE fireworks show happened.  They started with a drone show, which was seriously so cool.

So. Many. Fireworks. 

They were huge and impressive and amazing, and they just kept going and going. 

Thanks to Derek's good thinking, we took the bus and totally dodged the traffic madness. It made the night even better because we felt like we won the lottery. Parker and Merit were driving back to Rexburg that night, so they chose to skip the bus and run about a mile to their car to beat the traffic.

All in all, we had a really enjoyable first day of vacation.