Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Trip to Utah, February 7-12, 2012

Darren at the Brick Oven
The Marriott Center (stock photo)
I drove by myself up to Provo, Utah on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 in order to visit our son Darren, who's a student at BYU.  I stayed in the Provo Super 8 (on Canyon Road at University Parkway) for five nights, finally driving home in a series of blizzards on Sunday, February 12.  I also was able to visit with my brothers -- Roger, Robin, Jeff, and Kelly -- all of whom live and work in Utah Valley.  Robin invited me to go to the BYU-Pepperdine men's basketball game on Saturday, and I believe it was the first time I'd seen a live game in the Marriott Center (see photo) since I was a student at BYU in 1981 -- which, coincidentally, was the only year the Cougars have ever made it to the round of 8 in the NCAA tournament.  In some ways, going to the Marriott Center after all these years was like going through a time warp, although a lot of things have changed, especially the ear-splitting volume of the sound system.  Due to my chronic illnesses, the drive to (or from) Provo is almost more than I can handle, and the stress of driving home on icy roads did a large number on me.  It was all worth it to see Darren, however, and hopefully to give him a lift in this, his last undergrad semester.