utah

don't forget we are working backwards here...our last day of vacation was spent just south of salt lake city, utah. we stayed with brad's step brother and his wonderful family. while we were waiting for them to arrive, i lay under this tree staring up at the most beautiful blue sky bordered by the wasatch mountain range. i started day-dreaming about our family trees and how crooked the branches can become. how we can live a whole life with our biological families and not really know them...or how we acquire kindred spirits through marriage. how culturally different siblings can become. how our children change what we believe in despite the things our parents have taught us. i had a lot of conversations during our vacation about why people are the way they are, how family will not let you fail, and the importance of obligation to community for the benefit of family. as we traveled through this foreign land where enormous families abound...i felt so thankful for our small imperfect branches diverging and growing in new and exciting directions.