Cruising Adventure with Grandma

February 2014

Let me give you an update on our activities of the past week. Some time ago we signed up for a cruise which departs from Houston Texas and travels down to Cozumel, Roatan, and Belize. Our scheduled sailing date
was February 8 and we looked forward to the opportunity of spending the week on the high seas. Prior to our departure there was a lot of news about people getting sick on cruises with what was known as the Norovirus.. We tended to ignore such reports until we learned that the very ship in which we were to sail had experienced that problem the previous week. There were over 150 people who contracted the sickness and were confined to their staterooms. Judy was very concerned and suggested that we might want to cancel our trip. However, this was not to be an easy task as we had already paid full price for both the ship and our airfare, refunds were not available. So we made the determination to move ahead and hope that things worked out well. The other concern we had was our plans for flying.

We had booked our flight from Las Vegas to Houston, the only problem was that the plane left at 6 AM. As you know it is necessary to be to the airport from 1 1/2 to 2 hours prior to the departure of any flight and so it was necessary that we drive to Las Vegas on the seventh and stay overnight in order to be on time for our early morning flight.

Our drive to Las Vegas was uneventful and we were able to find the hotel without any difficulty. Believe it or not we were up early enough to leave for the airport shortly after 4 AM. In order to make things a little more
comfortable I upgraded our tickets to first class. It cost a couple hundred dollars but I believe that it was worth it. We had taken Judy’s wheelchair with this so that we could move through the airport terminal easily and have quick access to the ship. We sailed on the Princess Caribbean ship. Once we arrived in Houston there were people there to make sure that our luggage and ourselves were on the motorcoach headed for the ship. The  airport and the docks are not close together and so our bus trip took about an hour. Once we arrived at the ship the wheelchair became very important as we didn’t have to stand in any lines but were moved very quickly on to the ship. One other advantage is that I had requested a handicapped room
which turned out to be very nice and was twice the size of a normal cabin.

We set sail Saturday evening and were going to spend first day at sea arriving at Cozumel on Monday morning. You are very familiar with cruises and all of the fine entertainment and good food which is available. Things went very well that first day but on Sunday night everything headed in a different direction, Judy became very ill, she had the symptoms of the Norovirus. On Monday morning we contacted the medical staff and they came to the room and gave her a nasty shot, she said it wasn’t very pleasant. In addition, Judy was quarantined and had to stay in the cabin for the next 24 hours. Fortunately the shot they gave her seem to work and she was no longer throwing up but was still rather weak and didn’t feel well. Because of her quarantine we missed the opportunity to go to shore in Cozumel. During her confinement the only food she was allowed to have was chicken broth and rice, not very exciting for cruise food. On Tuesday after she had been confined for 24 hours we were allowed to leave the room and enjoy whatever activities the ship had in store. Our next stop was Roatan where we were able to leave the ship for a short period of time and
do some shopping close to the pier. While we were on board it was necessary that Judy used the wheelchair for moving about. Our state room was a considerable distance from the restaurant and it would’ve been very
difficult for her to walk that far. On Wednesday the ship cruised to Belize which is not far from where Danika is serving on her mission. I think originally Belize was in her mission but it is my understanding that is not the
case today. We did not go ashore and Belize as it was necessary to take a tender and travel in excess of one mile to reach the dock. Instead we stayed on board and enjoyed the activities that were there. After leaving
Belize on Wednesday evening we sailed for two days to return to Houston.

For the most part the seas were fairly decent and motion sickness wasn’t a big issue. However, once we arrived on land we still had the sensation of the movement of the boat. While on board we spent a couple of days at the art auction. The beautiful paintings which we have in our home were acquired at an auction during a cruise. I told Judy before we left that we had better not purchase any new artwork as we had no place to hang it. That turned out to be a futile endeavor as we could just not pass up some of the beautiful artwork that was there. We still have the same problem we started with that is where to hang it. We bought a number of pieces some of which we will bring the St. George and the others we will hang in our basement in Sandy. These paintings that we own appraise at very high numbers so that when Judy and I have gone to our great reward in the sky don’t let those paintings go to the Deseret Industries as they are worth a lot of money.
When you visit us at either of our homes you will be able to appreciate our new acquisitions.

We had an interesting day coming home. We left Judy’s car at the hotel where we stayed the week before and had taken the shuttle to the airport. Once we arrived back at the Las Vegas airport it was necessary to take a cab back to the spot where we had left the car. We did however have one glitch in that somehow in our attempt to get to the baggage claim area we ended up at Delta rather than the United baggage claim area, we were along way away from where our suitcases were. We had the cab driver take us to the United terminal where I claimed our bags and we were on our way back to pick up our car. Prior to heading back to St. George we stopped and had some dinner in order to be fortified us for our two hour driving trip. This all took place on Saturday and it’s interesting to note that our travel that day included, the ship, the bus to the airport, the airplane to Las Vegas, the taxi ride to our car, and our drive home. It reminded me of the old movie trains planes and buses. On Saturday morning we got out of bed at 6 AM and returned to St. George at 10 PM that night. I turned on the TV to BYU TV was able to watch a replay of the Cougars and St. Mary’s, it was quite a game but the cougars came out on top, barely. The trip wasn’t the best cruise we have ever been on due to the fact that Judy became ill. We did have a few days to enjoy ourselves and get away.

Grandpa

Vacation Traditions - Nick (Elder Emery)

As I was thinking about the many traditions I have had over the years one that really sticks out to me is the "Emery Family Vacations". I really enjoyed those because that was a time where we could all get together and just talk. Having our family spread all over it was really a good time to get to know each other and to really focus on whats important in life. All our vacations ranging from Cancun Mexico, The cruise to Alaska, South Carolina, Yellowstone, Etc. I will always remember the times we had as a family. As a missionary I really cherish those experiences because its hard serving without a family near by. And especially learning how all of us as a family can live together forever. Those are some memories I will never forget.

One event that really stuck out to me was when J.C, Corbin and I signed up for the 3 on 3 tournament in South Carolina. We thought we were going to win this thing easily. I remember earlier in that day J.C kicked something and thought he broke his toe. As we were preparing we had the whole family around and none of us was able to score a shot!

 Ask JC or Corbin to write this story down. I am out of time today but that was one experience I remember so clear. That was funny and such a fun time.

 Nick

Hunting Tradition as a Boy - Grandpa Jack

When I was a boy we had many family traditions. These traditions generally occurred around some special day or event such as Christmas, birthdays, baptisms and other important life events. As I look back upon those years with fondness the one tradition that seems to stick out in my mind was the annual pheasant hunt. My uncle Archie Huff and Aunt Lucile lived on a farm in the community of Benjamin which is located about five miles west of Spanish Fork, Utah. Each year the extended family would all travel to Benjamin to participate in the annual pheasant hunt. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and sometimes friends would all assemble to be together and to enjoy the hunt.

Traveling to Benjamin was no easy task as in those days there were no freeways. It was necessary to drive through the middle of each and every little town along the way. The main highway was State Street in Salt Lake City. We would head south on State Street, drive through Murray, Midvale, Draper, and finally reaching the point of the mountain. We would then continue on going to Lehi, American Fork, Pleasant Grove, Linden, Orem, and on to Provo. When I was a boy at seemed as if it took forever to get
through Provo. However we continued down the road and went through Springville, and eventually Spanish Fork where we traveled west to Benjamin. The trip took a better part of the day especially if you had car
trouble along the way. In those days it was quite common for cars to overheat and you would see vehicles parked alongside the road as their owners sought out sources of water to pour into the radiators. After the long journey the family gathered at the Huff residence in preparation for the big hunt.

Everyone was in attendance, my dads’ brothers Wes and Merv along with their families, his sister Grace and her husband Norm. Grace and Norm did not have any sons only girls and I don’t recall that the girls ever attended very often. The Huff kids were my favorite cousins, Marlin, Paul, the twins Sherm and Sherry, Keith, and David. We would all stay at aunt Lucile’s home Friday night before the hunt began which was quite an event. There were only two bedrooms in the home so all of the kids slept on the floor in the living room. Also, there was only one bathroom for all those people. Somehow we all survived. We had a wonderful time just being together.

On Saturday morning we were all up very early Lucile and Virginia ,and my mom would fix a big breakfast for everyone. My cousins Marlin and Paul had to get up even earlier as it was necessary to feed the livestock and milk the cows. Finally it was time for the hunt. The men and boys would move out into the fields to hunt the birds and the women would stay behind and prepare a big Thanksgiving type meal. Before we boys were old enough to carry a gun we served as the bird dogs. The hunt began and the birds began to fly it was really exciting as we pursued the rooster pheasants. At noon we would all come in and feast upon the foods which
had been prepared. After lunch the entire family would head for the fields aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, everyone would spread out through the sugar beet fields in the hopes of stirring up more pheasants. At times our line consisted of a least 30 people, it was quite a sight and very exciting for everyone.

As the years went by I became old enough to finally carry a gun, it was the biggest event of my young life. My cousins Marlin and Paul were also old enough to carry guns so the three of us had a great competition to see who could shoot the most pheasants. I remember very vividly the first rooster pheasant I ever shot and to this day I could return to the exact spot it took place. It’s interesting how such a memory is embedded so firmly in my mind. From time to time Marlin, Paul, and I were allowed to go out on our own, we thought we were pretty hot stuff. As the years passed by our family group began to dwindle. My dad and some of my uncles became too old to walk the fields, my uncle Arch had passed away and things just didn’t seem the same. Eventually the old family homestead was sold and we continued the tradition by meeting in Marlins home but with a much smaller group. Now the years have really fled by, my cousin Marlin and his brother Sherm have passed away. We no longer hunt pheasants, in fact we no longer hunt anything. Things change as we go through life but we will always have sweet memories of family and the traditions we enjoyed.

Camping Tradition - Autumn

My favorite tradition is going camping. We would gather together with a big group of families from our ward and set off on a wilderness adventure filled with tin foil dinners, campfire smell on your clothes, cold water that makes you feel alive, and squishing as many people that we could into a hammock that was only meant for two. All us kids would go exploring and hiking through the woods.

 One time we went up this hill and it was so steep, that you felt like you were upside down, it was the weirdest feeling in the world. But as a kid,  it was magic. And when we jumped into that freezing water, we didn't focus on the cold, but looked forward to the feeling of accomplishment after, when we hit the sometimes-warm-shower. And then we would huddle around the campfire at night and just listen to the stories, because we were so tuckered out from all the frolicking the day.

One time we woke up to a huge storm right outside our tent. The wind was howling, the rain pelted our tent (personally I've always loved the sound ) and my friend Monica and I were holding onto each other for dear life. Then we heard a noise that sounded,  I kid you not, like a UFO. Like a UFO was taking off right outside our tent. It being 5 o'clock in the morning and the lack of sleep,  I legitly thought it was a real UFO. I was praying "please Heavenly Father, please don't let the little green men take me." As I look back mom thinks it was the start of a tornado or some type of wind funnel, either way it was probably the scariest moment of camping but an amazing story to tell.