Jam on it, Utah 2025
The last 5 days went in the blink of an eye! We left bright and early Wednesday morning for Utah. We picked up Penny's friend and teammate, Jersey, and then drove over to the Walkers house so we could convoy the whole way there and we really did just that! The kids were all between both minivans the entire way. Laughing, painting nails, watching movies and playing games.. the drive down was perfect in every way!
Our kids have been looking forward to Utah for so long. Bentley and Penny have never been before and as much as we had high hopes and big dreams of showing them downtown Salt Lake and visiting with family if we could, the reality is that every moment of this weekend trip was spent with our basketball teams. It was the final tournament and the last time these exact teams will be together and although it took all of our extra time, we wouldn't have it any other way.
We got to our hotel, in Lehi, around 10pm. Got settled in and went to bed. The next 3 days were filled with the tournament. Games starting each morning at 10:15am and finishing into the afternoon.
We watched so many basketball games. All our own kids but also so many of our friends basketball games from our club. It really was such a great weekend for ball!
We ate at In and Out, Raising Canes, Slackwater, Zupas.. all so yummy and our hotel (The Hyatt in Lehi) was 5/5 for us! We randomly got an end room which meant it was huge but for the same price, the breakfast in the morning was amazing and had almost everything you could think of and there was even a celebrity staying in the same hotel just beside us. Late one night Bentley came in the room and said "I think I just walked down the hallway with Benson Boone...." my initial thought was, ummm here at a regular hotel in Lehi, Utah, no way.. but he was definitely right! Benson Boone was there! Lots of our club got pictures with him the next morning but we were already at the expo centre for games. Pretty cool that Bentley can say he walked the hotel hallway with him though!
This hotel really was awesome. The staff was so nice, the amenities were awesome and staying with teammates is always the best!
We did American shopping and found so many gluten free things that were all so good! We went to Scheels for the first time. They had a while ferris wheel in their store, that was my favourite part! Carter even went to Top Golf with his team one afternoon and had a blast!
Our games were really fun this weekend! Penny and Jersey swept the entire division. The played 3 great games and won by lots each time. Their team for Utah was a combination of their original team and also team 1. We weren't sure how they'd do because they all haven't played together at all before Utah but the gelled immediately! It was soo much fun and the girls had a blast! They ended the weekend with Gold! Penny got MVP and we were so happy for her! Her coach said her job was to "lock down the tall girls" and she did exactly that! Way to go, girls!
Bentley's team battled! They played so good this weekend as a team and out of the 4 games they played, they only lost 1! They had fun, smiled while doing it and worked so good as a team. They came in second in their division and we're so proud of them!!!
Carter. Why is raising your first child so emotional. This spring league team has been amazing for him. Brian and West were their coaches and this group of boys became close buds within minutes this season. I am so grateful for this team and the amazing kids they are. As everyone heads to different high schools, we hope to see them again next spring for more bball! Carter's team made my heart race every single game this weekend with a win or a loss only by a couple of points. We got a buzzer beater 3 in order to win a game and it was the highlight of the season for these boys (and their coaches!). They didn't place for a medal but this team has shown resilience and determination and has become great friends. Its hard to let this one go.
