Lowe Carlos Brooks' Baby Blessing and Family Camping Trip to Idaho

Lowe Carlos Brooks had his blessing at 9am on June 9th with so much family present in Tony and Briana's home. All of the Gonzales Clan was there for it, and we were happy to be there; and a good majority of the Brooks family was there as well. Definitely both of Lowe's grandparents were there. It was a joyous occasion and afterwards we took pictures in the yard by Briana's home.

The festivities leading up to Lowe's blessing were great as well. We had tried to plan several things with the family but a few of the things were done with them and a lot was sitting at home and talking or playing. The first night that everybody arrived, we went to Grandpa's Southern Barbeque and got two big feasts to share among the family. Then we traveled to Briana's home and played STOP!, the game where you write down words under a specific category before everybody else can to a specific letter in the alphabet. Briana was crowned the champion.

The next day we went to the Farmer's Market in Idaho Falls and walked down the street. Mom had to get her onion bread and tomatoes to fulfill a desire that she had. We walked down with the kids and it was pretty enjoyable. Cohen stopped by a money compartment that was spinning flying $1 bills around. He was mesmerized. We got a few free things to eat as well. Then we decided to go to Mom and Dad's Air BnB. 

At the Air BnB, each of us ate lunch which we got in multiple ways. Mom and Dad got pizza, Briana ordered Chik fil a and Tony got it for us. Jake, Rachel and Sarah went to different restaurants at the Farmer's Market. While we ate, youtube episodes of Bluey were playing on the TV, which I found. Then when the kids lost interest, we played some youtube trivia games, one that had us guess the movie based off the emoji's presented, and then we did a guessing game of lyrics and song titles/artists of the 2010s. It was a quiz of 100 songs but everybody was into it. But by the time it was over, we were a little tired. 

And then the next day was the blessing, which was really special.

Sarah and I got there a day ahead. So we hung out with Briana at her house. Cohen was recovering from sickness and Sunny was tired and disoriented. But ultimately, I got her out of her shell. We ate burritos with some really good meat that Briana had made.

Sarah and I were camping the whole time. And despite what Mom had said, the weather was absolutely perfect for camping. Just perfect. Briana had purchased a large tent for us and let us borrow her sleeping bags and air mattress, so honestly it was luxury sleeping through and through. The first day, there was a small storm that passed through, and while we were away, the tent blew over on its side, causing us to want to feel it with more rocks so that it wouldn't do that again. But overall, it was a great experience. We even had bathrooms that had bathtubs in it (which I used one night) and also a laundry room. The campsite was only 5 minutes away from Briana's house by car, and a 40 ish minute walk to Briana's house (which we made twice). So overall, good experience.

We spent some time with Sarah's friend Jessica and her daughter, Amalie, at a splash pad while we were in Idaho Falls. We also spent some time with Ember, one of Sarah's closest friends that I had only barely learned about because this was a hard point in Sarah's life. They are both very nice people.

Sarah and I did go to the Eastern Idaho Museum of Art which cost us $4 a piece. It was a very small museum, but it was a good reprieve. Then we walked more downtown Idaho Falls and stopped at Great Harvest, a bakery that sold really great bread and sandwiches. Then we went to the bookstore across the street for just a sec. We had decided that we wanted to rent a car. So after we had gotten an Uber to the Idaho Falls Airport, we found out that we couldn't rent a car because they need to place the order on a credit card, and we hardly have any credit.

Then Jessica picked us up. After that, Mom and Dad had called us to hang out. They had just arrived at the Air Bnb. We met them at the Idaho Falls Temple Visitor's Center. We sat and talked. I talked with dad about some ancestry questions I had. Also the Sister Missionaries in the Visitor's Center told us about a game that they play with the people they visit. They have us search for little tiny rubber Jesus' in the center. There were five to be exact. And we found all five. The prize was being given our own little Jesus. We then went to Mom's and Dad's house where I tried to help dad out with his Bitlocker situation on his computer.

On another day, Sarah and I stayed at Briana's house while they went to be with the Brooks family. Sarah and I watched Clue as well as rested and ate some calzones from Bambinnos that was delivered.

All in all, good trip.